We’re less than a month away from Friday night volleyball/Saturday afternoon football weekends being back.
From U of L:
The University of Louisville volleyball team was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Poll in a vote by coaches. Setter Nayelis Cabello, outside hitter Chloe Chicoine and middle blocker Cara Cresse were named to the All-Preseason team.
The Cards received 271 points and four first-place votes, while Pitt was projected to win the league with 279 points and 10 first place votes. Stanford came in third with 264 points, followed by SMU (243) and North Carolina (212). Georgia Tech earned 210 points and was picked sixth, while Miami (190), Florida State (180), Virginia (135) and NC State (134) rounded out the top 10. The Wolfpack was followed by Duke (127), Notre Dame (126), Boston College (96), California (90), Wake Forest (84), Clemson (62), Syracuse (31) and Virginia Tech (20).
The Cards return three starters from last season’s team. The 2024 season saw the Cardinals advance to their second national title game appearance in three years while finishing with a final record of 30-6 and an ACC record of 17-3. The Cards took down Pittsburgh, the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament, to earn a spot in the national title game on their home floor at the KFC Yum! Center before falling in four sets to Penn State. Meske helped guide the Cardinals to wins over Chicago State, No. 8 Northern Iowa, No. 4 Purdue, and No. 2 Stanford to make it back to the Final Four for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
At the conclusion of the 2024 season, four Cards were recognized as AVCA All-Americans: Elena Scott (first team), Anna DeBeer (second team), Cara Cresse (honorable mention), and Charitie Luper (honorable mention). Scott was also named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year and Nayelis Cabello was tabbed ACC Freshman of the Year. DeBeer, Scott, and Luper were also honored as First Team All-ACC, while Cresse was named Second Team All-ACC and Cabello was recognized on the Freshman All-ACC team. Cresse, DeBeer, Luper, and Scott were also named to the AVCA All-South Region team while Reese Robins was listed as an Honorable Mention
Louisville opens the season on Aug. 29 when it hosts the Cardinal Classic featuring Auburn, Morehead State and St. John’s.
2025 Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team:
Larissa Mendes, Georgia Tech
Cara Cresse, Louisville
Chloe Chicoine, Louisville
Nayelis Cabello, Louisville
Flormarie Heredia Colon, Miami
Ariana Rodriguez, Miami
Safi Hampton, North Carolina
Morgan Gaerte, Notre Dame
Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh
Bre Kelley, Pittsburgh
Ryla Jones, Pittsburgh
Blaire Bayless, Pittsburgh
Malaya Jones, SMU
Averi Carlson, SMU
Favor Anyanwu, SMU
Elia Rubin, Stanford
Jordyn Harvey, Stanford
Ipar Kurt, Stanford
2025 Preseason ACC Volleyball Coaches Poll:
Pitt, 279 | 10 first-place votes
Louisville, 271 | 4 first-place votes
Stanford, 264 | 2 first-place votes
SMU, 243
North Carolina, 212
Georgia Tech, 210
Miami, 190
Florida State, 180
Virginia, 135
NC State, 134
Duke, 127
Notre Dame, 126
Boston College, 96
California, 90
Wake Forest, 84
Clemson, 62
Syracuse, 31
Virginia Tech, 20