By Matt Bradshaw —

In the second year since their return to Cardinal Arena, volleyball gave fans a glimpse of the 2018 squad with their annual Red/White scrimmage. White defeated red 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 25-17) in a lively preseason contest.

Seniors Molly Sauer, Wilma Rivera, Jasmine Bennett and junior Melanie McHenry led the White team. Redshirt junior Amanda Green, junior Megan Sloan and a squad of talented underclassmen comprised the Red team.

“This year we have a much bigger roster,” head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “Very athletic, exciting and fun personalities. I’m definitely excited to see how they can help us win some matches this fall.”

2017 Conference Co-Champions

The Cardinals return from a fantastic program turnaround in 2017. Picked eighth in the preseason poll after a losing season in 2016, Louisville battled to an ACC Co-Title with first-year coach Busboom Kelly at the helm.

When asked about the possibility of complacency after achieving the Co-Title, Busboom Kelly responded with determination.

“With this group, we really feel like we underachieved in the NCAA Tournament,” Busboom Kelly said. “That’s been a really big drive for us this season.”

Northern Iowa knocked Louisville out of the first round of the Tournament in 2017. Despite topping their conference, the Cardinals played a tough opponent right off the bat.

Similar to baseball’s postseason, volleyball is seeded based on region after the regular season. If a team misses out on the top 16, they will more than likely have a difficult first matchup.

“If we want to accomplish our goals of going far in the NCAA Tournament, every game matters,” Busboom Kelly said. “It’s not like men’s or women’s basketball where you get seeded one through 64. It’s important for us to do well against ranked opponents.”

ACC Preview

U of L has a strong nonconference schedule this year. Victories against teams like Florida, 2017 NCAA Championship finalist, and Kentucky will prove valuable as the season moves forward.

“We talked so much about the ACC, so after we won it felt like the season was done,” Busboom Kelly said. “This year I think we’ve done a much better job of creating the mindset that it’s a long season. It’s really broken into three: Preseason, ACC then NCAA Tournament.”

In the 2018 ACC preseason coaches poll, the Cards were picked to finish second with 180 points. Pittsburgh, 2017 ACC Co-Champion with Louisville, received all possible first-place votes with 196 points to grab the top spot.

Louisville led all conference opponents with four players on the All-ACC preseason team: Sauer, Rivera, Bennett and McHenry. Sauer and Rivera highlight the group as 2017 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Setter of the Year, respectively.

“We return four of our best players from last season, and then we get to figure out the rest of the positions,” Busboom Kelly said.

Sauer played in every set of every match at libero in 2017 and compiled 471 digs with 27 service aces. She was named to the U. S. Collegiate National Team and competed in China this past summer.

“Molly is a naturally gifted player,” Busboom Kelly said. “With her it’s more about leadership, staying strong and continuing to be the best libero in the ACC.”

Rivera took over the starting setter position last year and made it her own, playing every set of every match.  The Puerto Rican had 61 kills, 50 blocks and a team-high 1215 assists and 36 aces.

“I ask my coaches what they think I can do better,” Rivera said. “I go from there and work hard every day.”

25-player roster

With 25 players, volleyball’s 2018 roster is one of the deepest ever. Six are new to the team as freshmen along with a transfer from Arizona.

Freshman Emily Scott, 6-foot-2 middle blocker, and freshman Aiko Jones, 6-foot-2 right side hitter, are just a couple players that Cardinal fans can expect to have an immediate impact.

Sophomore Kelly O’Neil is the transfer from Arizona, who had her best career match (10 digs and two aces) in UA’s five-set victory over then-No. 16 Oregon. The defensive specialist hails from Louisville, where she helped lead Mercy Academy to state and national championships in 2014.

“Having depth can be very exciting, because you’re always pushing people to be better,” Sauer said. “I think we’ve taken that as a positive instead of a negative. It’s a really good thing we’ve been working on this year.”

Can’t beat Cardinal Arena

After a stint playing at the KFC Yum! Center, Louisville returns for the second year to the newly-renovated Cardinal Arena on Belknap Campus. As a much smaller and more personal venue than the Yum! Center, both players and fans preferred their experience last season at Cardinal Arena.

“I think the culture has changed. My first two years here we played at the Yum! Center and it wasn’t very personal,” Sauer said. “Making the transition to play at Cardinal Arena has been awesome for us. Having fans right on top of you is a big step, and I think this year we’ll have even more people come out to games.”

Volleyball’s regular season begins on Friday, Aug. 24 with the Cardinal classic at Cardinal Arena. Louisville faces Tennessee-Martin at 12:30 p.m. and Southern Illinois at 7:30 p.m.

“I’ve seen a lot of progression since I’ve been here,” Bennett said. “It’s been an amazing experience. I definitely see this team doing really well this season.”

You can follow Matt Bradshaw on Twitter @bradmatt8.

Photos by Matt Bradshaw / The Louisville Cardinal