Not your usual travel complications for the NCAA Final Four week. The University of Louisville volleyball team will be competing for the national championship on its home court and with an adoring home town crowd.
Tons of pressure on Coach Dani Busboom Kelly’s team all year long, high expectations, building on themselves as the tournament time approached. Getting there was the really hard part. Straight ahead, the stage is set for something special, starting Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center.
But first, the really hard part was getting past Stanford on Saturday night, one of the winningest programs in NCAA history. Louisville had just been swept in three segts by the West Coast team in three sets two weeks ago. Stanford jumping out to an impressive 25-22 win in the first set, leading most of the way. Not looking all that great for the home team. Backs against the wall but UofL senior leader Anna DeBeer was not about to c0ncede anything.
“We looked at each other in the eyes right when they were putting pressure on us early,” said DeBeer. “They were serving super aggressive. We all just knew that’s not how we were going to play. I trusted every single person, and that’s how we got out of that. We started gaining the momentum to finish out that first. Even though we came short, I felt like our team was getting back in it. Coming into that second, we knew we had it.”
Louisville would explode out of the gate, grabbing an 11-3 lead with Stanford calling two time outs to catch its breath. During an 8-0 run, Sofia Maldonado Diaz recorded three kills and a block assist, Phekran Kong recorded two blocks and a kill, and DeBeer stuffed a solo block. UofL would win the second set by 25-14 and Stanford was still trying to recover when the third set began. The Cards would not relent winning the third set 28-26 and the fourth and concluding set by 25-20. For the mathematically challenged (like the Observer), the scores were 22-25, 25-14, 28-26 and 25-20, Louisville atop the heap.
Debeer, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the Louisville Regional, chalked up her second consecutive match with 15 kills and adding six digs, two blocks, and an ace.
Diaz, in her most outstanding performance of the season, hit a UofL-career high 12 kills on the match, hitting .385 and stuffing seven blocks. Outside hitter Charitie Luper hit a .571 clip and posted her eighth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 13 digs, while adding four blocks.
“An epic moment for this program,” said Coach Busboom Kelly. “When the Final Four got announced here in 2024, it was like a dream. Can we ever do this? Will we have a team that could make it? Then to go through this season with all the pressure, and we’ve been talking about this almost every single week, to be able to get through those moments and just play how we did tonight, it was incredible. Just really proud of what our team did, and excited and looking forward to a couple more matches.”
Charitie Luper putting her body on the line for the Louisville volleyball program (Mike DeZarn photo).
