The No. 2 Texas Longhorns head to Fort Worth for the Showdown at the Net to battle the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals in a top-10 face off at Dickies Arena on Thursday on ESPN at 8 pm central time.
The Longhorns (4-0) and the Cardinals (4-0) both come into the match looking to extend the undefeated streak. The last time the juggernauts faced each other was in the 2022 national championship with Texas sweeping
Louisville 3-0. Texas holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series, although the one win by Louisville was a big one — a 2019 upset of the Longhorns in Austin that sent the Cardinals to the program’s first-ever Elite Eight.
The aggressive Louisville offense ranks No. 2 nationally with 15.23 kills per set. The Cardinal that leads the flock is sophomore outside hitter Payton Petersen with 49 kills with 38 digs, reaching a season high of 20 kills against Illinois to push Louisville to a 3-1 victory on Sunday. Junior outside hitter Chloe Chicoine contributes with 44 kills, 35 digs, and five blocks alongside the true freshman middle blocker Kalyssa Blackshear, who has delivered 27 kills with 11 blocks in the early 2025 season. Sophomore setter Nayelis Cabello shows versatility with 117 assists, 30 digs, seven blocks, and four aces and just tallied 52 assists against Illinois, surpassing her previous match high of 44.
Louisville has also served five aces in four straight matches to start the season. Junior libero Kamden Schrand holds the back line down for the Cardinals with 11 assists, 75 digs, and for aces.
Longhorns that lead the herd begin with junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford with 63 kills, three aces, 44 digs, and four blocks. In four matches, Stafford has had three double-doubles, including against then-No. 6 Stanford on Sunday. On defense, senior libero Emma Halter has racked up 25 assists, two aces, and 56 digs, helping Texas rank No. 2 in the SEC in digs/set with 14.73. In the 2025 season, true freshmen outside hitters have made an instant impact with Cari Spears contributing 44 kills, 24 digs, and five blocks and Abby Vanderbilt Wal adding 33 kills, 11 digs, and five blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Ayden Ames aids with 24 kills and 15 blocks contributing to the consistent Longhorns.
The second straight top-10 matchup for Texas provides another critical early-season test for head coach Jerritt Elliott’s team as it looks to once again boost its non-conference resume.
