LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When you think Louisville vs. Kentucky, you think basketball. Everybody does.
But in this decade — the 2020s — the rivalry has found its edge at the net, not the rim.
The players wear knee pads. The scoring runs on aces, not triples. Somewhere between Kentucky's 2020 NCAA title and Louisville's three Final Four trips in the past four years, this became a volleyball state.
And at 6 p.m. Thursday, when No. 3 Louisville (7-1) hosts No. 6 Kentucky (5-2) in the KFC Yum! Center, ESPNU will be there. So will a crowd that could top 10,000.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
It may not carry the highest profile in the rivalry. But lately, it has become the epicenter of its excellence. Both teams have been ranked for every meeting this decade, and this will be their second matchup with both in the top 10.
"I got here in 2017 and we lost four matches in a row to Kentucky," Louisville head coach Dan Meske said this week. "We kind of took it back in '21. It's definitely gone back and forth. We've won the last four. … It's a big deal. I remember in 2017, [Jason] Bond in the athletic department told me, 'We don't care if you're better this year — just beat Kentucky.' Then we lost to them for four seasons straight."
Louisville volleyball coach Dan Meske welcomes players to a huddle during his first game as Cardinals‘ coach, a 3-0 sweep of Auburn.
It's a rivalry full of momentum swings — and this week, of rankings highs. A week ago, these two teams were ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the nation. Kentucky has since dropped a match to Pitt, but the Wildcats have built one of the most aggressive early-season résumés in the country.
They've taken No. 1 Nebraska to five sets. They beat defending NCAA champion Penn State on the road. They own wins over No. 10 SMU and will have played every team from last season's Final Four before October.
UK is led by 2024 SEC Player of the Year Brooklyn DeLeye, with All-American Purdue transfer Eva Hudson joining her at outside hitter. They bring firepower and depth.
Louisville, meanwhile, is in transition — at least on paper. Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly left to take the job at her alma mater, No. 1 Nebraska. And the Cardinals graduated two foundational players — Anna DeBeer and Elena Scott, both hometown All-Americans now playing professionally.
But the expectations haven't dipped. Meske took over a preseason No. 4 team and hasn't let off the gas.
He returned All-American middle blocker Cara Cresse, and setter Nayelis Cabello, now playing a full rotation role. He brought in outside hitter Chloe Chicoine from Purdue. With Libero Kamden Schrand and Payton Petersen, Louisville has one of the nation's strongest serve-receive corps.
"Those three could be a starting Libero for most teams in the country," Meske said. "And we get to play them all at the same time."
And then there's Kalyssa Blackshear, the most exciting Louisville freshman since ... well, maybe ever.
"I think Kalyssa is the most physical player we've ever had," Meske said. "Watching her play is a spectacle. She touches 10-10, 10-11 — which is higher than I ever touched as a men's volleyball player. She's still learning, and we're still learning about her. But she's had a heck of a start."
This Louisville team has shown grit. It nearly upset No. 2 Texas on a not-quite neutral floor in Dallas, pushing the Longhorns to match point. It overcame a difficult opening set loss and raucous environment at No. 18 Creighton to win that one, too.
Now comes Kentucky — and a return to the KFC Yum! Center, where Louisville played the Final Four last December. The last time the Cards hosted Kentucky there, the crowd topped 12,000. The atmosphere will again be electric.
"We've played other big matches there. Final Fours, top-ranked teams," Meske said. "But when Kentucky is there, it's got a different vibe."
There are connections, too. Kentucky assistant Amaya Tillman is a Louisville legend and two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Meredith Jewell Frey, now UK's associate head coach, once helped run Louisville's defense as a grad assistant. Meske himself traces part of his coaching lineage to UK head coach Craig Skinner, a fellow Nebraska product.
"It's a really healthy rivalry," Meske said. "And it's great for volleyball in the state. The better the rivalry, the better the recruiting has been for both programs."
That much is already evident.
In a decade where both basketball programs have struggled to maintain consistency, volleyball has been the gold standard — elite, year after year.
And with a top 10 showdown Thursday night, volleyball again should have the look and feel of a main event.
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