On Sunday Afternoon, No. 5 Stanford women’s volleyball lost to No. 4 Louisville at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. for a spot in the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament. 

Although Stanford took an early lead, decisive blocking proved to be the key for Louisville gaining momentum. Both teams felt the impact of service errors on their performance. Under the pressure of a live and roaring Louisville crowd, Stanford fought hard to catch up to Louisville in most sets.

During the first set, the Cardinal secured a steady lead. The team was consistent in their hitting and communication. Team veterans confidently led the team in scoring. Senior middle blocker Sami Francis and junior outside hitter Elia Rubin both anchored the team with controlled kills throughout the set. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Ipar Kurt also put up two big kills. By the end of the game, the three led for the team’s kills with 10, 14 and 13 respectively.

Louisville struggled with attack errors during the first set, which saw a lot of challenges to no touch callings, with both teams using at least one challenge. Towards the end of the game, Louisville started to push back against Stanford, but the Cardinal was victorious with a score of 25-22. 

The second set started out neck in neck, but Louisville inched ahead. Once they caught their momentum, they confidently widened the gap. During a few rallies, Stanford was forced to move further back on the court to hit the ball. As the set progressed, they felt the pressure of Louisville’s blocking. The Cardinal ended the set with seven kills and seven attack errors compared to Louisville’s 17 kills and four attack errors. Stanford fell in the second set 14-25.

The two teams were fairly even during the third set, but Louisville managed to stay slightly ahead. Around 16 points, Stanford was able to tie the game and the two teams started fighting for every point, leading to some long and tough rallies for the teams during the middle of the set. Towards the end of the set, Louisville was able to snatch a two point lead back. Stanford fought to tie the score, leading to a tense and crucial exchange as the points moved closer to 25. Each team held game point multiple times, but after a tough fight, Stanford fell 26-28 in the third set. 

In the fourth set, Louisville took an early lead, but Stanford worked to recover. Despite their effort to catch back up, the blocking by Louisville proved to be destructive for their rhythm. Stanford eventually lost the set 20-25. Louisville ultimately secured the game winning 3-1 sets, taking the regional title.

This game marks the end of a largely successful season for Stanford women’s volleyball, which won 25 games during the regular season. The team had five players selected for the AVCA All-Pacific Region Team. Senior setter Kami Miner was named the 2024 ACC Volleyball Setter of the Year. Multiple players made the All-ACC First Team, Second Team and ACC All-Freshman Team. Stanford was one of just three ACC schools to make it to the Elite Eight for the NCAA tournament.