Louisville volleyball opens 2023 NCAA Tournament vs. Wright State: How to watch, key info
Louisville volleyball will make its 32nd NCAA Tournament appearance at 7 p.m. Thursday when it faces off against Wright State.
The second-seeded Cardinals will play their first-round match at the KFC Yum! Center after seventh-seeded Auburn's match against Western Michigan at 4 p.m.
If the Cards win Thursday night, they will face the Auburn-Western Michigan winner at 7 p.m. Friday.
This is the third consecutive season the Cards have hosted the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament.
U of L hosted the regional round the previous two years and made it to the Final Four.
Here are some story lines heading into the Cardinals' match against Wright State:
Louisville volleyball players to watch
On Monday, senior Anna DeBeer was named ACC Co-Player of The Year.
The outside hitter finished the season with 343 kills and averaged 3.46 kills per set.
DeBeer had the most kills in the ACC this season in a single match, with 29 against Pittsburgh on Nov. 18.
Elena Scott was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Scott had 443 digs (4.43 digs per set).
DeBeer and Scott were joined by junior Charitie Luper on the All-ACC first team.
Cara Cresse, Aiko Jones and Elle Glock made second-team All-ACC.
Louisville had six players receive All-ACC honors. Only Pittsburgh, with eight honorees, had more players on All-ACC teams.
Success at the KFC Yum! Center
The Cards are 14-1 at home (2-1 at the KFC Yum! Center) this season. In September, they broke their home attendance record when 12,761 filled the Yum! Center to watch their match against Kentucky.
U of L achieved its second-largest home crowd in a match against Pittsburgh a month later. The Cards drew 11,461 to the Yum! Center.
Coach Dani Busboom Kelly spoke about the importance of being a high seed in the tournament and the fans at the Yum! Center.
"Our crowds have been incredible. The three Yum! Center games felt big time. So it's really awesome to get to go back there again," Busboom Kelly said. "I'm glad that we are playing on Thursday and Friday, so people can cheer us on Thursday (and) Friday and then go to the football game."
What to know about Wright State
The Raiders, who have won nine consecutive matches, finished the regular season 21-10 and are in their fourth NCAA Tournament in the last five years.
The Cards faced the Raiders earlier in the season and defeated them in four sets (20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 26-24 ).
Raiders coach Travers Green was named Coach of the Year in the Horizon League; this is the second consecutive year he won this award.
Right-side hitter Callie Martin was awarded conference Player of the Year, and Katie Meyer won Setter of the Year. She averaged 10.80 assists per set in conference play.
Wright State averaged the most kills and assists per set in its conference. The Raiders finished with the second-highest hitting percentage.
Their defense held opponents to the lowest hitting percentage in the Horizon League.
This is Green's second year coaching the Raiders. Last season, the Raiders were Horizon League champions and went undefeated in conference play.
How to watch
Date: Thursday, Nov. 30
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Channel: ESPN+
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Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: How to watch Louisville volleyball vs. Wright State at KFC Yum! Center
