source: Yahoo Sports

No. 4 Kentucky erased a slow start to beat No. 3 Louisville 29-27 in the second set and 25-21 in the third, taking a 2-1 match lead in front of a sold-out crowd at Historic Memorial Coliseum, according to NCAA.com.

Louisville had opened the match by taking the first set 25-19.

The rivalry matchup, broadcast on ABC, began at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 20, 2026, in Lexington.

The Courier Journal's Alaina Morris and Payton Titus reported for Yahoo Sports that Louisville entered the day off a 3-0 sweep of Western Kentucky on September 16, while Kentucky arrived fresh off a 3-0 win over Houston at the Paradise Invitational in the Bahamas on September 13.

Louisville Draws First Blood

Louisville jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set and built its advantage to 14-5 before Kentucky clawed back within five.

Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine powered the Cardinals' attack with four kills, three blocks and two digs as setter Nayelis Cabello ran an offense that hit .324.

Middle blocker Brooke Bultema, a Kentucky transfer, closed the set with a solo block on Lizzie Carr to secure a 25-19 win, Louisville's first set win at Historic Memorial Coliseum against Kentucky this season, per NCAA.com. Kentucky hit just .079 in the set.

Kentucky Flips The Script

Kentucky's offense looked completely different in the second set, jumping its hitting percentage from .079 to .420.

Outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye led the surge with eight kills and a service ace as the set featured 16 ties and seven lead changes.

Louisville fought off two set points before Kentucky closed it out 29-27 on its third opportunity.

The third set brought more late drama. Kentucky built a 21-14 cushion before Louisville answered with a 5-1 run to pull within 22-15.

Middle blocker Kennedy Washington added five kills in the set, and DeLeye tacked on five more to push her match total to 18 kills.

Outside hitter Morgan Gaerte delivered the set-clinching kill in the 25-21 finish.

Louisville, which climbed to third in the Power 10 rankings after Week 3, national rankings now trails 2-1 with a fourth set still to play.

A Rivalry Reaching New Heights

Sunday marked the first time in the history of the Louisville-Kentucky series that both programs entered ranked in the top five nationally, NCAA.com reported.

The two schools have met 67 times overall, with Kentucky holding a 33-29 edge in the all-time series, a rivalry dating back to 1976.

Kentucky started setter Kassie O'Brien, outside hitters Morgan Gaerte and Brooklyn DeLeye, middle blockers Lizzie Carr and Kennedy Washington, libero Molly Tuozzo and defensive specialist Trinity Ward.

Louisville countered with setter Nayelis Cabello, outside hitters Chloe Chicoine and Payton Peterson, opposite Kalyssa Blackshear, middle blockers Addison Makun and Brooke Bultema, and libero Kamden Schrand.