LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On the north side of L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, 11 black banners hang on the wall. To the left are five white banners and three red banners.
The banners represent the University of Louisville volleyball’s success in the NCAA Tournament: 11 Sweet 16 appearances, five Elite 8s and three Final Fours.
It’s the opposite of Indiana volleyball, which has just two Sweet 16 appearances in program history, one of which came last year.
The gap in the two programs' successes was evident Friday night in Louisville, Kentucky, as No. 16 Indiana was swept by No. 7 Louisville in the Hoosiers’ opening match of the season. Indiana lost all three sets by five or more points, including a 14-point defeat in the final game.
“It was a tough night, but, match one, you learn a lot of the stuff that you knew you'd probably need to learn,” Indiana head coach Steve Aird said postgame. “And so we got their attention and we're excited to get to the next match.”
Throughout the night, Indiana failed to generate momentum, despite having opportunities to swing the match in its favor. An opening point from fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry gave the Hoosiers an early lead in the first set, but a 4-0 run by the Cardinals followed.
And once Indiana got the ball back with a kill from junior opposite hitter Ella Boersema, a block error from sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager granted Louisville another point.
That sequence was common for Indiana throughout the night. Points were frequently followed by errors or mishits, and Indiana couldn’t keep up with Louisville’s quick pace. The difficulties led to the Hoosiers’ 22 attack errors, seven service errors and one block error. Indiana hit just .043 on Friday compared to Louisville’s .346.
Despite the errors, Aird, who just began his ninth year at the helm of the Hoosiers, was quick to credit Louisville for its relentless attack.
“The biggest part of the match, I think, was serving and passing,” Aird said. “They served really aggressively. It was tough for T (Teodora Kričković) to run the offense. And then conversely, we didn't really serve very well.”
Friday’s sweep was the opposite of a reverse sweep against the University of Miami that opened the Hoosiers’ 2025 season, which ended with the best record in program history (25-8) and a NCAA Tournament regional semifinal appearance.
While the opening result was different for the Hoosiers in 2026, Aird believes it can still set the tone for the rest of the season.
“What I told the team is last year we had a win to start the year that kind of like slingshotted of us going forward. This can be the same thing, just a different version,” Aird said. “So, you kind of learn, you take your medicine, you get your ass kicked, but at the same time, one bad performance doesn’t mean you're a bad team.”
The difficult test was what Aird wanted, though. He’s embracing the challenge of three ranked opponents, including No. 8 Texas A&M University and No. 22 University of Tennessee, during the nonconference schedule, which leads into a demanding Big Ten slate.
The first contest of the Hoosiers’ gauntlet was Friday against Louisville, and it continues early next week when the Hoosiers take on the University of Georgia and Texas A&M, the reigning national champions, in West Lafayette, Indiana.
“I thought it was an important performance for Louisville coming off of a loss,” Aird said. “Our next match will tell us a lot about my team.”
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
