No. 3 Cardinals Set to Host No. 15 San Diego and No. 8 Ohio State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 3 University of Louisville volleyball is set to host San Diego and Ohio State at the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena this weekend, Sep. 2-4, for the Cardinal Classic.
 
The Cardinals are coming off a 3-0 road win Wednesday evening against intrastate rival No. 22 Western Kentucky and now head into the weekend with two ranked teams on the slate. They take on No. 15 San Diego on Friday, Sep. 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET. They will face No. 8 Ohio State on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
 
San Diego vs. Louisville
Louisville and San Diego have met once before during the NCAA tournament in the 2021 spring season, where the Cards won 3-1. Led by Jennifer Petrie in her 24^th season, the Toreros finished last season 20-8 (14-4 in conference) and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Rice. San Diego had an electric start to the 2022 season finishing the opening weekend 3-0. The Toreros knocked off No. 10 Pitt in a five-setter (3-2) and swept Texas A&M and Hawaii. San Diego returns three top-notch seniors in 6-5 opposite Grace Frohling, transfer setter Gabby Blossom, and transfer 6-3 outside Breana Edwards. Frohling, named to the 2021 AVCA Pacific South All-Region team, recorded 35 kills (.382) and nine blocks this past weekend. Blossom had 118 assists and 29 digs on the weekend while Edwards had 36 kills and seven blocks.
 
Ohio State vs. Louisville
The Cardinals match against Ohio State will mark the seventh meeting between the two programs. Ohio State currently leads the record 6-0, with the last match up being in 2002. Led by Jen Flynn Oldenburg, the Buckeyes finished the 2021 season 27-6 (15-5 in conference) and lost in the regional semifinal of the NCAA tournament to then ranked No. 13 Georgia Tech. Ohio State finished the opening weekend 0-2 after losing dual matches to No. 1 Texas. Returning for Ohio State are three key players in senior 6-2 setter Mac Podraza, junior 6-2 middle blocker Rylee Rader, and senior libero Kylie Murr. Podraza, who led the country in assists per set by the end of the regular season in 2021, finished the weekend with 62 assists, seven digs, and 11 blocks. Last year, Rader set a program record for single season kill percentage (minimum 200 kills) by hitting .443. A member of the 2022 US Women’s Collegiate National Team, Murr finished the weekend with seven aces and…