LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dan Meske had coached plenty of matches in L&N Arena. But not like this.

Not with his name on the lineup card. Not with the camera pointed squarely at him. Not with a No. 4 ranking in front of his team’s name and a Final Four shadow hanging just behind it.

Friday night was new territory — not just for Meske, but for Louisville volleyball. And while it wasn’t perfect, it was plenty good.

Louisville 3, Auburn 0.

The sweep didn’t come easy, but it did come — 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 — and so did the first win of the Meske era.

“It’s hard to win,” he said afterward. “I’ve always known that. And it is a little bit different as the head coach.”

A pause. A breath.

“You know, we had five or six players that that was their first extended time with us ever, and I thought they did

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