’This makes us better.’ Kentucky volleyball eyes big picture after loss to archrival.

Nothing has shaken Craig Skinner’s belief that his Kentucky team is benefiting from these moments.

While the immediate outcomes may not favor the Wildcats, Skinner cites experience as an invaluable asset that comes with playing the best college volleyball teams in the most pressure-packed environments.

Coming up short in these moments, like Kentucky did at No. 2 Wisconsin last Friday night and at No. 5 Louisville on Wednesday night, will be used as teaching tools, but also as reminders of the work still to be done if UK wants to return to the heights of last season’s national championship.

Few matches could signal that reminder like Wednesday’s, as the No. 8-ranked Wildcats lost in five sets to the Cardinals in front of a record crowd of more than 1,250 fans — including some UK fans who eagerly began Blue-White chants throughout the night — at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on the Louisville campus.

Kentucky’s first five-set match of the season ended with its first loss to Louisville since 2012, snapping a seven-game winning streak for UK against its biggest rival.

After Kentucky convincingly took the first set, 25-17, Louisville responded by winning the second set, 25-20, and the third set, 25-22. The Wildcats won the fourth set, 25-20, before Louisville claimed the deciding fifth set, 15-9, winning the final eight points of the match.

It’s the third loss of the young season for Kentucky, now 6-3 overall, after the Wildcats lost just one match a season ago.

“There’s no question this makes us better,” Skinner told the Herald-Leader postgame. “We find out a lot. We find out how we’re going to have to respond against good teams on the road or (if) we’re at home in fifth sets. We’ve got so much room to grow and this is another match that shows us a lot of things we need to continue to grow at.”

Despite finishing the five-set match with slight statistical advantages in kills, 62-59, assists, 60-52, and digs, 67-57, a poor offensive night from the Wildcats was too much for the visitors to overcome.

In all six of Kentucky’s wins this season, the Wildcats have had a hitting percentage of .300 or greater. In all three of Kentucky’s losses, the hitting percentage has been below .200.

The Wildcats had a hitting percentage of .193 Wednesday, including a negative hitting percentage in the fifth set as errors outnumbered kills.

“You’re just not going to get multiple opportunities to kill the ball in one rally against good teams, so we’ve got to be a little bit better at first-ball killing,” Skinner said.

One of the hallmarks of Louisville, now 9-0 on the season, is its blocking ability. The Cardinals registered 15 blocks in the match to UK’s eight, but Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said postgame she didn’t think her team blocked great in the match.

In the fifth set though, U of L’s defensive calling card made the difference as Cardinals junior middle blocker Amaya Tillman made several blocks in the game’s closing points.

“It’s huge. It’s kind of been on our list, like, ‘When are we going to have a chance to beat Kentucky?’” Busboom Kelly said. “I felt like this year we have the players to match them player for player. To capitalize on that is, again, huge.”

Kentucky senior outside hitter Alli Stumler had season-highs with 20 kills and 15 digs in the loss. She was denied the chance to be part of a sixth-straight senior class at UK to never lose to Louisville.

Stumler and her fellow upperclassmen this season have had to help navigate a new-look Kentucky team compared to last season’s national championship squad.

Four of the seven Kentucky starters Wednesday were either freshmen or sophomores, players still learning what it’s like to play in big college matches in front of big crowds.

That exposure has come in rapid succession as well. Kentucky is currently in a stretch of playing three top-16 ranked teams in four matches, a stretch that will conclude Sunday with an afternoon home match in Memorial Coliseum against No. 16 Stanford.

It’s a crash course in competitive volleyball ahead of UK’s Southeastern Conference opener Sept. 24, and a challenge that junior middle blocker Azhani Tealer said will benefit the Wildcats long term.

“I think we knew what this preseason was going to look like and we were excited about it,” Tealer, who had 10 kills and five total blocks against Louisville, said. “That’s why we play these teams, to get ready for SEC and I think it’s going to prepare us and we’re going to be really good come time to play our opponents in conference.”

In addition to working with young players at key positions — like freshmen Eleanor Beavin at libero and Emma Grome at setter — Skinner is also learning to balance repetitions and rest for a team that played volleyball into April before having to start a new season in August.

Skinner’s hope is that with the benefit of time Kentucky will develop a more consistent offensive rhythm and smooth out its rotations.

Until then, the Wildcats must adapt and adjust as best they can against opposition more eager than ever to take advantage.

“We’re getting better every match, and it’s showing, but we still have a long ways to go,” Tealer said. “Fatigue I don’t think is a problem. We got a long rest and we get rest in between (matches), so I think it’s just a matter of getting in there and getting the job done.”

Next match

No. 16 Stanford at No. 8 Kentucky

When: 1 p.m. Sunday

TV: SEC Network

Records: Stanford 5-2, Kentucky 6-3