Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Basketball and Volleyball are on the agenda today

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Jenny looks at recruiting and volleyball


-USA OLYMPIC Womens' Basketball update


(Columnist Jenny O'Bryan gets us caught up on the recruiting trial and previews volleyball today.)

Cam Newbauer

Women’s basketball coaches have spent the month of July travelling from city to city, coast to coast, searching, looking and watching for the next best fit for their programs. 

During a NCAA Certified Viewing period, college programs cannot have more than 3 coaches on the road at the same time.  They rotate time on the road, spanning out to tournaments all over the country.  In the course of the last month Coach Walz and his assistants have been in DC, Maryland, NC, Georgia, Oregon, Nevada, Tennessee, Chicago and Texas...just to name a few areas they've visited.  

Rest assured that one or all of the coaches have been on the trail to see the talents of Mercedes Russell, Makayla Epps, Becca Greenwell (before Louisville was cut from her list), Emmonnie Henderson and Saniya Chong to name just a few.  Showing up at tournaments of recruits who have offers, or who are considering the program, is an active way of showing continued support of a recruit at a time in the recruiting calendar when no contact is allowed between coaches and recruits.  

Samantha Williams

Additionally, while on the trail, coaches are looking for future talent for upcoming recruiting classes.    Therefore, don’t be surprised if you start to hear names of kids in the classes of 2014, 2015 and even further out who have caught the eye of Louisville Women’s Basketball Coaches. 

Welcome home Coaches!   After close to a month away from home, in gyms throughout the country some with, some without air conditioning, I am sure the comfort of your own homes and the basketball offices are a welcome sight.  


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Lola leads an experienced
bunch of volleyball returnees

In other news with Louisville Women’s Athletics, Louisville Volleyball is just 17 days away from the Alumnae match on August 18 at Cardinal Arena and just 23 days away from the season opener against WKU at KFC YUM Center on August 24 at 7:30 p.m.  The 24^th and 25^th of August is the Active Ankle Challenge and in addition to WKU, the Cards will be playing Morehead St. and Penn State.   It should be a great weekend of volleyball. 

This season the VolleyCards (as I like to refer to the team) will play 15 home games at The YUM! Center, up from 6 games last season.    A family package of 4 tickets for the season can be purchased for  $210.  This is a great deal and will give the ticket holder post season ticket sale priority should the YUM!
Center be chosen to host the 1^st or 2^nd rounds of the NCAA tournament. 

For the past few seasons my family has had the opportunity to attend 4-5 games per season.  With a daughter who is also a volleyball player there tends to be a lot of scheduling conflicts that prohibit us from attending more often. 

The Louisville Volleyball program ranked 23^rd in the country in home game attendance during the 2011 season.  The hope is to break in to the top 10 in attendance this season.  

A healthy Gwen Rucker
will make Louisville tough
to beat. 

So Cardinal faithful get your season tickets now!  If you cannot commit to the season, like my household because of our own volleyball player, mark your calendar and plan to attend a few matches this season.  If you have not seen a volleyball game lately, like say when we were kids upwards 30-40 years ago, I guarantee you will be impressed with the talent on the court.   The game has grown and changed a lot over the course of the last few decades.  Make plans now to get out there and check our VolleyCards out.  


( Louisville looks to be loaded again in Volleyball with Lola Arsenbeckova, Gwen Rucker, Emily Juhl, Kaitlynn James, Caitlin Welch and a very impressive freshman class attacking the wide net. Under Anne Kordes' direction, the BIG EAST championship and a deep NCAA run looks like it's "in the CARDS".


Great job today by Jenny! Get out & support your VolleyCards.) 


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USA OLYMPIC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM UPDATE


USA women's Olympic Basketball team faces Turkey today in pool play. The Turks are 2-0 in pool play, like the USA. Angel probably had a good scouting report on them, since she's played Euroball in Turkey and several of the Turkish players are from club team Fenerbache, a team Angel knows quite well. 

Will it increase her playing time? Knowing Geno, probably not. With the UConn twins at guard (Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi), Candace Parker, Tina Charles and Tamika Catchings getting starting assignments, Geno is comfortable with three UConn players out there and two of the best front-line players in the history of women's basketball. 


They need someone to step up from the three-point line. Candace needs to cure her start-of-the-game "drop-sy". They may win by only 20 today. Look for Angel to provide a spark off the bench and Geno to prowl the sidelines looking like a man who can't catch a cab going into the city. 


-"Big Syl" (Sylvia Fowles) sat out the Angola game because of a sore foot. 


- Brit Griner turned down her reserved spot on the team because of an ailing mom and the need to take summer classes at Baylor. 


- Who would you pick for a 2016 WBB Olympic team? 

I go with Muffet McGraw as head coach and I put Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry, Brit Griner, Skylar Diggins and Shoni Schimmel out there as my starters. I'll select Maya Moore and the Ogwumike sisters coming off the bench and the final four spots can go to Mercedes Russell and three more UConn players. Can't break tradition, right? Someone remember this bold lineup and throw it right back in my face four years from now. 


- Game time 5:15 pm on the NBC Sports Network...way up there on the digital numbers. Louisvillian Clark Burckle swims today, too. 


L1C4, baby.   


-Paul 

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