CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDINAL COUPLE
We report on the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports here. Thanks for checking us out! Click the picture of Louie to hear the latest Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast!!

Friday, November 30, 2018

WBB: Cards shuck Huskers 85-68 -- Volleyball faces Dayton today -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


ASIA DURR'S 25 LEADS CARDS TO SEVENTH WIN OF SEASON.


The word to Cardinal WBB fans this morning is enjoy greatness while it is still around. Asia Durr knocked down four three pointers and totaled 25 points in a 85-68 win over Nebraska in the ACC vs. Big Ten shootout last night in the KFC YUM! Center in front of 7334 fans. 

Durr was one of four Cards that hit double figures in a close game for three quarters that eventually became the Cards seventh win of the year...thanks to strong start to the final quarter. The Cards stretched a 12-point lead into a 24-point advantage in the first six minutes of the fourth. A spectacular lob to Jazmine Jones from Durr with 9:47 to go led to a basket that got the crowd roaring and was the first step in finally shaking off a very pesky and resilient Cornhusker squad. At the 3:45 mark, Arica Carter buried a soft jumper generated from a fast break that set the totals at 81-57 Cardinals. A 19-7 run. The Cards had a 8-0 run in the quarter, but a 9-0 run from Nebraska was coming. 

Then, things got a little weird. Asia was called for a foul, her first of the night. Walz went to the bench and brought in the freshmen. Seconds later, the refereeing crew of Dee Kanter, Eric Brewton and Mark Resch called a technical foul on Durr for bouncing the basketball too hard. 

Fueled by the displeasure of the crowd and the ridiculousness of the whistle, Jeff Walz began a tirade from the sidelines that eventually led to a technical against him. Two more free throws for designated Nebraska shooter Hannah Whitish, who sank a total of four of them without the clock moving. With possession, the Huskers got the ball to 6'5" center Kait Cain, who connected in the paint. All of a sudden, the Big Ten visitors were on a 6-0 run, in a mere two seconds. 

The Cards did go on to preserve the victory, with Lindsey Duvall, Segan Robins, Jess Laemmle, Mykasa Robinson and Kylee Shook on the hardwood for the final minutes. 
This was a Nebraska team that caught Louisville napping several times throughout the game, especially early on, with the old "back door" cut. The first ten Nebraska points came from this strategy. They led the Cards 11-10 with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter by employing the technique to counter the over-lapping aggressive Cardinal defense. After the media timeout, where Walz addressed the defensive efforts of his squad, Louisville rallied with a 11-4 run...fueled by strong interior play by Kylee Shook and Sam Fuehring and a timely three from "Nite-nite" to take a 21-14 first quarter lead. 

The second quarter was a fairly even effort from both squads. Louisville was getting offense from Durr, Fuehring and Bionca Dunham...but the Nebraska squad hung in there with impressive guard play from Nicea Ellery and Sam Halby, plus interior help from Maddie Simon. The Cards 40-31 halftime lead was augmented by forcing the Huskers into 13 first half turnovers and the Cards getting 13 points off these. 

A Durr "3" early in the third quarter pushed the lead to ten. Although Nebraska was able to trim that to eight several times in the quarter, Louisville won the quarter after halftime 22-19 and had weathered Nebraska best punch. 



Dee "T" on Coach. 
Defensively, Louisville did allow 42.3% shooting by the visitors. The Cards also committed 21 fouls...fortunately the Huskers were only able to capitalized at a 75% success rate. In addition to Durr's 25, double figure scorers for Walz's squad included Fuehring with 14 (on 7-11 shooting) and a double-double with 10 rebounds. Arica Carter added 12, with a couple of threes and Bionca Dunham was good for 11 (5-6 from the floor). Asia made sure everyone enjoyed the party with eight assists. The Cards enjoyed a 38-26 points-in-the-paint advantage against the taller Nebraska squad and barely won the rebounding battle 35-33. 

THE FRED REPORT


This "Fred" -- Fred McGriff --
would appreciate UofL's
power-in-the-paint
FREE THROWS -- Not the Cards strongest feature of the night. 12-20 equals 60%, the Cards lowest "at the stripe" percentage of the year. We can't award a letter here. 

REBOUNDING -- Sam and Kylee combined for 19 grabs and held the towering Cain to 10. Only one from Durr...anytime you out-rebound a taller team and win the "second chance" battle (9-3) it's a mark of effort and grit and I'LL AWARD THE CAPITAL "R' HERE

EFFORT/EXECUTION -- The Cards came out wanting to run and they did all night, something that eventually wore down the foe. Creating 23 turnovers, scoring 26 points off them and winning all four quarters...while only committing 15 turnover are good. The fourth quarter "door closing" included...I'M GOOD WITH A CAPITAL "E" FOR THIS CATEGORY. 

DEFENSE -- Early success by Nebraska and good shooting show that there is still work to be done when UofL doesn't have the ball. Walz pointed out it's easier to teach defense than scoring with a team...Louisville did hold Nebraska to under 70 and forced the 23 miscues...but I'll only offer a lower case "d" for the sum of the night's work. 

FRED TOTAL:  -_R-E-d



At 7-0... Louisville moves on to a Sunday match up against Tennessee State. With these Thursday to Sunday type turnarounds, there isn't a great deal of time to study, breakdown and review film or work on flaws...but I'd think that coaches and staff will work on trying to creating a little more consistency, shoring up opponent's "in paint" scoring and continue to fine-tune what won this one today for the Cards. Quickness. It's how you overcome height.

Let's give a lot of credit to the Cards paint-prowlers, though. The trio of Shook, Dunham and Fuehring are getting the job done and holding their own with taller teams. Dunham's continuing improvement and fine-tuning is a joy to behold. Fuehring continues to be the hardworking, blue collar, let's-get-down-and-do-it warrior and Shook is getting more and more aggressive and become a paint pugilist every game. That will be needed more and more as the schedule grows tougher. 


This is Asia's squad, make no doubt about it...but, as a unit, the Cards are setting up and creating the successes she has. Louisville got to 7-0 by employing teamwork and sacrificing so that the overall success outweighs the individual numbers. Let's continue to see that grow. 

A lively Thursday night in the YUM! with Louisville exhibiting their penchant for quickness, spectacular efforts...like the JJ "alley oop" score pictured here and "TV Dee" putting on a oscar-worthy performance. Ah, the thrill and excitement of Louisville WBB...

Post game comments below: 

POST GAME ASIA AND SAM

POST GAME WALZ


(photos by Jared Anderson, when he wasn't busy eating cookies) 



VOLLEYBALL TO FACE DAYTON IN CHAMPAIGN



An active day for NCAA First-round Volleyball matches and the Cards are on the University of Illinois campus awaiting today's 5:30 match against the A 10's Dayton Flyers. 

A tough first round match, yes, and I can't help be a bit envious of Cincinnati's seeding in the Marquette quadrant. Still, in tournament time, you go to your strengths and the Cards have plenty of those. 

The front line attack of Melanie McHenry, Amanda Green and Jasmine Bennett will need to be on their "A" game and force the issue. Wilma Rivera's ACC Setter of the Year accolades have to be a strong presence and guiding force. Molly Sauer's libero and serving skills will be very essential in securing the win today and getting the Cards to the round of 32. Any other contributions will be of prime importance from Dani's squad for Louisville to get a shot against what certainly appears to be a showdown with Illinois on Sunday. 

Illini Volleyball website saying that the Louisville vs. Dayton and the Illinois matches will be available (free) on line at: BTN2Go.com on the BTN Plus format.



DONATION MONTH

We come to the end of Donation Month here at Cardinal Couple. Honestly, it wasn't quite what I hoped for, but it wasn't a total disaster. A heartfelt "THANK YOU!" to all who helped out in our drive to fund the site for 2019. 

It's not too late to be a part of it. We will carry on, as best we can, in 2019. I'll reach heavily into my own pocket, again...to keep this site up, running and providing the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. 

If you'd like to help: 

CARDINAL COUPLE
P.O. BOX 91521
LOUISVILLE, KY  40291

I'll renew and double my efforts to get corporate sponsors for 2019. It is still my hopes and dreams to make this a fully corporate-advertising sponsored site. I want to thank those of you again who provided donations to help sustain us, until that happens, in the months ahead.  


CAPTION THE PICTURE


CAPTION ME! 
Finally today...our "shared" writer/photographer Jared Anderson approached me last night with an idea for home WBB games.  He proposed he take a picture of Coach Walz and let you, the readers, create a caption for it. 

Keep it clean, in good taste and let's have some fun with Coach and his movements during a contest. 

No prizes or awards, but we'll make mention the following day of ones we thought were pretty clever and creative captions. Leave those captions in the comments section, along with your dirty laundry and bus vouchers...or e-mail them to Paulie at cardinalcouple@twc.com or text them to @cardinalcouple 


paulie
xxxxx






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Thursday, November 29, 2018

Cards vs. Cornhuskers in Big 10 vs. ACC WBB Challenge -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


2-3 NEBRASKA NEXT CHALLENGE FOR UNDEFEATED LOUISVILLE WBB



The University of Louisville WBB squad will play their second of six straight home games Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the KFC YUM! Center against the Big 10's Nebraska Cornhuskers. At 6-0, the Cards are coming off a 95-73 drubbing of Miami (OH) on Monday Night. 

The broadcast will be shown on the ACC Network Extra (hopefully they've straightened out the technical difficulties that prevented many viewers from seeing Monday night's game) and...you know it's a big event when you get "TV" Dee...Dee Kanter...in to head the refereeing crew. She'll be joined by "Brew" (Eric Brewton) and Mark Resch on court to undoubtedly fire up Louisville fans with their whistles and judgments. 

Louisville entertains a Nebraska squad that has stumbled down the sidewalk a few times this season so far. With two losses to top 25 teams (Drake and the ACC's Miami) and a double-overtime drop to Washington State, the Huskers just recently got back to winning ways with a 77-39 rout of Radford last time out. 

WHO TO KEEP AN EYE ON? 

It has been "offense by committee" for head coach Amy Williams this season. Eight of her players are averaging over seven points a game. A young squad, they are led by freshman guard Sam Halby's 11.4 p.p.g. Sophomore guard Taylor Kissinger is a three-point threat with a 66.7% (12-18) success rate from the deep and averages 9.6 p.p.g. 

RAISING CAIN


Nebraska does have significant height on their young roster. Out of the 11 student-athletes listed on the roster, eight are 6'1" or taller and they have 6'5" sophomore Kate Cain returning in the middle...she was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive and All-Freshman teams in 2018 and was a four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She also set a Nebraska record last year with 100 blocks.

HOW'D THEY DO LAST YEAR, PAULIE? 

The Huskers complied a 21-11 record in 2017-18 and were selected for the NCAA Tournament. They went home after a 73-62 first round loss to Arizona State. 11-5 in the Big 10 isn't a bad record...they were also a fairly decent road team...going 9-2 in gyms where they visited.  

SO, HOW DO THE CARDS BEAT THEM? 

For Louisville, it'll be an attempted employment of speed and defense, plus accurate shooting, that'll be key if the Cards are to move on to 7-0. In six games, the Cards have held opponents to under sixty points three times and have reached the 70+ plus scoring plateau five times. Louisville will look for another energized start from Jazmine Jones, shooting accuracy from Asia Durr, Arica Carter and Dana Evans and needs a return from Sam Fuehring to her "chairwomen of the board" status. Expect a fast-paced game tonight and let's hope a proliferation of whistles and stoppages don't slow down the pace. 

HOW HAVE THE CARDS DONE AGAINST THEM IN THE PAST? 



Only three lifetime meeting between the two, which the Cards took two of. They last met in 2010 in Las Vegas and Louisville recorded a 65-51 win. They met twice when Jeff Walz was an assistant at Nebraska back in 1998, splitting the meetings.   

The Cards got Iowa last year in the challenge and disposed of them pretty easily, with a 86-52 win in the KFC YUM! Center. The ACC went 10-4 against the Big Ten last year in the challenge. 


WHAT IF I CAN'T ATTEND? 

As mentioned, the ACCNE will show the contest. Don Russell and Sara White return as the play-by-play and color analyst. They provide a lively and comprehensive picture of the action. On the electric radio, you can depend on Nick Curran and Adrienne Johnson to keep you in the loop on the action on Cards Radio 790 AM WKRD. 

WHAT'S THE PROMO TONIGHT? 

Thirsty Thursday returns. $3 beers and other items for your consumption. They hang the Final Four banner tonight. Come out and consume and cheer the banner.  


GUESS WHO'S NOT COMING TO DINNER?


Jeff Brohm has decided to stay at Purdue.

Not all the details are available, but we know Brohm met with Vince Tyra north of Indianapolis and then went back to West Lafayette to think it over. He informed UofL last night that he was staying put. 

Cardinal fans are shocked and disappointed by his decision. Next step. Next candidate. This is not a "how dare he refuse us?" scenario.  Jeff has a good job and is committed to his current players and the Purdue program. Can't blame him. And, the money was there in UofL's offer. We heard rumors of a seven-year, $35 million contract offered. We heard that Purdue bettered that.


Brohm is known for loyalty. Louisville must move on. 

Trinity High School cancelled Thursday classes because of an Internet threat about a reprisal toward Brohm's former high school if Brohm didn't take the job. In today's society, even vague Twitter threats, joking or not, are considered serious. Safety first. A joke in poor taste, most likely, but...you just never know anymore. You just can't joke about schools and kids in today's society, people. We live in a different world these days. 

The search continues. According to A.D. Vince Tyra, several high-profile inquiries were received yesterday after Jeff turned down the offer. We trust that Vince will do his job and get a guy who wants to be here. 

Brohm Watch is over. I'll close Brohm Watch with a Jeff Walz saying: 

"We want kids who want to be here. If I have to convince a kid they want to be here, it probably isn't the right fit for us...or them".  Apply as needed. 

Song to match Cardinal fans feelings this morning...the classic Fleetwood Mac "Gold Dust Woman" from 1977. Back when Stevie Nicks was "all that" and they had the under-rated Lindsey Buckingham firmly ensconced on guitar for them.

LINK: GOLD DUST WOMAN


VOLLEYING WE GO


The Cards Volleyball squad heads to Illinois to face Dayton in first round NCAA Tournament Action. A tough A-10 opponent, no doubt. 

Dayton went 23-7 this year. The A 10 does have a conference Volleyball tournament and Dayton won it with a 3-2 match triumph over VCU. Dayton has won the A 10 conference tournament 12 times and has made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Going to watch the zany, multi-hat wearing Dayton pep band would be worth the price of admission alone. With Dayton men's basketball scheduled to host #25 Mississippi State tomorrow night, though, it's probable the band will stay home to perform there. 

This is the third time that the Cards have been assigned to Champaign to start the NCAA Tournament. In 2003, Louisville knocked off Notre Dame before falling to Illinois. In 2013, the Cards fell to Marquette in the first round. If the Cards get by Dayton, they'll most likely face the Fighting Illini again. That Illini squad opens against Eastern Michigan after the UofL vs. Dayton match. 

Our "Worldwide" Jeff McAdams plans on a trip to Champaign to view the match. We'll try to catch up with him on THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR Saturday and review the successes and/or failures. 


DONATION MONTH 

To all our readers, It's a little awkward, so we'll get straight to the point: This month of November we humbly ask you to protect Cardinal Couple's independence and help assure our continuance. We depend on donations averaging about $25, but 99% of our readers don't give. If everyone reading this gave $5, we could keep Cardinal Couple thriving for years to come. The price of your morning coffee and croissant is all we need. When we made Cardinal Couple a non-profit, people warned us we'd regret it.
 But if we became commercial, it would be a sign of defeat and selling out. Cardinal Couple is a place to learn, not a place for blatent and overly conspicious advertising. Our site unites all of us who love knowledge about UofL women's sports. To our readers and the donors who keep us thriving: "The heart and soul of what we do here is a community of people working to bring you unlimited access to information". Please take a minute to help us keep Cardinal Couple alive. Thank you.








                                                     















paulie
xxxxx






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Wednesday, November 28, 2018

ACC Accolades for Women's Soccer -- Softball Commits -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Soccer Places Three on All-Atlantic Teams

Louisville women's soccer had three Cardinals announced to the All-Atlantic teams.  Emina Ekic, Gabrielle Vincent, and Brooklynn Rivers were named to the First, Second, and Third teams, respectively.

Ekic, a sophomore from duPont Manual, makes her second appearance in the ACC Awards history book after earning Freshman of the Year last year.  After coming off an ACL injury, Ekic finished 2018 with seven goals and five assists, including five goals in the final six matches.

Vincent earned her first ACC honors.  The senior started at centerback her entire career at UofL and has been one of the pillars for the team the past few seasons.  The Louisville defense recorded seven shutouts this year.  Vincent was a captain the past two years.

Rivers earned her first ACC honors after leading the team in scoring.  The junior scored eight goals and dished out seven assists. Her four game-winning goals were first on the team.

Softball Receives Five Commits for 2019-2020 Season

Five prospective recruits signed their letters of intent yesterday for Louisville softball.  The group
consists mainly of infielders and pitchers.

Lexi Carver is a catcher and infielder from Spencer, IN.  Carver has been one of the top hitters in the state and is also listed in Extra Inning Softball's (EIS) 2019 Elite 100 and Flo Softball's Hot (FSH) 100.

Taja Felder is a pitcher and utility player from Fresno, CA.  Felder is reigning Offensive Player of the Year for Three Rivers Athletic Association (TRAC).

Payton Hudson is a pitcher and utility player from McMinnville, OR.  Hudson is a three-time Greater Valley all-league selection and was Greater Valley Pitcher of the Year in 2017.

Elana Ornelas is an infielder and outfielder from from Oldham County High School in Lagrange, KY.  Ornelas is currently District 29 MVP and recently played in the Kentucky East-West all-star game.

Jenni Servi is an infielder from Monterey CA.  Servi is listed in EIS Topp 200 players.  Servi is also the daughter of former assistant coach Amy ReCouper-Servi.

Brohm Watch


The rest of Louisville sports media is zoned in on "Brohm Watch" This phenomena is a rare occurring state of being transfixed on following a particular entity that might be taking over a 2-10 Football team.  We realize as (mostly) literate, comprehending people, you probably have your own "take" on the phenomena.

We are a women's sports site the vast majority of the time. So, our "take" is not nearly as relevant nor controversial as many of the "experts" out there. We do, however, like to see our reader base happy about things.

 It would appear that the vast majority of you out there would like to see the Louisville Trinity grad bring his family, brothers and Honda Accord home to the "Ville" and start the reclamation project of making a now woeful pigskin program meaningful again. Such a task will take time. After all, the Allied Forces didn't make it back to France a couple of days after the retreat from Dunkirk. It took strategy, planning and rebuilding.

Make it so, then, Vince and Louisville Athletic Board. As Vito Corleone said in the movie THE GODFATHER: "Make him an offer he can't refuse". 


Other News

Congratulations to Chris Mack and the Louisville men's basketball team on defeating No. 9 Michigan
State in overtime last night.  The win secures Louisville's undefeated November record in the KFC Yum! Center. Our apologies to the Indiana and Duke MBB fans who were waiting in agony to see this thriller end so they could watch their tussle on ESPN.  Several women's basketball players were present to cheer the men on after the men had done the same for the women on Monday night.  I'll be back in action and joining Paulie at the women's game Thursday night.

 I mean, who would turn down free dinner?


Donation Month

As we draw near the end of November this is my last article talking about Donation Month 2018.

 Although I do not know the numbers I do know that this year was on the good side of the pendulum. Still time for you to jump in the Couple pool.

Thank you to all who have donated and helped keep Cardinal Couple alive and well.  We appreciate everything you do to help supply us with the resources to bring you the latest and best coverage in all Louisville women's sports.  YOU are Cardinal Couple. WE never forget that.

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

WBB Cards run past RedHawks in home opener -- Post season accolades -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


SIX IN DOUBLE FIGURES IN 95-73 CARDINAL WBB WIN



Louisville women's basketball returned back home to the KFC YUM! Center for their home opener Monday night after five road games to an appreciative crowd of 7544 and the home team responded favorably with a 95-73, 22-point win over Miami (OH). 

Six Cardinals ended up in double figures, led by 17 from junior post Kylee Shook. Joining her in double-digits were Asia Durr (16), Bionca Dunham (15), Dana Evans (14) Jazmine Jones (10) and Sam Fuehring (10). Louisville never trailed in the contest and led by 26 near the end of the third quarter en route to their sixth win of the season. 

The Cards wasted no time taking control of the match-up, scoring the first eight points of the game. A "J.J" fast break layup, Durr fast break layup, two Fuehring free throws and Jones jumper put Louisville off to a great, 8-0 start in the first 150 seconds. Two Shook free throws pushed the edge to 12-2 and a 11-0 run had this one over early at 23-5 after a Evans free throw with 1:07 left in the first quarter. The quarter ended with the Cards holding a 27-12 advantage. 

Despite some careless ball-handling (Louisville had five turnovers in the first 10 minutes) the UofL WBB squad kept the margin safe. Shook connected inside to make it 36-21 with 4:42 left in the half and she hit another paint jumper to set the tally at 38-23 with 3:36 on the scoreboard. Durr beat the clock and stuck in a layup at the first half buzzer for the 46-28 halftime score. 

Bionca Dunham, on 6-9 shooting led all scorers at the break with 13 points. Louisville was a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe and was shooting 50% from the floor (18-36). Louisville had eight steals and the Cards were controlling the paint with 28 points produced from there. A solid 24-14 rebounding edge for the Cards in the first 20 minutes.
Walz played 10 players in the first half and all saw at least four minutes.  



J.J. started hot in the second half and four straight points from her had Louisville up 50-28. That would go to a 53-30 lead after a "Nite-Nite" three at the 7:16 mark of the third quarter. The Cards lead hovered around 19 to 24 points the rest of the quarter...two Evans free throws ended the 3rd session with Louisville holding a comfortable 74-50 edge. 

Louisville never let the lead slip below 20 in the fourth and Mykasa Robinson's two free throws gave the Cards their biggest lead of the quarter at 84-58 with 5:05 left on the clock. With Jess Laemmle checking in at the 3:58 mark with a 85-63 lead, the Cards finished with her, Seygan Robins, Robinson, Lindsey Duvall and Shook. Duvall was productive in the final four minutes, with (2) threes and a steal. A Shook steal and layup put the Cards up 93-71 with less than a minute to go and two Robinson  free throws with 32 seconds set the final score of 95-73. 
Sonja looks on as Dana does work


All 11 available players participated for Louisville. Besides the double figure producers, Duvall put in six points, Robinson four and Carter three. Robins and Laemmle each took a shot but did not score...Seygan did gather three rebounds, a steal and assist in her 12 minutes.

Jeff Walz had a three-point opportunity after a errant pass ended up in his hands, but he didn't take the shot (one he assured us would have gone in during the post-game presser) and returned the ball to ref Bryan Enterline. 



(Thanks to River City Cards photographer Seth Spalding for the photos!) 

THE FRED REPORT



Today's Fred...Fred Mertz (William Frawley
from the "I Love Lucy" sitcom
Free throws -- Louisville went 18-24 from the line. That's 75%. Evans was a perfect 6-6 and Shook produced 4-5 marksmanship. NO PROBLEM AWARDING A CAPITAL "F" HERE.

Rebounds -- A 38-31 edge for UofL in this stat. A foursome of Cards (Dunham, Jones, Robinson and Shook) grabbed six each. Surprising that Sam Fuehring had 0 grabs in 22 minutes. A close call here, but the decision is a small case "r". A 5'3" guard for Miami (Lauren Dickerson) grabbed eight for the RedHawks and that should never happen. 

Effort/Execution -- Louisville forced 21 turnovers, had 18 assists on 35 baskets, got 16 steals and 16 second chance points. The effort was excellent. Add the 51.5% shooting and I THINK A CAPITAL "E" FITS HERE. 

Defense -- The Cards allowed the Red Hawks to shoot 48.4% (30-62) and 42.9% from trifecta range (9-21). They committed just 11 fouls, though, and totaled five blocked shots. Too many open three point looks for the foe...I'll go a small case "d" here. 

FINAL FRED TALLY:  F-r-E-


THEY SAID IT: 

Dana Evans and Bionca Dunham were selected as the players for the post-game interviews and we have their comments and Coach Walz's comments below:

DANA AND BIONCA

COACH WALZ

A great effort last night and fun evening for players and fans in the downtown arena last night. The hustle effort was full steam and it was a very convincing win to open the home slate for Louisville women's basketball. Things get a bit tougher Thursday night when Nebraska comes to town. Despite the 2-3 record, the Cornhuskers have played a tough early schedule with losses to Miami (FL), Drake and Washington State and wins over USC Upstate and Radford. 


FIELD HOCKEY PLACES SIX ON ALL-WEST DI ROSTER



Nice accolades for Justine Sowry's Stick Girls with Ayeshia McFerran, Meche Pastor and Taylor Stone getting placed on the DI All-West Field Hockey Region first team and Bethany Russ, Alli Bitting and Carter Ayars receiving second team honors. 

For McFerran, her fourth time on the first team. Stone getting her second placement on the list and Pastor being selected for the first time. 



VOLLEYBALL 


Three wide-netters for the Cards have been selected for the ACC First Team Volleyball honors. Wilma Rivera was named setter of the year in the ACC and she, Melanie McHenry and Molly Sauer got first team honors. 

For Rivera, a repeat as top setter in the conference. Molly has been a four-year selection for All-ACC, Melanie and Wilma twice. 

The Cards begin their NCAA journey Friday night in Champaign, IL against the Dayton Flyers. 


DONATION MONTH



Thanks to all who have recently donated to Cardinal Couple. With several more days left in the month, we would be pleased as punch if your name also joins the list of those who can help us do what we do every day...bring you the news, joy and excitement of Louisville women's athletics! 

Send your donations to: 

CARDINAL COUPLE
P.O. BOX 91521
LOUISVILLE, KY   40291

We appreciate it! 


paulie
xxxxx










Monday, November 26, 2018

Volleyball Heads to the NCAA Tournament -- WBB Home Opener Tonight -- Diop Done -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Receives At-Large Bid in NCAA Tournament


Not that there was too much need to worry following a sweep against Georgia Tech on Friday night, but we can now breathe after hearing that Louisville volleyball has made it into the NCAA Tournament.  They will gear up to face Dayton in the first round in Champaign, IL.  The winner will face the winner of Illinois and Eastern Michigan.  The Illini are the 3-seed, sitting just behind Stanford and Minnesota. They'll play Dayton on Friday 11/30 at 5:30 p.m..

Coach Dani Busboom Kelly felt confident following Friday's victory that her team would be in, but you can never be definite.  She's thrilled the team gets to continue playing, especially with players finishing recovering from injuries and the team peaking.

Former UofL assistant coach Alyssa D'Errico is currently in her second year as an assistant for the Flyers.  D'Errico helped the Cards win their first ACC Championship in 2015.  Prior to that she won four NCAA Championships as a player at Penn State and won three state championships in high school.

The Atlantic-10 Champions got hot at the right time as they have won six straight, including upsetting 1-seed VCU in the conference tournament.  At 23-7 overall and 12-2 in the A-10 their record is on par with the Cards who are 21-8 and 14-4.

Dayton has had issues with serves similar to Louisville.  They have 255 errors vs just 139 aces.

On the attacking end they have accumulated a .275 attack percentage.  With 12 players 6'0 or taller (up through 6'5) Dayton has averaged an impressive 2.28 blocks per set.

Louisville and Dayton will square off on Friday with the time to be determined.  With Illinois being the host site I expect the Cards to get the earlier match.

Worldwide will most likely add his thoughts on UofL's draw and the entire field either in the comments section so stay tuned.

THEY said it: 


Comments from Molly Sauer below



Amanda Green discusses



Dani Busboom Kelly POST-SELECTION thoughts: 



Women's Basketball Opens Home Season

After starting on the road for the first five games of the season Louisville women's basketball will make their first visit to the KFC Yum! Center of the year tonight.  They will take on the RedHawks of Miami (OH).

Miami has started this season 4-0.  Coach Megan Duffy is in her second season and led the team to a 22-11 record and WNIT appearance last year.  Four of the five starters from last year returned this year for the RedHawks.

Louisville is 7-4 all-time against Miami.  The two teams last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2008.  The Cards won the first round game en route to Jeff Walz's first Sweet Sixteen appearance.  Louisville has never lost at home (5-0) to Miami.  

The Cards are 5-0 on the year with the most recent wins coming in Las Vegas against Arizona State and Hartford.  Thanks to a Sam Fuehring layup in the final seconds of the game the Cards topped the Sun Devils.  Louisville ousted Hartford with ease after a sluggish start. 

Prior to tip-off Jeff Walz and Stephanie Norman will be recognized for their 300th wins at Louisville, which the duo accomplished in the season opener at Western Kentucky.

You can catch the game online on the ESPN website.  IF you are unable to do so I would recommend trying to tune into the radio to listen to Nick Curran and AJ call the game on Cards Radio 790 WKRD AM. 

I will not be able to make this game, sadly, but Paulie and Sonya will both be on media row and Paulie will bring the coverage of the contest to you in the Tuesday edition of Cardinal Couple .

Paulie brings this preview of the RedHawks.

4-0 yes. Quality of wins? Not so impressive. They opened the 2018-19 season at Canisius (Scott Teeter's old haunts) with a 62-59 win. Their home opener was versus Eastern Kentucky and won 60-44. A trip to Detroit brought a 78-59 victory over Detroit Mercy. Last time out, they invited High Point to Miami and got a 68-55 win. None of the four will probably appear in the NCAA Tournament, in my opinion.

"Swoop" is the name of the Miami Redhawk mascot
6'2" forward Savannah Kluesner averages 13.3 points per game and leads in rebounds with eight a game. 5'3" point guard Lauren Dickerson runs the show on court and also is averaging 13.3 a game. Other double figure producer is Kendall McCoy a 6'0" guard/forward with 10 a game.

The Red Hawks shoot 41.9% from the hardwood and 24.6% from beyond the arc. Dickerson is the main three-point threat, 7-30  so far on the year. She also leads in assists with 26 on the season. The Red Hawks average 15.5 turnovers a game and aare out-rebounding their opponents 40.5 - 35.

Let's hope for a strong Cardinal first quarter against Miami (OH) and another big night for Asia, Arica and Sam. And, a comfortable lead by the fourth quarter so Coach Walz can continue to get the freshmen and Lindsey Duvall more experience.




Yacine Diop done for season 


It was revealed last night and confirmed by Jeff Walz this morning that Yacine Diop suffered a torn ACL against Arizona State and is done for the season.

A big blow for a team that was looking for her skills to help replace Myisha Hines-Allen.

Diop will undergo surgery as soon as it can be scheduled. Whether or not she'll be able to get a rare sixth year of eligibility or not remains to be seen. Or, she may rehab and decide to test her skills in the WNBA or in overseas hoops.

Our thoughts and "get well soon!" offerings to Yacine.


Donation Month

We enter the final few days of donation month.  Thank you to everyone who has participated and if you haven't quite yet there's still time.  As a reminder we accept cash, checks, and Paypal.  You can mail donations into

CARDINAL COUPLE
P.O. BOX 91521
LOUISVILLE, KY 40291

Once again, thank you all for everything you do to keep Cardinal Couple going strong as we strive to bring you the best coverage of all women's sports at UofL.


Happy Monday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Sunday Cardinal Couple - The Empty Schedule Edition

The GoCards calendar is empty today.

This is the first time, on a Sunday, that this has happened in quite a while.  It's just the latest piece of evidence that fall sports are wrapping up (even if fall weather decided to finally pay a visit here in Kentuckiana...65 degrees today?  I'll take it!).

There is news past, present and future, though, to discuss and here it is.

Volleyball Selection on Tap


As Jared was sure to point out yesterday, there is one thing of import that is happening today for
Cardinals sports, and that's the Volleyball Selection Show.  At 8:30 on ESPNU, the general consensus is that Louisville will have our name called to be a participant.  The big questions are who the matchups will be and where.  In NCAA Volleyball, the top 16 teams are seeded and have the opportunity to host 1st and 2nd matches, while the rest of the teams get placed in those 16 sites, generally, regionally.

So let's take a look at teams that will likely be hosting in the region.

Closest to home would be Kentucky.  Ranked 11th, it would be a shock if Memorial didn't get to host 1st and 2nd rounds.  Purdue is ranked 12th, so they'll almost certainly host as well.  Louisville has played a number of 1st and 2nd round matches at Purdue over the years.  Approximately a 3 hour drive, Purdue is an easy road trip to watch some matches.  A little farther afield, you get Illinois and Pitt, 4th and 10th ranked, respectively.  Both still in relatively easy road trip distances, about 6 hours to each.  UofL has played NCAA matches in Illinois, but to my knowledge, never in Pittsburgh.  Of course, UofL is no stranger to Pittsburgh, having been conference-mates for a number of years and played in Fitzgerald Field House a number of times, including earlier this season.  Marquette, in Milwaukee, is also about a 6 hour drive, but at 16th ranked, they're questionable for a hosting gig.

If Louisville gets disrespected (again) by the NCAA, we could find ourselves in Madison, Wisconsin, or State College, PA (Penn State) at about 8 hours each, or like last year, Minnesota, which is about 10-11 hours.

Regardless, we'll be watching the selection show this evening with anticipation.  I hope you'll consider a road trip to cheer on this team, it's always great fun.

Football

I think they passed a law that every UofL sports site has to mention Football and Jeff Brohm this
week.

So, with that obligation out of the way...


Women's Basketball Home Opener Monday


Women's Basketball started the season as road warriors, reminiscent of the days of playing in Freedom Hall when they had to be on the road for the first couple of weeks of the season because it always conflicted with a rodeo event.  They're opening their home season tomorrow evening at the KFC Yum! Center against Miami (Ohio).  Tip-off time is a typical 7p.m., but if you can't make it out for some reason (still shopping online?), you can catch this one at the ACC Network Extra.

The Redhawks are undefeated, but they haven't played much real competition, yet, either.  Their biggest margins of victory are by 19 over Detroit Mercy (78-59), and 16 over EKU (60-44).  They squeaked out a come from behind win over the Canisius Golden Eagles (62-59), and got a solid 13 point margin over High Point (68-55).  Miami will be looking at this game as their first real test to find out what their team is really made of.  Louisville will be getting re-acquainted with their home arena, and their home crowd.

Louisville WBB downs Hartford


Fred G. Sanford. The "G" stands for "game". 
Louisville WBB did win on Saturday, an 86-69 triumph over the Hartford Hawks. The Cards
overcame a slow start where they trailed early and were led by Asia "Nite-nite" Durr's 20 pts and Sam "I am" Fuehring's 19.

They started this one early, so I'm guessing the majority of on-line viewers missed that less-than auspicious start. That's probably good, considering the way Louisville played early. Listless, un-motivated and with little emotion.

Fortunately, they woke up and out-scored the Hawks 37-18 in the second quarter. And, cruised in with the win.

THE PAULIE "FRED" REPORT:

F- Free throws. 24-31 is 77.4% Asia was 8-9 and Sam 8-8. Worth a capital "F" 
R- Rebounding. 32-25 Cards favor. Pretty evenly distributed. Worth a capital "R"
E- Effort/Execution. A nice second half in effort and execution. Not so much in first. Small case "e".
D- Defense. Forcing 18 turnovers good. Allowing 46.3% shooting is bad. I award no letter

FINAL FRED TALLY  F-R-e-_

We'll be looking for an excellent preview of the Redhawks in tomorrow's article.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour


We had a full house, with jokers high (what?  that's not really a poker hand?  There were lots of jokers in the house, though), at the magnificent, media mansion on Mellwood that is WCHQ FM.

We had great discussion about volleyball, and selection possibilities (I'm less confident than most, it seems), a run down of the Women's Basketball against Hartford and Arizona State, and evaluated some quality snark, for all of your snark needs.

You can check out the Facebook Live replay, including a checkin comment from Daryl in Missouri (she has safely returned home to the 'Ville as of this writing) at:


Keep Cardinal Couple Functioning


We appreciate our Clemson and other ACC readers! 
This will be my last article of Cardinal Couple donation month this year.  I want to thank our community that we've got here.  We've got what appears to be an almost unique site and community, and it's all built on a niche of sports media that's almost completely un-served.  It's such a rare type of community that we've managed to attract and get regular readers and listeners from supporters of other schools.  I think that's wonderful, and if you're one of those, thank you so much for adding to the richness and color of our community.  Thank you to all of you for your roles in building a positive and supportive community for supporting women's athletics.  So many corners of the Internet become toxic and hurtful, and it takes a strong community to resist that.  I'm hopeful that we can keep this up and grow this in a healthy way for years to come.

This is a hobby for us, We do what we do for love of sport and program and do not get paid...but there are costs involved.  Hosting, domain name registrations, on-line security protection, mailings, parking for events, travel to away games for coverage, fees for broadcasts, subscription to SoundCloud and other media relay and recording on-line sites...and so very much more.

All of that costs money.  None of the costs are huge, Paulie has done a great job of finding a sustainable way to run the site while keeping costs extremely low, but there are some expenses.  Your contribution helps make this more viable and sustainable going forward.

Thank you.

-- 
JMcA