With fall sports seasons wrapping up soon or having already wrapped up, we take a look at which sports have a shot at making their respective postseasons, both conference tournaments and NCAA Tournaments.
Field Hockey
Record: 6-11
ACC Record: 1-7
ACC Tournament: 8 of the 9 teams make the tournament
This is a tricky situation. The Cards will finish tied for last with either Stanford or California. The Cardinal and Bears meet on Halloween so one team will finish 2-6 and one team will finish 1-7. Louisville's lone conference win came against Stanford so any ACC Tournament hopes for the Cards comes down to this game.
If California wins, Louisville holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Stanford and earns the 8-seed.
If Stanford wins, Cal holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Louisville and the Cards do not make the ACC Tournament.
Unless Louisville wins the ACC Tournament to earn the automatic qualifier, the Cards are not eligible to make the NCAA Tournament.
Women's Soccer
Record: 7-6-4
ACC Record: 2-5-2
ACC Tournament: 6 of the 17 teams make the tournament
All ACC Tournament hopes are over for Louisville. Why the ACC still only takes six teams for the conference tournament is baffling, but it is what it is. With eight points in conference play, the Cards cannot catch up to finish in the top six with just a match at Clemson remaining.
NCAA Tournament chances are pretty slim, but not entirely impossible. Louisville is 54th in RPI and Clemson is 51st. A win on the road on Halloween would improve their chances but a draw or loss would not do much in terms of improving the RPI. Even a win would not guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Volleyball
Record: 17-3
ACC Record: 9-1
ACC Tournament: (Volleyball does not hold a postseason conference tournament)
The ACC does not play a conference tournament for volleyball and instead plays an extra weekend giving each team a couple extra matches. Several other conferences have gone this route in recent years too. The regular season champion earns the automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville's only losses are against the top three teams in the latest AVCA rankings so they do not have a "bad" loss. They do have eight ranked wins, including multiple ranked wins on the road.
There are still 10 matches remaining including rematches against Pitt and Stanford so anything can still happen. Pending nothing crazy in those final 10 matches, Louisville appears to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
The Cards are in a good position to earn a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament and host the entire tournament at the KFC Yum! Center, which certainly adds to the home court advantage.
Louisville plays tomorrow night at home against Notre Dame. This one is a Halloween theme. Halloween shirts and costumes are encouraged.
Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!
Jared
Jared
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