Jared Looks at Volleyball Schedule -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Take Court in One Month

The last of the 'Big Three' women's sports that take place in the fall that we cover at Cardinal Couple is Louisville volleyball. The VolleyCards are typically the last of the women's sports to kick off their season as is the case this year. UofL has a scrimmage in a month on August 23 but won't truly start until August 29.

Louisville hosts the Cardinal Classic by welcoming Auburn, Morehead State, and St Johns to LNFCU Arena. While the Eagles won their conference last year and made the NCAA Tournament, they were quickly disposed of by Pitt. The other two did not make it. Louisville should open the season 3-0.

A road trip to Fort Worth for a primetime match-up against Texas will be next. Most likely, ESPN or ABC will take this one. The Longhorns are a powerhouse program and the Cards have traded off wins in the past. Playing on the road this early in the season while still adjusting to the departure of players like Anna DeBeer, Charitie Luper, and Elena Scott, this will be a battle with the Cards falling on the wrong side.

The road trip continues with a three-match stint in Omaha against Creighton, Northern Iowa, and Rice. This will be the continuation of a brutal stretch for the Cards, especially three matches in three days, that I think Louisville will take a loss, possibly two. I'm giving the Cards the benefit of the doubt and give them two wins on the weekend to improve to 5-2.

Returning home, Louisville gets to play at the KFC Yum! Center for the first when they host rival Kentucky. The Cards have had the Cats' number the last few seasons and they should continue that this season with a crowd of 10,000+. Western Kentucky makes a visit to the Yum shortly after. The Hilltoppers have had a history of being a strong program, but Louisville owned the all-time series 19-0 and I see that streak continuing. Wins against in-state foes propels the Cards to 7-2.

ACC play begins after that with the Cards hosting Boston College and Syracuse. Louisville goes back to LNFCU Arena for these matches and I see the Cards cruising along to two wins.

A trip out west comes next with Louisville visiting California and Stanford. The Cards should be able to handle Cal but Stanford will be another tough match and a possible top-10 match-up. Louisville traded wins with the Cardinal, each taking a win at home in the regular season. UofL took another win at Freedom Hall to advance to the Final Four. Playing out west, this is a time we will see Stanford get some revenge. Louisville will return home 10-3.

A four match homestand comes next with Virginia Tech, Virginia, SMU, and Pitt visiting. Surprisingly, all four will be held on campus. SMU was a 2-seed last year and Pitt was a 1-seed, showcasing the strength of the ACC. Louisville should handle the Hokies and Cavaliers fairly easily unless their eyes are looking too far into the future. While SMU will be a challenge, playing at home will help playing in the favor of the Cards for a win. Pitt will be the toughest test. The Panthers swept the regular season over the Cards before UofL claimed the most important match in the Final Four... the one where DeBeer went down... and advanced to their second ever championship appearance. Without DeBeer and Scott on this squad this year, I think Pitt comes in and steals a win. Louisville will come out of this stretch 13-4.

Louisville hits the road against Duke, North Carolina, and Notre Dame next. UofL swept all of them last year and they should have no problem cruising along to easy wins again and improve their record to 16-4. Louisville turns around for a quick home match for Notre Dame, another should-be-easy-win.

The Cards quickly hit the road again to visit NC State and Wake Forest. These are a couple middle of the pack ACC teams that the Cards should be able to handle, improving their record to 16-4. 

Louisville comes home to host Florida State and Miami. The Seminoles and Hurricanes are both teams that regular sit right behind Louisville, Pitt, Georgia Tech, and Stanford. I see the Cards getting challenged some but pulling off victories in both.

One final road trip on the season sees the Cards visiting Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Pitt. The Yellow Jackets are a tough team and one of the best in the ACC. This will be a difficult road test that I think the Cards grind out. Clemson has been one of the bottom teams in the ACC in volleyball that UofL should handle well. Playing at Pitt for their Senior Day is a tall task. Pitt defends their home court well and I think the Panthers win that one.

UofL closes out the regular season at home against Stanford at the KFC Yum! Center. I think UofL rides the energy of the crowd downtown on Senior Day to get the win. The Cards will close out the regular season 21-5 and ranked in the top five in the country.

At worst, I see UofL being a 2-seed with the ceiling being a 1-seed. This should be another Elite Eight visit at the minimum with a good chance to go further.

We plan to continue coverage of them this fall.

Many of the regular photographers that cover UofL games

(Photos by Jared)

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared