Cats blank Louisville Softball -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

UK 9 -- LOUISVILLE 0 

Tuesday night was a beautiful night -- weather wise -- out at Ulmer Stadium. 

The result of the contest wasn't so great for the Cards, though. They ran into a buzz-saw in UK pitcher Stephanie Schoonover in the circle, and #8/12 UK got a five-inning win over the Cards 9-0. She held UofL hitless in the five innings. 

The Cats were "on" with their bats from the jump, touching UofL staring pitcher Taylor Roby for five runs and two home runs in the top of the first inning. UK stayed hot at the plate in the visitor half of the second inning and the book was closed on Roby after two innings and a 7-0 Wildcat lead. 

Freshman Sam Booe was given the assignment to try and shut the Cats down next and she did a little better, allowing just two runs over the next three innings on three hits, but it was a night where the Cards could not generate any offense and they fell to UK -- generating just two base-runners...Carmyn Greenwood and Vanessa each drawing a base on balls. 

Tough to watch for the 90 minutes the two squads were on the field, if you're a Louisville fan. The Cards also had two fielding errors in front of a Ulmer Stadium crowd of 1,130 and those who caught the ACCNX stream on it. 

Time to tear off the rear view mirror on that one and not look back. ACC foe Syracuse comes in for a three-game weekend series and Louisville (21-17) will look to move up the ACC standings from eighth place against the 11th place Orange. The top ten teams qualify for the ACC Tournament, so Louisville needs to try and get a sweep here to move closer to seventh place Georgia Tech, who is 8-10 in conference play.  Louisville is 5-7. 

(photos by Jared Anderson)

FIVE WBB CARDS NAMED TO ALL ACC ACADEMIC TEAM

They not only get it done on the hardwood, but also in the classroom, these Louisville women's basketball players. 

Emily Engstler, Chelsie Hall, Kianna Smith, Haley Van Lith and Kasa Robinson have been named to the prestigious All-ACC Academic Team. 

To make this team, a student-athlete needs to earn a 3.0 for the previous semester and have a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA during one's academic career. 

It is the second straight season all five have earned the award. 

This past fall, the Cards WBB squad had an collective 3.326 GPA. That's hitting the books hard, in addition to making the Final Four. 

I used to brag that I reached a 4.0 in my college years...I'd add the 2.0 GPA I'd get in the fall to the 2.0 GPA I'd get in the spring semester and -- voila! -- a 4.0 !!

Congratulations to Hailey, Kianna, Kasa, Emily, Chelsie and all the hard-working athletes on the Louisville campus. Making the grade -- on the field of competition and in the classroom 

paulie

FINAL FOUR for the CARDS -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Final Four Baby!!!

LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IS BACK IN THE FINAL FOUR! Louisville was in a tight battle all game against Michigan before pulling away in the final five minutes to win 62-50. For the fourth time in school history, the Cards are headed to the Final Four. a game ending 10-0 run sealed the deal for the Cards

Hailey Van Lith dropped 22 points and Emily Engstler hauled in 16 points to lead the way. The Cards limited their turnovers to 12 while forcing Michigan to 22 turnovers.

Chelsie Hall tied her season high with 15 points, most of them in the first half. Kianna Smith added 11. Besides a strong rebounding performance, Engstler has a game-high six steals.

1Q: Louisville 17, Michigan 13

Three-point shooting was lights out for the Cards but a trio of offensive fouls held Louisville back from pulling ahead. Chelsie Hall came to play, showing her long range shooting to help spark the offense. The Wolverines used a 7-0 run to take a 13-12 lead before the Cards scored the final five points of the quarter.

2Q: Louisville 30, Michigan 27

Louisville's notorious drought came early. The Cards missed several scoring opportunities involving multiple missed layups and Hillmon was able to get involved for a Michigan including a big block moments before the end of the quarter. A rare made layup right before the buzzer allowed the Cards to go into halftime with a three-point lead.

3Q: Louisville 45, Michigan 43

After having a chance to take a double-digit lead, the Cards went cold from the floor and were whistled on what seemed to be every possession on defense as Michigan knocked down free throw after free throw to bring the score within two to close out the quarter.

4Q: Louisville - Michigan

Welcome back to the game, Olivia Cochran! After battling foul trouble all game, the forward came in clutch on both ends of the court by shutting down Hillmon and scoring a good portion of Louisville's points down the stretch. Emily Engstler, although struggling to make a shot, found ways to be disruptive on the defensive end and made sure to prevent Michigan from hauling in offensive boards. The Cards closed the game on a 10-0 run.

Following the final buzzer the team showed tons of emotions while celebrating. Close-ups of Jeff Walz, Hailey Van Lith, and Olivia Cochran all showed tears in their eyes. I think we all had tears in our eyes at home too, though.

My favorite quote from the immediate on-court postgame came from Van Lith when asked about what Kobe Bryant would say to her if he was still with us. Van Lith's response triggered a couple bleeps on national tv when she said "Go f-ing when this sh*t, Hailey. We not done." I think we can all agree that Van Lith was the MVP of the Wichita Region after scoring 20+ points in all four NCAA Tournament games so far, the first Louisville player to accomplish this feat. She has certainly stepped up as a leader and go-to player.

With the Cards' trip to the Final Four, we are back to the super cool statement that "Every player to play a full four years under Walz at Louisville has been to a Final Four." That statement is incredibly awesome and is also a great recruiting tool for future recruits.

FRED Report

Fred says, "Let's Play Two More !"

Free Throws- Louisville shot 7-9 from the charity stripe including a couple important ones down the stretch. Despite the Cards only getting seven trips to the line as opposed to Michigan getting 20 (seriously, prison stripes?) the 77.8% shooting earns a capital "F".

Rebounding- Okay, Emily Engstler deserves a capital R+ with a cherry on top for her effort. The next closest player on the floor behind Engstler was still five boards behind her. However, Louisville lost the overall rebounding battle 36-30. Because of the effort of Engstler, the Cards still salvage a lowercase "r" in my book.

Effort/Execution- 24. That's the key number here. Louisville scored 24 points off turnovers, with many of those coming in transition. Remarkable! Louisville also posted 32 points in the paint while going against one of the best post players in the country. When things got tight down the stretch, Louisville went on a 10-0 run to close the game and seal the win. Capital "E".

Defense- Michigan was held scoreless for the final 5:42 of the game. Without the defense stepping up down the stretch, the Cards don't win this game. Louisville's full court press helped force Michigan into 22 turnovers and a pair of shot clock violations. The Wolverines shot 34.8% from the floor. If you take away Hillmon's 10 made free throws, no Michigan player scored in double figures. To top it off, Louisville held Michigan to seven fourth quarter points. Capital "D".

F-r-E-D is a good way to win your Elite Eight game and by the Wichita Regional champion.

The Final Four is Set

Now we have our Final Four. South Carolina and Stanford were the first teams to punch their tickets with wins over Creighton and Texas, respectively, on Sunday. The final two teams- UConn and Louisville- punched their tickets last night. The Huskies took down NC State in a wild double overtime thriller while the Cards downed Michigan.

1-South Carolina vs 1-Louisville will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET, and 1-Stanford vs 2-UConn will tip off around 9:30. These two games gives us two great match-ups to tune into. Stanford is looking to go back-to-back. South Carolina is hoping to win their first championship since 2017. UConn looks to win their first title since 2016, when the Huskies had wrapped up a four-peat. Louisville has its eyes on the program's first ever championship.

Pick Em

With the Final Four set, the NCAA Cardinal Couple Pick Em continues to be a tight race. Here is the latest standings:

45 wins: Kenny Schneider, Kenneth Stark Sr, Jared, Perry Sosh, Bea

44 wins: Nick O, Jeff

43 wins: Joe Hill, Doug Anderson, Jason Wyrick

42 wins: Blue Lou, Katy

41 wins: Benny J, Case

40 wins: David Watson, Daryl

39 wins: Vivian McAdams

38 wins: Louavulfan35

37 wins: Curtis Franklin, Arthur

36 wins: Paul

33 wins: Sonya

21 wins: CC Chimps

Since it's after midnight and I have to be up in about six hours for work, I'm hoping Paul can double check my work on this to make sure his numbers match mine.

For now, let's enjoy our Tuesday with a little celebration and prepare for Friday.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

WBB storms past Pittsburgh 81-39; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

I hope the winter storms that rolled through the state did not cause issues for anyone yesterday or this morning.   It definitely impacted the crowd for the Cards WBB game at the Yum! on Thursday evening.  Between schools sending kids home early & businesses following their lead, to that blue team in Lexington straight up advising fans to stay home to avoid the weather delays... a wild day for the state's preparation for this winter storm.  

Either way, I do hope you were able to have a warm and safe evening, hopefully you were able to catch the Cards on the ACC Network vs Pittsburgh.  If you missed it, here are some notes and numbers from the match. 

Louisville WBB win 81-39 vs Pittsburgh

All 10 players scored for Cards as the team was lead by Hailey Van Lith and Emily Engstler with 12, Olivia Cochran had 11 and Chelsie Hall and Payton Verhulst chipped in 10 points a piece.  It was Engstler's 4th double-double of the season.  Mykasa Robinson and Norika Konno did not appear in this one due to COVID protocals.   The last time the Panther's played a game was back on December 22, 2021. 

End of 1Q 19-8 Cards

FG %
7-21 33.3% Cards
3-12 25% Pitt
Reb. 13-10 Cards 
3-pt %
1-5 20% Cards
1-2 50% Pitt

                                 Photos today by Jared Anderson

 

The Cardinals had some snow on the gears to open another game this season.   Starting by losing the opening tip, the first two possessions for UofL were turnovers, Kianna Smith let it slip into the defense and Olivia Cochran traveled.  The Cards' defense held strong to make up for it.  But offensive woes continued for the better part of the opening quarter for both squads.  Hailey Van Lith attempted the 3 and Kianna attempting the second chance points but both came up empty.   Both squads were 0-8 before Kianna gets the game's first points just around the 7 minute mark.  Despite not filling the stat sheet, HVL finds important ways to bring this squad to its victories..  HVL drew 3 fouls on Pitt in the first 4 minutes of the game.  But scoring droughts would plague the first 10 minutes as the two teams combined 1-13 in the first 5 minutes.  After frustratingly having 2-3 shots bounce all around the rim for Emily Engstler, she scored 4 quick points with a steal in-between.  The Cards put together an 8-0 run to push the lead to 14-4.  The Cards found an offensive spark in Engstler when she nailed the 3 pointer with 2 seconds left the in the quarter.                             

End of 2Q   21- 5 Cards

FG %
9-21 42.9% Cards
2-9 22.2% Pitt
Reb.  11-8 Pitt
3-pt %
3-7 42.9% Cards
0-2 0% Pitt

Engstler opened the second quarter like she finished the first, hitting a 3 point jumper to make the lead 22-8 for Louisville.   A series of defensive stops for the Panthers and the Cards attempting the second chance shot, Payton Verhulst finds her first points and perhaps.. the glimpse of whats to come from the freshman guard?  Stay tuned...  with the assist from Ahlana Smith, PV hits the 3 for the Cards to push the lead 25-8 with 8 minutes left in the half.   Meanwhile, Engstler is loading the stat sheet halfway through the quarter already in double digit scoring with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.  The Cards would then go on a scoring drought for more than 3 minutes going 0-6 in that time.   Chelsie Hall breaks the ice with a jumper to 29-11 with 4:20 left in the half.   The Louisville defense had only allowed Pittsburgh to take 4-18 shot attempts by this point and forced a scoring drought of more than 3 minutes, including 4 turnovers, to close out the second quarter.

HALF  40-13 Cards

End of 3Q  23-12 cards 

FG %
6-13 46.2% Cards
5-18 27.8% Pitt
Reb. 12-9 Pitt
3-pt %
2-5 40% Cards
1-4 25% Pitt

Both squads decided to get the offense going quicker in the second half, scoring 5 points each in the first 2:09 minutes.   After that, Emily decided to take command of the floor blocking a shot, stealing the ball and recovering a rebound defensively all in a matter of 27 seconds.  A minute later, Engstler and Hall would both steal it again as the Cards forced 4 Pitt turnovers in the first 3 minutes of the third quarter.   Coach Walz would then give Engstler a break but the pressure does not slow up there, Pitt turns the ball over a fifth times, 4 of them steals with 4:35 on the clock and a media timeout.   The Cards found themselves at the free throw line alot more in this quarter than they did in the first half, remaining efficient when they got there,  going 9-10.   Olivia lead the charge going 5-6 on her FTs.   In her 7 minutes on the floor in the quarter, in my opinion, it was the Payton Verhulst show, as we got to see what I hope is a bright future for Payton's in red and black!  

Within 30 seconds of being inserted into the lineup, Verhulst snags the defensive board and registers the assist.  With 4 minutes left in the quarter, Verhulst gets the block and secures it, giving the offense another chance to score.  Then, with 1:52 left, she pulls down the huge rebound under the basket then forces Pitt's Brown to travel followed by a 3 of her own with 1:15 to extend the Cards lead 63-25.  The 6-1 guard from Kansas got big praise from commentator Debbie Antonelli after the run - commenting that when Payton gets settled into the college life and finds the weight room some more, she could become a serious star. 

End of 4Q 18-14 Cards 

FG %
6-15 40% Cards
4-15 26.7% Pitt
Reb. 13-10 Cards
3-pt %
2-4 50% Cards
0-1 0% Pitt

(Caption this...)

Picking up where she left off, Verhulst found herself at the FT line shooting 2 to open the offense for the Cards.  Not long after, around the mid 8 minute mark, Coach Walz moved to put some starters back out on the floor even with the Cards at a comfortable 40 point lead.  Regardless of the score, it has been covered before that Coach Walz always has a plan.  The move to bring starters back in for just a handful of minutes left in the game and a huge lead on Pitt was a coaching moment for him and the squad that will be the backbone of the post season.  Especially with the rust the squad has come out with in recent weeks.

Walz was wise to use the quality minutes for some extra shots to 'get the score to 70' (which has been a stressor for the coaching staff as a winning formula).  HVL did just that when she swished a 3 pointer to make it 70-28 Cards with 6:28 left in the game and Walz pulled the starters for the rest of the way.  Before Thursday night, the Cards were 7-0 season on the season, 21-0 last season and 49-0 over last 3 seasons when they score 70+ points.   At this point of the game, the Cards lineup looked like Ramani Parker, A. Smith, Merissah Russell, Hall and Payton on the floor.  The Cards struggled to find a rhythm offensively, not scoring until Russell hit a three with 3:40 left.   As a team, the Cards finished going 4-4 from the field to make it a 81-39 final score in downtown Louisville.  

UP NEXT

Louisville at Miami Sunday at 12:00 p.m. 

FRED REPORT

(Jared's supervisor...Freddy Farm Bureau)

FREE THROWS --  The Cards found themselves at the line plenty of times Thursday evening.  When they got there, they were very efficient going 17-18 on the evening.  Cochran lead the Cards, going 5-6 on free throws all in the third quarter.  The Cards excelled at the line going 94% which far exceeds are required 70% minimum. CAPITAL F 

REBOUNDING -- Somehow, Pitt managed to stay even with the Cards when pulling down the boards at 43 all.  Pitt's 6-4 Center Rita Igbokwe corralled 14 on her own.  The Cards' leading rebounder was Emily Engstler with 10.  The Cards lost the offensive rebound challenge, which limited the second chance opportunity to score.  lower case r

EFFORT/EXECUTION --  The game did not leave its viewers with many complaints if you're a Louisville fan.  When the offense started stalely, Emily Engstler revved the engine.   When her team needed a bucket, she made one.  When they needed the ball back offensively, she took it.  When a situation needed a dissatisfied expression, she took the technical foul.   29 points came off the bench, despite the Cards being down their first two off the bench (Robinson and Konno) and had 24 points in the paint. CAPITAL E

DEFENSE --  The Cards forced 35 turnovers.. 25 of them were from Pitt starters and 19 turnovers were steals.   UofL had 32 points off of the turnovers.  At one point, Merissah Russell was taking the charge under the basket, putting the ball back in Louisville's hands.  By halftime, the Panthers had attempted only half of the Cards shot attempts with 21 and totaled 24 turnovers.  CAPITAL D 

FINAL FRED TALLY: F_r_E_D

Cardinal Couple Radio - The gang takes to the air tomorrow at 11 a.m. Join us for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast. A lot to talk about after three weeks... 

 As always
Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

 

CARDS 64 - CATS 58 -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES IN WBB WIN OVER UK

Kianna Smith is presented her 1,000 pt. ball 

Another season, another Louisville women's basketball win over Kentucky. 

Another close affair, the Cards having to overcome a 54-53 UK lead with 3:37 left in the game, but...to the delight of 12,167 fans in the KFC YUM! Center...the Cards ended the contest on a 11-4 run and #7 Louisville improved to 8-1 on the season. 

Chelsie Hall led UofL with 15 points and Ahlana Smith and Hailey Van Lith added 13 each in the win. Credit a Cards 32-28 point edge in the paint, 21-9 edge in points-off 21 UK turnovers and holding UK star Rhyne Howard to just nine points on 3-13 shooting to give Louisville their fifth straight win over UK. The Cards won the battle of the guards on a night where Olivia Cochran left in the third quarter with a blow to the head and Liz Dixon saw just seven minutes and had just two points. In a game of runs, it was Louisville's final one that spelled the difference. 

A tightly called contest where 36 fouls were whistled, three technical fouls were issued and Kianna Smith fouled out with eight minutes to go. The "over-attentive" refereeing drew the ire of the Cardinal faithful -- Cardinal favorite Eric Brewton seemed to be on a mission to call the slightest hint of any contact and UK, for all their determination to hang with the Cards, seemed intent on giving the ball back to Louisville. The Cats had 23 turnovers and the Cards 10 steals. 

Louisville did build a 19-13 first quarter lead, but managed just two points in the final five minutes of the second quarter to go in down by one at halftime 33-32. A final five minutes of the first half that started with the Cards holding a 30-22 lead, but 1-5 shooting and a questionable technical foul called on Olivia Cochran after blocking a UK shot and looking at a UK player led to two Howard free throws. Let's order a set of horse blinkers for "O", I guess. 

 

It wasn't the best of nights for UK's potential ALL-American. She went 3-13 from the floor, had just seven rebounds in 39:30 minutes. Constantly frustrated by the Cards switching defensive tactics, she failed to score in the second half. 

Louisville used a withering defense to hold UK scoreless for the first six minutes of the final half.  During that strettch, the Cards built a eight point lead (43-35) and outscored UK 12-6 in the quarter. UK shot 1-13 in the third and one had to be optimistic that Louisville had this one if they could continue the defensive pressure. 

UK wasn't having it. 

With the Cards leading 49-42 after an Engstler steal and layup, UK got a timeout and started to chip away at the led. A 5-0 run had them within two at 49-47 with 6:26 to go and they tied it 30 seconds later on two free throws from the aptly named Treasure Hunt. A Hall steal and layup put Uofl back ahead but UK gained a 54-53 lead after a Howard block and Dre'una Edwards layup on a fast break. 

3;37 remained in the game. How would the Cards respond? 

The answer is...impressively. Ahlana Smith knocked down a jumper and Van Lith sunk a fast break layup to put UofL back up by four. Smith nailed another jumper to make it 59-54 with 1:41 to play. Cardinal fans started breathing a bit easier. UK's final points came with 84 seconds to play on an Edwards jumper.  A clutch bucket by Van Lith (she had eight fourth-quarter points) and three Hall free throws... after a technical on UK coach Kyra Elzy (who was a bit upset that a foul had not been called on Kasa Robinson after a Howard missed shot).secured the win. 

A win that sent Cardinal fans home happy. A win that UK tried to prevent, but, ultimately, fell out of their reach, despite 7-14 fourth quarter shooting. Turnovers will get you almost every time and the Cats six miscues in the fourth were a key factor in sending them back eastward on I-64 after the game with a loss and 6-3 record. 

THE FRED REPORT

As Fred Rogers used to say, it was
a beautiful day in Cardinal-hood Sunday 

Free Throws -- The Cards went 8-12 from the charity stripe,...getting four of them from Hall. 66% does not meet our 70% standard for a letter, though, so no letter here. 

Rebounds -- We had a 37-37 tie in the board grabbing category/ Engstler led Louisville with 10....no one else had more than five. We didn't lose the battle of the boards, so I'll award a small-case "r" for the effort/ 

Effort/Execution -- A 40% shooting night for Louisville (26-65) and just 13 turnovers. I'm not thrilled about the 4-13 three point effort, nor just nine assists -- but the overall effort got the Cards the win and I'll award a small-case "e" .

Defense -- I liked what I saw on the defensive end. UK shot 38.9%. They had 21 turnovers. The Cards had 10 steals and six blocked shots, winning both those categories handily. I have.no hesitations in handing out a CAPITAL "D".  Our defense won this one for us.

FINAL FRED TALLY:  _-r-e-D

We spoke at length at the start of the seasson about the Cards depth at guards and that was the area that UofL excelled in Sunday afternoon. Ahlana Smith and Chelsie Hall had 28 points, add in Van Lith's 13 and those three guards had 64% of our scoring. And none of the three are over 5'8". 

Louisville brings in Eatern Kentucky next -- on Thursday at 8 p.m.  A game scheduled when Samantha Williams was still coaching the Colonels. A nice tune-up for UConn next Sunday. 

(PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON)

THEY SAID IT:

: 

POST GAME WALZ

POST GAME CHELSIE HALL/AHLANA SMITH

paulie

    

VB beats Miami in 4 sets - WBB adds two grad transfers - SB schedule altered; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

Good morning L'ville fans.. It has been a roller coaster of basketball experience over the past week so I'll give a few thoughts on that.  Want to also include a personal note that my work schedule has picked back up since last year's shut down.  I'm excited to get back out at the ballfield at Slugger this year for Bats baseball games as well as continuing to work at the ACCN building for Olympic sport video production.  I plan on being out there for the entire ACC tournament!

Now that basketball is over in the Ville, I'm flipping to the diamond sport mode!

A quick reflection- We were blessed with an Elite 8 berth by the WBB program, a #1 ranking and regular season title, another ACC Championship appearance and the fierce, fabulous and classy career of Dana Evans, who took this program to new heights.

  

On Sunday the Cards beat the Ducks to advance to face the tournament's overall #1 seed, Stanford.  I do believe we witnessed Dana return to the confident scoring machine we know and love as well as the establishment of next year's team leader, Mykasa Robinson.

Speaking of next year's squad... The Cards did end up being a landing spot for a couple grad transfers!  One of them I am particularly a fan of!

Louisville Adds Emily Engstler, Chelsie Hall to 2021 Class

Engstler joins the squad after three seasons at Syracuse, Hall the last four seasons at Vanderbilt.

Engstler, a 6-foot-1 guard from New York, N.Y., started all 31 games for the Orange as a sophomore prior to coming off the bench as a junior last season and earning ACC Co-Sixth Player of the Year honors.

As a junior, she nearly averaged a double-double with 10.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She had 12 double-digit scoring games and seven double-doubles last season. She finished with a season-high 21 points, while adding 10 rebounds in the ACC Tournament matchup against Louisville. She also had 16 points, 11 rebounds and a steal on 7-14 shooting % against the Cards as the team debut their first ever #1 ranking.

Engstler was named the 2018 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American.

"We are thrilled to add such a talented player and quality person to our roster. Emily is one of the top rebounders and shot blockers in the country," said head coach Jeff Walz. "Emily's versatility, size and strength will be a huge addition to our team. Her passing, basketball IQ and toughness will be contagious. We are looking forward to getting her on campus and beginning her new journey in a Cardinal uniform."

"I'm grateful to be given a new opportunity during this time in my life," said Engstler. "I hope for a new beginning that's filled with hope and much to celebrate."

Hall is a 5-foot-7 guard from Boca Raton, Fla. She spent the last four seasons at Vanderbilt. She was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2017-18 after starting all 31 games and averaging 11.9 points and 3.5 rebounds during her rookie campaign. During that rookie season, she played at the KFC Yum! Center with Vanderbilt, finishing with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.

As a junior, she started all 30 games and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll after leading the team in free throw percentage (.813), assists (117) and minutes (972). Her 3.9 assists per game ranked eighth in the SEC. She averaged 10.6 points per game and reached double-figures in 18 games, including two 20-point performances.

In 2020-21, Hall started all eight games of Vanderbilt's shortened season. She reached 1,000 career points on January 10 against Alabama.

Hall attended Seffner Christian in Tampa, Fla., and was a first team all-state selection as a junior and senior.

"We are excited to announce the addition of graduate transfer Chelsie Hall from Vanderbilt. Chelsie is a consummate floor general who is poised and plays with great pace," said Walz. "She is a seasoned SEC guard who has started all four years for the Commodores. She brings with her a career positive assist-to-turnover ratio and she is a 1,000-point scorer."

"I am grateful and excited for this new journey," said Hall. "I can't wait to be a part of this special program."

VOLLEYBALL WINS AT MIAMI

#13 UofL got the 3-1 win over Miami in ACC volleyball action Thursday evening in Coral Gables, Fla. 25-12, 23-25, 25-23 and 25-16 were the set numbers. The VolleyCards clinched a tie for the regular season ACC title with the win. 

Nena Mbonu tied a career-high with 14 kills to lead. UofL hit .276 with seven aces, 14 blocks and 49 digs. Joining Mbonu in double digit kills was Anna Stevenson with 10 kills and seven blocks and Anna DeBeer with 11 kills and ace. Alexis Hamilton paced the defense with 12 digs and Amaya Tillman recorded six blocks. Tori Dilfer ran the offense with 49 assists and added six blocks.
Miami hit .127 with four aces and eight blocks. The Canes were led by Elizaveta Lukianova's 18 kills and four blocks.

The win clinches at least a share of the ACC crown as the Cardinals move to 12-2 in the league as Notre Dame (13-3) swept Georgia Tech to bump the Yellow Jackets out of the top two. Louisville will need to take down North Carolina to clinch the ACC's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.

The Cardinals face the Tarheels this afternoon in the regular season finale. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. It will be the Heels' 4th consecutive ranked opponent.. UNC 1-2 in those matches, losing the previous two.

SOFTBALL

UofL softball series at Pittsburgh has been altered due to cold weather projected in the area. This will be the second delay for the series. The teams will now open the series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting a 2 p.m. at Pitt's Vartabedian Field. The Cardinals and the Panthers will also play a single game at 2 p.m. on Sunday with the series finale taking place on Monday at 12 p.m. All games will be shown on the ACC Network Extra.

The Cards will return home following the series to face #8 Kentucky on Wednesday night April 7th at 7 PM. The Cats will face the #21 Tennessee Volunteers on the road this weekend before meeting the Cards at Ulmer Stadium for a midweek matchup.

NCAA WOMENS FINAL FOUR

If you happen to still care... the WBB Final Four starts tonight in San Antonio.  Personally, I'll be rooting for Dawn Staley and the USC Gamecocks to cut down the nets.  Not sure I'll actually tune in for the games, however. 

Stanford vs South Carolina 6:00PM

UCONN vs Arizona 9:30PM

I have a few meetings planned for Saturday with softball out of town so I am out for radio, Jared might be tied up with family so it should be Jeff Paul and Case to dissect the weeks events.  

Until next time Cardinals fans! 
~Daryl