The Cards in WNBA in 2025 -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 HINES-ALLEN, EVANS AND ENGSTLER IN WNBA

Following former Cards in the WNBA..the 2025 participants are Myisha Hines-Allen (Dallas Wings), Dana Evans (Las Vegas Aces) and Emily Engstler (Washington Mystics). With all the 13 teams having played at least none games now, let's take a look at how the past cards are doing in the "W".

Hines-Allen enter her eighth year in the WNBA. The first seven were with the Washington Mystics,but she wears the Dallas Wings jersey in the 2025 season. After 12 games,the Wings are at 1-11 and in seventh place in the WNBA Western Conference and has the worst record ni the league.  Hines -Allen is averaging 21 minutes a game, and scoring 6.7 ppg. She's pulling down 5.6 rebounds a game. The Wings lost yesterday to the Las Vegas Aces 84-88.

Aces vs Storm --WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 DANA EVANS CONTRIBUTING TO ACES

We love to follow our Cardinals who make it to women's pro leagues, and surely there is no larger pro woman's league than the WNBA.

On the Las Vegas Aces, former Cardinal great Dana Evans is on the squad, and she is contributing...not as a starter for the 4-2 Aces, but a significant contributor off the bench. Last night, in the Aces Sunday 75-70 win over the Seattle Storm, Evans played 21 minutes and scored nine points and dished out three assists.

The 5'6" Evans entered the league as the 13th overall pick by the Dallas Wings back in 2021. She almost immediately was traded to the Chicago Sky, and was on the 2021 All-WNBA rookie team. Back in February of 2025, she was dealt to the Aces in exchange for the 16th and 22nd draft picks for Chicago in the 2025 WNBA Draft.  

The Aces picked up a player in Evans that was part of the Sky's 2021 WNBA Championship team....but,her playing time decreased in 2024, as she was demoted from a starter to a reserve and she negotiated a trade that sent her to Las Vegas. She played in 134 games in four years at Chicago and averaged 6.2 ppg. The Gary, IN native was a fn favorite with the Sky. .

With the Aces, Evans is a backup guard on a roster that has Jewell Loyd and Chelsea Gray starting at guards and features Aja Wilson at center/forward..

.Evans is one of three former Cards WBB stars playing in the WNBA this season. Myisha Hnes-Allen is at Dallas, and Emily Engstler plays for Washington. 

We wish all our Cards in the WNBA the best of success and hope they have great seasons..

paulie 

Four former Cards Left on 2024 WNBA rosters. -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

 Hines-Allen, Engstler, Evans and Dixon remain on WNBA rosters 

We've always tried to keep up with the former Louisville Cardinals who make it to the WNBA and as we look at most teams having completed over two dozen games this season, we also see four Cards still on rosters. Our columnist Jeff McAdams gave you his look at the Cards in th "W" in Sunday' s write...I had already planned to do the same today, and just kept my original write to present today, instead of going for a new subject. 

The Washngton Mystics have half of Louisville's WNBA contingent on their roster with Myisha Hines-Allen and Emily Engstler. Hines-Allen has been in the league since 2018 and serves as a reserve on this year's Mystics squad. She has the highest shooting perentage on the squad at 52.1% In 22 games for the Mystics, she is averaging 8.4 ppg, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists. 

Engstler was the fourth pick in the 2022 by the Indiana Fever but was waived and spent time aat Minnesota before the Mystics acquired her. She also comes off the bench, and is averaging 4.7 points per game and 3.7 rebounds. 

Washington is in sixth (last) place in the WNBA's Eastern Division with a 6-19 record as of this writing. 

Dana Evans plays for the Chicago Sky and is in her fourth year in the league. She's a part time starter at Chicago (12 of 22 games so far) She averages 8.3 p.p.g. a game and 3.2 assists. Originally drafted by Dallas, she played a half dozen games in "Big D" before getting traded to the Sky in the 2021 season. . 

The Sky are currently in 4th place at 9-14 in the Eastern Division. 

Liz Dixon is on the Phoenix Mercury team. She went undrafted in 2023 but did play for the Connecticut Sun and the Mercury in 2023. The Mercury did waive her this season on July 2nd, but was brought back almost immediately to be a reserve on the squad with a seven-day contract. She is averaging 1,8 p.p.g. and 2.4 rebounds. . 

Phoenix is 13-12 on the season, good for fourth place in the league's Western Division.  

We, here at Cardinal Couple, wish all out Cards pros the best of luck the rest of the way and hope they can etch out long careers in the "W". 

paulie

 

UofL Women's Basketball Mount Rushmore -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Today feels like a good day to stir the pot. There's no better way to create controversy than creating a debate topic that you know will have several different opinions. A topic that makes its rounds about once per season is "Who Should Be on Louisville Women's Basketball's Mount Rushmore?"

People take different approaches with their reasoning such as individual stats and success, overall team success at the time, fan favorites, and success that continued on post-graduation. Our only requirement is that the four names you pick must have played women's basketball at Louisville at some point in their life, so no Jeff Walz, Sam Purcell, Steph Norman, or beyond eligible.

Jared's Mount Rushmore

Angel McCoughtry (2005-2009): In four years played at Louisville, McCoughtry was the team leader in multiple statistical categories for three of them. She is Louisville's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She helped the Cards get to their first ever Final Four, before falling in the title game. McCoughtry broke several single season and career records at Louisville during her career. Currently, McCoughtry is the only women's basketball player to have her jersey retired at Louisville.

Asia "AD" Durr (2015-2019): Another four year player at Louisville, AD became the go-to player almost from day one. They led the team in scoring for three seasons and is second in school history in total points. AD became one of the top three-point shooters not only at UofL but in the ACC and country during the back half of their career. They were a part of the Final Four team that made its way to Columbus after winning the ACC regular season and tournament titles. They won ACC Player of the Year multiple times.

Dana Evans (2017-2021): Evans' career came to a close during the COVID-19 pandemic but that didn't stop her from becoming a prolific scorer while also being tabbed as one of Louisville's best ever defenders. She became the first player to ever win ACC Sixth Player of the Year one season and follow it up with as ACC Player of the Year the next season. She won ACC POTY multiple times. She was a part of the Final Four team her freshman season.

Myisha Hines-Allen (2014-2018): Hines-Allen was a walking double-double in the back half of her career. She is one of the few to be a part of the 2000-point club and even fewer to break 1000 rebounds. Hines-Allen was named the ACC Tournament MVP after the Cards won the title en route to the school's third Final Four appearance. In her senior year, Hines-Allen set the Louisville single season rebounding record.

Honorable Mentions

Sara Hammond

Becky Burke

Mo Reid

Sam Fuehring

Cortnee Walton

Shoni Schimmel

Mykasa Robinson

Jazmine Jones

Asia Taylor

Jazz Covington

Does your Mount Rushmore look different? We'd be happy to hear yours! No answer is a wrong answer on this one.

We may talk about this on a future Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Cards in the WNBA -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Four Cards Currently on Active Rosters

We're a few weeks into the WNBA season and several former Louisville Cardinals are currently active for their respective teams. Here's how these players have fared.

Dana Evans, Chicago Sky

One of the more well-known graduates from Louisville, Evans has played a crucial role for her team. In 11 games played, Evans is averaging 27.8 minutes per game. She's posted strong numbers with 9.9 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, 3.9 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game. The Sky are currently 4-7.

Liz Dixon, Phoenix Mercury

Dixon is another recent graduate from Louisville, having been with the program during the pandemic. So far, she has played a reserve role averaging 12.4 minutes per game. Dixon has contributed so far with 2.5 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 0.8 assists per game. The Mercury are currently 6-6.

Emily Engstler, Washington Mystics

Having played only one season with Louisville, Engstler is the only one on this list that did not play all or most of her career with the Cards. Engstler has moved around the league some and is now on her third team. Washington is slowly easing her into the normal rotation as she has averaged 6.9 minutes per game across seven games. She is averaging 1.9 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, and 0.7 assists per game. The Mystics are currently 1-12.

Myisha Hines-Allen, Washington Mystics

A veteran to the WNBA at this point, Hines-Allen has proven to be a reliable contributor during her career with Washington. She is seeing 17.7 minutes per game, right on par with her career. Hines-Allen is averaging 7.3 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, and 0.7 steals per game.

There are several other former Cardinals who are free agents.

AD (formerly known as Asia Durr)- most recently with the Atlanta Dream.

Jazmine Jones- most recently with the Washington Mystics.

Arica Carter- most recently played overseas, most recent WNBA team is Phoenix Mercury.

Kiki Jefferson- most recently with the Minnesota Lynx.

Kianna Smith- most recently played overseas, most recent WNBA team is Connecticut Sun.

Kylee Shook- most recently with the New York Liberty.

Sam Fuehring- currently playing overseas, most recent WNBA team is Washington Mystics.

With just 12 teams in the WNBA, trying to maintain a career playing in the states is a tall task. With the expansion to 14 teams next season, we hope to see more former Cards playing in the pros. The 2025 expansion teams will be located in Toronto and Golden State (San Francisco).

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

WNBA: Dana Evans Soaring with Chicago Sky -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 EVANS OFF TO SIGNIFICANT START FOR CHICAGO

At 5'6", Dana Evans isn't the player that soars above the crowd,  but her numbers are soaring this season for the ex-Louisville Cardinals guard in her third season in the "W".

Evans has seven games (at the time of this writing) in as the starting point guard and has scored in double figures in all seven. The Sky are 3-4  on the season, droping a close one to Indy 71-70 on Saturday. Evans had 12 points in 35 minutes of  court time and four assists and four rebounds in the loss. She averages about 30 minutes a game for Chicago, and recently had five steals against the LA Sparks, in a 83-72 Chicago win. 

It is a different Chicago sqaud this season,since Candace Parker has reitred after 16 seasons in the league. The Sky are ninth in the WNBA standings...and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.  

Teresa Weatherspoon is in her first year as the head coach of the Sky and recently lauded Evans "incredible leadership" and recognizes Dana's "wantng it" as a player....calling her a playmaker that leads by example.  And Evans is a prime example of knowing what Weatherspoon wants on the court and facilitating it  . 

The Sky stress defense on the court and have done a great job against their opponents in that regard, not allowing anyone to score 90 points on them yet this season. Despite losing three out of their last four games, the Sky have a strong starting lineup with Evans, Marina Mabrey, Angel Reese , Diamond de Shields and Elizabeth Williams.

At 12,4 ppg, Evans is the second leading scorer on the Sky's squad, behind Mabrey. 

We, at Cardinal Couple, wish Dana the best this season and a long and productive areer in the "W". 

paulie

WNBA Opener -- Mystics Fall short in 4th quarter to Liberty 85-80 -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WASHNGTON FALLS SHORT IN FOURTH QUARTER TO NEW YORK IN WNBA SEASON OPENER

FOLLOWING the Louisville WNBA players this season in the WNBA will be something I will try to stay fairly regulary with this WNBA season, and on last night's opening night  Tuesday night, Emily Englstler and Myisha Hines-Allen had their squad, the WashIngton Mystics, in action. So did Liz Dixon's Phoenix Mercury. The Mystics will probably be the team I follow the most, since they have two of my favorite Cardinals great on roster in "E" amd "Mooks"

The Mystics ran into a NY Liberty squad that caught fire in the fourth quarter and caught and passed the DC team, doubling up the score on them in the fourth quarter 26-13 and winning 85-80. 

Not much from the Louisville contingent in the opener. Neither Hines-Allen or Engstler drew the start. Emily didnt play at all and Hines-Allen saw just 19 minutes, putting up five points and grabbing five rebounds in the loss. 

Karlie Samuelson and Shikira Austin drew the starts at forward for the Mystics but the former Stanford and Maryland veterans were not all that effective, combining for just 20 points and nine rebounds in 47 total minutes. 

We all kinda figured that Washington's Dolson, Atkins and Sykes might be prominent scorers this season for the Mystics and they held true to form in the season opener. with 59 points between them. 

It was Washington's game to lose after three  quarters, having built up a 67-59 lead after three,,,but let the visitors take over in the fourth quarter. 

In other early, first night action, the Connecticut Sun ruined Caitlin Clark's opener with the Indiana Fever, thumpimg the visiting WNBA Fever squad 92-71.

The other two opening night contests were later affairs. with the Aces and Mercury hookng up and the Lynx and Storm going against each other. The Mercury are without Brit Grinner, who is oit with a toe injury, so we hoped to see a bit of Liz Dixon, who is on the Phoenix roster. Dixon was in a reserve role and saw six minuues, grabbing three rebounds but not scoring. The visiting Phoenix squad fell 89-80 to the two-time champion Las Vegas Aces. The Minnesota Lynx defeated the Storm 83-70. DI star from last year Taylor Soule saw one minute of action for the Lynx in the win. 

I'll agree with several readers here,...it's good to see basketball's bouncing again and some of Jeff Walz's stars from years past out there. Dana Evans and the Chicago Sky get their start tonight against  Dallas at Dallas. Unfortunately, it'll only be shown on You Tube Primetime WNBA League Pass,  a subscription service.. 

paulie

Four Cards on WNBA Rosters -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Mercury, Sky and Mystics have UofL WBB alumnae on rosters. 

With the WNBA scheduled to start Tuesday., let's look at the Louisville Cards WBB players.that are on the teqam rosters in the league.  

Liz Dixon --  Phoenix Mercury. Dixon was a recent addition to the Phoenix squad,brought back on a training game contract. She did play in 10 games with the Mercury back in 2023 and was re-signed again this year, to replace Charisma Osbourne.  She averages 5.6 points per game, and 4.4 rebounds a contest. 

Dana Evans -- Chicago Sky. Dana returs to the Sky this year, her third season in the WNBA. The sharpshooting guard should be an essential part of a roster that had seven guards most recently listed. Here is an interview with her, done on May 10th.  DANA EVANS INTERVIEW

Emily Engstler --  Washington Mystics. Engstler begins her second year in the league. She was originally drafted by Indiana last year. She'l averaged 1.8 points per game last year and 0.6mrebounds. Here is a brief spotlight on her....EMILY ENGSTLER

Myisha Hines-Allen -- Washington Mystics. Hines-Allen enters her sixth season in the WNBA,and was drafted back in 2018, She vaerages 5.6 points per game and 6.4 rebounds.  The Mystics list only four forwards on their roster currently, so we like her chances to see a starting role and a lot of court time. 

We wish all our "Cardinals Forever" the best of luck this season and we're already ready for a little hoops this spring...

paulie. . 

Summer Seasons Roll On -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards in the Pros

As we hit July, we get a decent look at how some of Louisville's former stars are performing at the next level. Some of those players are getting chances for the first time, as is the case with Morgan Jones and Chrislyn Carr. The other day, Louisville women's basketball boosted the announcements of the two signing with AC PAOK of Greece and the Tokomanawa Queens of New Zealand, respectively. We'll keep an eye on both of these players who, while they weren't Cardinals for long, quickly made their presences on the court known. 

Another player getting another chance is Emina Ekic. Ekic has been out since around Christmas after fracturing her ankle in a game in the W League in Australia during the NWSL offseason. Ekic returned to the pitch for Racing Louisville FC in their home game against Houston on June 14th. Ekic subbed on late in the game and recorded no stats, but her return has been much anticipated by fans of the Cardinals and Racing alike. We're excited to see the former star in red and black return to form for her hometown team.

Moving into the WNBA, some former Cards are doing their best to make the most of their opportunities. 

Liz Dixon has played in two games since being picked up by the Connecticut Sun in late June. In games at Minnesota and Chicago, both times seeing her former teammates on the floor, Dixon combined for six minutes, four points, and one rebound. She's definitely being utilized as a role player, but will surely add production as she is given more time. At the beginning of the year in Phoenix, she had ten points, four rebounds, an assist, and a block in two games where she played more than ten minutes. 

Emily Engstler is also trying to establish herself in a new team. After being waived by the Fever and added to the Mystics roster, Engstler looked like she had found a new home. In a May 10th game against the Dream, Engstler scored 11 points and added eight rebounds, a steal, and a block in 13 minutes. For some reason, Washington decided they didn't want that kind of production around. After sitting idle for a month, Engstler was signed by the Minnesota Lynx. In her first two games, she combined for 27 minutes, eight points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. In the last two games for the Lynx, though, both against Seattle, Engstler saw just seven minutes of court time. She got up just one shot in those two games, but had a steal and a rebound in each.

After a big game earlier in June, AD has slumped a bit in Atlanta. Durr, who was leading the bench in scoring, scored just 4.2 points per game in four games from June 18th through the 28th. That game on the 28th was the first of a double header in Washington. With a bit more knowledge of the Mystics, Durr got the better of the matchup in game two. They picked up 17 minutes, scoring 15 points on 4/7 shooting, going 2/2 from beyond the arc, and added two rebounds and two assists. 

On the other side of that game was Myisha Hines-Allen. MHA has been working to get resituated with the Mystics after getting a late start to the season, though her role may expand with Elena Della-Donne going down last night. In three games against the Sky and Liberty last week, MHA averaged just under 14 minutes but scored no more than five points and averaged a shade under two rebounds per game. On the 22nd, she added two assists and two steals to her two points, two rebounds, and two fouls, creating quite a box score. Her big game came in the first of the two against the Dream, and it looked like it could be a catalyst. MHA played 17 minutes and scored 16 points, going 3/4 from three-point land, and added three rebounds and a block. However, the second game saw a bit of a fall off. Hines-Allen played 14 minutes last night but took just four shots, scoring two points and contributing four rebounds and an assist. 

Dana Evans continues to be a steady role player for her hometown (ish) Chicago Sky. Evans is averaging almost 20 minutes per game, but her scoring hasn't been quite what you might expect. That said, she is obviously a big part of their team in other ways, as evidenced by her minutes. In the back half of June, Evans scored 31 points over five games, with two big games coming this week against the Sparks. Evans scored 11 and eight points in the last two games. She is averaging about one rebound over the last five games but has dished out 14 assists over the four games she played at least 20 minutes.

We're rooting for continued success for all of our former Cards here at Cardinal Couple, and hope you'll join us in supporting your favorites even after they've moved on from the University of Louisville.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

I'm back this week as my normal July 4th weekend plans have been altered due a friend coming into town. We may even manage a full house as the storms will surely put a damper on any golf or Louisville Bats obligations that would keep Daryl away. Join us as we discuss the happenings of the week, driven mostly by a look ahead at the schedules that have been released. As always, you can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Cards in WNBA...Sunday report -- MONDAY CARDUNAL COUPLE

 

CARDS, BERGER IN SUNDAY ACTION

All five of the UofL WBB stars and Sacred Heart's Grace Berger (IU) were in action in WNBA contests Sunday. 

Although none of the six started for their respective teams, they all did see action except fot Dixon.  

WASHINGTON MYSTICS 77 -- CHICAGO SKY 69

Washington jumped out to a 10-point first quarter lead over Chicago, built it to 16 by halftime and held on for the eight-point win. Dana Evans saw 22 minutes for the Sky (5-7) and had three points, three assists and a rebound. For the Mystics, Myshia Hines-Allen saw 13 minutes totaled four points and had a rebound for the 7-4 Mystics

ATLANTA DREAM 100 -- INDIANA FEVER 94

Atlanta also got out to an early successful start against their foe Sunday -- the homestanding Indiana Fever -- and held on in a wild fourth quarter where 63 points were scored. A.D. put in 15 minutes for the (5-5) Dream and contributed seven points and an assist. The Fever drops to 4-7.  Grace Berger played six minutes for Indy and gave them two points and a rebound.

LAS VEGAS ACES 93 -- MINNESOTA LYNX 62

The Aces held the Lynx to just 21 second half points in the blowout win on the road. Las Vegas goes to 10-1 with the victory. Emily Engstler played 10 minutes off the bench and had four rebounds and two points. Minnesota drops to 3-8 with the loss. 

CONNECTICUT SUN 83 -- LA SPARKS 74

(Give em "L", Beth and Liz !) 

The Sun shone brightly in the 4th quarter and took the quarter and game by 11 points. No record of playing time in this one for Liz Dixon. It looks like Beth Burns drove across town to catch this one, though. Connecticut improves to 9-3 on the season and Los Angeles squad drops to 5-6. 

Have a hopeful Monday!

paulie

CARDS in Sunday WNBA Action -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

FOUR CARDS IN SUNDAY WNBA GAMES

We are fond of following the pursuits of Louisville Cardinals women's basketball players in the WNBA and Sunday had four Cards in action. 

LAS VEGAS ACES 93 - CHICAGO SKY 80

Dana Evans did not start for the Sky, but saw 26 minutes in a loss to the 8-1 Aces. She managed 10 points for Chicago (5-5) and had a team high eight assists for the Sky. Home-standing Las Vegas is atop the Western Conference Standings and A'Ja Wilson had another huge game for Vegas. 

CONNECTICUT SUN 89 - ATLANTA DREAM 77

Two former Cards had the potential to face off in this one -- Liz Dixon (Connecticut) and AD Durr (Atlanta), but Dixon did not see action (a coach's decision). AD came off the bench for ATL and totaled 17 minutes of playing time and nine points. 

The Sun are atop the Eastern Conference with a 8-2 record and the Dream are still struggling a bit in the early season with a 2-5 mark. ATL trailed 48-44 at the half against the visiting Sun, but Connecticut won the decisive 4th quarter 24-17.

WASHINGTON MYSTICS 71 - SEATTLE 65

The visiting Mystics improved to 5-3 on the season with a win over 1-5 Seattle, a game that Washington led 46-21 at the half before coasting in. 

The Mystics are slowly working Myisha Hines-Allen back into the lineup and MHA saw 11 minutes and grabbed six rebounds. She also added a free throw to the Mystics win. The Mystics got the win without Elena Della Donne as well -- who sat with an undisclosed injury. 

Washington will visit Indiana Tuesday and Atlanta heads to New York. 

paulie

"Super Sub" Dana Evans helps Sky defeat Fever 108-103 in overtime -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

EVANS 20-POINT SECOND HALF HELPS LIFT SKY OVER INDIANA

The Chicago Sky rallied to force overtime last night against Indiana in Chicago's Wintrust arena and got a huge contribution from Dana Evans to help them win the game.

Despite Indiana's Aliyah Boston single-handedly trying to defeat the Sky, the Chicago squad was able to tie this one 91-91 as time ran out in regulation.  Poor Chicago, down to eight active players for this one and getting killed inside by the former South Carolina star, but Chicago had a surprise of their own and it came in the form of the former Louisville guard Evans. As the teams battled through the overtime, Dana drilled a three-pointer with 50 left in o.t. to give Chicago a 101-96 lead. 

And, she wasn't through. A bucket with 26 seconds to go from Evans increased the lead to seven at 103-96. And, that pretty well cinched it. Evans would add a free throw with six seconds to create the final score of 108-103. Indiana had seen victory snatched from them by the Evans express. 

Evans played 32 minutes in th Sky win, going 8-16 fom the field and 3-4 from trifecta land. Add seven assists and three steals to tose Tueday night stats, too. 

Chicago also got a ton of production from Marina Mabrey (28 points) and .Kahleah Copper (24pts.) but Evans, who did not draw thee start, spend the first half setting up players with assists and making steals. Down 67-62 after three, it didn't look promising for Chicago (5-3) but they battled for the home crowd and Evans, who has been in double figures in five of her last six games...gave Chi-Town a look at why she was one the the most illustrious scorers on UofL WBB history.  

We hope the Sky can get back up to sufficient roster numbers soon. In the meantime, though, Dana Evans is relishing the playing time, success and showing the Sky coaches that the littlest gal on the court can step up very big and give them huge numbers. 

paulie

Guess Who's Back - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Myisha Hines-Allen Returns

After an off-season knee procedure, Myisha Hines-Allen had been conspicuously absent from the active Washington Mystics roster, but yesterday marked her return to play.

The Mystics played the Minnesota Lynx in a close game, losing in the end 78-80.

Hines-Allen returned only in a limited form, playing only eight minutes, but in that time she did get a layup, a rebound at each end of the floor, and a steal.  Those numbers are expected to go up, of course, as she gets back into full game condition again.

Other UofL WNBA Action Today

Two other Cards in action today in the WNBA.

After yesterday's news that just snuck under the wire to get into Case's article that Liz Dixon joined the Connecticut Sun, they'll be in action today against Dallas at 1pm on NBA TV.  How much court time will Dixon get?  Obviously we all want to see her succeed, but one day after joining the franchise, I'm not sure I have my hopes up that she'll get too much time on the court.

Dana Evans has become a fixture in Chicago, being one of the most productive bench players in the league.  The Sky will have a 2pm game on CBS Sports Network.

Where's Emina?

If you've been following Racing Louisville FC, well first you've probably noticed a significant uptick in their quality of play over previous season, certainly a reason to rejoice.  The squad had their first ever 3-game win streak, for example.  They're still not burning up the pitch, but improvement is there at 4-3-5 on the overall season.

Emina Ekic has been distinctly absent from the active roster, however.  She is recovering from a fractured ankle (or leg?  Reports were not clear.) that she suffered in January playing in Melbourne Australia.  She did post a picture to social media from Derby with several other Racing players in which she was wearing wedge heals and no cast or brace or anything, so presumably recovery is proceeding well.

Claire Chaussee

Claire Chaussee joins the ranks of "Cards in the Pros", though you may not hear too much about her this summer.  Chaussee signed on with the Grand Rapids Rise, a team in a new professional volleyball league forming here in the states.  The PVF, or Pro Volleyball Federation, has been going through the beginning stages of putting the league together.  At this point we're seeing the announcements of initial franchise locations as ownership groups signing on, including Grand Rapids, San Diego, Atlanta, Columbus, and more.  We've seen some head coach announcements, and the Grand Rapids Rise seem to be ahead of the game as the first, that I've seen, announcement of player signings with Chaussee being one of three to join.

The PVF plans to start play in 2024.

Trent Dilfer, former Super Bowl Quarterback, but known more around here as father of Tori Dilfter Stringer, is a partner in the league, and Tori has been prominently features in much of the marketing materials for the league, though I haven't seen an actual signing of her with a team yet.  I would presume that will happen in due course.

Numerous VolleyCards do play professional volleyball, although nearly all are overseas.  Anna Stevenson Hall, Claire Chaussee, and Raquel Lázaro all played in Italy this past season, and yes they all played against each other.  Tori Dilfer Stringer played in Puerto Rico along with Wilma Rivera, which is, of course, home for her.  And Tess Clark has played several years in Spain.  Unfortunately, news from overseas leagues is extremely difficult to find.  Erin Fairs is the only former Card to play professionally in the US, as part of Athletes Unlimited, but they have a very limited season.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

Former Cards that went pro in other things did get together as usual for the CCRHP.  Case, Jared, and myself were on the call, and...well...it's getting to be summer, and news is thin on the ground, so expect some diversions and tangents.

We did cover some spring sport accolades, including some academic ones, most of the CC crew are keeping up with the rest of the Softball Tournament, even after Louisville's departure, so we chatted about that, some.  Mostly, we're cheering for "Not Oklahoma".  And we chatted a bit about WNBA and other "Cards in the Pros".

Check it out at it's Anchor/Spotify home:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/The-Summer-Slump-Begins-e255mi0

-- JMcA

WNBA Cards -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Happy hump day readers! 

Its Daryl stepping in with ya midweek.  Bats are in town but Paulie phoned a friend for some back up to get something posted today so you get me to cover the summer Pro Cards.

WNBA

Sky vs Dream

The Chicago Sky visited the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday evening where the Dream led pretty much the entire way and got the 83-65 victory.   The Sky are now 3-2 on the season while Atlanta moves to 2-2.   Both squads are in the middle of the pack in the standings at 5 and 6 respectively.  The Las Vegas Aces are the lone undefeated squad at 4-0... they're averaging an almost 25 point differential over opponents. 

Dana Evans scored 11 points to lead Chicago. Kahleah Copper, Marina Mabrey and Kristine Anigwe each added 10. Sky starters Courtney Williams was 2 of 10 from the field and Elizabeth Williams went 3 for 10.

Rhyne Howard scored 20 points, Allisha Gray and rookie Haley Jones each added 13 points each. AD had a free throw make in 14 minutes.

The Dream made 18 of 24 free throws compared to just 9 of 11 makes for the Sky.

The Dream led 40-25 at halftime after Chicago shot just 28% and turned it over eight times. The Sky finished the game 25 for 77 (33%) with 15 turnovers.

The Sky will head back to Chicago to face the NY Liberty, who stand third in the league standings, Friday at 6pm. 

Also happy belated birthday to Myisha Hines Allen who celebrated her 27th birthday yesterday at the Washington Mystics. They have yet to make their debut with the squad but some say it is getting near...  

Good luck to the Cards!!

Please, if you know anyone who can be a living donor or if you would like more information on how to be a organ donor, please call Madelyn Hunt at the Trager Transplant Center at UofL Hospital (502) 587-4358 option 5. 

As always, Go Cards 

~Daryl 

Cards in WNBA -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

Five Cards remain on three WNBA rosters as of 5/16/23

update:  The Mystics cut Jaz and Em after this article was written and posted. 

As the WNBA squads get down to their roster sizes (11 or 12, depending on the franchise) we still find five Cardinals WBB players on three different rosters. 

Sadly, the Phoenix Mercury did cut both Liz Dixon and Kylee Shook. I was hoping, as a lot of Cardinal fans were, that one or both would remain on the roster to serve as backups to Brit Griner. But, it looks like the Phoenix squad is going to go with Megan Gustafson, who has four years of league experience, to play that role. Phoenix is down to 12 players on their roster.

The Chicago Sky has Dana Evans on their roster. Evans looks to be one that will make the opening day roster, despite there still being 16 players listed on the roster as of yesterday. Seven guards are still listed for the Sky, but two are rookies and two have just a year's experience. Also, three players haven't been assigned a roster number yet.  Evans was named to the All-Rookie team last year after leading all rookies in free throw percentage and hitting 40% from three point range. Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey look to maybe have the "jump" on starting spots, but now that Courtney Vandersloot went to the Liberty via free agency, and Allie Quigley is not playing this season...Dana should see plenty of minutes, we hope. And, she played her high school ball not far from Chicago and could help bring fans in. 

The Atlanta Dream have welcomed  Asia AD Durr home and she looks to be a great fit with the Dream. The Dream do have some quality guards on the roster in addition to AD, like Rhyne Howard, Danielle Robinson and Alisha Gray...but Durr scored in double figures in both Dream pre-season games so far. I love her chances of being a star at Atlanta. After the battles she had with COVID, it's so encouraging to see her back on the court...doing "incred-a-Durr" things. Shoot til your arm falls off, AD. 

That leaves us with the Washington Mystics. 

Jazmine Jones, Myisha Hines-Allen and Emily Engstler are on the roster, and I like all three players' chances of making the squad. The Mystics are down to 13 on their roster...Jones is a capable guard who was claimed off waivers from Indiana, and is one of seven guards on the roster. Engstler also came to Washington from Indiana, where she played 35 games last season I find it pretty incredulous that the Fever let her go, but they do still have Grace Berger on the roster, along with 10 rookies or first year players, so it may be a financial thing. Hines-Allen has been an essential part of the Mystics and works well in the lineup with Elena Della Donne. 

Friday is opening day for the WNBA's 27th season and the teams will play 40 regular season games in 2023. The Mystics play New York on opening night, Minnesota brings in Chicago, the Mercury goes to L.A. and Connecticut goes to Indiana. The other four WNBA squads (Las Vegas, Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas) play their first games on Saturday. 

We wish all our Cards greats a ton of success this season and will watch with interest any news on WNBA expansion. 

paulie