A Gray Day in Kentucky, and a First Glimpse at Volleybal

A Brooke Gray Day in Kentucky

It's been quite a weekend for Ballard's Brooke Gray.  After being named Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year on Friday, Gray led her Bruins to win the state championship yesterday over Henderson County, 12-4.  She then picked up the tournament MVP honor, and was also named the 2023 Kentucky Miss Softball.

All of that, in roughly 48 hours, makes for quite a whirlwind weekend for the senior

Some final season stats for Gray's senior year: 29-0 win/loss record, 0.81 ERA, and 307 strikeouts in 189 2/3 innings pitched.

The lefty pitcher will be joining an already solid pitching staff at UofL in the fall, though a staff that is losing one of the best to have done it at UofL in Taylor Roby.  Gray will be the second lefty hurler on the staff, joining Cassie Grizzard in the southpaws-in-the-circle club.

Gray and Grizzard, along with Alyssa Zabala, Gabby Holloway, and Sam Booe...plus incoming freshman Lindsey Mullen... should create a good pitching staff that the team can build on to hopefully see another year of improvement in performance.

A Brief Glimpse of Volleyball

Volleyball is, of course, on their tour of Brazil, and they had their first match of the trip yesterday against Clube Panaireinas do Morumbi U-21 in São Paulo.  There was a low production stream that was, I believe, posted on the team's facebook page, but it only last to 19-12 in the first set before it died due to technical difficulties.  The team has a social media person with them on the trip, but not a Sports Information Director, so most of the information available is scattered among various social media posts.

This is the first opportunity to see the assembled team that will be competing in the fall, so I tuned in with interest to see what initial thoughts on lineups looked like.  Louisville "won" the match 5-0 with scores of 25-16, 25-18, 25-12, 25-20, 25-17.

First, a couple of apparent injury notes based on what I saw on stream.  Nina Moorer is still in a boot from some stress fractures that she experienced during spring play, and Cara Cresse has some sort of cast on her left wrist and part of her hand.  I have no details of the nature of the injury prompting that.

For the lineup, keep in mind, of course, that these are friendlies, they don't count for any official record, so lineups should be expected to be fluid and experimental, but they will give us some idea of what the coaching staff is thinking about for the fall.

The biggest surprise I saw in the lineup in the first set was incoming freshman Reese Robins playing right side in place of Aiko Jones.  Robins was listed primarily as a middle blocker, but with the ongoing position battle on the squad at middle, getting Robins to the right side may give her an opportunity to see some playing time that she may not have had otherwise.  Could we see a 6-2 offense in the fall?  With Aiko Jones, Nina Moorer, and Reese Robins all having spent some, or a lot in Jones' case, of time out there, it only leaves a question of how well we can swap out setters and maintain consistency.

Phekran "PK" Kong, and Hannah Sherman were the middles for the start.  Crese was dressed and participated in warmups, but I don't know if she ended up playing during the match.  The cast is on her non-hitting hand, so it is conceivable that she played.

Another incoming freshman, Molly Urban subbed in for Reese Robins as a DS for back-row playing time.

From some social media bits, the team had 20 aces in the five sets, and incoming freshman Kamden Schrand accounted for five of them.  Allana Bankston, yes another incoming freshman, apparently got nine kills on 17 swings for either .450 or .412 hitting.  Dan Meske said .450 in the audio of his Instagram story, but the caption on it said .412.  I suspect .412 is the correct number.  Regardless, an impressive debut for the Omahan.

They Tied the Knot

We want to extend a hearty congratulations to our Cardinal Couple colleague Jared Anderson and his beautiful wife Katy Whitesell.  The two got married yesterday in a wonderful celebration with family and friends in South Carolina.  We have yet to receive Jared's pictures from the event, but expect to have them shortly.

I kid, of course.

Congratulations to the bride and groom.  And the cake.  (Check out the CCRHP, or Jared and my twitter accounts, for explanation of that one.)

Say you missed it? Fear not, the replay is online at the link below{  

KATY and JARED 6-10-23

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

It was a bit of a throwback for yesterday's CCRHP, with only Paulie and I on the call.  Daryl was a late cancellation having come down with a bit of an illness, and of course we hope she's feeling better soon.  Jared was at a piece of cake's nuptials, and Case will be out for various events for the next couple of weeks.

Paulie and I had a great conversation about Softball, and what it looks like for the future.  We dug into the signed class, including singing the accolades of Brooke Gray, and the prospects for the future.  We did touch a brief bit on volleyball, and speculated on potential news from Lacrosse.

We also asked the question:  What is going on with Kay Morrissette> 

For an agenda with nothing but question marks on it, we managed to find plenty to talk about and had fun.  Check it out!

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/Summer-Travels-and-Events-e25hlri

JMCA

Officially Summer -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Hello readers!   

It's Daryl checking in on the Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend.   It was my luck to work at my 9-5 so its still a 5-day work week for me. As graduations wrap up and vacations begin for the summer months, the sports seasons are dry but the hype is real looking ahead.  

The 'Reason for the Seasons'

THANK YOU to those who have served our country and lost their lives for it.  It takes a brave individual to put on those uniforms every day to make sure we are secure.  We appreciate those who serve.  

Cardinal Couple Family

A huge shout-out to Paulie for covering our daily check-ins on here when any of us are unable.  Between the five of us, seven days in the week and twelve D1 sports to cover, Paulie leads the charge to make sure everyone is happy.  

When I think about my involvement with UofL athletics, a lot of my time and energy has shifted over the last year.  I appreciate Paulie giving me the outlet to continue to cover my favorite team but also the freedom to take care of business when I need to.   I am a proud Cardinal Couple contributor and naturally part of a "cardinal couple". 

My long-time boyfriend and I are huge UofL fans and most of our partnership revolves around the Cards.   Game days spent with friends, trips to road games make life-long memories.  We also love watching actual cardinal birds when we see/hear them.  We like to see who can find it first when we hear them call.  (You can Youtube "cardinal calls" if you can't recognize them yet, its very recognizable!) It's a fun game we play.. its satisfying to finally find that red spot!

Out of Office

I did spend the weekend at the Waterfront for Forecastle.  I haven't yelled at anyone to get off my lawn yet, but I did have several of those 'becoming your parents' moments while I was down there.  

I usually go with the jersey/sport look for this festival as do a lot of those who attend but the WNBA/Women's names rarely make an appearance.  As you can imagine, the thrill I experienced when I saw Jack Harlow come on stage with the Hailey Van Lith jersey.  I did spot another person with a white HVL t-shirt jersey who deserves a shout-out as well, so major shout-out HVL for making an appearance in this year's festival fashion which has now flooded social media from Jack's performance.  

Summer Fun Ideas...

Not sure if you can make a big trip this summer with gas prices looking like they have been?  Below are some short trips up to Indy that can be made to see a couple former Cardinals in WNBA actions.  I got my eye on that match-up with the Sky for sure!  From what I can tell from social media, the players look to be pretty available for pics/autographs after games too! 

Mystics at Fever Tuesday and August 12

Emily Engstler coming off a 13 point, 9 rebound performance on Friday vs LA Sparks 

Myisha Hines Allen coming off a 26th birthday on 5/30

Liberty at Fever June 10 

Sky at Fever June 19 and July 7 

Have a great Tuesday! 

As Always, Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

What's In a name? -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

YOU SAY POTATOE, I SAY POTATO...

Names. They can be tricky sometimes. 

I recently got an e-mail from an organization that asked me to do a "local coverage" article for them on the draft status of Louisville seniors Kylee Shook and Jazmine Jones. 

And, that has never been a problem for me -- talking or writing about those two excellent UofL women's basketball stars.

It was, though, referencing "Jasmine" and "Kaylee". 

Another funny thing was that the e-mail was address to Paulie Skyes of Cardinal Couple. I've dealt with that misspelling and mispronunciation of my last name (Sykes, not Skyes) my entire life -- so, I corrected them on the gaffes and sent them a few paragraphs highlighting the careers of these two "Cardinal Forever" student-athletes. 

I guess messing up names is a common occurrence when you've got a name that isn't so easily recognized or pronounced. I tell people a way to remember my last name with the rhyming sentence "Nobody like Paul Sykes". I did see a brief blurb years ago about me in a newspaper column that I got a chuckle about. It read, Paul Skies for 12 rebounds in the narrow loss..."  So, was the writer referring to my better than average jumping ability  (he skies for the rebound) way-back-then...or had the writer just botched my last name? 

I received the nickname "Paulie" back when I was a little boy, from my Mom, as a term of endearment.

I've seen that morph into "Pauly" "Pauley" and "Polly" over the years. I just refer to the movie "Goodfellas" character "Paulie" if people need a spelling on it. There was also a "Paulie" in the TV series The Sopranos"...and a movie about a parrot named "Paulie" in the late 90's. 

I haven't seen the movie. I liked the characters in "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos" 



My favorite was a few years ago when I traveled to an out of state campus to cover a women's basketball game. They had trouble finding my credentials. The picture to the left of these words show the error in the spelling. "Skykes".

Really?  But, then again...it was from IU. The ushers there also had no idea where the Media Room was for WBB. I got sent to the top of Assembly Hall, a grueling trip for me back then with recently replaced hip and bum knee. I'm glad we won the game...

Coaches and athletes fall victim to misspelling a lot. I couldn't tell you exactly how many times I've seen comments about UofL head women's basketball coach Jeff Waltz. Maybe it's just a case of where they let the auto-correct feature over-ride their best intentions to identify the Cards skipper Jeff Walz?  Or were they linking Coach with a popular dance form from generations ago?  I've never seen "Walls", though, in a reference to the popular Cardinal coach....even though I knew a Jeff Walls in high school. 

Another coach who had to deal with this over the years is the recently-retired Notre Dame head women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw.  I've seen a lot of articles that insist on adding an additional "t" to her first name....referring to Muffett McGraw. (I know there were a lot of fans that wouldn't have minded Muffet picking up an additional "T" during a game...but, that's not relevant to what this article is about).

 How many of you knew that her actual first name is "Ann"? 

My favorite picture of Cortnee --
with Asia Taylor. 

One of my favorite WBB players who wore a Cardinal uniform was Cortnee Walton. I saw her referred to as "Courtney'"or "Cortney" a few times during her student-athlete time at UofL (2012-2017). Writers usually got the last name correct, though. Maybe because of the success of Bill Walton or the TV family "The Waltons". 

"Good night, John-Boy...good night, Cortnee!" 

Sid or Syd?  This first name confuses people at various times for several UofL student-athletes. I've seen mix ups on  softball great Sidney (not Sydney) Melton, Cardinal WBB players Sydney (not Sidney) Brackemyre and Sydney Zambrotta. 

i wonder how often Howie Lindsey and Lindsey Duvall have been referred to as "Lindsay"? Sara Hammond as "Sarah" ?

How about former USF and Cardinal guard Briahanna Jackson getting referred to as "Brianna"? And, now, there is a Brianna Jackson that currently plays basketball for the University of Miami and a volleyball player named Brianna Jackson headed to the University of North Alabama. 

It also hits the Cardinal Couple staff. Our writer Case Hoskins occasionally gets the new first name ""Chase". Our friend and former Cardinal Couple Radio Hour contributor Daryl Foust gets it at times on both names...with "Darrell" or "Darryl" and "Faust". 

The legendary "C.B."
Candyce Bingham 

We all remember Louisville WBB great and now Bellarmine assistant coach Candyce Bingham. I'm pretty sure she was referred to as "Candice" or "Candace" during her UofL years.
And, have you ever seen the Newburg Road university called "Bellermine"? I have.

Sheronne Vails saw her both her names misspelled during her time as a Cardinal WBB front-line star. "Sharon Veils" was the most comical I ever saw on her. 

"Sonja", "Sonia" or "Sonya" is another name that has several different version. I have a friend who refers to my wife as "Sondra". 

Ah, the lucky ones....UofL WBB has had eight "Smiths". six "Jones" and five "Johnsons". Surprisingly, the WBB roster has never had a "White" or "Black", though...and only one "Brown"....when it comes to common last names. 

The WBB Cards officially add two "Smiths" this year in Kianna and Ahlana Smith. The last name of these two shouldn't confuse anyone, but I foresee variations of "Kianna" and "Ahlana" ahead. I wonder if anyone will resort to the nicknames "A.S." and "K.S"...a spin-off of how Boston Celtics fans referred to two of their players back in the 1990's --  guards Kevin and Dennis Johnson, known as  "K.J." and "D.J." 

An old retort that went "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" was popular when I was a child. At this time in my life, I'll grudgingly endure the name variation...because sticks and stones present a pretty big danger. 

I'll end today with a Rodney Dangerfield line: 

"I never knew my name was Rodney Dangerfield for the first five or six years of my life. I always thought it was "Hey You!"  because that's how my parents referred to me." 


Stay safe, stay healthy, stay positive...

paulie
xxxxx

FSU beats WBB Cards 67-59 -- Softball Starts Today -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SEMINOLES 13-0 RUN LEADS TO WIN OVER CARDS

CAPTION THIS PICTURE

Florida State used a 13-0 run early in the fourth quarter to break away from a 42-42 tie and give Louisville women's basketball their second loss of the season and first ACC loss last night in the KFC YUM! Center. 

A crowd of 8314 saw the Cards erase a eight-point deficit in the third quarter to get within two at 42-40 with two seconds left in the quarter. Yacine Diop hitting the fast break jumper off a Dana Evans feed brought the Cards back from a 35-27 FSU lead with 5:34 left in the third. 

Louisville tied the contest at 42-42 to begin the fourth quarter when Kylee Shook connected inside just 17 seconds into play. The downtown arena was rocking, the Cards were on a run and it looked like Louisville might make a game out of a contest that had been an exhibition of poor shooting, turnovers, defensive stops and whistles. 

It was not to be, though. 

FSU responded to the tie with a Valencia Myers score. After a Jazmine Jones turnover, the Noles got a three-pointer from Nicki Ekhomu and a minute late, after an Evans turnover and missed attempt by Jones,  Nausia Woolfork followed suit with a trifecta. 7:32 showed on the scoreboard and a 8-0 FSU run had made this one a eight-point, 50-42 advantage. 

The run wasn't over yet for the Noles. 

Kiah Gillespie connected on the third-straight three for FSU and then she scored inside after gathering a blocked Ekhomu shot by Shook.  The three-minute, 13-0 run had propelled the visitors to a 55-42 edge. Six minutes remained in the contest, but the Cards would get no closer than six the rest of the way.  

This was not the night you wanted to bring someone to the KFC YUM! Center for their first Louisville WBB game. It was a night where neither team shot the ball well (Louisville 34.4% - FSU 38.1%). The Cards led just once, early in the second quarter at 12-11 after a Liz Dixon free throw found its mark at the 8:49 mark. 

A defensive struggle is a nice way to describe the action last night. The Cards came out shooting as chilly as the air down by the river -- going one for eight in the first five minutes -- but managed to remain close. An Evans jumper cut FSU's lead to 9-7 with four minutes left in the first, a 4-0 FSU run pushed that back out to 11-7, but UofL got a exciting Mykasa Robinson dash to the basket for a bucket and Dixon connected inside to tie it at 11-11. That's how the first session ended. 

The Cards were missing Elizabeth Balogun (who is in Serbia playing for the Nigerian National Team in the Olympic qualifiers).

They were also missing the basket (5-16 shooting in the first for 31.3%). FSU was even worse (5-19 26.3%) in those ten minutes. The Seminoles were owning the board, though, and Gillespie was off to a good start with five points. The same applied for Dana Evans, equaling that point total.  

FSU found the shooting touch in the second quarter, while the Cards got even colder. They pushed out to a 22-12 lead at the 3:37 mark. Louisville still hadn't made a jumper, in six attempts. Credit an aggressive FSU defense for some of that lack of production, but the ball just wasn't going through the net for UofL. 

The Cards would finally get a bucket from Bionca Dunham in the paint and an old-fashioned three-point play from Evans would get Louisville back within seven with 65 seconds left in the half. FSU's Ekhomu found success inside, though, with two seconds before the buzzer and the teams trudged to the locker room with the tally being 26-17 Noles. 

Louisville's worst quarter for shooting happened in the second frame. 2-13 from the floor (15.4%) and 7-29 for the half (24%) for the half. A 15-6 quarter in favor of the Noles, who had perked up to shoot 43.8% in the second quarter, but were only at 12-35 for the half (34%) 

As the half ended, an over-zealous Cardinal fan was giving the referees "the business" with rather salty language and head official Dee Kanter pointed to him, indicated he was 'out of there" and security escorted him out of the facility. Given the way Louisville looked in the first twenty minutes, they might have been better off leaving the YUM! Center with the obscene fan, too.

FSU weren't exactly saints or angels. 

BLOOD, YES. INTENTIONAL FOUL? NOPE...

The Noles were getting away with some aggressive elbows and hands in the contest. Jaz's nose got bloodied on defense, in a obvious intentional foul, from a flying Sammie Puisis hand, with 3:06 left in the half. No intentional foul was seen by the refs, though, the Cards were awarded the ball on what was called a turnover.  Kylee got planked by a Noles defender. No foul was called there, either, Strange, since the refs combined for 34 fouls on the night, 19 of them on the visitors. 

But this contest was about lack of offensive production. 3-9 for Kylee in 34 minutes, 5-13 from Dunham, 2-12 from Jones in 38 minutes. Even the normally accurate Evans was just 7-20 from the floor. Her 18 points led the Cards. Yacine Diop drew the start in place of Balogun for the Cards but saw just 20 minutes and had a mere two points. She left the court in a obvious hurry for the locker room at one point in the game, no injury report or why was offered. 

This one was also about Kiah Gillespie. The six-foot-two, red-shirt senior forward from Meriden, CT. had a career night with 25 points and 13 rebounds. She's on the Naismith "Top 20" list with Evans and showed her skills with 10-20 shooting. Kylee, Liz and Bionca simply couldn't stop her with any degree of success. Guard Nicki Ekhomu also shone for the 19-4, (8-4) Noles with 18 points and six assists.  

Maybe the difference was from beyond the arc. The Cards were just 3-16, while FSU went 6-22. Gillespie and Ekhomu had five of those "makes" and the three-straight long balls in the fourth quarter, one by each of them and one from Woolfork. They bailed out the FSU squad. They were 3-17 from the deep before that. 

Louisville fought, but it wasn't enough. They rallied, but, didn't have the last rally. It wasn't a shooting seminar for either squad but the Noles managed to do just a bit better than Louisville (24-63 38.1% vs. the Cards 22-64 34.4%)

Kylee had three blocks in the affair, which gave her the single-season record for rejections at Louisville. Dana joined the 1,00 point club with her 18 points. Dunham was doing her best inside, with 14 points but just two rebounds raises an eyebrow. 

The Cards fall to second place in the ACC at 10-1, a half-game behind NC State, who handed Virginia Tech their first home loss of the season 76-68. 



THE FRED REPORT

We'll side with Fred Thompson. Not much to
smile about on Thursday night. 

FREE THROWS -- The Cards had 16 attempts and hit 12 for 75%. Bionca went 4-4 to lead the way. FSU did even better with a 92.9% 13-14. Despite the 34 whistles, which are a lot for a 40 minute game, the refs probably could have called 20 more. Mostly on FSU. We'll award a CAPITAL "F" for reaching 75%. 

REBOUNDS -- FSU took the battle of the boards 44-38. They had a 29-16 advantage at the half. Kylee led Louisville with nine, but, it was a night where the visitors were the more aggressive team in tracking down missed shots. Especially on the defensive ends, where the Noles had a 28-23 edge. No letter here. 

EFFICIENCY/EXECUTION -- Neither team displayed much of these categories. The Cards had 13 turnovers, but forced 12. Louisville did have nine steals, Jaz getting five of them, but the shooting woes, just 10 Cardinal assists and the huge fourth quarter Noles run lead to the determination of no letter here. 

DEFENSE -- The Cards have won quite a few game this year when they've held the opponent to less than 70 points. Also when allowing the opponent just 38% shooting. The defense wasn't awful, in fact it was quite good a couple of stretches of this game, but Louisville allowed some crucial, key shots to go in during the deciding 4th quarter and we'll complete the Fred Report with another no letter because it was a loss. 

FINAL FRED TALLY:  F-_-_-_


THEY SAID IT

Post game with head FSU coach Sue Semrau and Kiah Gillespie: FSU WITH SUE AND KIAH

Post game with Jeff Walz, Dana Evans and Bionca Dunham:  WALZ, "B" and DANA


SUMMING IT UP

I'm going to refer you back to Walz's post-game presser to echo my sentiments on this one. It was not a good night for UofL WBB, but they did play a very good foe in Florida State. A foe to be feared the rest of the way if they can stay healthy and get Gillespie to perform like she did against the Cards.  

In the end, it's a "L" and we haven't had much experience here writing about those this season. The bottom lines are...you have to shoot well and score more than your foe to win games. Louisville did neither last night.

Walz has predicted numerous times that the Cards would not go undefeated in the ACC in the regular season. 

Sadly, last night, his prediction came to fruition.

While we're assigning blame, let's also point out that affable ACCN, ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli has called the last two Louisville outings --the exhibition against Team USA and the loss to FSU. Deb's on a two-game losing streak in Cardinal contests. 

We must find a way to stop Deb, too...

Louisville travels to Syracuse next, for a Sunday battle against "Q" and the Orange. 'Cuse evened their record to 11-11 on the year with a much-needed road win over Boston College last night 89-79. 


(PHOTOS and POST-GAME FROM THE INCREDIBLE JARED ANDERSON, WHO WORE WHITE TO A "RED OUT". LET'S ASSIGN BLAME TO JARED FOR THE LOSS, TOO. )



*********************************************************************************************


SOFTBALL STARTS IT OFF TODAY

It doesn't seem like softball weather here in the Ville this morning, a couple of inches of snow on the ground, but it's 60 degrees currently in Clearwater, FL with no rain as the Cards kick off their season in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. 

A double-header for Holly Aprile's crew, starting at noon vs. Ole Miss and then at (appox.) 2:30 against Baylor. 

You can watch the action on You Tube under the NFCA home page. 

We'll recap it for you tomorrow here at Cardinal Couple and you can follow Paulie's Tweets on the action today. The handle is @cardinalcouple 

LINK:  CARDS VS. OLE MISS

Have a fun Friday !


paulie
xxxxx

Fall UofL women's sporrts -- Do You Have A Favorite? -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

EIGHT FALL SPORTS TO CHOOSE FROM...WHO YA GOT? 

As the women's fall sports begin to create headlines and compete in their schedules, events, meets and matches...our question today is pretty simple. Do you have a favorite? 

As I look at our CARDINAL COUPLE writing staff and radio crew, there is a diversity of thoughts on that. WE, of course, want all the student-athletes that compete for UofL to do well. 

I'll start with me. I have had the pleasure of getting to know the coaches and some of the players that compete in Field Hockey, Golf, Rowing, Soccer, Swimming and Diving,Tennis and Volleyball.

It is hard for me to just pick one. I enjoy them all very much and attend/report on as many as I can, but...I will admit to a preference in Field Hockey. 

Justine Sowry has had some very successful athletes in her decade at UofL. The best goal-keeper in the world in Ayeshia McFerran. the squad has two very excellent goal-keepers vying for that open spot now in Sam Minrath and Hollyn Barr. A ton of proficient scorers on roster in Meche Pastor, Bethany Russ, Erica Cooper, Whena Munn and Madison Walsh -- plus a freshman class that could be one of the best in Sowry's time here in India Reed, Emilia Kaczmarczyk, Margot Lawn,  Minna Tremonti, Mattie Tabor and Julie Kouijzer. 

I absolutely love the idea of an Alumnae vs. Student-Athlete scrimmage each year and have gotten some excellent, funny and fabulous interviews over the years with the squad grads. Coach Sowry is always a frank, sometimes tongue-in-cheek and matter-of-fact interview. 

In horse racing terminology, it's a photo finish at Paulie Downs to determine the winner, but it's Field Hockey by the length of a field hockey ball. They went 2-0 in the preseason and start the regular season.

Jeff is a Volleyball guy. He's a season ticket holder, leads cheers from the stands and knows quite a bit about the sport. And, he plays a bit of the game as well. He is a student of the game and goes into detail , so that you, the reader, are up on things like "the 6-2" the competition in the ACC and player status. 

Case's knowledge in women's soccer is unparalleled in the journalistic world, so his choice is pretty obvious as well. It's a blessing, joy and benefit to have him helping me in our coverage of WSOC this year. He played Soccer in high school and post-graduation until an injury sidelined him last year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him return to an active status down the road. No doubt about his favorite...Women's Soccer.

It's a bit more difficult to say which is Jared's favorite Fall Sport, since he photographs so many. I texted him to try and pin him down. He went with women's soccer also. His response was: 

"Soccer is a sport that I can switch back and forth between taking pictures and cheering. Since I've been following the sports at UofL, soccer is the only team that wasn't already good (consistently ranked in the top 25) and I've been able to watch the program improve over time. Soccer is one of the sports that can change with only one goal. They've also been  the biggest supporters of my photography out of all of the fall sports".

Put Jared down in the Women's Soccer category as well, as a favorite. 

It is relevant to point out that we love ALL of our fall sports squads and try to give them as much coverage as possible. Based on our writing schedule here at CARDINAL COUPLE, it could be Case doing an article on Field Hockey or Jeff on women's soccer. Jared discussing golf -- the combinations are endless. 

So, dear reader...we pass the ball to you. Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section (and why). Tell us, because we are all about the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports and YOU are Cardinal Couple -- something we appreciate and never forget. 

Tee it up, deliver us a perfect response, go for the net, send an ace down the line, dive right in, run for the wire and navigate the waters while sticking one on the green in your ace of a response. 


Paulie
xxxxx

WBB In Durham -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Basketball in Durham

The WBB Cards head to Durham, and Cameron Indoor Stadium today for a 2 p.m. tilt vs the Blue Devils. Game two for both in the ACC.

The Dookies are 8-5 overall, dropping their conference opener against still-undefeated NC State.  Looking at their overall schedule from expectation of Duke being a mid-standings ACC team doesn't really surprise.  The only result the I look at with interest is a bad season opening loss against Northwestern.  A mid-standings ACC team shouldn't lose to this bunch of Wildcats by over 25 points.  A look at Northwestern's schedule is a bit more of a head scratcher.  An 8 point win over #15 Michigan State, but a 4 point lose to Rutgers?  A bit confusing, but let's conclude that Northwestern is their typical mid-level team, and then Duke lost to them by 26.

Gone, for Duke, are Rebecca Greenwell and Lexie Brown, the new stars are Haley Gorecki and Leaonna Odom as points leaders (16.8 and 13.2 ppg, respectively).  Miela Goodchild also shows up prominently on the stat sheet with 10 ppg.  This trio also distributes the ball reasonably well, with 39 assists for Haley on the year, and Leaonna and Miela both with 24.  As a team, they probably don't get too many "F"s on their Fred reports, shooting only .637 from the charity stripe, so the Cards shouldn't be afraid to play aggressively against them and send them to the line.

Now, I've never hidden my opinion that I believe that Joanne P. McCallie is not a great coach, or at
least not a great Xs and Os on-court coach.  She recruits well, but she doesn't deploy them well in game, I don't believe.  The Cards need to come out and play their game, play the game plan and stick with it.

We saw some lack of discipline and crisp play in the Cards first game back from a big break against UNC.  Let's hope that's out of their system.  UNC adjusted against the Cards well on Thursday, credit to Sylvia Hatchell making halftime adjustments, look for, perhaps, the opposite today.  Jeff Walz is one of the premier on-court coaches and is rather well known for his halftime adjustments.

Above all else, though, remember that this is the ACC, you just can't take a day off in this league.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

What's the chances of ever getting all four
Cardinal Couple knuckleheads in coats and ties?

All four of the knuckleheads made appearances at the magnificent media mansion on Mellwood, yesterday.  It has been some time since that happened.  The discussions were fun and, I think, at least, interesting.

You can tell just how good of a team this has become, too.  I was seriously off of my Paulie-snark game, but Jared was there, clutch, filling up our snark quota.  (Of course, much of our snark is about Paulie's phone usage and situation...but here I am sitting here without a functional phone at all for the moment, as mine quit charging last night.  And as I'm house sitting at the moment, I didn't have access to my backup phone).


(EDITOR INSERT: It rings, it recharges, I can call out, receive texts and that's enough for me). 


Yes, I'm a computer geek, of course I have a backup phone.

In any case, you can check out the fun, and good discussion of what happened Thursday in the Cards win over UNC, and a bit of preview of the game today at our Saturday ritual -- The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour:

LINK:  https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/2245002249082137/

Please send your condolences to Case, who saw his Seahawks exit the road to the Super Bowl
yesterday and congratulations to Jared who still has a dog in the fight with Indy . Paulie learns his Bears fate today and I'd like to see Lamar have a great game with the Ravens today.

A busy for multi-sports and... 

Enjoy the fun.

-- 

JMcA

Second season awaits Louisville WBB -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(As a special treat for you, we bring in David Watson for the day before Christmas CARDINAL COLUMN this morning. One of "the originals" here at the COUPLE, David follows us from the warmer climate of Florida. Although we don't hear from him as much as back in the early days, David's thoughts and reactions to UofL women's basketball are still always a good read and I appreciate him taking the time to bring us this morning's entry)!  -Paulie -

SECOND SEASON AWAITS LOUISVILLE WBB

Hey Ho ! Dave-O here! First on the agenda, I'm sincerely wishing the Cardinal Couple staff, readers and sponsors a very Merry Christmas !!

The Watson household is nestled into their beds as I write this late on Sunday night. My wife Donna and I are tickled and pleased to have all three of our children home for the Holidays. Oldest daughter Abby in from "the Big Apple" and grateful to be in "the warm" as she calls it. Son David Jr. (who actually lives across town here in Bradenton) back from three days of golf and recreation in Bermuda. Our youngest Whitney, a high school senior, enjoying her Christmas break and hasn't had a single battle or argument with her older sister yet, so it truly is the "most wonderful" time of the year, in terms of sibling rivalry. They send their best and even Flabby the Dog raises a conciliatory paw in greeting to the readership. 

Look at you, Sammi Jean !! 

By now, the UofL women's basketball squad, too, has arrived back home to their loved ones for a few days of "r&r" before they resume the season. I did wonder if Yacine Diop was able to travel home to Dakar, Senegal. If not, it is my sincerest wish she is with a teammate or stateside friendly family and enjoying the holiday while going through her ACL rehabilitation process -- as well as enjoying a few Christmas treats and traditions. From California to New Jersey, proud Cardinal WBB parents and family welcome their daughters and sisters home for a few days. 

When the women return to campus, the second season gets underway. That, of course, is ACC play. Louisville has prepared well for the arduous task ahead, creating a 12-0 record, #3 ranking in DI and a ton of excitement for Cardinal Athletics fans. From the close calls against Arizona State and Central Michigan, the triumph over in-state rival Kentucky and the various domination and successes over the other nine pre-conference foes -- the Cards are sitting up in the rare air of "teams to beat" status/location for the National Championship. The journey, so far, has gone as planned. The remainder is uphill and filled with potential hazards in that road to Greensboro. 

That trail and road to the pinnacle that awaits ahead isn't going to easy easy at all. 16 conference tests, one huge out-of-ACC encounter (with UConn) and facing a defense of their titles from the conference last season against 14 schools eager to take it from them will be akin to the last several miles of a marathon, in terms of endurance, ability and stamina.
  

Jeff Walz's Cards are one of three unbeaten teams in the ACC after non-conference play. They, along with Virginia Tech and North Carolina State remain perfect. Nipping at these threes heels are FSU and Notre Dame at 11-1. Tracking them are Miami and Syracuse with 11-2 marks. Surprising Boston College, at 10-2, has only stumbled to #13 ranked Minnesota and Providence under first-year coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee's tutelage. Georgia Tech (9-3) boasts the multiple ACC Rookie of the Week in Elizabeth Balogun. Clemson (9-4) rounds out the Top Ten in ACC standings with first-year coach Amanda Butler making an immediate impact down in the land of palmettos and boiled peanuts. 14 of the 15 in the ACC are over .500. 

Louisville tests their footing on this slippery slope when they bring the Sylvia Hatchell led North Carolina TarHeels into the KFC YUM! Center on January 3rd. At 8-5, the Chapel Hill squad has had a challenging pre-conference slate, with losses to Colorado, #18 Kentucky, Ohio State, Maine and Auburn. Dangerous with Stephanie Watts, Janelle Bailey and Paris Kea suiting up in Tar Heel blue. If you want a sneak peek at the UNC squad, they'll face Howard on December 28th., a warm-up for them before coming to the home of the Kentucky Derby. Duke and Notre Dame, both away games for Asia Durr and company, await after that. Three challenging games in a week, but, that is what the ACC is. No easy nights. No coasting. 

The crew here at the Couple will get you prepared for all of those and more as the season unwinds. I'll just take a moment to laud them, if I might. Paulie has assembled a great and varied group of columnists here at the beloved CC. Besides his writings, I enjoy Case's in-depth looks at anything he writes about. Worldwide Jeff always brings a strong column and Jared couples his skills at photography with great takes on the action he covers. Sonya, no longer involved with the writing here and assuming an administrative role, does sneak over to Louisville Rivals and covers the Cards WBB exploits there. My hat is off to all of those five. 

Can the Cards continue to count on the #1 player in college WBB -- the amazing Asia Durr? Will Dana Evans keep on with her super sophomore year? Will strong Sam Fuehring and bouncy Bionca Dunham revitalize Cardinal rebounding and paint presence? Does the dynamic Jazmine Jones have more Sportscenter Top Ten moments ahead of her in the next three months? Can Kylee Shook bring the quality minutes we've seen out of her so far? Does Arica Carter continue to lead the floor action and display her dramatically improved shooting skills? How about the fabulous freshmen off the bench -- what will the roles be for marvelous Mykasa Robinson, lights-out Lindsey Duvall and steady Seygan Robins? I'll echo Worldwide's remarks that we want to see Jess Laemmle continue to be a crowd pleaser and "take the open look, Jess"!

All will be revealed soon. 

So, in conclusion, I'd like to end by encouraging you to be vocal, be supportive and back the Louisville women's basketball squad in 2019. I'll be watching and listening from down here -- the Internet is a marvelous entity and keeps me in the loop. My pal  Joe Hill and I have a trip planned to FSU to watch UofL face the Noles there. We're talking a road trip also to Clemson. And, I do hope to get to Louisville maybe in February while I'm on the way to visit relatives in Muncie, and maybe catch the Cards against Miami down at 2nd and Main. 

  

Paulie assured me he'd add a few photos to my offerings today and I'm sure he'll come up with some sort of introductory statement for the column. I'll try to be more of a visitor here in 2019 as well. A slow-to-recover wrist has my golf game and typing skills on the disabled list lately, but -- know that I'm reading daily and cheering just as hard as you are. Give the boys and their guests a listen on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour too! This Saturday Morning romp is an hour well-spent and seeing them on Facebook Live only adds to the madcap fun and information they present weekly.  

Take time in the next few days to renew old contacts. Tell someone you love them. Be a giver. Help brighten someone's day. Enjoy. Will you remember the real reason for this season and will you be a better person and an example for others to follow in 2019? 

We know not the days we have remaining here on this big, blue orb. Will you rise in the morning and greet the day? Will you retire at night knowing you did what you could to make it a better place for all? 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!!

David Watson