VolleyCards head to Pitt -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS LOOK TO ATONE FOR EARLY SEASON LOSS TO PITT 

There is a three-way tie at the top of the ACC Volleyball standings...and Louisville and Pitt are two of the squads in that tie...along with Stanford...at 16-4. And, the Cards and Pitt are 24-4 overall, while Stanford is 25-4. So, when the VolleyCards face Pitt tonight in the Fitzgerald Field House...there will be just two teams tied for first place. providing Stanford can handle Ga. Tech in Atlanta tonight. The Ramblisn Wreck is 11-7 in ACC play. 

Yes, it's conceivable that the Cards could be #1 in the conference if they defeat Pitt and Stanford loses to Ga. Tech...but let's not forget that Pitt came into Louisville and defeated Louisville back on Oct 19th . in the LNFCU. 

The Cards are 21-19 against Pitt since 1981..but keep in mind that Pitt has won four out of the five last meetings between the two schools. The two foes took a break in the rivalry from 1984-1991.

It'll be Dan Meske's second time facing the Panthers. Dan Fisher, Pitt's head coach, took over the Engineers program in 2013. 

The Cards will need to find a way to contain Pitt's Olivia Babcock. who has amassed 513 kills this season. Babcock had a eye-popping 41 kills against the Cards in the squads previous met this year...which went five sets at 20-25, 25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 11-15. 

Louisville four losses this season have been to Pitt, Texas, Kentucky and SMU. Pitt's four losses came against Nebraska, Florida, Miami and Stanford. 

This one will be a 7 p.m. contest and shown on the ACC NETWORK. 

WE'LL HAVE A FULL RECAP IN THE THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE. 

(Jared Anderson photos)

PAULIE

Volleyball Drops a Close one, WBB Today -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Drops a Close Contest

Volleyball couldn't quite get over the hump and close out the contest in front of a raucous crowd of almost 9,000 in the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.

Pitt achieved the reverse sweep, 25-19, 26-24, 24-26, 21-25, 15-17.  With three sets including bonus points, you know it was a close one, also notice that both teams scored the same number of overall points, fitting given just how evenly matched these teams have been over the past years.  Even the Pitt pre-match hype video highlighted just how evenly matched these teams have been over the years, from conference championships (and a lot of those being co-championships), All-Americans, Final Fours, and more.

Pitt got the crowd going from the start, with a 3-0 lead to start out the first set, but it quickly settled into a back and forth with neither team even being able to gain a comfortable lead throughout the match.  The Cards were able to string together a couple of small 3-0 runs late in the first set to eek out the largest set win of the match, mostly silencing the crowd.

While they wouldn't get the initial 3-0 run, Pitt again looked to be in-charge early in the second set, using a 4-0 run to claim a 7-2 lead.  Louisville would return the favor with Brigitta Petrenko at the service line, closing down the Panther lead 8-7.  Pitt edged out a bit more lead over the ensuing few points, getting to 15-11 before a series of 17 straight side outs, fast forwarded the set to 23-19 with no effective change in the lead.  Even that was short lived, however, as UofL would only get two points on Pitt hitting errors before Pitt would get to set point at 24-21.  No lead would be safe in this match, however with Louisville ripping off a 5-0 run with Elle Glock serving, to again silence the crowd and take the second set win.

After the break, UofL had to feel like they had a slight edge in a battle for the ages, and a 5-2 lead in the third set supported that, but neither team would be able to get a lead greater than three points in the third.  Pitt got their first set point on a UofL serving error, but UofL would hold it off with an Aiko Jones kill before Pitt would get the next two for their first set win.

In the fourth, Pitt would put together a 6-0 run to take a 14-10 lead and putting Louisville on the backfoot.  The Cards would claw their way back into it getting back to within one point at 21-22, but Pitt scored three straight to tied the match at 2-2 and forcing the fifth set sprint.

I suspect Pitt was very aware of the last five-set match between these two teams in last year's National Semifinals that Louisville won by a 15-2 margin.  And up to the side switch, it looked like it might be another lopsided margin...not 15-2 lopsided, but with an 8-4 Louisville lead at the switch, you could imagine the Panthers were not feeling great.  Pitt would put together a four point run to make it a new ballgame at 10-10.  Again, the team would exchange side outs, advancing the scoreboard to 14-14 with no meaningful change of fate for the teams.  With about the closest thing you can get to sudden death in volleyball, Pitt would get the next point the 15-14 lead, before Louisville would again hold off the match point on an Aiko Jones kill before Pitt would go on to win on a pair of Louisville attack errors.

Louisville lead the match in just about every statistical category including hitting percentage at .315 vs Pitt's .265.  The only stat category that Pitt won was service aces at 5-3.  But, yet, Pitt emerged the victor because it's about sets won, not points won, or blocks, or digs, or any other stat.

With .404 hitting at 29 kills, Anna DeBeer definitely wasn't "Not Found",  and Charitie Luper was a not far beyond with 24 kills to hit .327.  Cara Cresse and Aiko Jones each contributed eight kills.  Phekran "PK" Kong was a factor at the net with a solo and five shared blocks.  Elena Scott, unsurprisingly, led with 24 digs, but DeBeer wasn't far behind with 17, Luper claimed 13, and Aiko Jones picked up 10.

So Louisville is likely out of contention for the conference championship.  The current standings show us with the same number of wins as Pitt and Florida State at the top of the standings, but they each have a game in hand.  Pitt doesn't have a complete cakewalk to the end of the season with Miami on Wednesday, though the Panthers are clearly the favorites to win that one.  Once that hurdle is cleared, then they get a Syracuse team on Friday that is winless in conference, and nearly winless overall to coast across the line.  Florida State has already gotten over their Miami hurdle, leaving only North Carolina, and Notre Dame which really shouldn't be challenges for Florida State.  All of this means it's likely that Pitt and FSU end the season as co-champions.

The Cards still have a challenge on the schedule, with Georgia Tech coming to LNFCU on Wednesday at 5pm, where they will be looking for a touch of revenge over the Yellowjackets.

Basketball vs Bucknell

Basketball gets a bit of a later start than usual, tipping at 4pm due to national TV coverage on the ACC Network, against the Bucknell Bison.

Bucknell arrives at the KFC Yum! Center with a pair of losses, and a single win.  Penn State and Temple both beat up on the Bison, with Temple getting a 24 point win, 77-53, while Penn State completely dominated them with a 43 point margin, 94-51.  The Bison are coming in to today's game off of their only win, against Fairleigh Dickinson, 49-44.

We've talked about the question marks with the Louisville team in the leadup to the season, particularly with regards to all of the "new" faces on the team that would need time to gel together.  It appears as if they are doing so quickly, and today should be another game to help that process along.

As mentioned, this is a 4pm start on ACC Network linear and streaming.  If you pull it up on the TV, you'll get Sam Ravech on play by play, and Kelly Gramlich for color...not a bad pair in my estimation, but of course you can also turn to the radio on 970am and get the excellent call of Nick Curran with Courtnee Walton for play by play.

(TODAY'S PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON)

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

(HOW COME I NEVER GET INVITED  TO BE ON THE PODCAST?) 

There was no live component yesterday as I was up in the Steel City hoping to cheer the Cards on to victory against Pitt, alas.  But Jared, Case, and Paulie held down the fort, got the recording despite some technical challenges, and brought some great coverage wrapping up Field Hockey for the year, and covering the ongoing situations with Volleyball and Basketball.

Check it out at:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/WBB-Wins-Big-and-Volleyball-Looks-for-a-Big-Win-e2c3qv9

-- 

JMcA

Cards WBB Bounce Cal Poly 72-32 -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LIZ DIXON'S 15 LEAD LOUISVILLE PAST MUSTANGS

Defense was the name of the game for Louisville women's basketball Tuesday night in the 72-32, 40-point win over Cal Poly and Liz Dixon came off the bench to score 15 points in the win. 

It wasn't the best of starts for the Cards, falling behind 4-0 early, but a 10-0 Cardinals run put them ahead to stay. 6-20 shooting won't win you many contests against good opponents, admittedly, but Olivia Cochran gave the Cards five first quarter point as the Cards ended the first ten minutes ahead 14-9. Louisville held the Mustangs to 25% shooting in the first session. 

Louisville got a nice boost from the bench in the second quarter and Ahlana Smith and Norika Konno hit threes to help the Cards start to pull away from the Big West opponent. The defense was still spot on in shutting down the Mustangs offense and UofL used a 20-7 scoring margin in the second quarter to build a comfortable 34-16 lead at the half. The Cards were a little sloppy, honestly,  in the offensive execution at times in the first 20 minutes, committing 11 turnovers, but Walz had already used 10 of his 13 players in the contest and, as a team, they had held Cal Poly to 19,4% shooting. 

The Cards guards got untracked in the third quarter and came up with 12 of Louisville's 18 third quarter points as Louisville continued to increase the lead. Haliey Van Lith had five of her nine points in quarter three and Louisville shot 61.5% in the ten minutes after halftime. After three quarters, Louisville held a 52-23 lead and Cal Poly's shooting woes continues with just 2-14 shooting in the third quarter. 

Walz rested Van Lith, Engstler and Hall in the final quarter, the Cards got 10 minutes from Merissah Russell and nine minutes from Payton Verhulst and coasted in with a 20-9 scoring advantage in the final 10 minutes to win 72-32. Russell nailed a three and Dixon added four more points to give her a team high 15 points for the game. And, she did it in just 13 minutes on the court. Verhulst, Schetnan, Russell, Konno and Parker closed the game out for the Cards, the crowd gave homecoming Kianna Smith a nice round of applause when she departed the game and Louisville had accomplished a convincing 40-point win...winning the 4th quarter 20-9. 

THE FRED REPORT

(The late Fred Rogers is our Fred today. It was a beautiful win in California-hood) 

FREE THROWS -- Not a lot of free throw chances for either team in the contest, Louisville went to the line just five times and made three of the attempts. The 60% foul stripe shooting falls below our 70C% mandate for a letter, so, no letter here. 

REBOUNDS -- The taller Cards held a 49-36 edge on the boards overall, but only a 24-22 edge at the end of the first half. Engstler led the way with nine grabs and Cochran recorded seven. Outrebounding your opponent by 13 is good for a CAPITAL "R" by my reckoning.

EFFORT/EXECUTION -- 20 turnovers against a team like Cal Poly is too many, but 47% shooting is a nice effort on the road. Three pointers are still a quandry, the Cards made just 7 out of 26 (26.9%) but Kianna was hot, hitting three of her six. 19 assists on 31 baskets isn't bad, but Louisville missed way too many layups. I award a small case "e" here. 

DEFENSE --  This is where Louisville shone Tuesday night. They held Cal Poly to 20% shooting, forced 23 turnover and had 12 steals and seven blocked shots. No problem in awarding a CAPITAL "D'' for the defensive effort. 

FINAL FRED TALLY:  -_R-e-D

So, a game that I thought the Cards would win easily and they di, after a bit of a sluggish start. The Cards are in mid-season form defensively and that's good to see. The offensive could still use a bit of work, but, wins are wins and this was a good one Tuesday night.

VOLLEYBALL AT PITT

The highly anticipated re-match between Louisville Volleyball and Pitt takes place tonight at Pitt's Fitzgerald Fieldhouse today at 5 p.m..today.   

The match will be shown on the ACC Network. #1 vs. #3. 

We've talked about this one at length, basically since the Cards took the first contest between the two that Louisville won in the LNFCU. 

It's a match that has nationwide interest and should be a fun one to watch. Let;s hope our Cards can leave Pitt with the "W". I expect a five set thriller. Jared will recap it Thursday. 

Let's play...

paulie

WSOC falls 4-1 to UVA -- FH vs UNC Preview - VB vs. VA: FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

I wanted to start the day out with some gratitude.  I realized last night that I had been back in the workforce for 1 year after 7 months of being unemployed due to COVID-19...which eliminated all of my positions.  So I wanted to express some thankfulness for that as well as my coworkers with whom I share an office with.    

As the regular season wraps up for the Cards in the fall sports realm,  I am looking forward to the holiday and basketball seasons.  

WOMENS SOCCER

The Cardinals suffered their fourth straight loss on Thursday night vs #2 Virginia 1-4 in Charlottesville. 

UVA scored a goal in the first 90 seconds of play, had 6 shots in the first 15 minutes and poured on 25 shot attempts on the night as Gabby Kouzelos had her work cut out for her in the goal.  She had 8 saves as the UofL defense allowed 4 goals to the Cavs.  The Cards cut the lead to 2-1 after the half when Julia Simon scored in the 70th minute assisted by Emma Hiscock.  UVA would respond to the score with another goal of their own about a minute later.  They pretty much iced it with the final score before the 80th minute.  

UofL didn't record a single corner in this match...  a stat that stood out to me.  As Jared educated us in Thursday's edition, the Cards needed a huge performance to overcome the Cavaliers and make a case for the post season.  That didn't happen and those hopes are dwindling for the UofL women's soccer Cards.

  

FIELD HOCKEY

UofL has another tall order this afternoon with a matchup with the #10 UNC TarHeels in Chapel Hill.  UNC leads the series 10-5.  The two teams met each other three times in the 2020-21 season.  The Cards snapped the TarHeels 47-game win streak in October last year with the TarHeels getting payback in the ACC Championship in November. 

This TarHeels team is coming off a 1-0 win vs Wake Forest.  They were able to score in the 1st quarter and held on to the lead.  The Heels fell to Liberty 0-4 a week ago, a team that the Cards beat 3-1 back on Sept. 12th at Trager.  UNC Senior Erin Matson leads the nation with 18 goals and 44 points.

Bally Sports RSN Affiliates and ACCNX are listed as the broadcast providers. It's a 4 p.m. start in Chapel Hill 

VOLLEYBALL HOSTS VIRGINIA

UVA Volleyball rolls into town today for a match against the #2 VolleyCards in the LNFCU. 

It hasn't been a stellar season for the Cavaliers. They are 8-10 overall and 1-7 in ACC play. It's a rebuilding project in Charlottesville for first year head coach Shannon Wells -- the Cavs fell in straight sets to Miami last time out in Coral Gables. 

You never overlook an opponent and UV has several players who have the potential to give Louisville's defense some concerns.  Brooklyn Borum leads the waay with 157, Grace Turner has 153, Mary Shaffer has produced 148 and Alana Walker completes the list with 107.

As for the Cards, one hopes that their focus and concentration is on the task at hand. One would think dropping a set to Wake at Wake last time out caught their attention. Let's hope the "A" team and Claire the Bear are their usual efficient selves. 

The 500 lb. monster in the room is #4 Pittsburgh, though, who comes to town Sunday. One would hope Louisville comes out sharp, plays smart and takes care of business. It's a Cardinals team that does not appear to get rattled -- let's hope they don't get distracted thinking about Sunday.

ACCNX will provide the feed if you can't attend. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

I hope you readers are happy and healthy and I want to thank you for your viewership. Be sure to catch the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast at 11 a.m. Saturday, where we'll review the week's action and preview Sunday's events. Click the image at the top of the article for the website and past broadcasts. 

Have a great weekend. Go Cards!  P.S. 21 Days until Basketball tip off :)

~Daryl

Cards Fall at Pitt -- Paradise Jam Begins -- Thanksgiving -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Off You Go ! 


We'll try not too keep you long today as we know most of you have plans with family or friends that involve eating a lot of food.  However, we need to hit a couple Cardinal teams real quick.


Cards Volleyballers Fall at Pitt

As was expected, Louisville Volleyball hit a speed bump to close out the season.  They fell at #2 ranked/#5 RPI Pitt 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-11, 25-12).

The first half looked pretty spectacular for the Cards, who were hoping to ruin Pitt's chances for a perfect ACC season, the first since Georgia Tech accomplished the feat in 2004.

There were over a dozen ties and a half dozen lead changes in the first set as the conference rivals battled it out back-and-forth.  Pitt relied on a 5-1 run just past the midway point of the set to take a multi-point lead and force a Louisville timeout.  The Cards went on their own 5-1 run to take a 21-20  lead, thus causing the Panthers to use a timeout.  The hosts came out of the timeout with a fiery passion to take the first set. Three unforced Louisville errors at the end added to the Pitt momentum.

The second set showed similarities of the first set with 15 ties and five lead changes.  A series of blocks put the Cards up 20-17, sparking a Pitt timeout.  Amaya Tillman recorded one of her career-high 13 blocks after the break, causing a second straight Pitt timeout.  This time, the Cards would not falter, taking the set.

After halftime, Pitt showed why they are a Top Five team.  They dominated both the third and fourth sets, knocking UofL out of their offense and pushing them back on their heels.  Three straight challenges, all ending in favor of the Panthers, drug out the final set.

During the delays and the destruction of the Cards, analyst Katie George and her counterpart on the ACC Network discussed Thanksgiving food and why her 'nana' no longer cooks.

If there was ever a time that comic relief was needed, it was in the final two sets of the match.

Besides Tillman's personal career night there are a few other players with noteworthy accomplishments.  Claire Chaussee led the team with 14 kills.  Tori Dilfer recorded a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs.  Anna Stevenson continued her hot streak with eight kills and three blocks.  Aiko Jones also pulled off a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.

Louisville finishes the regular season 19-9 with a 12-6 conference mark.  That record is good enough to put them in a tie with Florida State for 4th place.

The NCAA Selection Show for volleyball is Sunday at 8:30 p.m.  As we discussed on air Saturday, Louisville should be in the tournament.  The won their final two home matches in straight sets and had a solid showing against a Pitt team that could host through the quarterfinals.  They probably won't be high enough to host but it would be surprising if they do not get in.

Basketball Tips Off in the US Virgin Islands


Paulie gave a good rundown about basketball yesterday as they face UTA, Oklahoma State, and #1 Oregon all in the span of 52 hours in the US Virgin Islands.  Sadly, unless you're willing to drop $29.99 to watch them there will not be a live video.  You can, however, tune in to listen on the radio.

The team enjoyed some time on the beach and on a boat yesterday, per posts by the team, coaches, and players on social media.  Let's hope they wore sunscreen and had water in those hollowed out coconuts!

1 p.m. today is scheduled tip-off and the game will be available on 790 AM Cards Radio WKRD. Download the app and hear it that way also if you're not willing to pay the ransom "Flo" is demanding. The Cards have a better "calling" crew, no doubt in Nick and AJ.  So much for the spirit of "giving" there -- Flo" is taking.

UTA today for UofL and a UTA defense that is fourth in the nation in limiting opponent's shooting percentage. 


Thanksgiving!

Besides a day of being off work, sleeping in, and eating until your pants don't fit there is plenty of meaning behind Thanksgiving- giving thanks and being appreciative for what you have.

For myself, that includes being able to see friends and family and spend time with them.  I'm also thankful that my musical talents have not left me yet.  Grateful for the opportunity to cover all sorts of UofL sports and take pictures at these events, whether outside in the cold and rain, or hot sunny day, or somewhere indoors.

I'm also glad to share the opportunity with these knuckleheads here at Cardinal Couple!

What are YOU thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving and Go Cards!

Jared

WBB To Face Three in Paradise Jam -- Volleyball at Pitt -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

UT ARLINGTON FIRST UP FOR LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IN VIRGIN ISLAND'S PARADISE JAM

#8 Louisville women's basketball takes their first road trip of the 2019-20 season and they're on an action-packed one. Three games in three days the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. If you wish to watch the Cards in action and are hoping for a TV or streaming venue, get out the credit card. 

Flo TV will televise the event but it'll run you $29.95 for a monthly subscription. 

I'm not in the Virgin Islands with the team, nor do I want to shell out for the broadcast (seems it was a lot cheaper when I used "FLO" for Softball this spring) so it'll be radio for me as the Cards play UT-Arlington, Oklahoma State and Oregon. Hello, Cards Radio. 

Thanksgiving Day at 1 p.m. is when UofL faces their first foe, the UT-Arlington Mavericks. Nope, not Tom Cruise and a few of his Top Gun pals...or a spin off of the NBA Dallas squad, but a Sun Belt Conference squad that is 4-0 so far this young season and has a win over Kansas State.

They refer to themselves as UTA, so we'll do the same. 


Three of those wins were on the road. They began the 2019-20 campaign hosting Chicago State (did I miss something and has the "Windy City" declared for and received statehood?) and downed the visiting Cougars 84-53. Next, a trip to Denton, TX to face North Texas. They left with a 68-49 win. UTA took on Tigers in Louisiana a few days later -- The Grambling State Tigers -- and beat them 88-54.

In their toughest test of the season so far, they tripped the light fantastic in Manhattan.

This is the Kansas town, not the Big Apple borough, and UTA upset K-State 57-53 on Sunday, Nov. 24th. The Mavericks jumped on the home team 14-7 in the first quarter and stretched that lead to 32-20 at the halftime break. 

UTA has the Sun Belt reigning Player of the Week in 6'1" senior forward Marie Benson. The Waco, TX native had 16 against the Wildcats in the Manhattan win, got her first start of the season a few days before that against Grambling, went 11-12 from the floor and gathered 27 points.  She was a star, and then transferred from UTSA (that's University of Texas - San Antonio) and has played in three games for the Mavs. She has 60 points on the season, good for a 20 points-per-game average. 

Other notable players on the Maverick roster are Claire Chastain, a 6'0" sophomore guard that is good for 11 points an outing, 6'5" post Misty Dossey, another sophomore contributing 10.5 a contest and a third sophomore Terryn Milton, a 5'9" play-maker that averages 9.8 per game. 6'3" Emma Halverson starts for UTA also, and adds 7.5 an event.


UTA is coached by 2019 Sun Belt Coach of the Year Krista Gerlich. Her daughter, Bryn Gerlich, plays for Paradise Jam attendee Oklahoma State, so there will be a mother-daughter match-up on Saturday between the two. 

The Mavs have some decent height and an a premium player in Benson, but they haven't faced talent like the Louisville squad has yet. I look for a game that will be close early, as the Cards revert to their previous ways of letting opponents hang around for awhile, before UofL's superior inside play and the dynamic duo of Jaz Jones and Dana Evans take charge.

Jeff Walz has been slow and non-committal to realize or say publicly that "J.J." and Dana are the engineers that drive this Louisville train, but, statistic speak for themselves. They run the show, create the excitement
and make the plays.

Which malady will Walz have to complain about following this first Paradise Jam game? Lack of defense? Rebounding woes? Shooting inconsistency? Free throws? Putbacks?  Or will the Cards find a new mistake to make?

Walz has been quick to point out each game what the Cards WBB squad has done wrong. All the while, UofL WBB is 5-0, #8 or #9 in the rankings, depending on who you follow, and winning games by an average of 27 points a contest. Jelling still? OK, maybe, but I think it's time to drop the "we can't do (this or that) well" litany and start a "look what we can do Louisville" campaign. Sing it, Hazel Miller !! 

LINK: HAZEL MILLER SING LOOK WHAT WE CAN DO LOUISVILLE

But, if UTA shows their 4-0 record and win over K-State was no fluke and they give the Cards a beating or make Louisville sweat out a close one...get ready to put in the ear buds and cue up "The Walz Blues Collection".  

Tournaments like this are designed for the teams (and those fans who can afford to be there) to have a little fun in a tropical venue, play some quality opponents in rapid succession and learn more about themselves in conference tournament-like settings. Let's see what Louisville learns, starting tomorrow, and whether they are dancing to a steel-drum led calypso beat or sitting on the stoop playing more blues harmonica. 

The Cards face the OSU Cowgirls Friday and #1 Oregon Saturday. We'll have more on those foes here at Cardinal Couple later this week. 

ANALYSIS: Walz shouldn't have much to moan about after this one. Let's say LOUISVILLE 84- UTA 49 in a contest where the Cards guards put on a show in the tropics. 


VOLLEYBALL ENDS REGULAR SEASON AT PITT


No easy task here for Cardinal Volleyball, with this Wednesday trip to the town with three rivers. Pitt is #2 in the nation,  28-1 overall, 17-0 in the ACC and 14-1 at home (The Peterson Event Center) . Only Penn State has hung a "L" on these "Panthers of the Pete" and it was a five-set one. 

When the Cards and Panthers faced about a month ago in the LNFCU, Louisville didn't exactly get blown out. Although this one was a three-set triumph for UP, the set were fairly close at 25-21, 25-22 and 25-20. That one was 11 days after Louisville lost Melanie McHenry for the season against Notre Dame and the VolleyCards have also gone through a jelling process with Claire Chaussee, Aiko Jones, Amber Stivrins and others trying to fill the gap created by losing Mel. 

Since that Pitt game, the Cards have gone 4-3 bit it should be pointed out that Louisville is on a three-game win streak, all three-set triumphs. 

Whether these rebuilt Cards can head into the Panther lair and pull off a monumental upset or not remains to be seen. Pitt has powerful players in hitters Chinaza Ndee, Layne Van Buskirk, Stephanie Williams and the incredible Kayla Lund. 

Hali Hillegas is the digs leader and Sabrina Starks is a blocking force. Dependable Aeko Lexis is an assist machine. 

You can view this one on the ACC Network at 6 p.m. and Jared will offer the recap in our Thanksgiving Day Cardinal Couple article. 

I'll wish you a Happy Thanksgiving a day early, and, if you don't see a turkey sitting at the table, look in the mirror, it's probably you.

Be thankful for what you've got. I'll leave you with William De Vaughn's classic song from 1974. 

LINK: BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU GOT

Have a wonderful Wednesday ! 

paulie
xxxxx





  

Two losses, a third and a win on Sunday -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Another busy Sunday for UofL women's sports, with four events at four different places for women's soccer, women's golf, field hockey and volleyball. Some good results, some not-so-good. We'll start with the win. 


WSOC DEFEATS NC STATE 2-1

Defense wins games and it proved true yesterday in Raleigh, NC as the Louisville women's soccer team picked up a huge win over the NC State Wolfpack 2-1.

Emina Ekic produced the second goal of the day for Karen Ferguson Dayes' squad in the 50th minute of action and the defense protected the two goal advantage by allowing just one Wolfpack score in the final 40 minutes to send Louisville to a 12-4, 6-3 record.

Points gained right now are worth their weight in goal in the ACC and the Cards gathered three to keep them tied for third place in the conference and assure that they would be participating in the ACC Tournament in November. Wins on the road a definite bonus, too.  At 18 points, they are tied with Virginia and face one remaining regular season test, when Virginia Tech comes to town Thursday night for ACC action in Lynn Stadium. 

The Cards grabbed a lead they would never relinquish in the 29th. 
minute of the first half on a corner play. Allison Whitfield sent the in-bounds kick into the box and Maisie Whitsett headed the ball into the net. 

After the second goal, where Ekic rebounded a deflected Nadage L'Esperance shot on goal back into the net, Louisville withstood a Wolfpack score in the 66th. minute and got the "W"....keeping the home team out of the net for the final 24 minutes.  

The Cards had a 9-5 shot advantage in the match but N.C. State held a 4-2 corner kick edge. 

The Cards are 5-3 on the road this season and a stellar 7-1 in Lynn. 

Roll out for action Thursday night for the Cards final home appearance of 2018! 





VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN FOUR TO PITTSBURGH

After being down 2-0 in sets, the Cardinal Volleyball squad battled back to take set three in Pittsburgh and held a 16-6 lead in set four before losing that ten point lead, the set and the match to the league-leading Panthers Sunday afternoon. Pitt gets the 22-25, 26-24, 28-26, 20-25 win to grab sole possession of the top of the ACC standings. 

A Cardinal team that looked good in stretches during the first two sets but couldn't quite grab the ultimate advantage or get the win. Louisville regrouped in the third set and won a tightly contested contest by two. Bonus Volleyball in that one, just like in the second set. 

It certainly looked like the match was headed to a five set affair after the Cards jumped out 8-2 and pushed that to 16-6 advantage in set four. Then, the proverbial wheels fell off the Cardinal Express and Pitt used a 12-0 run to get back into the contest and take a 18-16 lead. The Panthers also grabbed seven of the final 11 points to put the Cards away an take game four and the match. 


No doubt about it, # 6 ranked Pitt is a VERY GOOD team that found success with the front line blocking and the hard-hitting foursome of  Layne Van Buskirk, Stephanie Williams, Kayla Lund and Nina Markewycz...who had a combined 50 of the 55 Pitt kills. The Cards got double-digit kills out of Amanda Green  (16) and Melanie McHenry (15) but it wasn't enough to propel Louisville to victory. 

The Cards also got Jasmine Bennett back onto the hardwood in the Fitzgerald Field House for her first action in three weeks and she looked healed from the abdominal injury that had her sidelined. 

Tough watching that fourth set failure on the ACC Network Extra. You could see the Pitt (22-0, 10-0) momentum building and the Louisville players were seemingly powerless to stop it. It had to be even tougher for our "A Team" correspondent Worldwide Jeff McAdams, who made the six hour trek to Steel City to view it live. 

The Cards come back to the friendly confines of Cardinal Arena for Friday night action against Boston College. With the "L" Louisville drops into a tie for second place in the ACC with Fla.State. The 'Noles will visit Louisville during the four game home stand coming up, along with the mentioned Eagles, Syracuse and Miami, which will close out October and open November action. A tough stretch against the top teams in the ACC. Thank goodness it is at home where the Cards are 8-1 this season.


The 10 match win streak for Louisville comes to an end on an afternoon that got good news with the return of Bennett but a blow with the "L" to arch-rival Pitt...


ALBANY DOWNS LOUISVILLE FIELD HOCKEY 1-0


After a dramatic, double over-time 3-2 win at Syracuse on Friday, one would have thought that the UofL Field Hockey squad would have been riding a bit of momentum in the Sunday afternoon contest against the Albany Great Danes in Albany, NY. 

That wasn't the case, though, as the #10 Cards Field Hockey squad suffered a 1-0 loss to #22 Albany at the Danes home field. On the Great Danes Senior Day, and with the temperature reaching 65 degrees, it was the Cards who went cold on offense, with no goals and allowing the game decider 50 minutes into the 70 minute contest. 

Justine Sowry's remarks: 

"Albany came ready to play. They were stronger than us on the ball and on the tackles. Unfortunately, we were unable to get any rhythm  established because of our fundamentals being off and our lack of connection between our lines." 

Louisville's best chance at getting the tying goal came with five minutes left in the contest when a Meche Pastor shot was blocked at the goal and Bethany Russ's follow up bounced off the goal-post. When we talk of games and plays being decided by mere inches...this is a prime example. 

Ayeshia McFerran with three saves in goal-keep. The Great Danes held a 7-6 shot advantage. UofL drops to 12-5 on the season and Albany improves to 12-3.

The Cards end the regular season with a trip to Kent State for Golden Flashes action on Sunday, October 28th. After that, Louisville plays in the first round of the ACC Tournament where they'll be the #3 seed and will face #6 seed Wake Forest on Thursday, Nov 1st. at 4 p.m. 



GOLF FINISHES THIRD AT CARDINAL COUPLE

On a cool and slightly windy day at the UofL Golf Club, the chip and putt Cards climbed from sixth place to third in final day action Sundayin the Cardinal Cup Tournament. Gone were the high velocity winds from Saturday that blasted the Louisville and Simpsonville area and played havoc with the stroke counts. The Cards scores improved without Mother Nature blowing in from the west. 

Setting the pace for UofL was Irish freshman from Cork County Mairead Martin, who finished tied for sixth with a 219 three round total. Linage of the Sykes' genealogy roots also goes back to Cork County.

Did you know "Sikes" or "Sykes" is a Gaelic word for a small stream or creek?  No wonder we ended up in Fern Creek... 


TOP FIVE CARDS: 

Mairead Martin         70-77-72  = 219
Lauren Hartlage       71-76-73 = 220
Lauren Thibodeau    73-79-70 = 222
Delaney Shah           77-75-71 =  223
Linda Trockel           76-77-71 =  224


Louisville heads to Atlanta next, where they'll tee it up starting Friday in the Alexa Stirling Women's Intercollegiate tournament.  



paulie
xxxxx




                                                            ######

Volleyball Showdown Day -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Clash of the ACC Volleyball Titans

OK, maybe the heading is a little overblown, but today is finally game day for the volleyball match that the whole conference has been waiting for.  The story lines have developed as expected, with the offensive juggernaut, and the scrappy, balanced squad meeting up to see if specialization can win out over generalism.

Pitt plays a high power offense, much like last year, that about sums up the team.  They swing hard, and they usually find the floor with their hits.  UofL has put together a bit of a rag-tag bunch of players that are, but perhaps not spectacular, at all aspects of the game, defense and digging, serving, blocking, hitting (both middle and outside).  It's an all-around game played by UofL, vs a very offensive focused Pitt team.

Pitt is sitting just outside of the top 5 nationally, at number 6, while the scrappy Cardinals are creeping up the lower parts of the poll, currently sitting at 21st.  Pitt is undefeated, overall, not just in conference, and have yet to play a 5th set in a match this season.  The Cards are undefeated in conference, but have dropped 4 matches in non-conference against some very good teams, and have played in 5 5th sets this season.

The Cards have a lot to play for.

This game likely decides the conference championship, and by way of that, the awarding of the automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament (remember that the ACC does not host a conference volleyball tournament, the AQ goes to the regular season champion).  Here's a bit more about how that breaks down.  Assuming that both teams win out the rest of the conference schedule (not much of a stretch of a possibility), the winner of this match ends up undefeated, and the loser ends up 1 loss.  That scenario is easy.

It is a little more nuanced than that, however, as the winner of this match would then potentially have the luxury of losing another match.  If the loser of this match wins out the rest of the way, then the two would end up being co-champions, again.  Florida State does play a potential spoiler (at 8-1 in conference) and confuser of this scenario with matches still to go against both Louisville and Pitt.  In the co-champion scenario, the winner of this match would get the AQ (again, caveat confusion that could potentially be caused by FSU) win the head to head victory over the other.

With another co-championship, Dani Busboom Kelly's squad gets to hang another red banner in Cardinal Arena.  Coach, and the team, even their intro video, have built the season theme around the color black, though.  The volleyball banners in Cardinal Arena are colored coded.  Red banners are for conference successes (usually championships, both regular season and tournaments from previous conferences).  The black banners, though...the black banners are for NCAA tournament successes, at least a Sweet 16 berth (the NCAA volleyball tournament is 64 teams).  This team wants to hang a black banner this year, and it's not much of a stretch to say it's a possibility.

Another motivator for NCAA tournament prospects is hosting the first two rounds of play.  The top 16 teams get to host first and second round games.  UofL currently sits in 21st in the national coach's poll.  A win over #6 Pitt would go a long way towards lifting them into that Top 15 region where hosting teams hang out.  A little help from some Top 15 teams (ie, if they lose some games) also helps that along.  A hosting slot is still a possibility with a lose to Pitt, but the odds get pretty long in that case.

In a more abstract terms, the Cards need to win this one to really take the next step in competitive play.  If they play like they did Friday against UVA, it won't happen (well, except for that 5th set, but Pitt won't roll over like UVA did, this is a certainty).

This game is hyped, it is hyped here in Pittsburgh, and it promises to be a loud and live arena.  I will be in attendance at 1pm, but for those who aren't here, it will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra.

A Quick Note on Men's Soccer

In what seems to be a developing theme, another UofL team won a game in double-sudden-victory-overtime last night.  This time it was the Men's Soccer team's turn.  The foe was Clemson, and the venue was Lynn Stadium on Floyd Street.  There's one more game in the regular season for Men's Soccer, but it's a doozy, with #1 ranked Wake Forest waiting on their home pitch for this one on Friday evening.

Sunday Schedule

There's a lot of Cardinals teams in competition today.  In addition to Volleyball at 1pm, Field Hockey and Women's Soccer both get their games underway, also on the road, at 1pm.  Field Hockey is at Albany, and apparently no video stream is available for this one, but Women's Soccer can be picked up on the ACC Network Extra in their tilt against NC State in Raleigh.

WSOC needs this win. Last road game of the regular season and second-to-last game of the regular season. ACC Tournament qualification status and points on the line. 

Rowing is in action this afternoon on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA at the prestigious Head of the Charles competition.  There is streaming available for this on a Vimeo livestream from The Rowing Channel at https://livestream.com/row.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We had two knuckleheads in the studio, Paulie and myself, yesterday for the Cardinal Couple Radio
Hour.  We also were graced with the presence of Daryl Foust, who can in no way be said to be a knucklehead.

Much merriment was had, maybe slightly less informative than usual, but we had fun, and we did get to discuss topics of importance to UofL Women's Sports.  We covered Volleyball, Field Hockey, Soccer, and touched on Men's Basketball.  If you're in the Boston area to watch the Head of the Charles, tune in to learn about an idiosyncratic unit of measurement used on the Harvard Bridge over the Charles River.  You can also read some about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Bridge#Smoots.

I particularly love this statement from that Wikipedia article, "Officials' original determination to omit the smoot markings from the reconstructed bridge, and to scrupulously prevent the fraternity from repainting them, evaporated when it was realized that police routinely used the smoot marks as reference points in accident reports."

Paulie plans on  presenting the UofL WBB team in terms of smoots status this year. He, Daryl and anyone else they can convince will be using the comparison.


"Get her the ball! She's three smoots open!  Not quite smoot height. She nailed that three from about 5 smoots out!"   

You can hear and watch the CCRH replay at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/1844082199041793/

-- 

JMcA