Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Running, Running, Running!

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Staff columnist Sandy Walker brings us her weekly jaunt through Cardinal womens' athletics and more! Adjust your seatbelt, put your tray in the upright position and prepare for take off!)

This week Sandy will spend her time exchanging dirty laundry for clean clothes during brief stops home between attending matches and games.

Fans will need to put their running shoes on as

Wednesday

is basketball with Eastern KY,

Thursday and Friday are the opening rounds of the NCAA Volleyball Championship

and Sunday is the UK basketball game.

BASKETBALL – TENNESSEE MARTIN GAME

The now 7-0 Louisville women again did not trail during the course of their game and for 25 minutes looked to be unbeatable by anyone but then they also again managed to spend some time with a lost focus, while becoming sloppy and allowing too many unforced turnovers which opened the door for Tennessee Martin to reduce a Louisville 26 point lead to 11 with only 4:56 left.  They managed to keep it together for a 79-61 win but went for a period of time where the broadcaster said they appeared at times to be brain dead.                                          

In his post game interview Coach Walz said that they just were not mentally tough and it seemed Coach Walz was extremely upset at everyone including UofL play-by-play announcer Matt Andrews but did praise the team for a good job of guarding. 

(Editor's Note): The thing about Coach is that he can parody and feign anger, indifference and rage with the skill of a Shakesperian actor. It made for the best 10 minutes of radio of the evening...including Walz staying on to read the post-game UofL stats over the air and delivering a flawless recap of them...including a brief synopsis of each player's acheivements. The bottom line is that Coach was probably as upset over the Cards losing a 26 point lead with 15:16 to go as we were at home...listening to the game. And, he has a lot more vested in the outcome than we the fans do.

               

Fortunately the women were able to come away with the win with Bria Smith (16), Sara Hammond (14), Megan Deines (15) , Shoni Schimmel (16) and Monique Reid (10) all shooting double figures.  Deines appears to improve with each outing.  Her 3 pointer will soon not only match but exceed Becky’s Big Shot threat.  Tonight was a break out game of sorts for Bria Smith who added a game high 7 rebounds to her status.  It appears that over the summer Bria has added an outside shot to her lay-up arsenal and it is paying off.  Also note that this was Sara’s 4^th game of the season with double shooting figures while last year she only had 4 games which showed double figures.   Shows what an intensive and dedicated summer can do.  In addition, Louisville out rebounded UTM 40-22.

Looking forward to a solid 40 minutes of play this Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky as a primer for UK on Sunday.

Again I want to give a shout-out to the OVC network which allowed Louisville fans to watch the game while listening to Matt and A.J.’s radio broadcast.

Louisville outrebounded the SkyHawks 40-22 and shot a sizzling 55.4% for the game (31-56). They also sank 6-20 from 3-point range. Shoni had four of them and Megan Deines two. 19 turnovers for the Lady Cards, compared to 17 for UTM. Hats off for the free throw shooting! 11-13, which is the best outing of the year at the charity stripe.

We mentioned Monday that Newsome and Butler would be ones to watch and they were, indeed. They made 14 of the 25 baskets UTM scored and had 33 of the 61 points.

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VOLLEYBALL

The Louisville YUM! CENTER and our 10^th ranked Volleycards have been awarded the first and second rounds of the 64 team Division I national championship tournament.   

This is the 15^th consecutive year for the Volleycards to gain an NCAA bid and is a testament to the strength of the program.  Louisville’s match on Thursday is with OVC winner Belmont.  Wins on both nights will send them to Berkley for regionals before a return to the championships.  The marketing department has been promoting that the road to the championship begins and ends in Louisville.

Tickets for both the first and second opening rounds and the Championship can be obtained by contacting the Louisville Ticket Office during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.) by phone (502-852-5863) or e-mail (ticketoffice@louisville.edu).  Opening rounds are scheduled for this Thursday and Friday and both nights can be seen for a total of $20 by adults and $10  for students and children.   The Championships are set for December 13th and 15^th   with ticket prices subject to age and arena location.

VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKETS

 

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BASKETBALL SCHEDULE CHANGES

Wednesday’s game against Eastern KY has been changed to 7:30 from 7:00.

Sunday’s game against UK has been changed to 6:00.

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“NELL ON WHEELS” WITH NELL FORTNER COMING TO LOUISVILLE

Nell Fortner will be in Louisville for the UK game with her road show.  Information about the new show can be found at  http://www.fullcourt.com/ncaa/22157/nell-fortner-takes-road-game-day-show but more importantly everyone on Sunday needs to be at the YUM! CENTER a full one hour early before the start of the UK game.  Nell’s RV road show will move indoors to the lobby where her show will be taped for later distribution.  UK fans are arriving by bus and plan to arrive in time for her show which will feature open discussion with fans of both teams and perhaps featured guests which she will later select.  Those present should feel free to be a part of the video – otherwise the UK folks will appear to out-number us at our own arena.   Remember: SUNDAY -- BE AT THE ARENA LOBBY ONE HOUR BEFORE TIP OFF AND JOIN IN THE PRODUCTION.

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LOUISVILLE CARDS MOBILE APP

Today I learned that the Louisville Cards Mobile App also has available a live game day audio and video premium option.  My excitement is that I now have the ability to listen to the live game broadcast while at the game.  Readers who know of other options to do the same please share it with our readers through the comment section.

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WOMEN’S GAMES ON TV THIS WEEK

There are a large number of games being publically broadcast this week.

Note: The schedule above lists the Louisville/KEntucky game at 2 p.m. Just a reminder...it is at 6 p.m.

 

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BASKETBALL WOMEN WINS HARDWOOD TOURNMENT

The women beat Oregon on Thursday to win the Hardwood Tournament which was played at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  High scorers were Shoni Schimmel with 15 and Sara Hammond with 17.  The team ended the tournament at 6-0 for the season.

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TOP 100 PROGRAMS

SBN has the full list of Top 100 programs in women's NCAA Division I basketball.  It can be found at http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/11/3/3596590/top-100-programs-womens-ncaa-division-i-basketball-full-list with Louisville coming in at # 10.

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ATTENDANCE

 SBN also has compiled a great article which came from the study of NCAA Division I attendance figures for men’s and women’s basketball.   One of the revelations for me is that due to our above average attendance at Louisville for both the men and women’s teams that we are unaware of most of the rest of the team situations. The average men's college basketball attendance for home games in NCAA Division I is 4,994. The average women's basketball attendance for home games is 1,583.   Not 14,000 vs  1500 but 4,994 vs 1,583.  This averages to 3 fans attending men’s team games per 1 fan attending a women’s game.  My second revelation is that there are actually schools where the women’s teams outdraw those attending the men’s game.   Baylor and Notre Dame are among those schools with higher attendance at the women’s basketball games than those who attend the men’s game.   Surprised/shocked -- yea  -- me too!  My remaining question is how much longer is it going to be before Louisville is added to this list as their team play is organized and exciting to watch?

Just for the record

                                     MEN              WOMEN                   RATIO

           

Louisville	21,503	10,670	2.02
Kentucky	23,721	6,282	3.78

The complete article can be found at http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/11/21/3659730/ncaa-womens-basketball-attendance-mens .

Sandy W.
 

Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Sandy catches up with Cardinal womens' sports

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

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#6 ranked Louisville women's basketball wins easily tonight in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico over Central Florida 94-73. Five Cards in double figures and Walz played the bench most of the final ten minutes of the second half after leading 55-33 at half. Louisville gets winner of Missouri State v. Gonzaga tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m.

BE SURE....to check back for CARDINAL COUPLE columnist Jenny O'Bryan's report on the game in the Wednesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE!!!

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(Sandy Walker returns this week with her Tuesday recaps on Louisville Swimming and Diving, Volleyball, Basketball, Lacrosse and Soccer. Like Bria Smith picking up an opposing guard at the half court line...Sandy's got you covered!)

Re: You can listen through Cards TV (appears to be premium) for all three games (game tracker also available for the Tuesday USF game) which begin this evening at 7:00 against UCF.  Cards TV is now showing a 6:30 start time for tonight's USF game.

SWIMMING & DIVING

This week the women’s swim team moved up into the 16^th spot from 21.  Details and an explanation of how individual scores are compiled to translate into team scores can be found at:

 http://buzztap.com/link.jspid=17739350&cid=304&source=feed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed. 

Last week’s win over BIG EAST rival Notre Dame was fueled by their strength in the distance freestyle events.  Coach Arthur Albiero reported this as a great road win by a tough and intense team.

Last weekend they continued their success at the Purdue Invite where the women took 2^nd place.  They next travel to Austin, TX for a November 29 to December 2 meet known as the USA Short Course Nationals.

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 BASKETBALL

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RECRUITS

Last week was National Signing Day where Louisville received 3 National Letters of Intent signatures from Star Breedlove, Emmonnie Henderson and Janelle Cannon.  The 2013 class is ranked as high as 16th. nationally.  Recruit fact: Starr Breedlove is a member of the 1000 point club.  This was accomplished while moving through 3 schools in two states.

ACHIEVEMENT

Shoni Schimmel became U of L's 23rd 1,000-point scorer during the Austin Peay game. to Schimmel came into the game with 996 points and sank to free throws in the first half to join the list. Both she and senior Monique Reid have keys to this prestigious club. 

HARDWOOD TOURNAMENT

·         They women take their 3-0 record into the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  The team took a bus to Indianapolis Sunday for a flight to Phoenix and Mexico later in the day.  It was reported that yesterday an intense beach volleyball match took place as a part of the combination team building holiday and work trip continues.  You can see a picture posted by Mary Beth Whitaker of the team at practice yesterday.  Go to:

 http://twitter.com/mbwgocards/status/270635481648214017/photo/1.

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·         Beginning today the ladies will play game 1 in a tough grind of  3 games scheduled in the next 3 days.   You can listen through Cards TV (appears to be premium) for all three games (game tracker also available for the Tuesday USF game) which begin this evening at 7:00 against UCF.  All broadcasts will also be on 790 WKRD AM in Louisville.  Editors' Note: WE recommend that you just drive over to Tom Jurich's house and listen to the broadcasts with him. (Bring snacks..)

      If the Cards win, the second match on Wednesday begins at  9:30 pm against the winner of the interesting battle between
      Gonzaga / Missouri State game with the 3^rd game being played against the other 2-0 team from the contests. The official website for the event has the championship game starting at 9:30 EST when  Louisville advances to the title game. Louisville’s official site indicates a TBA start time.   Paul will provide the details later as they are available.

·         REGULAR SEASON

·         The women are on the road again next Monday at UT Martin with a 8:00 tip off.   Again audio is available on Cards TV and WKRD AM 790 radio.  The next home game is on Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky where they will begin a 3 game home stand which includes UK.

UK GAME

December 2 once again brings UK to the KFC YUM! CENTER and also a tip-off time change to 6:00 pm instead of the original 2:00 due to the decision of ESPNU to broadcast the game.  Get your ticket early and bring friends as the match against the 6^th ranked feral Wildcats will show the state and nation the huge level of support enjoyed by our Card Nation women.  For tickets, contact the U of L ticket office at (502) 852-5151 or go online at GoCards.com.

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ONLINE TICKET OPTIONS

Those of us who have wanted the option to online manage, purchase, exchange or donate our athletic tickets up until 2 hours before a game now have it.  Go to:

https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/home.htmI?team=uofl

and register your personal account where you can forward purchased tickets to a friend or client until two hours before the start of the game.  We all know of great seats which go empty because the ticket holder cannot attend but to date has had no easy way of allowing the ticket to be used.

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VOLLEYBALL

NCAA TOURNAMENT MATCHES

The U of L VolleyCards are the 2012  Big East Conference and Tournament Champions.   Nothing is for yet for sure but we at Cardinal Couple are projecting that Louisville will be awarded the 1^st and 2^nd rounds of the NCAA tournament to go with the December 13 & 15 Semi-Final and Final NCAA Championship matches.  Great seats are still available at the ticket office for the final 4 rounds. Open dates at the YUM! Center are November 29 and 30^th which would lead us to believe that opening NCAA championship rounds could be scheduled for those dates.  We will know no later than this Sunday, the 25^th, where there will be a live ESPNU broadcast of the tournament selection.  We would assume that tickets will be available next Monday the 26^th.   Check Cardinal Couple or the ticket office for updates. 

 

FINAL REGULAR SEASON MATCH

On Friday the 28-3 Volleycards will play the OVC Champion Belmont at Cardinal Arena.  As you know seating and standing room is limited so get your tickets early.  If you get shut out for a ticket, live video of the 5:00 pm match is reported to be available on Cards TV.

AWARDS

Senior Lola Arslanbekova became the first volleyball player to be named Big East Player of the Year in consecutive seasons since 1996-97 and she is the first four-time All-Big East first-team since the 2006-2009 seasons.  Lola also is the only active NCAA Division I player with 2,000 kills and 1,000 digs. 

Senior Gwen Rucker was named as Big East Tournament MVP and made the first team all tournament team while Brooke Mattingly and Caitlin Welch made the second team. U of L’s Coach Anne Kordes shared Coach of the Year honors.

Additional BIG EAST Tournament information is available at :

http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-volley/recaps/111812aaa.html

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RANKING

Monday’s NCAA Poll finds the U of L Volleycards ranked as 9th
in the nation with a RPI rank of 4th.  Go CARDS!

LACROSSE & SOCCER

The Lacrosse & Soccer team members joined together to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  by volunteering at the St. Jude’s children’s walk Saturday at the Louisville Zoo.  Pictures of them in the kids zone can be seen at:

 http://twitter.com/LouisvilleLCARE/status/269818918854606848/photo/1 .

(EDITORS' NOTE: Sonja and I are BIG believers of the life-changing work done at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Thanks to the sponsorships of individuals, companies and corporations...no child at St. Jude is ever turned away because of a family's inability to pay. When St. Jude was founded in 1962, survival rates for children with catastrophic cancers and diseases was 20%. It's now 80%. St. Jude's motto is: Finding Cures. Saving Children. Two very important things....).

Who will speak for the innocent children who cannot speak for themselves? You can, with a donation or by coordinating a fund-raising event for St. Jude.

You can read more about the St. Jude story at:

www.stjude.org
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