2024 Louisville Field Hockey Schedule Released -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS PLAY NINE TOP 20 RANKED TEAMS FROM 2023

The 2024 Louisville Field Hockey schedule was releaed late Tuesday afternoon and it looks to be quite the challenging slate for the Cards.  Two exhibitions and 17 regular-season opponents will face the Cards, with eight of the contests taking place at Louisville's Trager Stadium. 

THE SCHEDULE

Fri. Aug.23   Bellarmine (exh)

Sun. Aug.25  @Indiana (exh)                                                  

Fri. Aug.30   @Maryland                                                            

Sun, Sept.1  @American (Wash. D.C.)                                      

Fri. Sept. 6     Princeton                                                              

Sun.Sept.8    Penn                                                                    

Fri. Sept.13   Northwestern                                                        

Sun. Sept 15  Cornell                                                                

Fri. Sept. 20   Stanford                                                              

Sun. Sept.22  @Ball St.                                                              

Fri. Sept. 27   Boston College                                                    

Sun. Sept.29  @Ohio St.                                                            

Fri. Oct.4       @Syracuse                                                          

Sun. Oct.6     @Virginia                                                              

Fri. Oct.11      North Carolina                                                      

Sun. Oct. 13   @Wake Forest                                                    

Fri. Oct. 18     Duke                                                                    

Fri. Oct. 25     @California                                                          

Sun. Oct 27    @UC Davis                                                          

Nov. 5-8          ACC FIeld Hockey Championship (Winston-Salem)  

A very tough slate for the Cards. The Cards play the top five ranked teams from the end of last season (UNC,Northwestern, Duke, Maryland and Virginia). They also have a killer stretch where seven of their final ten games are on the road as well. 

Louisville (15-7, 3-3) finished 10th in the rankings last season and return a talented bunch of players, but... to play a four game stretch where all four are top 15 opponents and three in a row of them are on the road (Ohio St. Syracuse and Virginia) is a task that will surely test the Cards top ten worthiness from late Sept. to early Oct. 

It's a fairly young Cards roster with only four of the 18 players listed either seniors or fifth year players.   Aimee Plumb led the squad in scoring last season. Em Young is the only listed goalkeeper for the squad, a sophomore who didn't play in any 2023 games.          

It's only slightly over 50 days until the Cards take to Trager and face crosstown rival Bellarmine.  We'll have much more on Field Hockey as the season draws nearer. 

paulie.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

WSOC fall 0-3 at #8 Clemson -- FH & VolleyCards Preview -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

Hello readers, its me again! 

I’m back from vacation and can happily share that I am now engaged to my longtime BF!!! We had the most magical time checked out the southwestern United States last week, I appreciate the gang covering my days & allowing me to unplug. Between walking the streets of Las Vegas, the 3 rounds of golf we played, driving/walking through the hills of Albuquerque to see a solar Eclipse, we easily covered over 1,000 miles of the country in so many magical ways. But my favorite by far was the walk along the south rim of the Grand Canyon at sunset.  It was an incredible sight to see..  and I got a rock to bring home with me!! We are so happy and excited 💖

It's gameday for a couple programs today and the WSOC team went on the road to Clemson last night.. it didn't go well after I was finally able to pull up the Statbroadcast stream as the Tigers scored 3 goals on the Cards.  It was a weird and unfortunate coincidence I'm sure..  So lets get that covered real quick and move on to today's matchups. 

WSOC  

Cardinals 0  -  Clemson 3  Final 

The Cardinals were able to hold the Tigers scoreless for more than 70 minutes until (I tuned in to follow online) Clemson's Renee Lyles netted one off a short kick into the bottom right on the net.   The two teams combined for only 3 shots on goal in the first half.  Clemson finished the match with 16 shots, 7  on goal where the Cards finished with only 1.  

The Tigers added their second goal in the 78th minute after Samantha Meredith scored a header on a cross from Makenna Morris.

Lyles scored her second goal of the match in the 82nd minute for the brace and increased the Tigers lead to 3-0. Erynn Floyd had 4 saves in the match. Mackenzie Geigle played 31 minutes for the Cards and had the one shot on goal.

Today's games

Field Hockey

#8 UofL hosts #13 Syracuse

Friday 6:00pm at Trager Stadium

ACCNX

Louisville enters the weekend with a 12-3 record after a pair of losses at #2 Duke and against #6 Iowa at Trager Stadium on Sunday.  Aimee Plumb and Emilia Kaczmarczyk lead the Cardinals offense this season with five goals apiece.   Merlijn van der Vegt carries a 0.79 goals against average which leads the ACC and stands sixth in the nation.

Syracuse enters Friday's matchup with a 9-5 overall record and a 1-3 conference record following a 4-1 loss to North Carolina and a 2-1 double overtime loss against Cornell last week.  The Orange lead the conference in goals per game (3.43) and scoring average (3.26) and the Cardinals who have allowed the fewest goals (12) among all ACC teams with a .782 goals against average.  

The Orange are led by Eefke van den Nieuwenhof who has tallied 13 goals and four assists for 30 total points.   Brooke Borzymowski and Abby Neitch have a combined 1.90 goals against average in 14 games played.  

Syracuse leads the all time series 13-9 winning the last meeting 3-2 almost a year ago on Oct. 24, 2022 at Syracuse. 



Volleyball

The #5 VolleyCards hit the road and head to Winston Salem NC to face Wake Forest today at 7pm.  I do not show this one as being available on TV or the ACC Network Extra. Why you wouldn't offer non-attendance viewing against the #5 team in the nation is beyond me. 

Wake Forest is 14-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play, coming off a 1-3 loss at NC State a week ago. 

For The Demon Deacons, Outside hitter Paige Crawford leads the way on both ends with 249 kills and 149 digs, while outside hitter Ava Carney has added 214 kills and 30 blocks this season.

As Always

Go Cards!

~Daryl 

Pre-Season Isn't Completely Behind Closed Doors - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Pre-Season Sometimes Peeks Out

(A quick note from your scribe today to thank the Cardinal Couple crew for covering the past couple of Sundays while I was on a much-needed vacation.  I'm back and refreshed and more ready than ever to get this athletic season started.   --  Jeff)

All three of Fall sports teams that we closely follow here at Cardinal Couple are in the thick of pre-season practices now, Field Hockey, Soccer, and Volleyball are all getting after it.

Mostly pre-season practices are private and fans don't have access, but occasionally the action peeks out a bit.

Field Hockey may be the easiest to glimpse, just based on the structure of Trager Stadium where the team practices and plays.  We're not necessarily encouraging people to go watch, but the playing surface at Trager is visible from a number of spots outside of the stadium facility, so seeing the team in practice happens if you're passing by the stadium while the practices are going on.

Soccer, of course, is also an outdoor sport with an outdoor facility, but the structure of Lynn Stadium on campus does generally prevent seeing the playing surface from outside of the facility with just glimpses through the gates possible.

Volleyball is the indoor sport of the Fall, and their practice and playing facility doesn't have any visibility from outside, but the team absolutely loves playing beach volleyball in addition to their normal indoor form, and the coaching staff does usually indulge them in that during pre-season practice.

This year, Volleyball took to J-Town Beach to play yesterday.  Details are extremely scarce, but apparently they formed smaller teams and played in some sort of tournament form.  The event was also held in support of the Lesley & Rhyan Prather Foundation.

Lesley and Rhyan Prather were, you may remember, the mother and daughter killed in a car wreck on I-70 near St. Charles Missouri on the way to a club volleyball tournament in Kansas City.  Lesley Prather played collegiate volleyball at UofL as Lesley Drury, and was the sister of UofL Volleyball Director of Ops Sarah (Drury) Petkovic.  Also killed in the car wreck were Carrie McCaw and her daughter Kacey.  McCaw played collegiate volleyball at Syracuse.

The Lesley and Rhyan Prather Foundation was created to help women, children, and families deal with tragedies such as car wrecks, pediatric or adult illnesses, and fires.  The foundation's web presence can be found at lrpfd.com.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

A quartet showed up for the CCRHP yesterday, though we didn't try to pull off any singing numbers, I for one was sporting a voice for photography as I'm continuing to try to overcome and recover from a bit of a bug I picked up during my vacation somewhere in the North Atlantic.

The gang rejoiced that there were actual games on the schedule for the week with Soccer kicking off the official season on Thursday vs Indiana State.  Field Hockey scrimmaging  Bellarmine and Volleyball having their Red vs. Black  scrimmages on Friday and Saturday.

We then touched on a bit of news from the week, and then gave some predictions for regular season records.

Check out the podcast at it's home:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/Summer-Slump-Winds-Down-e27gv5k

-- 

JMcA

McCurty, Dalton roll along...Soccer inks nine.

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THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY at C.C. (Seriously..)
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-Quaneisha McCurty rolls along.
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-Women's Soccer Signees
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-Mail Call
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-FREEE PANERA (not a request...a fact!)

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Quaniesha McCurty, a 6'5" Louisville commit for 2011 from Dalton, GA. continues to have an impressive senior season for Dalton High School. Dalton is 20-0 in Georgia Class 3-A and ranked second. In her last two outings, McCurty had ten points in a 'slowdown' type of game against #6 Chestatee. (Pictured here). Dalton won 42-23. Against Heritage-Catoosa, McCurty exploded for 30 points and 13 rebounds in a 86-55 romp. (Photo by Matt Hamilton /The Daily Citizen)
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McCurty is one of three (so far) new players that will be suiting up for Jeff Walz and the Lady Cards. Joining her is 6'2" Rockcastle County standout Sara Hammond and 6'5" UNC transfer Cierra Warren. The "height movement" is exactly what the Lady Cards need...Louisville has only senior Keisha Hines, sophomore Asia Taylor and freshmen Sherrone Vails and Polly Harrington as legitimate paint players on the roster this year. Shawnta Dyer is sitting out with a fractured heel. The Cards are sufficiently covered at guard positions...but many believe Louisville has the inside track on Jude Schimmel...a 5'7" guard from Portland, Oregon. She's Shoni's sister and last we heard she was averaging well over 25 points a game. Yeah, there's room for her on this roster...most def...
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If it sounds like Walz will have an abundance of players next year...all the better. From what appeared to be a capacity full roster this year...LaToya Johnson, Nikki Burton, Shawnta Dyer and Shelby Harper all watched the recent Georgetown game unable to participate. Walz had 10 players available for action. These days, there is strength in numbers. Ask Rutgers or Cincinnati. Thru injuries and defections, both these squads are down to 7-8 players available for duty. Even UConn has a thin bench this year. Reminds me of how my Dad...years ago... would carry a couple of extra spare tires in the trunk of his old Ford LTD. They'd come into play quite often. These "spare tires" on women's college basketball rosters are needed and welcome...they usually end up becoming key components by season's end. We all remember the woes UofL had last season in depth. A deep bench is good.
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The University of Louisville women's soccer team has added nine players for their 2011 recruiting class. Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is bringing them in from everywhere as the Lady Cards look to find talent capable of showing up and being ready to compete for playing time this fall. The newcomers:

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-Sydney Blomquist ...Shannon Dennehey... Kim Sharo
Midfielder/Forward... Forward... Forward
Bel Air, MD. (Fallston)... Medford, NJ. (Shawnee)... New Windsor, NY (Cornwell)

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Devyn Ciotti... Hannah Konermann... Casey Whitfield
Defender... Defender... Forward
Liberty, OH. (Lakota West)... Louisville, KY (Mercy Academy)... Louisville, KY (Manual)
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Breynn Collazo... Zakiya McIntosh... Erin Yanney
Midfielder/Defender... Forward... Midfielder
Wall, NJ, (Wall)... Pickering, OH. (Pickering)... Troy, OH. (Troy)
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Welcome aboard to these nine standout college athletes and for a more detailed report on each signee, go to http://www.uoflsports.com/
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From the mailbag...
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Jenny asks:
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"Do you think that the Lady Cards will make the NCAA Tournament this year?" She also adds.." I enjoy attending the women's games in the KFC YUM Center and have gotten my husband and mom involved in attending. It's a great place for hoops!".

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WELCOME ABOARD, JENNY! Jeff Walz thinks that nine conference wins will punch the ticket to the NCAA Tournament. So far, Louisville has five. We predict that the Cards have a good shot of defeating Villanova, USF, Seton Hall and Providence...which would give them nine. The other opponents remaining are West Virginia (here), at Syracuse and DePaul (here). These three will be tough, no doubt.
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Ken writes:
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"I'm hearing a lot of good things about Sydney Moss, who plays for Boone County. Does Louisville have a shot at getting her?
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Only if we sign her Dad...Randy Moss...to a coaching contract. Seriously, Moss, who is a junior, really doesn't have a favorite listed yet. Never count out the magic of Jeff Walz when it comes to recruiting, though. We think her style of play and athleticism is a perfect fit for "Walz Ball", though. We will be watching and hoping and, as of now, Louisville has as good a chance at getting her as anyone. WKU, WVU, Kentucky and a slew of others are interested...as far as we know...UofL is the only school to offer a scholly so far.
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Davis, from Worcester, Mass., comments:
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"UofL is VERY LUCKY to have Justine Sowry as their new field hockey coach. She did an outstanding job with UMass in the A-10 and I'm a Louisville field hockey fan now...along with UMass. Great hire, we'll miss her..."
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Once again, Jurich and Hermann come up with the one they wanted. Admittedly, we were surprised when Pam Bustin announced she was leaving for Duke. The Atlantic Coast Conference is the supreme conference for field hockey, though and Bustin has a chance to basically rebuild a crumbling Duke program back to national prominence. Coaches love challenges, though and we're guessing the $$$ was right...so we can't be too hard on Pam for making the leap. She was a great interview and quote maker...and her preseason Field Hockey parties at the Parrish House legendary...she'll do fine with the Dookies and Louisville shouldn't miss a beat with Sowry as skipper.
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Dave sends:
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"Hi, I know you are primarily women's sports for UofL but I really enjoyed the DiMori article you ran a few days back about football. Wouldn't mind seeing more of his comments. Also, do the Cards get DaMarcus Smith? Thanks...
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You can get a daily dose of Dimori at http://www.cardinaldominance.net/ We love his football coverage too. He is the 'Sultan of South Beach" and covers all aspects of college football as only "Di" can. As for the Seneca QB, who knows? He's supposed to announce something Friday at 1:30 p.m. Whether it's a college choice, who knows? DaMarcus really enjoyed his trip to Central Florida...heck, who wouldn't love a few days in Orlando this time of year? Our very unofficial read on the situation is that it's DaMarcus's Mom who is trying to assume the role of deal maker and powerbroker here. Smith has been a Cardinal fan, along with his little brother and grandparents for a very long time. We don't feel he is scared about the competition with Teddy Bridgewater, either. Sources have told us that Smith and Fern Creek running back Jerrel Moore are very good friends and Smith was disappointed when UOFL backed off Moore for awhile. It now looks like Moore could be back in the picture with the Cards now. There is so much speculation, wild rumors, crazy claims and unverified Internet chatter and b.s. out there swirling around about this Smith situation that we've decided to just wait and see where he's going to send his letter of intent..
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HEYYYYY! Today is the final day to get your entry in for this week's PANERA GIFT CARD. This is a good week to do it, because the entries are pretty scarce this week. Just tell us which Panera you like to go to. Include a reason why and an employee you like there if you want. Send your entry to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

It's free Panera. We're not going to beg you to take it...

Field Hockey to open against UConn

Tuesday CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Field Hockey draws UConn in BIG EAST Tournament

-Angel in Hungary

-Candyce Bingham in Luxembourg

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. Hey, it's election day...so go out and vote for the candidate(s) of your choice. After all, it is your right to do so...and in the words of the late, great John Belushi in Animal House..."It don't cost nuthin." If Angel McCoughtry (pictured above) was stateside, she'd encourage you to go to the polls. If you don't vote, don't complain.

Pam Bustin will take the University of Louisville Field Hockey team to Connecticut to open BIG EAST Field Hockey Tournament play against those dreaded Huskies. The Cards finished 2nd in the BIG EAST and are #10 nationally. UConn finished 3rd and is #4 in the nation. Louisville won the regular season meeting between the two in an exciting 3-2 victory in Trager Stadium. The teams will meet Saturday, November 6th. at 1:30 on the George J. Sherman Family Sports complex. (Wonder if Mr. Sherman is like the Trager's or Papa John down here?)

The Cards finished 5-1 in regular season BIG EAST play but actually ended the season on a sour note by losing on the road to #1 Maryland on Oct. 30th. If Louisville can get by the Huskies, they'll meet the winner of the top seeded Syracuse vs. 4th seeded Rutgers game on Sunday, Nov. 7th. The winner of the BIG EAST tournament gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It's hard to fathom that all four of the semifinal participants won't end up in Field Hockey's "Big Dance"...but a Cardinal win would only improve their seeding and possibly get them a home game to start out the NCAA Tournament.

We'll try to get a few words from Pam about the tournament and an update on our Field Hockey blog for you before TEAM CARDINAL heads north.

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If it's November, this must be Europe. Angel McCoughtry is out there spanning the globe in search of basketball action. She's in EuroBall right now and playing for Hungarian team MKB Euroleasing Sopron this season. They won a bidding war for McCoughtry over her team last year (Good Angels Kosice) and a couple of other European squads.

They invested their money wisely. McCoughtry had 19 points, six boards and four steals in Sopron's first game in Group B action against Lotos Gydnia. Sopron won on the road 82-67. Also leading the way for Sopron was former Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders star and WNBA player Amber Holt...who had 22 points.

Sopron led by double digits at the end of the first quarter, 14 at the half and was never seriously challenged.

Angel is still expected to be coming back to the states for the Nov. 12th. UofL women's basketball game in the KFC YUM Arena against Tennessee. Her jersey will be hung from the rafters in a pre-game ceremony.

Someone needs to buy that girl a jet! And...knowing Angel...she'd learn how to fly it and transport her former teammates and coaches over to Europe to watch her play...

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Candyce Bingham is playing this fall over in Luxembourg. She's with Amicale Steinsel and averaging 32.5 points per game so far after six contests. Shooting 50% on the year and grabbing 13 boards a game in 39.5 minutes per game. Steinsel is 2-4 on the season...but not because of CB's efforts....obviously.

Keep going to the hoop, #13.

Lacrosse, Tennis register victories

FRIDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Lacrosse takes two

-Tennis in the Ohio Valley Regional

-Field Hockey at home this weekend.

-Walz address SSC.

-Friday Night Lights

Paul and CARDINAL COUPLE corporate investment guru Charlie "Lobster Boy" MacCallister (pictured above) react to the rumor that Cincinnati plans on coming into Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on Friday night with intentions of defeating Louisville in football. We ain't buying it...but the Bearcats did retain the Keg of Nails with a 35-27 win over Louisville.

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The University of Louisville lacrosse team won both of their matches in the Lax for the Cure Tournament Thursday at the UofL Lacrosse Stadium. The Cards, coached by Kellie Young, downed Ohio State and Vanderbilt and are 6-0 in fall tournament action. They'll finish the fall season next weekend in the George Mason Tournament. Penn State, Duquesne and George himself will contest the Cards.

Thanks to all that came out in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Cardinal lacrosse team looks very solid and could be a force to contend with nationally and in the BIG EAST when the regular season begins in the spring.

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Mark Beckham's women's tennis team is competing in the Ohio Valley Regional Championships at the Knoxville Racquet Club and Beckham is pleased with the advancement of several of the singles and doubles participants.

Mandy Brown and Julie Fellerhoff advanced in doubles play by beating IUPUI 8-4 and face Tennessee next. A successful outing also for Sarah Miller and Rebecca Shine in doubles...defeating UK 9-7 and they'll try to grab the Memphis tigers by the tail in their next match.

Kaysara Mandry and Gabrielle Duncan won their qualifier over Wright State 8-2 and defeated a second Wright State squad by the same score in first round action. They face Vandy next.

In singles, Sonia Bokhan outvolleyed Middle Tennessee and Miami (OH) foes before falling to Sonia Pleiman from Xavier. Shine, Miller and Fellerhoff all won first round matches in singles play. Amelia Harris and Brown lost their opening matches.

Seventeen schools are represented in the week long tournament.

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Field Hockey closes out the home season in Trager Stadium with Villanova on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday. The Iowa game will be televised by WHAS-11 TV. Sean Moth and Suzanne (Irwin) Bush will handle the call. The 10th ranked Cards are 9-5 overall and 3-1 in BIG EAST action. Game times are 1 p.m. both days.

Sunday's game will be a food drive to help area families for Thanksgiving. Fans who bring canned goods with them to the game will be entered in a raffle for a Cardinal Athletics gift basket that will be given away at halftime. Grab a can of corn and get out there Sunday!

Nicole Youman has 12 goals and 13 assists on the season so far and Erin Conrad is averaging 1.53 goals allowed per game...all top of the mark numbers for Louisville this season.

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Jeff Walz addressed a packed house at Audubon Country Club Thursday night during the monthly Sportsman's Supper Club meeting. Walz and Bellarmine head basketball coach Scotty Davenport were the featured speakers and each electrified the attendees with speeches about their programs, their philosophies and their goals.

Jeff Walz is the epitome of class. No question is too difficult, no subject too bizarre or taboo and he greets everyone with a sincere and honest reaction and smile. We tend to look at the women's Cardinal Athletics programs here at CARDINAL COUPLE more intensely that most web sites and periodicals...because that is what we do here...we are the fan voice for UofL Women's Sports. WE like what we see in Jeff Walz. He handles success and adversity without breaking stride or over-reacting. He is on a mission...to prepare his players for life during and after their college studies. Basketball is not his only concern...he takes the time to get to know his team on a personal and caring level. Walz is not the flashy "teflon Don" Calipari type nor the larger than life persona emanated by some other women's college basketball coaches.

Jeff Walz is real, down to earth and humble. He is respectful of his success during his four year stay here at UofL but will tell you that he is not content to rest on his laurels and ride out the stay. If the encyclopedia had a picture of "hard word" next to the explanation...it would be Jeff Walz's picture.

Keep on keeping on, coach. I know of 150 folks who are better people this morning because of the wise counsel, philosophy and dedication that you displayed last night and shared with us.

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Friday Night under the Lights. In case you haven't heard, the University of Louisvile football team hosts the Cincinnati Bearcats in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium tonight at 8 p.m. The game is sold out...but if you got shut out, ESPN 2 will have the broadcast.

If you go, please heed the plea of head coach Charlie Strong and get your butts into the seats prior to kickoff. This team has worked hard, is vastly improved over last year and deserves your support and respect. Get in there early, get loud and get these guys motivated.

If you don't heed this plea and advice, I'll send Asia Taylor over to your house to beat you in 'one on one' hoops and then you'll need to spring for her favorite pizza. Save yourself...get out of the parking lot and in to the stadium.

Asia does not lose....

YUM opens, Field Hockey, Soccer fall

MONDAY @ C.C.

-Field hockey @ Princeton

-The Hoyas Vs. Louisville in women's soccer

-Women's Golf finishes well

-The gala opening of the KFC YUM! Arena

Terry Jackson, pictured here, is quite excited about the opening of the University of Louisville's downtown basketball facilities. Sunday marked the ribbon cutting ceremonies and season ticket holders will have the chance to tour the facilities on Monday and Tuesday. The seven levels of the arena encompass 721,762 square feet. An opening gala will take place this Thursday and the Eagles will be in concert on Saturday. Louisville will play exhibition games in both men amd women's basketball in the arena before the home openers...UofL women vs. Tennessee on Nov. 12th and Rick Pitino's men's team on Nov. 16th against Butler.

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The University of Louisville Field Hockey team dropped a tough one to #3 Princeton in New Jersey on Sunday. The 3-0 loss marked the first time this season that Pam Bustin's squad has been kept off the scoreboard. Princeton (9-2) scored twice in the first nine minutes of the game to build an insurmountable lead over TEAM CARDINAL and added a goal at the end of the second half for insurance.

Princeton out shot the Cards 22-7 in the contest and held an 11-5 advantage in corners. Erin Conrad, Louisville goalie, had 10 saves in the match.

The Cards return home for a few days practice and will host Villanova on Saturday. Iowa visits on Sunday and the Senior Day game will be televised on WHAS-11 TV.

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Louisville womens' Soccer hosted Georgetown Sunday in Cardinal Park but fell to the Hoyas 3-1 in a locally televised match. This one was a scoreless battle for much of the first half until Alexa St. Martin took a cross from teammate Samantha Baker and headed one into the goal past Cardinal stopper Taylor Vancil. The teams remained scoreless the rest of the first half.

In the final session, the Hoyas would push the advantage to 3-0 before Louisville got a goal from redshirt freshman Angelika Uremovich booted one into the net from about 20 yards out.

Georgetown (11-4, 5-2) out shot the Cardinals (9-5, 3-4) 18-9 in the game and held a 11-5 advantage in shots on goal. Vancil had eight saves in the contest, including a spectacular leap and deflection in the first half when the score was deadlocked at 0-0.

Sean Moth did the play by play for the contest and an excellent job covering the action and explaining the various situations and strategies that developed during the game.

It was Senior Day and Kate Cunningham, Erin Davis, Caley Elgin, Katie Kuric, Shannon Leamy, Emily Prokopik, Caitlin Rehder and Mededith Tolley were honored in pre-game ceremonies.

Louisville goes on the road for the next two...spanning the states with a Friday contest in Tampa against South Florida and then heading to Marquette on Sunday.

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The University of Louisville womens' golf team shot a 286 in the final round of the Tar Heel Invitational to finish tied for 11th in the three day event. Cardinal senior Sara-Maude Juneau fired a 69 on closing day to secure fifth place in the individual standings...totaling 208 for the 54 holes and only three stokes off the winning 205.

Candace Wiley scored a 70 yesterday to tie for 51st. at 223. Laura Anderson used a final day 75 to finish at 222. Maria Castellanos toured the final eighteen with a 72 and 232 for the tournament. Anna Karin Llungstrom took 81 strokes on Sunday...finishing with a 3 day total of 234.

The Cards end the fall season in Vegas on October 25-27 in the Las Vegas Showdown.

Soccer headlines a full weekend of UofL women's sports

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE COVERS :

-Soccer vs. Villanova and Georgetown

-Softball ends fall season against Morehead State

-The Irish and DePaul come to volley vs. Cards

-Field Hockey hits the East Coast

-Keeneland opens today

-Football in PJCS vs. Memphis

A full weekend of Cardinal athletics on tap. Chelsea Bemis, pictured here, might describe it as a "grand slam" of activity surrounding Floyd Street. Grab your mitts, sticks, shoes and some Gatorade...it's game time!

Women's soccer has their final home schedule games, starting with a match vs. Villanova (6-7, 1-4) on Friday night, 7 p.m. in Cardinal Park and Georgetown (9-4, 3-2) on Sunday, 1 p.m. The Georgetown match will be televised locally on WHAS-TV. The Cards (8-4, 2-3) are looking to end a two game losing streak against the Wildcats...who are also on a two game skid. 'Nova leads the all-time series against the "Ville" 4-1 and defeated the Cards in their last meeting 2-0 in Philadelphia.

Georgetown went 1-1 last week and trails in the all-time series with Louisville 2-3. They beat Louisville last year 2-1 in our nation's capitol. The Cards head out of town next weekend for matches at USF on Friday and Marquette Sunday.

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Field Hockey travels this weekend for a couple of Garden State games...Rutgers on Saturday and #3 Princeton on Sunday. The #8 Cards are coming off a heartbreaking loss to IU 3-2 on Tuesday and will find tough competition against both opponents. Pam Bustin's squad seems to force overtime just about every time they take the turf and it would be nice to see them sweep the Jersey jaunt without having to go to the extra 15 minute sessions.

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Volleyball welcomes Notre Dame and DePaul this weekend to Cardinal Arena. The Saturday game against the Irish is an early one...first volley scheduled for 10 a.m....to avoid a conflict with the 2 p.m. football game against Memphis. It's also a "Dig for the Cure" event...both teams will wear specially designed pink uniforms in this event designed to support the fight against breast cancer. The Cards ride a two game winning streak into the Notre Dame match...but it won't be easy for Leonid Yelin's spikers. Notre Dame has won their last three meetings vs. the Cards in the regular season...but Louisville succeeded in knocking them out of the BIG EAST Tournament last year. Freshman Sam Brown is the leading kill artist for the Irish. This one is a huge rivalry, get there if you can...plenty of time to football tailgate after this one.

DePaul takes to the Cardinal Arena court on Sunday...looking for their first BIG EAST win. Louisville has a 20-2 record vs. the Blue Demons and will try to shut down senior Kate Letcher who has 146 killls on the season. Game time is 2 p.m.

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Softball ends the short fall season with a game Friday Night 7 p.m. in Ulmer Stadium against Morehead. The Cards have had a successful "fall training" so far...sweeping Bellarmine 4-0, 1-0 and recently knocking off WKU 3-1 and Lindsey Wilson 5-0 in the Lady Topper Fall Classic in Bowling Green. The Cards still have eight starters on board from last years 41-18 squad...including sluggers Chelsea Bemis, Kristin Austin, Colby Wherry, and Alicja Wolny. Tori Collins looks to be the pitching ace for Sandy Pearsall's squad and a total of 14 letterwinners will return for the spring softball season.

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Keeneland opens their fall meet Friday at the historic Lexington track and the several weeks of racing will feature some of the finest horses, trainers and jockeys in the nation. There are multiple stakes races lined up for each weekend and several "Football and horses" Saturdays ahead. I'm still not convinced that the polytrack artificial surface installed there is the wave of the future...I prefer the dirt...but the scenic beauty of Keeneland and the challenging fields are
reason enough to make the short drive from Louisville and spend a fun afternoon watching the nation's most talented run for the wire.

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Oh, yeah. they're playing football Saturday in Papa John's. Seems like forever since Charlie Strong has had a home game...there are three of them in a row coming up, though...and Memphis kicks off the homestand. The Tigers are 1-4 so far this season and haven't exactly been a team to strike fear in an opponent's heart. Tigers? Hardly....more like kittens. The Cards should roll past the boys from Elvis's town and go to 3-2.

Field Hockey tops UConn 3-2 in O.T.

SUNDAY @ THE COUPLE:





-Field Hockey wins!





Before a record crowd at Trager Stadium, the UofL field hockey team downed #5 UConn 3-2 in overtime.





Louisville got two goals from Hayley Turner...both on assists from Nicole Youman...the final one the decision maker.





The Cards (7-3, 2-1) opened up the scoring when Nikki Auker took a feed from Simone Attles and found the net. Auker scored a goal also back in 2008...the last time Louisville beat Connecticut. Louisville was able to take that lead to halftime.





UConn tiedthe contest midway through second half and minutes later took a 2-1 lead. Nicole Youman found Turner, though...on a feed to tie it with about a minute left. We talked to Youman Thursday and she stressed to us that she hoped that with UConn keying on her...her teammates might benefit.





That proved to be the case in overtime. Youman got the ball to Turner again and the same result transpired...giving the Cards the contest.





Louisville returns to action Sunday to face St. Louis in Trager Stadium.





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Kim Grieshaber finished 4th and the UofL Cross Country squad 6th overall in the Louisville Cross Country meetat E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer Park.

USA goes to 5-0 in World Championships

WEDNESDAY @ THE COUPLE HEADLINES:

-USA rolls on in FIBA World Championships.

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-Rachel calls it a day.

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-Your Field Hockey reminder.

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-Another UofL vs. UK matchup.

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Kinda of a slow period for UofL women's sporting contests yesterday and today, so we'll catch up on a few items outside of the Lady Cards athletic endeavors.

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The USA squad went to 5-0 yesterday in the World Championships in the Czech Republic. Geno Auriemma's squad had no problems with Belarus in a 107-61 romp. "Big Syl" Sylvia Fowles led the way for the Americans with 15 points and 6 boards. A 37-11 first quarter advantage put this one out of reach early and USA led 58-28 at the half.

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Balanced scoring for Geno's squad on Tuesday. Diana Taurasi tallied 14 points in just fifteen minutes, Candice Dupree added 12, both Swin Cash and Maya Moore ended with 11 and Angel McCoughtry contributed nine points in 20 minutes of action.

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The big one is Wednesday against the Aussies. Seattle Storm center Lauren Jackson leads the "down under" squad into the contest with a perfect 5-0 record. Australia won the last edition of the World Championships in 2006...USA got the bronze.

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Glad to see that two of Angel's teammates on the Atlanta Dream are playing well in the worldwide competition. Sancho Lyttle (Spain) and Erika De Souza (Brazil) are in the top five scoring totals category. Atlanta Dream head coach Marynell Meadows is an assistant coach for the USA squad. All we need is the Miller twins to have a family reunion.

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2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra has hung up the saddle and retired to the breeding shed. The 4 year old filly will be bred to racing superstar Curlin. Although her 2010 races weren't always up to the standards we expected after her 2009 domination of the competition, the filly will forever have a place in my (and many others) heart for her breath-taking 20 length win in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. I'll put only one race in history above that effort...Secretariat's destruction of the 1973 Bemont Stakes field.

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Shame we'll never get the Zenyatta vs. Rachel Alexandra matchup that fans clamored for. Rachel owes horse racing nothing, though...and we wish her the best of luck as a mare.

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Men's soccer travels to Lexington for another chapter in the Cards vs. Cats rivalry. Ken Lolla takes the Cards (5-0-2) to face a UK team that has forced overtime in five out of their last six matches. The Cats (3-4-1) start six freshmen in UK coach Ian Collins youth movement. Louisville is ranked #6 in the nation by College Soccer News.

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Have you made your plans for the noon Saturday Field Hockey showdown between #9 Louisville and #5 Connecticut? It's less than 72 hours away and it's a "white out" event. UofL is trying to set a single game attendance for the contest...so get there early for a good seat.

We'll be doing interviews with UofL head Field Hockey coach Pam Bustin and several of the stick swinging Cards tomorrow and we'll post them in the Friday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. Thanks to women's athletic assistant S.I.D. Lori Korte for making the necessary arrangements and the UofL Field Hockey team for making themselves available.

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I wonder if I need to wear shin guards to the field?

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Mental note to me to see if I can find Sonja's old field hockey gear and load it up in the Villager just in case. Maybe they'll let me take a few shots on goal at Cardinal goalie Erin Conrad. Maybe I should pass if they do. No need to embarass myself anymore than I usually do...

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If you like what you see Saturday, c'mon back Sunday for another field hockey contest Team Cardinal faces the St. Louis Billikins at 1 p.m. at Trager Field.

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Nice job, Courier Journal. They list the Sunday game in their Seven-Day Planner in the sports section but make no mention of the Saturday game. I'm sure that's because they figured everyone knew about it already, right?

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Makes me wonder if some of our CARDINAL COUPLE chimps are moonlighting over there at the "One Great Newspaper"?

Field Hockey dominates G'Town in BIG EAST OPENER

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Field Hockey hammers the Hoyas 6-1

-Volleyball falls to Purdue

-Where will Hammond go?

Led by Nicole Youman's four goals, the University of Louisville Field Hockey team successfully opened BIG EAST conference play with a 6-1 win over Georgetown University at Trager Stadium.

The Cards opened the scoring when Amber Thomas slapped home a pass from Tull Lim off a penalty corner for the first goal. The Cards added to the first half lead on another penalty corner play when Youman put one in the net...a follow up shot after a Lim attempt on goal was blocked.

The Cards took the 2-0 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Louisville came out firing in the second half. Same scenario as before...Youman refiring on a blocked Lim shot to make it 3-0. Youman went net again a few minutes later with a nice drive and advance ending with a stroke past G'Town goalie Briana Pereira.

Georgetown countered a couple of minutes later..Annie Wilson slipping one by Cards' goalie Erin Conrad but Louisville got one back when Erin Schneidtmiller chased down a Lim missed shot and tapped it in to make it 5-1.

Youman got her final goal late in the contest with another impressive advance thru several Georgetown defenders that ended up with her teeing off and banging one in from the top of the circle for the 6-1 final score.

Georgetown (4-2) remains here in town for a game vs. Radford Saturday afternoon. TEAM CARDINAL gets Radford on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Cards (5-2) out shot Georgetown 24-2.

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Volleyball fell in Cardinal Arena last night to Purdue in four sets 25-21, 15-25, 25-18, 25-18 in the BIG EAST/BIG TEN Challenge.

"As a young team, we are still learning how to believe in ourselves. We need to maintain our confidence as a team." head Volleyball coach Leonid Yelin related after the match.

Louisville got 11 kills from Lola Arslanbekova and nine kills and five blocks from Gwen Rucker.

The Cards difficulty seems to center a lot around unforced errors. They also tend to allow big runs by the opponents late in matches. Last night...Purdue used late runs of 5-2 to win the first set, 10-3 in the third game and 8-3 to take the fourth set and match.

The Cards have extreme front line talent in Rucker, Arslanbekovca, Amanda Simmons, Anatasia Artemeva and Emily Juhl but couldn't solve the attack of Purdue's Ariel Turner...who had 20 kills in the match.

Doesn't get any easier for the wide net crew...they host #5 Illinois in Cardinal Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday night.

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As we write this, Sara Hammond has received two in-home visits in the past two days. Jeff Walz spent the day with her Thursday and UConn associate coach Chris Dailey did up Mt. Sterling with her Friday. Now comes decision time. Hammond had indicated she'll make up her mindand announce where she'll be spending the next four years playing hoops this weekend. A facebook entry last night from Sara revealed that she wasn't sure which way she was leaning but she's be deciding soon. Keep your fingers crossed...Cardinal women's basketball fans. This decision just may be a lot closer that a lot of us speculated.

(Pictured above, UConn associate coach Chris Dailey...who has been at UConn with Geno Auriemma for 25 years. During that entire time, her hair hasn't moved once. Even in Hurricane Emily. Below her is Gertrude G. Goat, daughter of CARDINAL COUPLE information technology specialist Billy D. Goat. She would like to play basketball for UConn...but has no opposable thumbs.)

Labor Day Tribute

HAPPY LABOR DAY FROM CARDINAL COUPLE

As you go thru your day of picnics, relaxation or whatever you have planned...remember that you live in a land that gives you the personal freedoms to do things without the fear of reprisal, banishment or punishment. It wasn't always that way. We've come a long way, there is still much to do and although the road may seem long and weary...rest if you must...but don't ever quit.

Congratulations to Eric Downs, winner of the final PANERA gift card contest. Eric sums it up well by saying:

"Panera has excellent breads, bagels and muffins and I can get free refills on coffee while I dine and go thru the morning paper. Then, a "to go" order for the gang in the office."

Thanks to all that participated!

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Angel McCoughtry led the Atlanta Dream to a win in the first game of the WNBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at New York 81-75. McCoughtry ended up with 21 points...13 in the decisive 4th quarter. They square off again Tuesday night in Atlanta.

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# 13 Louisville Field Hockey bested #15 American University yesterday 2-1. Hayley Turner put the Cards ahead in the second half after 1-1 first half action. Louisville (3-1). The Cards host Ohio State next. Game time is 6 p. m. on Wednesday.

Is it too early to worry about 2012?

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-2012: Too far off to worry about?

-A rundown of fall women's sports

-WNBA scenarios

CARDINAL COUPLE co-owner Paul Sykes (pictured left) is busy at work trying to qualify for the USA 2012 Bean Bag (or Cornhole) team that will compete in the World Championships in Havana, Cuba. (OK, I made that up..but wouldn't it be a blast to go to Cuba and get comped for throwing a bag full of dry corn kernels?)

The point is this...the class of 2012 in girls high school basketball is already starting to verbal to colleges and universities. Case in point...Louisville Manual High School star April Wilson decided over the weekend that Purdue University is the place to be. Louisville was on her short list but a weekend visit to West Lafayette convinced her that Boilermaker country was where she wants to spend her four years of matriculation and basketball.

A lot can happen from one's junior year in high school to college. Coaches can leave. Injuries can happen. Interests may change. UofL Lady Card shooting guard Becky Burke was South Carolina bound until a coaching change in Columbia, SC made her re-evaluate her previous decision. Incoming Cardinal wing Antonita Slaughter knew as as freshman that Cardinal Red and Black were her colors...before Jeff Walz got there. Former Cardinal great Candyce Bingham grew up and attended high school in the shadow of the north side UofL dormitories near Manual but headed off to Xavier to begin college. Finally, she got it right and returned to Louisville for two outstanding years.

Verbal commitments are just that...saying out loud that you like one place the most of all. Doesn't mean a thing until the contract is signed and the papers are received. We, in the sports world....though, are obsessed about recruiting and who is leaning where, who is on the short list, who is visiting where and when and why isn't this college the favorite of that player. Remember the drama that surrounded Shoni Schimmel and whether she would show up at Louisville or not? We're glad to say she is on the Belknap Campus and probably worrying about reading assignments and science labs like the other 4,000 freshmen on campus.

The talented trio of girl's basketball players at Marion County are sophomores and juniors this year...but they are a top topic of discussion and speculation already in the recruiting pundits around the state. Kyvin Goodin-Rogers, Makalya Epps and Bre Edler may very well win three state championships in a row but many out there will be more concerned about where they are visiting over the Labor Day weekend.

Let's get the class of 2011 out of the way and safely tucked into the bastions of higher learning first before we get too wrapped up about 2012. After all, the current hype about all the signs pointing to catastrophe and calamity scheduled for that year may just make recruiting a moot point...conspiracy theorists unite!

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We got an e-mail asking which women's sports at UofL take place in the fall. Actually, all participants in the 12 women's sports programs at Louisville are hard at work defining and practicing their skills, but actual events include field hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country, rowing, swimming and tennis. The field hockey, soccer and volleyball teams have already had either exhibitions or actual games. Cross country kicks off Sept. 4th. and Rowing on Sept 8th. Tennis begins Sept 25th., and Swimming on October 21st. Basketball in October, too.

Lacrosse, golf, softball and track begin in the spring.

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The Eastern Conference of the WNBA begins their playoffs Wednesday. Atlanta travels to Washington and New York hosts Indiana. Over in the Western Conference, division leader Seattle hosts Los Angeles and Phoenix greets San Antonio.

Diana Taursi led the league in scoring during the regular season with 22.6 ppg. for Phoenix. Cappie Poindexter (New York) was second with 21.4 ppg. and Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry fancied 3rd with 21.1 ppg. Tina Charles (Connecticut) showed the way in rebounding, grabbing 11.7 per game and Ticha Penicherio (Los Angeles) dished out 6.9 assists per contest.

Several Atlanta Dream players cracked the top ten in the above categories. Iziane Castro Marques was seventh in scoring at 16.9 a game, Sancho Lyttle fourth in rebounding (9.9) and Erika deSouza sixth (8.3). Shalee Lehning finished seventh in assists (4.8). A pretty good nucleus for the Dream in 2011 and the upcoming playoff run.

Conrad selelcted for USA Field Hockey squad

CONRAD MAKES NATIONAL TEAM. THE RETURN OF RACHEL. WHO WANTS $10?

University of Louisville sophomore goalkeeper Erin Conrad

has been selected for the USA Under 21 Field Hockey team. Conrad received an invitation to try out for the squad after her outstanding

goal keeping duties during the national championships with the USA Field Hockey High Performance Midwest team.

The USA team will compete in tournaments in Asia next year. For Conrad, it is just another jewel in the crown of success she has worn since her high school days.

Pam Bustin speaks very highly of her goalkeeper:

"I am so proud of her. She was persistent and diligent throughout her journey to make the squad. Not an easy journey for her...but she never gave up and achieved this great opportunity to train and play for the national program."

Conrad was the only player from UofL to be selected for the team, out of four Cardinals who received tryout invitations. She arrived on the UofL campus in 2008 and took a redshirt year.

In, 2009...she assumed the goalkeeping duties and will be a key component in the Cardinal's defense for 2010.

Field hockey is a family thing for the Wilkes-Barre, PA native. Her sister Lindsey played for Syracuse. She is one of three Cardinals to ever make the USA team...joining Janelle Avila (2006-07) and Jessica Javelet (2004-05).

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RACHEL ALEXANDRA returns to the track Saturday in the $400,000 Lady's Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. Last seen, she was romping the field in the Churchill Downs Fleur de Lis...winning impressively by 10 1/2 lengths.

She's been training well for Saturday's race and busted 4 furlongs in 49.60 in a Monday workout at Saratoga. She'll face 6 rivals in the 1 mile race...including FABULOUS BABE and STAGE TRICK. If she handles the field as expected, she could be headed to the 1 1/4 mile Personal Ensign or the Woodward Stakes...both at Saratoga later this summer. RACHEL was the first filly

to win the Woodard last year. Steve Asmussen trains and regular rider Calvin Borel invades the Jersey Shore to take the mount.

Look out for LE MI GEAUX as a prime contender for 2 yr old fillies. She romped thru the slop at Saratoga yesterday to win the Schuylerville Stakes by 2 lengths. She rallied from far back to win the 6 furlong race and looked like she could have gone another 4 furlongs quite easily. Apprentice jockey Freddie Lenclud rode for Richard Dutrow. She pleased a lot of backers, including me, by paying $20.20 for a 2 dollar win ticket. In case you're not up on your Cajun...it's pronounced "Lemme Go!"

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Who wants $10 bucks? You have today and tomorrow to tell us why you like PANERA. Best e-mail gets the gift cards. Send those brilliant essays to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com or just toss one in the comments section here. PANERAAAA....YUMMMMM!

We'll announce the winner Monday. Don't fret if you don't win the first week...you'll have the next 4 weeks to "git er done."

Nobody asked us...but

Memphis fans practice their "happy dance" in anticipation that the Big East might come calling. Elvis must be spinning in his tomb.

With all the conference mumbo-jumbo on the back burner for a brief respite, one wonders if the BIG EAST is thinking about adding a few members to its shaky football coalition? We've said it before and will say it again...Memphis and East Carolina would be quite acceptable additions to the fold. They wouldn't immediately add much to the already strong womens' basketball, softball and volleyball landscape but the potential for growth is very positive and we enjoy our trips to Memphis every two years. ECU fans are fanatical about their football and we can see that spreading to womens' sports when you're going up against the Connecticut's, Rutgers' and Louisville's of the sports world instead of Marshall, UAB or UTEP.

Is Ron Mann the hardest working coach down on the Belknap Campus? He coaches both the men and womens' track and field squads and both teams had their highest finishes ever in the recent NCAA Championships. You the man...Mann!

Why are they playing World Cup Soccer in winter conditions? We've always associated the sport with pleasant spring, summer or fall afternoons. Temperatures in the low 40's face the athletes on the biggest stage for what the rest of the world calls football? No wonder the fans keep blowing those annoying horns...they're trying to keep their lips from freezing.

How happy is Pam Bustin...UofL Field Hockey head coach...these days? Her returning goalie, Heather Bustanoby was named to the All-American 2nd squad in preseason voting. Offensive brings in the fans but defense wins games and the Cards have a solid stopper in the net with Bustanoby.

Isn't it time for Louisville to get a WNBA franchise? The "yummy" facility downtown is rapidly taking shape...no other competing events in the city during that time of year except minor league baseball and catholic picnics and we are the national hotbed of hoops here in Louisville, right? I'd even be OK with a couple of games being played in Rupp Arena...provided that Calipari is denied admission and UK fans are forced to leave their farm animals and implements back on the acreage for these events.

Don't look now...but the back court for Jeff Walz's UofL Lady Cards looks like the Watterson Expressway during rush hour. No less than nine players could compete for starting jobs and playing time. Competition is good...and much better to have multiple options than having to play Becky Burke and Shelby Harper 40 minutes a game. No offense to Becky or Shelby...but you know they had to be exhausted out there after 40 minutes against BIG EAST competition.

(Bonus points if you can name all nine potential participants for the spots.)

Finally, shouldn't something be done about the format for the Ky. State Softball Tournament? Is it really fair to have one team play five games in one day? Couldn't this thing be spread out to a three day affair instead of two? This isn't cart golf or throwing a few balls down the lanes...it's competitive softball in 90 degree heat.
A third day of action for, let's say the final four teams, would increase the attendance numbers, hotel lodging and revenue dollars for host city and give fans of the final four a chance to show up for the finals if they have to work on Saturday.
Start it on Friday and play it thru Sunday.

Sermon ended...go in peace and drink plenty of water...