Ayse Melek Demirer a recruiting highlight for Cards WBB -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 DEMIRER WILL PROVIDE ADDED HEIGHT DEPTH FOR WBB CARDS

All those trips Jeff Walz has made to Turkey (or Turkiye, if you prefer) are still reaping rewards. 

The addition to Ayse Melek Demirer to the UofL women's basketball roster could have wonderful results for the Cards. Demirer, a 6'5" forward/center did great things for the Turkish Youth FIBA U 16 Eurobasket Division B squad. 

She averaged 15.4 points per game in 2025 and grabbed 17.4 rebounds a contest.  She led all the players in the tournament, where Turkey finished third, in points scored. 

Jeff Walz had the opportunity to help coach her when he was an assistant with the U18 team. According to Walz, she has "great size, reat hands and can run the floor. She is someone who is just scratching the surface of where she is going to get .She is considered one of the top prospects in Turkiye and someone who I think will be able to come over here and have a immediate impact for us."   

She adds height to a roster that returns front line player Elif Istanbulluoglu and adds Carys Baker, who comes in from from Virginia Tech,where she averaged 14.3 ppg and almost seven rebounds a contest.  We discussed yesterday the continued growth and skill of Yevheniia Putra, at 6'4" .  Yes, the Cards lost Isla Juffermans to College of Charleston and Anaya Hardy to Notre Dame but Walz is still stocked up and loaded with talent and Cards fans should enjoy this 2026-27 version of Louisville women's basketball. 

Don't forget Grace Mbugna is also back and her height and continuing improvement will also add to that front line. 

We expect Baker and Istanbulluoglu will get the starts at the "4" and "5" ...but will have a strong list of back ups to make the Cards maybe the strongest front line in the ACC. 

paulie 

Five former WBB Cards in WNBA -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FIVE EX-CARDS ON WNBA ROSTERS. 

Jeff Walz is well-renown for developing talent to play at the next level. And that is evident in the 2026 WNBA rosters. Five Cards are in "the big show"

We covered Emily Engstler being on the Portland Fire yesterday. Add to the list Myisha Hines-Allen (Indiana Fever), Dana Evans (Las Vegas Aces), Sydney Taylor (Chicago Sky) and Laura Ziegler (Los Angeles Sparks) 

While it's true that three of the five didn't start at Louisville and transferred in to finish their college time..it's a sign that they came to Louisville to face tough competition and learn from the Cardinals coaches in hopes of continuing to play in the WNBA. 

Sydney Taylor spent her first four years of college at UMass. before coming to Louisville for a fifth season. She averaged 10.4 points a game in her only year at Louisville. 

Laura Ziegler spent three years at St. Joseph before transferring to Louisville.. Hailing from Denmark, she averaged 11 points a game in her final season of college basketball as a Cardinals starter .

Looking at the Cards projected 2026-27 roster, it's interesting to note that four players from last year's roster have transferred off the team. Peyton Bradley, Anaya Hardy, Isla Juffermans and Skylar Jones a have departed. Three are transferring in...Carys Baker from Virginia Tech, Zam Jones from NC State and Deniya Prawl from Tennessee are transferring in. and the freshmen are coming on board.

Are any of the upcoming seniors being considered for the WNBA?  As of now, there is only one senior, in Elif Istanbulluoglu. Out of Turkey, you've have to think her chances are good of making a WNBA roster after she graduates. She averaged over 10 points as a junior last year and her experience should make her one of the best players in the ACC this upcoming season. 

We like this "uniform" on Putra

A player I will watch with particular interest is Yevheniia Putra, who will be a sophomore this season...out of the Ukraine. The 21-year-old Putra also has a plethora of international experience with the Ukraine National Team. She put up 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds during the 2025 FIBA Women's Eurobasket, averaged 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in the 2024 FIBA U20 Women's Eurobasket, as well as 14.5 points and 9.2 boards in the 2023 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship.

Cards WBB is only four months away. This team looks to be potentially one of the best in Cards WBB history. I'm ready for tipoff, are you? 

paulie

 

Portland Fire an oddity in WNBA -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 10 OUT OF 13 PORTLAND FIRE PLAYERS ARE WHITE. 

In a league where 70% of the players are black..the Portland Fire is different. They have a roster where 77% of their players are white. 

The roster consists of 13 players. Carla Leite, Sarah Ashlee Barker, Bridget Carleton, Teja Oblak, Luisa Geiselsoder, Megan Gustafson, Frieda Buhner, Louisville's Emily Engstler, Karlie Samuelson and Holly Winterburn are the white girls.  Sarah Williams, Nyadiew Puoch and Jordan Harrison the black girls. 

The Fire are 6-8 on the young season and have lost their last four games. They play in the western conference of the WNBA is a city that is 11 to 1 white to black ratio.

They re-joined the WNBA in 2026. On the roster, there are five players from foreign countries.... Germany with two, France, Australia and Slovenia. The colleges represented are Iowa, Iowa State, Alabama, Stanford, UConn, West Virginia, Oregon and Louisville. 

This was a team that folded in 2002, after the Portland Trail Blazers refused to buy the franchise. The original Fire existed from 2000-2002. They have drawn over 19,000 attendees twice this season. You could say the Fire is raging again in Portland...(sorry, bad pun). 

Emily Engstler has become a huge fan favorite in Portland. She leads the WNBA in blocked shots. After three WNBA teams in four years, you had to wonder if her book was about to be closed on being in the WNBA...but she has roared back this season with a ferocity that is so good to see. 

Head coach Alex Samama of the Fire calls her the cornerstone of the team's defensive identity. He praises her identity to block shots, force turnovers and be a vocal leader on the squad. 

This is so good to see for Engstler.  She had begun to develop the tag of a "wanderer". From Syracuse to Louisville in college . Then...from the Indiana Fever to the Minnesota Lynx to the Washington Mystics to Portland this year. 

Let's hope she has found a home at last...with a salary of $277,500 this season, She is only on a one-year contract, however...on a team that has huge earners in Bridget Carleton, Megan Gustafson and Luisa Geiselsoder.  Engstler is only the seventh highest paid player on the squad. 

Someone in Portland needs to wake up and open up the checkbook...right? 

paulie

Can Lacrosse recover from last seasons rough end? -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 IS THE HONEYMOON FINALLY OVER FOR SCOTT TEETER?

Some Louisville lacrosse fans still shake their head in discontent over the unsatisfying end of the 2026 season. They saw a team go from 6-5 to 6-9 and get outscored 32 to 67.

And, two of the four losses were at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium. 

Eight years ago, Scott was heralded as the savior of a program that had reached its lowest depths ever. But, in those eight years..he has gone 54-92...a .370 percentage. .370 is great for a softball batting average or three-point shooting. Not so great in coaching. 

So, what's next? Do the cards wait to see if recruiting will finally pay off and the team becomes competitive in the ACC. Or..do they make a move at the top? 

Some of us still remember the horror days of the end of Kellie Young's time at UofL. How we looked at the Canadian Teeter's coming in to save the day and show Louisville Lacrosse a new way.

Some feel that that should give him as long a leash as he wants to skipper the program. 

Others want the Cards to be more competitive in ACC Lacrosse, where Louisville has gone 9-59 under Teeter.  

And, some don't really care at all about Lacrosse on campus. That's the sad aspect. 

In my days of doing on campus interviews, I had some great ones with Scott and some of his players, sometimes with former CC photographer Jared along with me.  I saw a coach that was a family man, a caring coach and a guy that had come to love the Louisville/Southern Indiana area and considered it home. I personally hope that he isn't uphended and replaced. But...fan bases and financial backers can be fickle. Sometimes.  A.D's have to make difficult choices.

A great deal of the problem is that Louisville isn't traditionally recognized as a strong lacrosse base and good regional and national players tend to go elsewhere. The Cards simply don't have the recruiting strength of a North Carolina or Northwestern or Maryland or Navy. And, in Kentucky...only 45 schools offer women's Lacrosse as a varsity sport. 

It'll be interesting to see how this team does this next season. How the attendance fares at the L.L.S. Let's hope it is a return to an over .500 mark or better in season play. 

paulie

Cards women's golf adds Hodgkins -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 AUSSIE TRANSFERS IN FROM NORTHERN ARIZONA

After a 15th place finish in the ACC Women's Golf Tournament, it became abundantly clear the the Chip and Putt Cards could use a little bolstering to their ranks. Head coach Whitney Young went to work and brought in Amy Hodgkins, a rising senior transfer from Northern Arizona and born in Queensland, Australia. 

While with the Lady Lumberjacks (sure...that works...) she was named first team all Big Sky and competed in 11 tournaments her junior year. 

She had a 72.94 stroke average and was second best on the team with three top ten finishes last year. She joins (as far as we still know) Bailey Burkett, Emree Cameron, Millie Cottrell, Veronika Esposito, Madison Moman and Suzie Tran on the Louisville squad  The Cards had one senior, in Thienna Huyhn, graduate. 

paulie

Back where it all began -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

It was a Thursday, Jan 14th., 2010 when I launched Cardinal Couple along with Sonya. I had left another website that Charlie Springer ran because he told me I needed to do that, he simply couldn't run all the stuff i was providing hm with.  So...I talked with two influential UofL Sports administration figures about starting a website about UofL women's sports. They thought it would be a great idea.  Now...with Case resigning, (and make sure and check out his beautiful article that was featured yesterday),..it's back to just me writing. 

Yes,, a lot has changed since that first day. I am retired now.. I'm undergoing dialysis for kidney failure but my cardiologist says my heart is in great shape. After all the twists and turns I have been through on this site, and in my life, that is a minor miracle. I guess I'm still trying to make a little sense of it all. 

The premise and the theme here still remains the same. The joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. No matter how hard some media Nazis try to belittle me, shut me down or quell what I say, I still can write about that excitement. I've met some wonderful coaches  ,players,and staffers over the years. And , I've met some real a$$holes and backstabbers. We had days of radio (the legendary WCHQ) and days of directing the website from a hospital bed. It hasn't been boring, that's for sure. 

It's kinda like the late Jimmy Buffet lyrics:

(Back in the good ol'days...Paige and Daryl)

"Good times and riches and son-of-a bit&^es...I've seen more than I can recall" 

But, they can't take my degree away from me, or the fun I had on campus and the fun I have had watching the athletes in field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball and the other women's sports on campus. The incredible athletes I've met, some who still stay in touch with me. There has also been the back-stabbers and those determined to see me falter and fail. At this point in my life, I wave those naysayers and distractors away with a dismissive swipe of the hand and stay centered on why I started this site.

The joy and excitement of UofL women's sports.

Sonya and I...give it your own caption. 

I will survive. I will get by.  And, I will carry on. And I thank Sonya, Jenny, Paige, Mark, Sandy, Jeff, Jared, Daryl and.Case for sharing parts of the journey with me. The wise council I had in the early days from Charlie, Lori, Julie, Tom and Vince. .The coaches I've enjoyed my conversations with...like Jeff, Scott, Justine, Karen, Holly, Sandy, Sam and Pam...just to name a few.  

Remember Paige? 

Another 16 years ahead of me? I'd like to think so.  I'll be 86 then, if I get there, and maybe I'll be too senile to write daily. But, the great musical group of the 60's...the Grass Roots.... wrote a song called "Live For Today" and it give some wise council. 

"We were never meant to worry, the way that people do. And I don't need to hurry, as long as I'm with you. "  

Because, it's you...the readers that keep me doing what i do. As long as you are still "clicking on and moving your eyeballs" I'll be offering. 

paulie

The End of a Journey -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

A Fond Farewell from Case

I spent a long time looking up great last lines from novels to open this post with to be witty or clever, but in the end, they all ring hollow. They all felt like they'd cheapen it a bit. So, instead, I simply say that this is the end of my time as a writer at Cardinal Couple. 

The title of today's post is a reference to my very first post here at the site, which came nearly ten years ago. It's hard to believe it's been so long, although that may be more due to my rejection of the idea that I could have already graduated college that long ago. I was a different person then, and a different writer. Everyone stuck with me while I shook off the need to write about Louisville's men's teams, but it probably took longer than anyone hoped. I finally got it through my head that Cardinal Couple didn't exist to be another column in the noise about Lamar Jackson or Rick Pitino, and I turned my attention to the true mission: Reporting the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. 

While I learned that lesson, I went through a lot as a person. I got married, moved to Shelbyville, moved back to Louisville, went through three job changes, but Cardinal Couple was always here. That's not to say there weren't changes here, too. I was part of dozens of shows at the old Crescent Hill Radio studio in the basement and dozens more at the new studio location before the station closed down. We did shows on location, and I learned about the rules of simulcasting. When the station closed, we pivoted to a podcast and I learned all kinds of new things in that process. I've seen (if my count is correct), eight other bylines on the site since I started, and I've had the pleasure of creating genuine friendships from the experience. 

When I wrote that first post back then, I never really imagined I'd still be doing it all this time later. That joy and excitement kept me going, and I continued to grow my love for the teams we cover here. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Life has a funny way of creeping up on you, and as my responsibilities have grown inside these pages, they've grown many times over outside them. It's time to close this chapter of my story, but I can assure you I'll never forget it. 

I was a passive follower of Louisville women's athletics when I started, primarily engaged as an avid sports fan while a student at the University. That has changed a lot over the last ten years, and these days I find I'm far more invested in the success of the women's soccer or softball teams at UofL than either of their male counterparts. That won't change now that my time writing is done. I'll still be tuned into the goings-on up and down Floyd Street next season and the years to come, and you'll likely still find me at Lynn when my schedule allows. 

I'll always be grateful for my time at Cardinal Couple, to Paulie for giving me a chance to keep writing, and to the support the Cardinal Couple community has always shown. 

As always, Go Cards!

Case

2026 Cards Field Hockey needs to improve over 2025 ACC record --MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 2-7 Against Conference Foes Unacceptable

(Wanna guess what this is? Answer at end of today's column)

OK, everyone knew that ACC Field Hockey wasn't going to be the easy, breeze ride that Louisville had in other conferences. But being tied for seventh place in a nine-team conference certainly isn't what the UofL Cardinals Field Hockey fans expected or were particularly happy with. I can't imagine the student-athletes or coaches were pleased...either. 

The squad needs to show show marked improvement in the 2026 season in the ACC and beat a few more squads than California and Syracuse. Maybe one thing in Louisville's favor is the developing underclasses on the roster that are returning. 

Out of the 23 players on last year's roster, only four graduated. Six will be sophomores this year, seven juniors and six seniors. We know of only one transfer out...defender Luciana Carpenter, who is headed to Richmond as a grad transfer. 

The ACC is probably the strongest field hockey league in DI and UNC is always a powerhouse. 

Cards depended highly on Rylie

The Cards need to find scorers. They only scored over five goals four times in 2025 and gave up over five goals only once. With an 8-10 record overall, they lost six games by one goal. 

Rylie Wollerton had 11 goals in 18 games for the Cards, but was a senior who played in 74 games for the Cards in her time at UofL.  Who steps up to replace her could be the key question for UofL and Sowry. 

We should get a schedule release soon and a roster update as well. 

(Oh...and the image at the top of today's column? Why, it's a water sprinkler on the Cards Field Hockey surface....)

paulie

Did You Know? -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE OFFERS EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY DEGREES. 

I had the chance recently to catch up with a friend who I knew at UofL and in the course of our discussion we started talking about her grandson, who was graduating from UofL also (like she did)...but with a degree in Exercise Physiology. I was not aware of the field of study, so she explained it to me. Exercise Physiology is also called exercise science,  kinesiology, or human movement and UofL is one of the leaders in the nation in the study.  

It is basically an intense look at the how we understand and optimize the movement and effectiveness of the human body. At UofL is can be broken down into three different subcategories. 

-- Allied Health Therapies. Aimed toward those who are pursing physical therapy or medicinal fields and careers. 

-- Human Performance. Geared to those who want to be in strength and conditioning, sport science or personal training. 

-- Physical education and Health -- Deigned for those who want to go on and be physical education teachers..like in schools and such. 

I wish this had been around when I was an undergrad, but it didn't become a degree option until around 2000. Human Movement developed out of kinesiology and beside University of Louisville...other major universities who offer the degree include Texas A&M, Michigan, Northeastern and Maryland. 

 If you are a prospective or current student looking for exact syllabi, office hours, or specific course registrations, you can view the complete faculty directory on the UofL Health and Sport Sciences Faculty Page.

Louisville Draws Texas in ACC/SEC Challenge -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards to Face Longhorns in Texas

The ACC/SEC Challenge matchups were announced for men's and women's basketball yesterday, and both teams drew the same opponent: the Texas Longhorns. The women's ACC/SEC Challenge officially began in 2023, and Louisville has played on the road once. The Cards won that game against Ole Miss in Oxford in the 23-24 season. 

Louisville will head to Austin on December 2nd. The Cards last faced the Longhorns in the same building during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where Louisville pulled off the upset against the home team. That was the second time the Cards had beaten Texas in the same season, having also won in November in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Those are the only two wins Louisville has over Texas all-time, though they've only played two other times. 

Last year's iteration of the Longhorns won the SEC Championship on their way to a second straight Final Four appearance. They haven't lost a game in the Moody Center in the last two seasons as part of a 44-game home winning streak. Things change season-to-season, though, especially in this day and age, but Louisville will still likely face an extremely tough opponent. The Cards, to their credit, return all five starters from last season. 

Louisville will get SEC opponents on back-to-back Wednesdays to open December, as they'll face Kentucky on December 9th. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case