WBB announces non-conference schedule --THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 UCONN, TEXAS, UK HIGHLIGHT NON-CONFFERENCE WBB SLATE 

Jeff Walz knows the non-conference WBB slate is so important to get his squads ready for the tough, demanding ACC schedule. With the release yesterday of the Cards WBB non- conference slate, Louisville women's basketball will have a fun and challenging start to the season and play some very good competition. 

Louisville will open Nov 2nd...when they play Bellarmine. Next ,on Weds. Nov 4th Stetson comes to town. Today's quiz is....Do you know where Stetson is located, and no credit for answering "on my head". Answer at the end of today's article Then, the Cards travel to Evansville to face Southern Indiana on Nov. 8th. They last faced each other two years ago and the Cards flew past the Screaming Eagles by 25 points. Two days later, they'll bring in Lindenwood, a private university out of St. Charles, MO. 

The interesting Ball St. Cardinals WBB logo. 

Two days after that, Louisville heads to Muncie for the Cardinals vs Cardinals battle against Ball State. Louisville demolished BSU by 31 points last year in the KFC YUM! Center. 

UConn comes to town on Nov 15th. to start a four-game home streak. The Huskies last visited Louisville to play the Cards in 2019 and UofL came away with a nine-point win. Two days later, on Tuesday, Nov 17th., Tennessee State visits 3rd and Main. The Cards then tale a 10 day Thanksgiving Break before returning to home court action against Akron. They'll end the string of home games and end November against East Tennessee State.  

The Cards travel to Texas on Dec 2nd for a huge matchup in Austin, then will return to the Vuille to take on Eastern Kentucky. It'll be the first of three games against in-state schools...followed by a trip to Lexington to battle Kentucky on Weds Dec 9th and then a eight day break before they invite the Norse of Northern Kentucky in on Thursday, Dec.17.   

(Stetson is located in DeLand , FLorida...which is about halfway between Orlando and Daytona Beach. )

paulie

Field Hockey Releases Sscedule -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 EIGHT HOME GAMES FOR CARDS FIELD HOCKEY AND SERVING AS HOST FOR THE 2026 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

Louisville Field Hockey has one of the premier field hockey stadiums in the nation and the NCAA realizes that -- they are returning to have the NCAA Championships in Louisville's Trager Stadium again. Now, onto the regular season schedule. 

Bellarmine will start it off with a preseason scrimmage at Trager on Aug. 19th...then UofL will travel to Muncie for another scrimmage against Ball State. The regular season opens with a visit from Miami of Ohio on Friday August 28th and then Indiana on Sunday August 30th. Miami, you may remember...won the MAC conference and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals. 

Louisville will then take to the road for four matches in September. They'll  go to St. Louis and Michigan before heading to Evanston, Illinois to face 2025 and 2026 NCAA Champion Northwestern and Iowa. 

Boston College comes in to kick off ACC play on Sept 18th and then the Cards will also host st. Joseph that Sunday the 20th. Next...it's to the Golden Shores and California for a Friday match and then a visit to UC Davis for a Sunday contest. 

Coming home, the Justine Sowry led squad will have three home matches...versus North Carolina, Stanford and Bellarmine. Following that, a trip to Syracuse and then back home to bring in Pam Bustin and Duke.

The Cards will play their final three games of the regular season on the road, visiting Virginia, Richmond and Wake Forest.  

The ACC Championships will be Nov 3-6 at North Carolina. 

i would imagine Justine Sowry will be holding a press conference soon to detail things and I'll look for it on-line and post it when she does. UofL is still not allowing me to cover such things live from a press bo, media roomx or press row...but... with my kidney failure and dialysis, I doubt I'd go anyway. 

paulie

Cards WBB returns seven, brings in six -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 WALZ WILL HAVE A LOT OF OPTIONS TO CONSIDER

For the 2026-27 season, Louisville women's basketball will have a solid returning group and some exciting additions to the team. 

Back are Taj Roberts, Imani Berry, Mac Randolph, Elif Istanbulluoglu, Rebekah Graves, Grace Mbugna, and Reagan Bender. Transfers in are Zam Jones, Carys Baker, Deniya Prawl. Incoming freshmen are Myah Epps, Peanut Cradle and Ayse Melek Demirer.

It's a roster that looks very impressive on paper and one that could be the best in the ACC. 

Notre Dame would probably choose to argue that statement. Ayana Hardy joins them from Louisville. Hannah Hildago is back. Leah Macy joins them from high school in Elizabethtown John Hardin. Plus, they have seven seniors. 

Starters for the Cards look to be Berry, Randolph, Roberts, Istanbulluoglu  and probably Zam Jones. 

The depth is huge. The three freshmen will likely see a lot of court time. so will Carys Baker and Deniya Prawl. And, this does look like a typical Walz squad that is going to pretend it is at a track meet and outrun their foes. 

The question that still baffles me and many others is...how did the program and athletics at UofL get so far in debt? 

paulie

He's Back! -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 YOUR INTREPID OWNER BACK FROM THE SMOKIES

Vacations just never seem long enough. do they?

Sonya and I made our yearly pilgrimage to Gatlinburg to get away from the Ville for a few days. Back at the Sleepy Bear for lodging on the creek and back to the places we like to go in our days of exploration. 

A place we love to spend time is on the Arts and Crafts loop...a small coffee shop called the Gatlinburg Grind. 

Located on Glades Rd, in the artesian loop in the Arts and Crafts Community, they have excellent fresh roasted coffee for purchase by the cup, bag or whole bean. They also have excellent baked goods and an outdoor patio as well as indoor seating for enjoying your beverage. 

They feature daily specials and are open six days a week, closing on Monday.

Sonya and i were able to chat with the owner, pleasant young lady who was busy the entire 45 minutes we were there visiting on Friday morning. A lot of her business is repeat, locals from around the area, and the banter is friendly, jovial and  welcoming. 

They offer 30 flavors of coffee and each serving is freshly ground and brewing at the front counter. we got a Dark Horse dark roast and an Ethiopian Premium roast. Both were delicious. 

They also have a unique menu of other drinks...like hot chocolate, iced tea, lemonade, Red Bull Chai Lattes and cappuccino. The pastries are delicious as well. Hours are usually  8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Make sure and try their assortment of pastries as well. The owner is a personable young woman who also works with one of the local radio stations as a sideline reporter for Gatlinburg-Pittman football...on WSEV (Mix 105.5)

If you would like more information...get in touch with them at gatlinburggrind@gmail.com. Tell 'em Paulie from Cardinal Couple sent you

We'll get back into the sports vibe tomorrow. 

Paulie

Louisville Volleyball releases 2026 schedule -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 A 32 match schedule for VolleyCards

Cardinal Volleyball fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the 2026 season and UofL has released their full schedule.

The Cards will face 18 teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season an all four of the NCAA Semifinal squads from 2025.

14 of the matches will be played in Louisville...three of them at the KFC YUM! Center and 11 at the on-campus L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

Aug 15th is the annual Red vs Black season opening scrimmage, then they'll be one of ten squads at the AVCA First Serve Classic in Milwaukee Aug, 21st through Aug. 24th  UofL will face Texas A&M on the 21st and then Wisconsin on the 22nd. Other squads in Milwaukee will  be Kentucky, Texas, Arizona St., SMU. Pittsburgh, Xavier and Marquette.

The Cards come home for three matches after that, at the LNFCU, against IU, Dayton and TCU to close out August. They'll travel to Nashville to play Texas on Sept 6th...then come home to face Missouri on Sept 9th in the KFC YUM! Center. 

A trip to Houston for the Rice Invitational follows...where the Cards will see Rice, Creighton and Northern Iowa.

We'll have much more on the VolleyCards as the season gets closer. It's 59 days away, y'all...before the nets go up and the kills, sets, serves and aces return! 

paulie

Walz addresses media Monday -- CARDINAL COUPLE

SUMMER UPDATE FROM JEFF WALZ

Jeff Walz met with the media on campus Monday with an early summer update on Cards WBB and fielded questions from the media. 

Below is the video on it: 

Walz Speaks

The Cards skipper addressed a lot of subjects in the 15 minute presser...which I wasn't invited to. I couldn't have gone anyway, because I was just getting out of dialysis. The moratorium on notifying me on Cardinals women's sports continues from the sports media moguls and assistant S.I.D's on campus. And, my concern over that is less than 0%. I learned long ago the philosophy of life from Rick Nelson. "You can't please everyone, so you gotta please yourself." 

On a side note, I was chatting with a Cardinals fan about states we have visited. I came up with 35 and Washington D.C. What's your tally? Leave it in the comments if you want. I'd like to get to 40 eventually. Potential future stops might be Texas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey and Connecticut. Invitations to visit can be sent to: cardinalcouple@twc.com

Enjoy.

paulie

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