ON Delay -- Cardinal Couple 10/8/2026

 CARDINAL COUPLE ON HOLD

Cardinal Couple is on delay until further notice due to PAULIE'S HOSPITALIZATION. 

We will be back when he cn return. 

Thanks for the cards, emails texts and such. Please continue to pray for his recovery. 

Sonja Sykes

Co-Owner Cardinal Couple.  

 c

Cards Volleyball like to play ILouisville -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE 

With Paulie still in hospital, Cardinal Couple will not be publishing any columns. I wish I could. I wish I still had a writer or two to occasionally post one. They all deserted me like they were under mandate. That's the thanks I get f giving them a chance to express their opinions. Nothing like that feeling of kicking an old man in the halls, is there folks. .    ....                                                          Paulie 

Cards, Irish Volleyball at 7 p.m. but...back to back?? - WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 # 4 CARDS TOIL AGAINST IRISH TONIGHT ..AND 1 PM. SATURDAY. 

The two ACC squads battle here in the KFC Center tonight and then go to South Bend for another match a half a day later on the UND Campus. ACCNX will show them both.

We have no idea why the teams, or the ACC decided to play back to back, or maybe they had no say in the scheduling quirk. The contests are usually fun ones, though. The Cards are 12-2 going into the one. We'll have much more on it in ..in tomorrow's recap. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

paulie

Louisville Volleyball's Addison Makun selected ACC Defensive Player of Week - TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 SOPHOMORE CARDINALS MIDDLE BLOCKER HONORED

The role of the middle blocker in college volleyball is aptly defined in the title. Teams want to score on opponents down the middle of the court in offensive attacking. The middle blocker's duty to to answer, "No, not on my watch". And few do it better in the ACC than Addison Makun. 

Makun had 2.33 blocks per set in Louisville wins over Syracuse and Boston College. Her 50 total blocks in action this season leads the team.

Louisville has had some very good middle blockers over the past few years. Volleyball fans will remember the names Cara Cresse, Amaya Tillman, Hannah Sherman and Brooke Bultema as essential to the UL successes. They even got Bultema to transfer in from UK. And once Tillman was finished playing for the Cards, UK lured her away to be an assistant coach there. 

When you have the #4 and the #6 teams in NCAA DI Volleyball in the commonwealth, and a former coach in in charge of the #1 team in the nation (Dani Busboom Kelly - Nebraska) you could say the sport has a lot of success and popularity here. 

I remember a few years ago when I was in a Louisville sports social club and they decided to have a raffle of goods and services. I went to Louisville Volleyball to see if they might be interested in putting up an item to help in the auction. A certain operations director casually asked me if I thought the club's members might be interested in bidding on a head coach signed volleyball. I almost fell out of my chair. Yes, they would, I managed to reply. It did quite well in the raffle. That was an OK club to be in for a couple years, but there were too many people with too many of their own selfish agendas they wanted to pursue. I backed out, indicating the sandbox was a little too crowded for my pail and shovel. And ,once I got my kidney diagnosis, I tendered my resignation. 

Congratulations to Addison! Keep blocking!

paulie

Sunday brings three contests for UoL women's athletics. -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 WIN, LOSE AND DRAW FOR CARDS SUNDAY 

A very busy day for UofL women's athletics playing on the west coast, east coast and in Louisville. Let's see how the results came out, we'll start with the win. 

VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS BOSTON COLLEGE IN BEANTOWN

#4 Louisville went went to 12-2 with the straight set romp against the Eagles. The Cards took the sets 25-19, 25-21, 25-14.

Kalyssa Blackshear had 16 kills and nine aces to leads Louisville in the bird battle.  Chloe Chicoine was next with11 kills. 

The Cards return to the Ville and will bring Notre Dame on Wednesday. 

FIELD HOCKEY FALLS TO UC DAVIS 1-0

#12 Field Hockey took a surprising 1-0 loss in California to UC Davis.

After a scoreless first half, UC Davis got a goal from Molly Main in the third quarter and that concluded. the scoring. 

The loss dropped Louisville to 7-3 while the homestanding Aggies improved to 3-6. 

The Cards led in only one of the offensive categories...shots taken.  

Justine Sowry expressed disappointment . "That is a tough result for our team and credit to UC Davis for taking it to us."

UofL returns home and brings i powerhouses UNC and Stanford on Friday and Sunday.

CARDS WSOC DRAW WITH FSU AT LYNN

Ideal outdoor weather for women' s soccer and the Cards and Noles battled to a 90 minutes scoreless tie in front of the Cardinals faithful. 

Louisville had nine shots, FSU three. Each team had one on goal and the Cards tried eight penalty corners where FSU attempted just two. 

The Cards go to 8-1-2 and FSU 4-1-3.

A fun Sunday of recovering and watching on laptop and TV. 

paulie

Louisville Field Hockey, Women's Soccer and Volleyball in action Sunday -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Volleyball, Field Hockey on road, WSOC in Lynn 

A busy day for UofL women's sports squads, with three in action. Volleyball is at Boston College, Field Hockey in California and takes on UC Davis and Women's Soccer hosts FSU on campus in Lynn Stadium. let's look at the contests. 

LOUISVILLE VOLLEYBALL IN BEANTOWN

The 11-2 Volley Cards are #4 in the AVCA Poll and 1-0 in conference. It should be a classic one.  They'll take on a B.C. squad that is 10-2 but not in the top 16 rankings.

The Eagles losses came to Vanderbilt and Dartmouth. 

Game time is 1 p.m. and ACC Network Extra (ACCN) will have the broadcast.

LOUISVILLE FIELD HOCKEY GOES TO U.C DAVIS

Cards Field Hockey goes into the UC Davis game with a record of 7-2. They are #12 in the NFHCA poll.

U.C. Davis in 2-6 on the season and is on a four game losing streak. UMass Lowell, Columbia, Northeastern, Yale, Northwestern and Northwestern have delived the defeats. They did defeat Bellarmine and Central Michigan. They are unranked. A 1:30 ET game but no broadcast information is listed.  

LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S SOCCER HOSTS FSU

Cards WSOC kicks it off against FSU and the Noles are 4-1-2 and #22 in the nation. Louisville WSOC is 8-1-1 and not ranked but receiving votes. It's set for a noon start and will be shown nationwide on ESPN.

The Noles have defeated Stetson, FIU, Florida Atlantic and Georgia, , they tied Rice and NCST and lost to Florida. The Noles are not ranked at all....a rarity for them but they do have five National championships....including last season.  Don't overlook them. 

paulie

Cards FH defeat California in Overtime -- SATURDAY CARDINAAL COUPLE

 LOUISVILLE GETS THE 3-2 WIN TO GO TO 2-0 IN ACC

it was Aubreigh Uba's goal with 11:43 gone in the first overtime period that gave the Cards the win out at California . Her score ended the contest and it was the only time in the entire contest that Louisville ever lead against Golden Bears. 

#12 UofL had only nine shots against UC defense while Cal fired away at the Cards19 times

After Cal's first score, Uof L countered with a goal from Tyler Everslage.  Cal went up 2-1 a minute later but the Cards equalized it again when Mary Wordelmann tied it. 

The Cards will face UC Davis Sunday. The Cards are now 7-2 and on a three game win streak. 

pauie

VOLLEYBALL, FIELD HOCKEY IN ACTION ON FRIDAY -- FRIDAY CARDIAL COUPLE

VOLLEYCARDS AT SYRACUSE, FIELD HOCKEY GOES TO CALIFORNIA

#4 LOUISVILLE VOLLEYBALL TO FACE THE ORANGE.

The Louisville vs Syracuse rivalry used to be a "thing" when Leonid Yelin was coaching the Syracuse squad.. And , just because the Orange aren't in the top 25 anymore, Syracuse fans won't stay away and can still be to show up and boo against the Cards when they show up for the game tonight. Bakeer Ganesharatnam is their head coach. He is in his fifth season. You figure out how to pronounce his name, I'll just call him Coach B.

The Cuse is 5-4 on the season and this will be their first ACC game. They opened in a tournament in Illinois and lost to Cincinnati and the Illini. Wins over Howard and Albany followed, though..before losing to Arkansas in four sets. 

Canisius and FDU fell to the Orange before Buffalo swept then in straight sets. 

Kiernan Stamey is the clear kills artist with 117.

It'll be a 6 p.m. start and ACCNX will have the coverage. 

FIELD HOCKEY ON WEST COAST

Justine Sowry's 6-2 and #12 Louisville Field Hockey is ranked #12 and will face the #17 Cal Bears today at 5 p.m.. 

The Bears are 5-1 with just a loss to Michigan State. Louisville enters 6-2.

They show a start time of 5 p.m. Out there, you never know 

Cal's leading scorer is Liz Klompmaker is the leading scorer for Cal with six goals. Cal is coached by co-head coaches Tara and Steve Danielson, husband and wife team in their first year of coaching the Bears

It's another one set for ACCNX. 

paulie

 

Who's Next? THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 WHO'S NEXT? 

It is a question we get asked from time to time, here at Cardinal Couple, when it comes to the contests ahead for the Louisville women's sports squads. If I am in a playful mood. I wiil respond:

"Yes, an excellent release by the Who with classics such as "Baba O'Riley, "Bargain", "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" I believe the release date was summer 1971. Who can ever forget the opening chords by Pete Townsend on "Won't Get Fooled Again" once you have heard them (A,G,D) and Roger Daltry's screaming opening?" . 

After I finish ny recap, and see they are staring at me with blank eyes, I then ask them if they were referring to UofL women's athletics events. 99% percent nod yes. I apologize forr the answer, letting them know it was just a bit of old man's humor. 

Let's look at the next four days for UofL women's sports we cover and feel free to air guitar along as you listen to WHO'S NEXT

THURSDAY 9/24

All three squads we cover the most in fall sports are off. Field Hockey, Women's Soccer and Volleyball

FRIDAY 9/25

Volleyball is at Syracuse, Field Hockey is at California. WSOC still off,

SATURDAY 9/26  

All three are off.

SUNDAY 9/27

Volleyball is at Boston College, Women's Soccer hosts FSU and Field Hockey goes up against UC Davis. 

We'll have recaps and observations for you as the events come up. 

paulie

FH's Emily Young named ACC Co-Defender of the Week

 YOUNG HAS ALLOWED JUST NINE GOALS IN EIGHT GAMES

Most coaches will tell you, you need to have a solid defense to win games. When you allowed just eight goals in eight games, your goalie...in Field Hockey...is going to get a lot of the praise and credit along with her defensive unit. Louisville is (6-2) and the squad is now 10th in the latest rankings. Emily Young does the net duty and has for four years, the senior out of Houston, Texas climbed up thru the Cards ranks to be where she is today. It's the second time this season she has Defender of the Week shared honor

Young redshirted her first season on campus in 2023. She was a backup to Merljin van der Vegt. In 2024 she was the keeper in Cards wins over American University, Cornell, Ball St. and UC Davis. As the starter in 2025.she got a little better

6-2 and 4-0 so far this year .We'll take in, especiilly since the losses are against #1 Northwestern and #2 Iowa.

Keep sending them back without scoring, Cards defense and let the offense maneuver and drive. 

paulie