Thoughts On The ACC -- TUESDAY CARDINAAL COUPLE

 IS THE FUTURE OF CONFERENCES IN JEOPARDY?

I've seen quite a few conference alignments for Louisville in this 70 year trip around the sun I have been on. 

It goes back to the MVC, and the wide expanse of the participants. New Mexico State? Bradley...North Texas and Drake. Hearing Ed Kallay call basketball games on the radio in his one-of-a-kind style. What conferences has Louisville been in since 1963? I chose 1963, because I was in the first grade and my Dad would invite me into the family den to listen to basketball games on his old, huge Philco radio. And, yes, I listed to UK and Cawood also. 

The Cards were i the MVC until 1974, and then Louisville spent a year as an independent in 1975. They went into the Metro Conference next, and had a 20 year run there. Such fun times in Freedom Hall and sitting in the student section in 335 at the beginning. Eventually getting season tickets and attending games with good friends and my wife Sonya.  Parking outside the Fairgrounds and sneaking in the back gate off Crittenden Drive, parking free on the street ...right down the street from the Winn-Dixie Warehouse. Slipping through the chain-locked gate and walking in the back entrance by the third base side of Fairgrounds stadium. Anyone else remember Harry at the door, checking student I.D. 's? They got you in free. 

Conference USA was next and an interesting time from 1995-2004. Then a seven year run in the Big East. 2013 was weird, spending a year in the American Athletic Conference before going into the Atlantic Coast Conference.

These days I follow the action on line. on TV and on radio and no longer attend basketball contests at the KFC YUM! Center.  

I wonder if there will be anything after the ACC? We can rest assured the SEC will never come calling. A national mega conference setup has a lot of support and regionality has given way to pursuit of the mega market dollar. These days, we see the "Power 4" (SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and ACC) against the rest. The Atlantic Coast Conference has two school in California and one in Texas. The Southeastern Conference has Oklahoma and Texas.  

And, travel burdens and financial despair must be addressed. Imagine running a organization that was $100 million dollars in debt? 

Interesting times ahead. Six conference in the past. One current for Louisville athletics. What's next?

Whatever Happened To... -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 TAYLOR ROBY A...TIGER? 

If you are a Louisville softball fan, the name Taylor Roby is still one you will easily recognize. Roby, from Mt. Washington and a two-way powerhouse for the Cards,  as a pitcher and at the plate. is still in the ACC, but she's traded in the Cardinals uniform for a Clemson Tiger uniform. 

No, she's not playing anymore.  She serves as a Director of Player Development for the Tigers. She's in her fourth year in South Carolina. Her duties include day-to-day assistance for all aspects of the program including team bonding and scouting. She also handles liaison duties with Nike/Mizuno. She's in her fourth year on the Tigers staff and was a graduate assistant for two years and then got her current gig on  August 29th, 2025.  

Out of Bullitt East Hight School, she arrived at UofL and rapidly became a premier Cardinal diamond queen. During her final season at UofL, she was selected a second team NFCA All-American and first team ACC member. She batted .360 her senior season and then headed to clemson fo graduate studies and became a graduate assistant for Tigers softball. She fills the trifecta of what an old buddy used for softball players tanking: Good Hit, Good Pitch, good Looking .

At Louisville, she still holds career (63) and season (23) home run records.

Roby also spent a season playing pro softball for the USSSA Pride squad.

I remember an interview with her from years ago when, somehow, the conversation morphed into food. When asked what her favorites food was, she ended up with four...Texas roadhouse rolls, strawberries, chicken nuggets and spaghetti. Sounds like a O.K. dinner to me. 

Roby isn't a huge social media maven, but if you follow the Clemson softball squad .I'm sure you'll be able to pick up bits and pieces on her. 

I recently saw a list of the best five Louisville softball players of all time and she was on the list...along with Lacy Wood, Megan Hensley, Maryssa Becker and Melissa Roth. Got a different five? Let me know in the comments section. 

paulie

Three Summer Softball camps at UofL remain -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 TWO LIL' CARDS CAMPS AND A MIDDLE SCHOOL CAAREDS WORKOUT AVAILABE

We do normally think of softball as a summer activity for the kids, in various leagues around the city. The universities and colleges are done with their respective seasons and coaches are keeping an eye on young prospects as they compete against others. 

UofL still has three camps available for the grade school and middle school players. They are run by the coaches and some of the players past and present. It's always beneficial, one can imagine, for the younger players to get advice and tips and instruction from those who see the game from the collegiate level 

7/14 -- LIL CARDS SUMMER CAMP THREE

This camp runs Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon and the age group being targeted is from 6-12. During this cap, Louisville softball Players and staff will teach the basic fundamentals of softball, including throwing, catching, fielding, hitting and baserunning. Potentia attendees should be aware of the closing of I-65 and go to WAZE or other apps to find the best route to get to campus from their location. Camp cost: $75.00

7/21 -- LIL CARDS SUMMER CAMP FOUR

This camp follows the same premise as Camp Three and the same age group. The times on this Tuesday are also 9 a.m. - noon and the age group is also 6-12. 

7/20 -- MIDDLE SCHOOL CARDS SUMMER WORKOUT 2

This camp is for Grades 6-8 in high school and also works on the basic fundamentals of the game. The hours are 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. The cost is $ 85.00 

For more information on any of these camps , or registration information, go to the link: https://louisvillesoftballcamps.totalcamps.com/shop/EVENT

louisvillesoftballcamps.totalcamps.com

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

From Cardinal Couple to you...Happy 4th of July!!!

paulie and sonya

A couple days off -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 A BREAK FOR THE HOLIDAY

With the 4th of July weekend being here ,I have decided to take a brief break from the reporting on the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. 

It is something I have debated and batted back and forth, (sorry, no pun intended) in my mind recently. As the sole writer here, I have no one now to ask to fill in and write the Friday or Saturday columns. A lot of you go on short vacations, I am going on one, too.

I'll be back with a Sunday article. There's not a lot to report on this time of year, beside academic achievements, so I figured this would be a good time to do so. 

It's fitting that it is coming at a time of celebration of independence in our nation. I have run Cardinal Couple without the guidance of a board of directions, supervisors or financial backing. I did accept donations in the early days of the site, but...then figured that accepting money wasn't the way I wanted to go. Having to pay a fee for "inside information" just isn't how I roll and I am not 'beholding' to any one person, advertiser or group.  

I want to wish all of you a great 4th of July holiday...whether you are off work, or working so we can enjoy things on our days off. And, a special tip of the hat to those who do work the holidays to make sure we have enjoyable ones. 

Just a word on the shooting of fireworks. Please, two things...if you are going to do this, please be careful. I have seen what a lit firework can do to fingers or eyesight. The second thing , please make sure your pets don't have to hear the continuous "booms" and explosions without someone there to comfort them and keep them calm. I have also seen what this does to pets and they don't understand why these scary noises are happening. Show them comfort, please.

Have a great Fourth of July. Remember, the reason for the celebration. There are many places in the world that would love to celebrate independence and freedom, but can't...

From Sonya and I, enjoy the fireworks and the Fourth. See ya Sunday

paulie

Zabala Part of the VIBE -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 ALYSSA ZABALA ON THE FLORIDA VIBE IN PSL

The title of today's article is not intended to be some hip '60's slang phrase...like "wow, man ..she is really in the vibe and it's groovy." 

One of the best pitchers in Louisville Softball history, Alyssa Zabala, will take her game to the pro ranks this summer when she takes the circle for the Florida Vibe. The team, located in Bradenton, FL, is part of the Professional Softball League,which is in their first season.

Zabala is one of three pitchers on the roster of 15 that also has two other ACC former players on the roster. 

No details were available that I could find on the salary for the Zabala or any of the ot the players. The league has six teams this season...and the Vibe has Mike Scott as the head coach. Scott was a longtime assistant coach at Winthrop. 

I have seen so many "start up" leagues over the years and seen their various successes and demises. I , for one, never thought Arena Football would reach the successes it has. 

I really hope that the PSL and the other "big league" softball organizations..AUSL, NPF and a few I have probably forgotten about, are great chances for the excellent college players who aren't ready to retire the glove and bat, sure, but they don't reach huge paydays for the athletes and rarely last a decade.    

I still look at what I call the "front running five" the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL. as the one that garner the attention and the athletes. And, four of the five are male dominated. I still have high hopes for the NWSL and Racing Louisville. 

What is your favorite women's professional league and franchise and player? I guess I sill go back to Angel in the WNBA and her time with the Dream. 

Have a great Thursday...and a upcoming 4th of July weekend. 

paylie

Reflections -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 AS THE SOLE WRITER, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK? 

(Still flocking in from around the nation...thank you readers). 

After 20 years of pumping this daily site out, with a host of others. it's back to where I began. By myself, doing solo duty. 

For whatever reason, and there have been a slew of them...I've had over a dozen writers here come and go. I am retired now, I have kidney failure, which means I am hooked up to a dialysis machine three times a week, four hours a time. I no longer attend live events. There are times I have to use a walker or wheelchair to do daily things. At age 70, I read almost daily of friends or acquaintances dying. It used to be attending weddings. Now it's attending funerals 

There has also been a change of the guard down at UofL. The independent writers are not as prevalent as they used to be.  

And if you don't believe it, check it out. Look at Media row or the Press Box . 

I look back to the premise  I began the site on the premise of the joy and excitement of UofL sports. And, back then, in 2006, there were a lot of exciting things going on down on the Belknap Campus. Tom Jurich and Julie Hermann were on campus as VIce President and Director of Athletics (Jurich) and Senior Associate Director of Athletics and senior Women's Administrator (Hermann).  Tom Collen was the head WBB coach (Walz was still a year away). The KFC YUM! Center was four years away. Sandy Pearsall was in her sixth year on campus as softball coach. Karen Ferguson Dayes was in her sixth year as head women's soccer coach. 

But, it always went back to the student-athletes here at Cardinal Couple. And, oh...the friendships I have made and students I have covered in contests and interviewed. 

And, I sometimes wonder if what I churn out here daily means anything to anyone anymore? I get e-mails of encouragement and criticism. I lost my photographer due to administration pressure.  I have been shunned on campus because someone hijacked my now deleted Twitter account and put up some objectionable stuff. It's funny...these days a coach can go into a string of expletives and then go on as nothing happened...but, the unpaid writer gets ostracized for something he didn't even do  

It's like a former UofL women's lacrosse player told me so many years ago. 

"You can get knocked down, slammed around, and bloodied but it just takes that one shining moment to bring you back." 

And, maybe that's why I still do it. It's always been about the students. 

It always will be. 

So..what is your opinion on all this? Feel free to e-mail me at cardinalcouple@twc.com or leave a comment here. I'll keep your responses private. It's like the old Alan Parsons song Games People Play where they ask..."Where do we go from here?"  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLi7Ljcy6n8

I'll be reading ...and thinking. 

paulie  

Volleyball will begin the season with the Red and Black scrimmage -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS VB LOOK TO GO FURTHER THAN SWEET SIXTEEN OF NCAA TOURNAMENT IN THE UPCOMING SEASON. 

Louisville Volleyball goes into the 2026 season with a revamped roster and will begin the upcoming season with their annual Red vs. Black scrimmage on Aug 15th. in the LNFCUA. 

All told, the VolleyCards will have 14 home contests...11 at the LNFCUA and three at the KFC YUM! Center. The annual UK match will be in Lexington this season, on Sept. 20th.

They'll participate in the AVCA First Serve in Milwaukee on August 21st and 22nd against Texas A&M and Wisconsin to get the regular season underway....then it's back home to face IU, Dayton and TCU. 

Expected back for the Cards are Kamden Schrand, Addison Makun, Hannah Kenny, Chloe Chicoine, Navellis Cabello, Hannah Sherman, Molly Urban, Payton Petersen, Kalyssa Blackshear and Brooke Bultema  and the Cards will welcome four freshmen to the roster.  

Dan Meske returns as the head coach and has Todd Chamberlain as his associate coach and Parker Mikesch and Jena Otec as assistants. 

A key matchup will be against the Texas Longhorns on Sept 6th in Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. 

Chicoine, Petersen and Blackshear were three of the top four kill producers on the squad last season and Cabello led the squad in assists. 

paulie 

Prawl A Tall Guard coming to Louisville -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 DENIYA PRAWL LOOKING FOR A SECOND CHANCE WITH CARDS. 

She was a highly sought after guard out of IMG Academy and an All-American her senior year in high school. Louisville was one of many who were vying for her services, along with South Carolina, Notre Dame, UCLA and Tennessee...but Tennessee ended up winning the recruiting battle for her and she spent her freshman year as a Vol. 

Her numbers were not spectacular...she played in 29 games, with seven starts, averaging 4 points a contest and 2.7  rebounds. An 16-14 season and 8-8 SEC mark barely got the Vols into the NCAA Tournament  and a first round loss to North Carolina State was not what the Vols fans expected from the season. 

Prawl decided to leave the Vols and head north to Louisville.

She figures to be an important cog in the Cards attack in the 2026-27 season. With Roberts, Berry and Randolph all returning for Jeff Walz, Prawl may not be a starter...but will give Walz one of the deepest backcourts in the ACC. You find ways to get good talent on the court. 

We know Walz has tailored this team to perform the three "R"s...rebound, run and react...and Prawl will be a important contributor, from what we can gather., in contributing to the big "S"...scoring

Of course, it's way too early here at the end of Jume to predict how the Cards will do in the upcoming season. Articles and columns I have read indicate that a lot of[people think Louisville will be one of the top teams in the ACC and a Top 10 contender nationwide.  

We'll see how the ball bounces. 

paulie

WTEN Has Four Named To ALL-ACC Academic Team -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 THREE SENIORS, ONE GRADUATE MAKE THE LIST

We probably don't cover Louisville women's tennis enough hear at Cardinal Couple, and...sadly that probably won't change with me being the only cornflake left her in the bowl that is Cardinal Couple,,,but, to use a worn out phrase , I'm paddling as fast as I can. 

Four women's Serve and Return Cards have been named to the All-ACC Academic Team. The ramifications to jo this vaunted list are strict, indeed. A honoree must have a 3.0 academic average fom the previous semester and a 3.9 in the current semester, as well as participating in at least 50% of the squads contests. 

-- Germany Davis -- Political Science -- College Park, GA

-- Berta Miret -- Neuroscience -- Barcelona, Spain 

-- Rebeckka Gaines -- Communications -- Kernersville, S.C / University of New Mexico 

-- Alice Otis -- Marketing -- Mt. Pleasant, S.C. / University of Germany davis Women's tennisDenver

2026 wasn't the best season for the Women's Tennis Cards...they went 10-12, with a 1-12 mark in the ACC. They were eliminated in the firsst round of the ACC Tournament by Virginia Tech. 

Mark Beckham has been the Cards WTEN head coach since 2008. He also played for four years at Louisville , too.