Womens Lacrosse chalks up IWLCA honors -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 10 LAX CARDS GET IWLCA RECOGNITION 

We always like to recognize those student-athletes at UofL who perform well in the classroom as well as on the playing venue. 

Scott Teeter has 10 student-athletes on the IWLCA Honor Roll.  The IWLCA is the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association and to be eligible for the Honor Roll, the student-athlete must be a junior, senior or graduate student and  earned a cumulative 3.5 or higher.

Abigail Cole

Aubury Bagenstose, Maggie McMahon, Erin NIcholson and CeCe Riley have received the recognition twice. Abigail Cole, Karli Harnischfeger, Morgan Vasseu, Reese Whitman, Karli  Kirchenheiter and Cate Kangas are on the list for the first time. 

Louisville Lax was 7-10 in 2025 and 1-8 in conference. 

Will it be a breakout year for Louisville WBB's Grace Mbugna? --WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

6'4 SOPHOMORE READY TO SHINE FOR CARDS 

When Grace Mbugna decided to attend UofL, a lot of those in the know were happy to see an in-state talent stay in Louisville and play hoops for the Cards WBB squad .She was being recruited by Kentucky, Baylor, Duke, Florida, LSU, NC State and West Virginia 

Her freshman year, though, was not a year of immediate success for her.. The Danville Christian H.S. prepster came into Louisville riding some pretty respectable stats. She was a 2025 McDonald's All-American nominee. She was also a Miss Kentucky finalist. She was on the Courier-Journal First Team All-State and was the 12th Region Player of the year. She averaged 22.3 points per game her final year at Danville Christian, grabbed 12.7 rebounds and took Danville Christian to the Kentucky Sweet Sixteen Semifinals and the school was the winner of the 12th region title. Born in Kenya and arriving in the United States at the age of 12, it was a story of success and triumph over adversity. . 

 

Crashing the Cards front line, though, wasn't as easy as high school ball seemed to be for her. She played in 18 games for the Cards but average just three points a game and three rebounds. 

But, she has put in the time in the off-season, and the reports I am getting from on-campus indicate to me that there will be no sophomore slump for her...instead, it might well be a  sophomore success story. Walz considers her part of the retuning core foundation

Her and Elif Istanbulluoglu on a Cards front line could be quite a power force along with Roberts, Randolph, Prawl and Berry in the backcourt attacking the opponents with that one thing Jeff Walz stresses...speed. 

We are excited, here at Cardinal Couple to see what kind of season she has. And, she wears #23, just like one of my favorite Cards of all-time...Jaz Jones. 

We can only hope it will be....a season full of Grace. 

paulie

Hearing from the probable Cards WBB starters -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 RANDOLPH, ISTANBULLUOGLU, ROBERTS AND BERRY SPEAK 

In case you missed them, last week the four girls that are are front runners to be starters for Louisville women's basketball spoke to a collection of media. I no longer attend these, partly due to health concerns and partly because UofL doesn't want me there. But, they are good discourses on a wide variety of subjects, I have them for you below .

https://youtu.be/WiVihv4FTx0?si=f9Eeqkm8S-bZNDVf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQG26IjaczE

If anything, the two clips..about 30 minutes in all, teach us valuable lesson...passing the torch is an important thing to all four. Leading by example and taking time to talk with the younger, inexperienced players is important to them and they look forward to the season ahead. 

The rest of the ACC will look at this 2026-27 squad and realize that there isn't just one athlete to shut down in order to stymie this team, there are at least four that have the skills, ability and talent to take over a game and make you pay 

There is a potential powder keg sitting on campus right now, let's see if the fuse gets lit ad it blows up the ACC and Di women's basketball. 

paulie

Field Hockey A Month Away -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 SOWRY'S CARDS LOOK TO IMPROVE ON 8-10 2025 RECORD. 

When you play in the ACC, college Field Hockey's arguably most competitive league conference wins are few and far between. Louisville Field Hockey hopes to improve upon their 2-6 ACC record from 2025 and to also climb over .500 in overall competition. 

Both Duke and UNC advanced to the final Four and played each other for the National Championship game last season. Most Cardinals fans will remember Pam Bustin. former UofL Field Hockey head coach who went to Duke in 2011 after spending 13 years as the Cardinals head coach. 

Justine Sowry, smiling for Paulie

So, being in the same conference with the National Champion and National runner up isn't the easiest slate to look forward to. if you are UofL. Head Coach Justine Sowry was an assistant to Bustin before becoming the Cards head coach...her record at UofL is 194-97, which tells us she has a great deal of success in coaching the squad out of conference.  and, Sowry did win the ACC regular season crowns in 2020 and 2021. Trager Field, the home of UofL Field Hockey, is considered one of the best venues for the national Final Four, having hosted it six times...the last time in 2018....and will host it again in 2026.  

Coming back for the Cards ae some very talented student-athletes.  Forward Rylie Wollerton, midfielders Izzy Bianco and Lauren Masters and defender Chloe Cuzzupe are back, along with goalkeeper Emily Young. 

The Cards also have a strong international presence on the squad with five of the 16 returning players from overseas...including the Netherlands and England. The exact number of freshmen are nor readily available for review just yet...but we do know Assumption's Ella Martin is on the roster, as well as Lylah Kaminski, out of St Louis St. Joseph's Academy.   

They'll have a couple of exhibitions before opening the season against Bellarmine on Wednesday, August 19th. 

We'll have full coverage of the squad and their contests here at Cardinal Couple. 

paulie

  

WSOC kicks off on Aug 12th -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 THE HUNTER NORTON ERA GETS UNDERWAY AGAINST NEBRASKA

The 2026 Louisville Women' Soccer season  brings on a new head coach for the Kickin' Cards...in Hunter Norton...but he is far from "new" to UofL or women's soccer on campus. 

Norton served as an assistant coach to Karen Ferguson Dayes for 12 years and spent his collegiate playing days at Georgia Southern. Bonus points to you this morning if you know what town Georgia Southern is based? Answer at the end of today's article. 

He takes the reigns after UofL's very successful 2025 season where they went 13-5-3 and 10-0-2 at Lynn Stadium on campus. 

The 2026 season begins with a visit from Nebraska on Wednesday, Aug.12th. The Lady Huskers went 8-5-5 in 2025 and 3-5-3 in the Big 10. After hosting them, IU Indy visits on Sunday, Aug. 16th. It'll be the first time the Cards have played either school in women's soccer. 

Returning for the Cards are impact players Ella Bard, Grace Maddox, Kate Kantu on defense, along with goalkeeper Brielle Baker and midfielder Betsy Huckabee. 

The Cards begin ACC play Sept 12th. vs Pitt at Lynn Stadium and will take part in 10 ACC matches, including a trip to the west coast to face Stanford and California. I still chuckle at the Atlantic conference having two schools that sit on the Pacific Ocean.

We'll keep you up on all the ACC WSOC and UofL WSOC news as it happens here at Cardinal Couple. 

(Answer to today's question...Statesboro, GA.)

paulie

We Read Your E-mails -- Saturday Cardinal Couple

FROM THE MAILBAG  

Yes, it's true ,we read your mail and we are not even stealing your personal information of running a spam game. It's stuff you send us. 

Occasionally ,we get an e-mail here at Cardinal Couple from you loyal readers asking the brain trust here at Cardinal Couple (me) a question. And, I do read your e-mail and reply when requested or if I have a counterpoint or different viewpoint. Mind you, there is still a lot of degrees of separation and distance between me and the Belknap campus salaried propaganda distributors...but, the last I head, it's still possible to speak one's mind about events, people, places, things and positions about the gendarme down where The Thinker sits and wonders why a major city would close their main north-south stretch of Interstate for several months and direct traffic through GPS and the ancient railroad overhang on 3rd street near campus(what a joke) or the crumbling Watterson Expressway. Only in Louisville. 

Enough of that nonsense, though...onto the questions.(and answers I provided). Names of the askers have been omitted...I am just focusing on WBB in this article. Hold your nose, here we go...

Did Yevheniia Putra leave Louisville WBB? 

The answer is "no". Putra returns for her sophomore season and is expected to be a valuable backup front line player for the Cards WBB squad. She and Grace Mbugna will provide valuable time for the Cards. 

Are the Cards playing in Alaska this season? 

The answer is "yes". Louisville WBB will participate in the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska. The Cards are one of four squads participating...along with Seattle, Chicago St. and the host team, Alaska-Anchorage, from November 21-22. 

What does Jeff Walz make a year? 

Public records do not indicate Walz's yearly salary  at UofL, but it is estimated that he pulls in around $1 million a year, with incentive packages based on yearly performance and scheduled raised designed to take him up to $2 million a year by 2028-29. Not bad for a bench warmer at NKU during his collegiate days and who still cuts his own grass.  

Where did Anaya Hardy go? 

The answer is Notre Dame. Hardy took her game to Notre Dame after two years at Louisville. She stated that it "felt like home" when she was there and coach Niele Ivey's warmth and the irish's sincerity were factors as well. She went to high school in Detroit. Michigan.

 Is Elif Istanbulluoglu the only foreigner on the UofL roster?

The answer is "no".  Ayse Melek Demirer, also from Turkiye joins Elif on the squad as a freshman. She is 6'5" and averaged 15.4 ppg and 17.4 rpg in 2025 for the Turkish FIBA National Youth squad in the 2025 FIBA U16 Women's Eurobasket Division B. 

Where did all the Cardinal Couple writers go? 

A variety of reasons for leaving the joy and excitement of Louisville women's sports for them . Case Hoskins cited increased job responsibilities at where he works as his reason to depart. Daryl Foust was unspecific in her dropping us....but accepted a job at UofL and may have been trying to avoid collusion.  Jared Anderson was bullied out of taking pictures for us by UofL Athletics if he wanted to keep his media pass. Jeff McAdams left to start his own website about UofL Volleyball, which failed to launch.  

Why do you no longer attend games Paulie? 

A couple of reasons. UofL pulled my media credentials and close-in parking permit because my X account was hacked and had questionable material posted on it by the hacker. I have since deleted my X account but was unable to go back in and delete what was posted. UofL refused to re-issue my media credentials, though..another case of their media department's vendetta against me. I am still on Facebook and Instagram. I was told the hackers were probably looking for financial information access and got mad when they found none and put up derogatory messages. I wish they would have asked me, I am so poor I can't even pay attention.  I also am going thru end stage kidney failure and attend dialysis three days a week for four hours a day. Simply stated, the treatments leave me weaker than I used to be, but keep me alive...so even if UofL put me back on media row, i would probably be too weak to physically walk from the parking lot to seats. i still have access to certain coaches and player, though, ad they can't prevent that. 

Sorry that today's article was late. I had all intentions of having it posted early but a technical glitch prevented it from being posted and I did not realize it until I got a message from a reader.  I guess that's the way it goes sometimes, eh? 

paulie

Zamareya Jones brings depth and stability to Cards WBB guards -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 NC STATE TRANSFER WILL BE A STRONG ADDITION TO LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 

Zamareya "Zam" Jones leaves Wes Moore's N.C. State's program and comes into a Cards roster as a very viable candidate to join probable starters Roberts, Randolph, Istanbulluoglu and Berry.

Jones had a spectacular sophomore eason in Raleigh, NC..with starts in 30 out of 31 games, 14. 9 points per game, and 32.54 minutes per game. She was the squad's starting point guard but was often undermined because of her diminutive height (5'7").

She arrives to Louisville at a time when their previous starting point guard (Renya Scott) has graduated. A tribute to Jeff Walz for seeing the need and getting a fix for it. 

A lot was made about Jones having to share ball-handling duties with Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks. Jones addressed the change in venue for her:

"After a lot of time, thought, and reflection...I have decided to enter the transfer portal. NC State will always hold a special place in my heart and I will be forever grateful for the memories, relationships and experience I have gained at N.C. State" 

We feel ...here at Cardinal Couple ...that she is the link that will make the UofL program capable of making the Final four and more. We look forward to her time at UofL for two years. 

paulie

Fever Fall to Valkyries -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 HINES-ALLEN DNP IN INDIANA LOSS TO GOLDEN STATE

It was a tough loss in more ways than one for the Fever's Myisha Hines Allen last night.

She is grieving the loss of her grandmother and losing to one of the top teams in the WNBA on her home court did help her mental state in addition. Hines-Allen was given an excused absence from the squad to attend her grandmother's funeral.  

Head Fever coach Stephanie White hd this to say about the star's persona tragedy:

Stephanie White said that Hines-Allen did not play because she was dealing with a family situation. White wanted her to have a couple of days to herself to deal with the loss. 

Hines-Allen has been a key rotational piece for the Fever this season. She is averaging 4.2 points a game and 3.2 rebounds in about 15 minutes a game. She is a key part of the Fever defense. 

Indiana was in front of a home crowd in their most recent loss to Golden State. The visiting Valkyries are in their second year of existence and are one of the top teams in the league at 18-7, one game behind league-leading Minnesota in the Western division. They have been on a arduous seven-game road  trip and are finally headed back home to California. The Fever are 14-10 on the season and tied for first place in the Eastern division with the Atlanta Dream

(Does anyone  remember the Grateful Dead's song about California? It is sampled below) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuev-dzohTk

We. at Cardinal couple extend out sympathies to the Hines-Allen family and Myisha over the loss of their Grandmother. 

I never knew either of my Grandmother's...and just one of my Grandfather's...but understand the importance of/them in many families.  

paulie

  

Big Four in Louisville More Than Just a Bridge -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 ROBERTS, RANDOLPH, BERRY AND ISTANBULLUOGLU WILL BE CARDS WBB LEADERS IN 2026-27

THE OTHER BIG FOUR IN TOWN...THE WALKING BRIDGE

The thought here is that Jeff Walz has to be pretty happy with his "Big Four" on campus. Now, that the squad is back on the court...he'll be looking to "R.R.B.& I" for leadership, skill, experience and mentoring of the freshman on his 2026-27 roster. 

I would imagine that most of the ACC WBB coaches would love to be in Walz's shoes right now.  Getting back four that contributed so much last year is something that doesn't happen very often. 

You've got height, scoring, skill and experience, and those four things are a pretty good tools to have in your workshed. The fact that Walz has empowered them to help him run the practices and speak out on what they are seeing speaks volumes on his confidence level on their abilities. 

                                                 ****************************************

The Big Four bridge was named for the now defunct railway that used it...the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway. Originally carrying trains, the bridge was decommissioned in the 1960's. It was called the "bridge to nowhere" in the 1970's and there was a movement to tear it down in some circles of thought. The ramps were removed, but then someone got the bright idea to spruce it up and connect walking paths to it on either side of the river. 

How far will the these "big four" at UofL walk (or, hopefully run) for Louisville in the quest for a Sweet Sixteen and beyond journey in the NCAA Tournament for the WBB Cards this season? 

In the ACC, Duke and UofL are the two top picks of a league that is brimming in talent. Duke returns a lot of firepower as well, in Kara Lawson's crew of Fournier, Mair, Jackson and company. They did reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament last year, a bit better than the Cards fade out against Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen.

We'll be watching the Big Four (and their teammates) closely, of course, here at Cardinal Couple. After all, we are less than four months away...We'll find a way to "bridge the gap" somehow 

paulie

Doe UofL WBB need a GM? -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 THE TREND IS BECCOMING MORE POPULAR...IS THAT  GOOD THING?

(A GM chord...sorry I couldn't resist.) 

General managers (GM's) are now becoming more and more prevalent in major college sports programs and teams. The coaches are so busy with all the aspects of on-court planning and player development...a college GM can act like a NFL executive, handing things such as managing the transfer portal, evaluating talent and multi-year depth planning.

Some programs across our nation also use GM's to coordinate NIL contracts and managing financial obligations. The also analyze data to identify undervalued players and optimize team performance. 

The thing is...with most college sports programs operating at a serious deficit...is the job a the expenditure necessary? Cost-cutting measures are being employed al lover the college landscape in athletics and tough decisions need to be made about spending necessities and  cost-cutting methods. 

Walz says he doesn’t see the need for a general manager and believes that role can sometimes become a way for coaches to shift blame when things don’t go right.

I don't claim to have ll the answers, but...college athletics has survived a long time without GM's. I don't see the need to tax the university dollar anmore by installing a GM, who can command hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases.  Jeff walz talks about GM's below...

Does Louisville need a GM for WBB? My opinion is "no". 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=989026327080118

paulie