Monday Cardinal Couple -- Previewing the ACC: North Carolina. WNBA: Dream break Fever

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- PREVIWING THE ACC:  NORTH CAROLINA

- ATLANTA DREAM BREAKS THE FEVER

- CHILLIN' 4 CHARITY:  Shoni version

North Carolina is the next school we are looking at as we work our way down the ACC alphabetically.

They go by several names besides North Carolina. UNC, Carolina, Heels and Tarheels are the most common.

Address: Chapel Hill, NC

Mascot: Rameses

Enrollment: 29,127 (2013)

Acceptance rate: 27.6% (2012)

Founder: William Richardson Davie

Founded: December 11, 1789

Colors: White, Carolina blue

 

 

 

The Ram is the official UNC mascot. He is known as either Rameses or Jack.

UNC participates in (14) women's sports:

Basketball                                   Rowing
Cross Country                              Soccer
Fencing                                       Softball
Golf                                            Swim & Dive
Lacrosse                                     Volleyball
Track & Field                              Tennis
Gymnastics                                 Field Hockey
Rowing                                       Volleyball


We'll look at four of these today.

BASKETBALL

Mavunga will be a key for UNC

The TarHeels had an impressive 2013-14 season. On a squad that lost Coach Sylvia Hatchell to leukemia treatments, they went 27-10 and got to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament after knocking off South Carolina. They fell to Stanford to end their season.

A talented compliment of players return, including Stephanie Mavunga, Allsiha Gray and Jessica Washington. They do lose Diamond DeShields via transfer route.

FIELD HOCKEY

An impressive season for UNC, going 18-6 and reaching the NCAA semifinals before falling to UConn 2-1. They return a strong cast and are expected to battle Duke and Virginia for the conference title.

LACROSSE

UNC went 15-5 overall and 5-2 in the tough ACC Conference. They made the NCAA Tournament but fell in the second round to conference rival Virginia.

VOLLEYBALL

A rapid start to the season had the Heels at 12-0 before taking their first loss to Duke. They ended 27-5 on the season and 16-4 in conference but was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round by California.

SYNOPSIS

Carolina is a lot like Duke in the fact that they are usually pretty  

good and top 25 ranked in most women's sports they field. They'll challenge the Cards on the hardwood and in the fall sports of field hockey, soccer and volleyball. Basketball, in particular, will be a tough test for Jeff Walz and the Cards...despite DeShields departing, they have an experienced team returning.

Louisville isn't on par with UNC in field hockey or lacrosse yet, but is gaining ground.  Soccer and volleyball appear to be evenly matched.   

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 It took Angel McCoughtry more than 25 minutes to get going. Once she did, the Atlanta Dream were on their way to their ninth win in 11 games.

McCoughtry scored 12 of her 20 points in the second half, leading the Dream to a 76-68 win over the Indiana Fever on Sunday night. Her 3-pointer with 2:04 left in the game put the Dream (11-4) up for good.

After taking stock of her game at halftime, she wanted to be more engaged in the second half.

"I was just lazy on my shots," McCoughtry said. "Once I get my focus, I can knock anything down. I hit a 3, made a couple of plays to get us going and found my rhythm."

Atlanta appeared to be on the verge of letting the game get away midway through the fourth quarter. Nursing a 65-61 lead, the Dream committed four straight turnovers -- two by McCoughtry -- that sent Indiana on a 7-0 run for a 68-65 lead with 3:53 left.

Indiana then let its opportunities to grab the win slip away.

Briann January missed a wide-open layup with 3:30 left that would have given Indiana a five-point cushion. Then, with a 68-67 lead and 2:25 on the clock, Karima Christmas missed two free throws that set up McCoughtry for the go-ahead 3-pointer.

With the Dream leading 72-68 with under 43 seconds left, Celine Dumerc blocked Shavonte Zellous' 3-point attempt and then scored in transition, sealing the game for Atlanta.

"Indiana always plays you tough," Dream coach Michael Cooper said. "They gave us all we could handle."

The Fever (6-9) lost their fourth straight game.

Zellous scored 18 points to continue her hot streak for the Fever. She had 33 points against Tulsa on Wednesday and 18 points Friday against Phoenix in narrow defeats.

Sancho Lyttle scored 16 points for Atlanta and Erika de Souza added 12 points and 13 rebounds. Natasha Howard and Marissa Coleman each scored 10 for the Fever. Shoni Schimmel had five points in 13 minutes of action.


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Chillin' 4 Charity has gone viral. Everyone is getting into the act.
Here's Shoni getting hers:

http://www.wnba.com/video/wnba/2014/06/26/Chillin4charityDreamFINALmp4-3312186/




paulie
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Sunday Cardinal Couple -- Sad News in the NCAA WBB Coaching Ranks

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Rae Rippetoe-Blair dies in accident

A woman who was killed Friday when she and her motorcycle fell from the U.S. 183 flyover has been identified by her family as former UTSA women’s basketball coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair, 52.

The wreck occurred Friday afternoon when Rippetoe-Blair lost control of her vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycle while exiting MoPac Blvd. onto U.S. 183 using the flyover. The bike and rider both went over the edge and fell to the ground below.

No other cars were involved in the accident, police said.

Her mother, Anita Rippetoe, said that Rippetoe-Blair had sold her motorcycle and had driven to Austin to deliver it to the buyer when she was killed.

Her daughter loved to ride her motorcycle on Hill Country roads, stopping in
small towns like Bandera to check out live music shows, Rippetoe said.

“She said it was very peaceful,” Rippetoe said.

Rippetoe-Blair became the UTSA women’s basketball coach in 2000 after eight seasons as assistant head coach at Oklahoma State University, her alma mater.

She went 216-173 during her tenure at UTSA and led the Roadrunners to the NCAA tournament in 2008 and 2009. UTSA won the Southland Conference tournament twice under her leadership.

“She never had any children, but her basketball team was her children she tried to take care of every one of them,” Rippetoe said.

Rippetoe-Blair resigned from her coaching position in August to take care of her husband, Craig, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, Rippetoe said. He passed away in March at the age of 51. The couple was married for 23 years and will be buried together in Ardmore.

Rippetoe-Blair had just visited her family in Ardmore earlier this week, Rippetoe said, and her daughter had talked about starting a new job and a possible return to coaching.

“She was trying to get her life back on track,” Rippetoe said.

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A young "Worldwide" obsessing over
a photo shoot. This is the last known
picture of him clean-shaven.

The latest Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is now archived and on the

Soundcloud. You can access it by clicking the Crescent Hill logo at the top

of the article or over on The Right Side of The Site. 

We have two great interviews to listen to...Paulie's chat with Jeff Walz and "Lmo's" interview of Asia Taylor. We also look at the WNBA All-Star voting, Worldwide reviews the Volleyball schedule and we present him a quiz on senior guard Jude Schimmel. Don Paulie also makes an appearance.

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO will return again to the internet on July 12th...we are taking our broadcast slot off next week. It was either that or a 60 minute retrospectitve of the evolution of the bounce pass in basketball.

PAULIE
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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Is Jude Schimmel ready to fill Shoni's shoes?

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- What will Jude's senior season bring?

-Walz Interview on CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO today


IS LEADERSHIP ROLE "IN THE CARDS" FOR JUDE?

It is mid-morning Thursday and Paulie has arrived on the Belknap Campus to get a few words from Jeff Walz. It's a nice summer morning, warm but not oppressive in heat or humidity yet...and the campus is quiet on this late June morning.

As I park my car and prepare to enter the SAC Building, where the UofL WBB offices are, I see a familiar figure walking toward the parking garage. She is not surrounded by throngs of admiring Native American fans, her older sister is not leading the way and she carries no basketball, water bottle or school books.

Jude Schimmel saunters into the garage, climbs in her vehicle and slowly and carefully backs out. She drives by me...I raise a hand and wave and she gives me a broad smile as she passes me and drives out of the facility.

Jude and I have never had more than just a few words together and she probably couldn't pick me out of a lineup...but she's stared out at me a few times in post-game media press conference, so I figured the wave was appropriate and was glad to get a smile in return.

She is on a mission. Not only on that particular day...but for her senior season as a UofL women's basketball student-athlete.

Looking back at her career...I recall when she first decided to choose to follow her sister Shoni's footsteps and attend Louisville. We got comments here at the site. Both positive and negative. You, our readers...told us Jude was:

-Too small to be effective in college hoops.
-Just being brought on campus to keep her sister company.
-The final piece of the package that ensured Shoni would come here and stay here.
-Someone that would ride the bench for four years

We also got some great and uplifting responses...

-She led her high school team when Shoni was injured and was the star after Shoni graduated.
-Was a ball-hawking, lock-down defensive guard who could put     up Shoni-type numbers
-A better three-point shooter than her sister.
-Intelligent, a big student of the game and a leader.

In 2011-12, her first season as a Card, she was a reserve who didn't start a game, used primarily as a back up guard and averaged 11.7 minutes a game. She was third on the team in assists, scored 50 points for a 1.7 average and had 19 steals.

As a sophomore in 2012-13, her playing time increased to 24.3 minutes per contest. She was second on the team is assists, three-point shooting %, and steals. She hit the game-winner against Texas A&M and averaged 5.7 points per game...217 total points. Still no starts, but usually first off the bench for Walz. 

Last season, she finally broke the starting lineup for five games. Although her minutes-per-game dropped slightly (22.5) and her total points (175) and average (5.6) were slightly less than her sophomore year...she had a career scoring high against Quannipiac (16 points). She was second in assists again and third in steals.

For the third time in her young life...Jude will don the jersey, put on the shoes and step out on the hardwood without Shoni by her side. The stakes much higher in this scenario.

Linked below are a couple of great reads on her from Indian Country Today:

JUDE THE LEADER


JUDE THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER


Will Jude evolve into Shoni's role as the go-to, the spark, the heart of the 2014-15 UofL WBB squad?

We'll say partially but not to the extent her older sister did. We see the seniors Sara Hammond and Bria Smith sharing that role with Jude.

Shoni Schimmel type players come along for a program maybe once every 5-10 years. As a head coach, Jeff Walz has been fortunate to have two players who were legendary in their careers...Shoni and Angel. We don't see any of the returning players matching those qualifications and accomplishments.

There are five freshman on campus, though. Any  or all of them have that chance, that opportunity to become that next Shoni or Angel.

Fun times ahead...and for Jude Schimmel...a season in the spotlight without having her name said second when the media discusses "a Schimmel" at Louisville.


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Our radio show on Crescent Hill will feature an interview with Jeff Walz. We'll also discuss other UofL Sports, we'll have a quiz for Worldwide Jeff and our usual assortment of gripes, analysis, ennui and blustering braggaddio. Maybe Worldwide will
even give us a concert review from last night's live music on the lawn at Crescent Hill Radio for the Friday night  Frankfort Avenue trolley hop.

Join us, wont you?

Link below


MAMA !!! THEM MEN IS ON THE ELECTRIC RADIO AGAIN !!!



PAULIE

Friday Cardinal Couple -- Words WIth Walz

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- The Cardinal Couple Jeff Walz 6/26/14 interview

- Angel to be featured


We had the chance to get to the Louisville campus Thursday morning and get some in-depth and great comments from University of Louisville head women's basketball coach Jeff Walz. 

We'll play the entire 9 minute + interview on our Saturday CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR @ Crescent Hill Radio. The show starts at 11 a.m. EDT.

Some teasers and tidbits from our chat...


- Think UofL is done with Geno and UConn? Possibly not. Won't happen this season...but is there something brewing in the works?

Hear Coach's exclusive news on our broadcast!  

- The non-conference schedule for 2014-15 should be out soon...Walz has one spot left be to fill. ACC dates and times won't be out until September.

- What does Jeff really think about Mariya Moore? And the girls he'll be coaching in Colorado Springs?

- Sara Hammond's success in the 3x3 Championship Drive was a result of her dedication and determination...plus one other very important factor. Hear Coach describe it...

- We ask Coach... who will fill the shoes of Asia, Tia, Shoni and Nita? His response?

- Where will Coach Walz be in 72 hours?

Be sure to catch the 6/28/14 broadcast of CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR for these answers and much more.

Archived broadcasts are also available by clicking the link at the top of the article or over in our Right Side of the Site section.

Crescent Hill Radio ( www.crescenthillradio.com ) is the home for our weekly show. Join Worldwide Jeff McAdams and me as we discuss UofL women's sports on a weekly basis. We'll also feature a great recent interview with Lynx forward Asia Taylor on the broadcast.

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...and when you smile for the camera...(sorry, old Steely Dan song reference there)...Louisville's Angel McCoughtry will be under the bright lights in early July:

Twenty-two athletes will be featured in the ESPN The Magazine Body Issue, which will hit newsstands on July 11.

The keystone to the issue is the "Bodies We Want" section, where athletes will be featured in tasteful nude poses.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, tennis star Venus Williams, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka will be included in the issue.

Others to appear are: Bernard Hopkins (boxing), Jimmy Spithill (sailing), Tomas Berdych (tennis), Nigel Sylvester (BMX), Omar Gonzalez (soccer), Travis and Lyn-z Pastrana (action sports/X-games), Jamie Anderson (snowboarding), Amy Purdy (Para-Olympics), Danyelle Wolf (boxing), Aja Evans (bobsled), Hillary Knight (hockey), Megan Rapinoe (USA soccer), Angel McCoughtry (WNBA), Coco Ho (surfing) and Ginger Huber (cliff diving).

paulie

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


- Guess whose leading the WNBA guard ballots?

For a player that's having a hit-n-miss record cracking the Atlanta Dream's starting five, Shoni is getting a lot of nationwide love. Popularity is what All-Star balloting is about. Check these numbers out... 

Top Five Guards - Eastern Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Shoni Schimmel	Dream	14,635
Starter	Ivory Latta	Mystics	5,974
3rd	Cappie Pondexter	Liberty	5,926
4th	Briann January	Fever	5,341
5th	Courtney Vandersloot	Sky	4,972
Top Six Frontcourt Players - Eastern Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Elena Delle Donne	Sky	16,542
Starter	Angel McCoughtry	Dream	9,736
Starter	Tamika Catchings	Fever	8,341
4th	Erika de Souza	Dream	7,579
5th	Chiney Ogwumike	Sun	6,922
6th	Tina Charles	Liberty	5,897
Top Five Guards - Western Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Diana Taurasi	Mercury	10,487
Starter	Seimone Augustus	Lynx	10,024
3rd	Lindsay Whalen	Lynx	8,898
4th	Skylar Diggins	Shock	8,447
5th	Sue Bird	Storm	4,506
Top Six Frontcourt Players - Western Conference
Rank	Player	Team	Votes
Starter	Maya Moore	Lynx	16,509
Starter	Candace Parker	Sparks	13,704
Starter	Brittney Griner	Mercury	10,214
4th	Kayla McBride	Stars	6,220
5th	Nneka Ogwumike	Sparks	6,129
6th	Janel McCarville	Lynx	5,048

SWISH APPEAL will tell you:

WE WANT SHONI SCHIMMEL!

The rookie guard is running away with it and appears to be a near-lock as an All-Star starter. In fact, she also leads all rookies in All-Star voting. Schimmel had a super start, in particular as a passer in her first four games of the season.

I'll also add this. If All-Star voting ended today, Schimmel would also start alongside Dream teammate Angel McCoughtry. Both of them played their college basketball at the University of Louisville. It should also be pointed out that Ivory Latta was a former Atlanta Dream player.

Schimmel has cooled off  a little since her first few games. This goes into my next point.

There doesn't appear to be much differentiation among the Eastern Conference's guards, beyond Shoni Schimmel.

Yeah. With the exception of Schimmel, whose voting stats could be partially influenced from the Native American and Louisville fan communities, it's a really close race for who's second place for guards in the East. As of today, Ivory Latta of the Washington Mystics would be there, but Cappie Pondexter of the New York Liberty is really, really close.

The point is this...in a league that is crying out for more attendance...the fans have spoken.

Wake up, Michael Cooper. You're a clown...just like the other coaches the program has had since Angel has been there. A figurehead. Do you really think you (or any other WNBA Coach) is responsible for a team's success or attendance? 

Reality check. The fans come to see players they like. The Connecticut Sun should be chock-full of Geno grads. Tulsa stocked with BIG 12 success stories. Same principal applies to the other ten franchises. 

Wake up WNBA. I'll be watching the Atlanta Dream's road attendance with great interest the rest of the year.

Schimmel Magic.

And...if the brain trust of the Atlanta Dream has any common sense at all...Jude Schimmel should be on the 2015 draft list under Atlanta's pick.

Schimmels' at guard. Angel, Sancho and Erika on the front line. You're a "for profit" organization.

Get your corporate heads out of the sand (or elsewhere).

And add Sara Hammond next year. Trade for Asia Taylor.

Move the franchise to Louisville....

(Paulie's commentary is solely his own thoughts and does not necessarily represent the thoughts of viewpoints of the rest of the CARDINAL COUPLE staff, Swish Appeal, any players or coaches mentioned here, NYSE Day Traders, that weird guy at the gas n go who sells me coffee in the morning or Pat Travers.) 

Have a great Thursday. 

paulie

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Volleyball releases 2014 schedule

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


- CARDS BEGIN FIRST ACC SEASON


For Anne Kordes and the University of Louisville Volleyball team, the 2014 season as a member of the ACC means revisiting some former foes, taking on some new challenges and going through a non-conference slate that will be demanding.

30 matches and nine nationally ranked opponents, 11 regionally ranked teams and nine teams in the top 60 RPI.

UofL gets underway in the ACC/B1G Challenge (yes, it's the old Big 10). The Cards and Notre Dame go against Wisconsin and Minnesota in Minneapolis on Aug. 29-30. They'll host the Active Ankle Challenge in Cardinal Arena on Sept 5-6 with Tennessee State, Appalachian State and Cincinnati coming to town.

The Kentucky Wildcats visit the KFC YUM! on Sept 9th. Louisville will play in the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational
next at Morehead where the Eagles, Arizona State, Louisville and Northern Illinois will participate.

Rounding out the non-conference slate is a trip to Houston for the Rice Invitational....where Louisville will face the Owls, Stephen F. Austin and Texas Southern.

Conference play begins Sept. 26th. in the KFC YUM! Center. 18 conference games...nine at home...ending with a three game homestretch at the end of November.

The ACC does not have a conference volleyball tournament.

Tougher foes, according to our volleyball guru Worldwide Jeff, four starters graduated and seven matches in the KFC YUM! Center. Interestingly, the Cards will begin their home slate in Cardinal Arena in September and end it there in November. Scheduling conflicts, we assume...but when packed...Cardinal Arena can be a very loud and nerve-racking place for an opponent to visit. 

Louisville does return AAC Freshman of the Year Maya McClendon, outside hitter Janelle Jenkins and setter Katie George. A couple of transfers and a solid returning nucleus will give Louisville a chance at another great season...but don't expect the Cards to run the conference slate undefeated like they did last year.

A rebuilding year for Anne Kordes? Perhaps. Losing to graduation the phenomenal Caitlin Welch at libero, strong middle blockers Brooke (Stomp) Mattingly and Randi Ewing...plus steady, dependable Emily Juhl as an outside hitter leaves some gaps to fill. Hannah Kvitle was a go-to back up at setter/defensive specialist who transferred at the end of the season.

It's hard to classify it as a rebuilding year when you ran the table in the AAC the previous season...and each year coaches face the task of replacing graduating players...but Kordes has talent where it counts the most in two extremely talented "kill" artists in McClendon and Jenkins and they had between them six of the top ten kill totals per match in the 2013 season.

Opening serve is just nine weeks away...get out the net, knee pads and Anne's clipboard....Volleyball is back!

paulie

Tuesday Cardinal Couple

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

More Lacrosse Honors

On the coaching front, this time, Kellie Young has been selected IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association) West Region Coach of the Year.  That Louisville is in the West Region surely reinforces the idea that Lacrosse is a sport that, as a whole, has a strong east coast bias.  It may be a bit weird, next year, if they end up giving honors to a West Region team that's in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Coach Young was selected on the strength of capturing both Big East Championships this year...regular season and tournament...over a strong Georgetown team among other Big East competitors; taking the UofL squad to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program's short history and even advancing a round before being beaten by a top-notch, and Final Four bound Northwestern squad.

The overall Division I coach of the year was Cathy Reese from perennial Lacrosse powerhouse Maryland.  Other regional honorees were Janine Tucker from Johns Hopkins, and Acacia Walker from Boston College, putting Young in excellent company, to be sure.

Congratulations Kellie, and we here at The Cardinal Couple are looking forward to another year of continued improvement.

( EDITOR'S NOTE:  No one deserves this honor more than Coach Kellie. Her relentless pursuit of developing the student-athlete day in and day out bears itself out when you talk to any of her players, staff or associates. The results of Lacrosse...on the field and in the classroom mirror Coach's philosophy....Believe and Achieve. The lacrosse team's "word" for last season was "finish". They and Kellie accomplished that goal...finishing higher than any previous Lacrosse season. Our sincere and heartfelt congratulations to "Coach", her staff and assistants, and the amazing ladies/student-athletes who never gave up the quest.!!) 

More Fall Schedule Discussion

We looked at the Field Hockey schedule two weeks ago, and I had planned to explore the Women's Crescent Hill Radio.  You can hear the discussion on the SoundCloud starting right about minute 35.
Soccer schedule this week.  Paulie and I discussed the schedule quite a bit on the Saturday radio show on

I will take some of this space, however, to really encourage UofL fans to come out and support the Soccer teams.  These are ticketed events, but tickets are reasonable, with season tickets available from $70, $100, and $140 depending on seating location.  There is also a Family Pack promotion available for 4 tickets for $180, $240, and $380.  Individual game tickets are available for $7, $9, and $12.

All home games will be the brand new Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium, which looks to be the latest in a long line of wonderful UofL sporting facilities.

jeffmca

Monday Cardinal Couple -- Previewing the ACC: Miami

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- HURRICANE WARNING? Not so much in ACC women's sports...

- Latest CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR in the archives

We've been previewing the ACC opponents that Louisville womens' athletics will face this season. Next in the alphabet is the Miami Hurricanes:

Miami was founded in 1925 and has a current enrollment of 15,200 students. Located in Coral Gables, FL., they are the southernmost ACC opponent Louisville will compete against.

They are known as the Hurricanes...but are also referred to as the "Canes" and "The U". Sebastian the Ibis is the Canes mascot...since 1957. The Ibis is a bird that shows bravery in the face of impending hurricanes.

Famous alumni include MLB's Alex Rodrigiuez, actor Sylvester Stallone, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, vocalist Grace Slick and actor Charles Grodin.

Miami participates in nine women's college sports:

Basketball                                Cross Country
Golf                                         Soccer
Swimming/Diving                      Rowing
Track/Field                               Tennis
Volleyball

We'll take a look on how the Canes fared in (4) of these.

BASKETBALL

Miami went 16-15 overall in the 2013-14 season and had a 8-8 ACC record. They went to the WNIT, but fell in the first round to Stetson. Katie Meyer has 10 years as the "U" coach and has a 163-121 record.

Lin Dunn is probably the most famous coach that came out of Miami WBB.

Here's an interesting tidbit about Canes' WBB:

Jaden Newman spent three hours taking a tour of the University of Miami last week, where the
women's basketball coaching staff urged her to keep the Hurricanes in mind when it came time to make her college choice.


Jaden also happens to be 9 years old.


The fourth-grader, who has already played two seasons on the girls high school varsity team at Downey Christian School, a 300-student private school in Orlando, is now being actively recruited by Miami. She is believed to be the youngest girls player ever to get recruited by a Division I program.

ROWING

A sixth place finish in the ACC Tournament and none of their crews qualified for the NCAA Tournament. They went up against the Louisville rowing team in the Clemson Invitational. The Canes finished seventh in 1U8, 2U8 and V4 heats...Louisville was 3rd, 1st and 2nd in the same heats.

SOCCER

UofM wide-net kickers finished the 2013 season with a 9-8-1 season and 4-8-1 in the ACC. They did not qualify for the NCAA tournament.

They'll host Louisville women's soccer on Sunday, Sept. 28th

VOLLEYBALL


Volleyball at the "U" finished 19-12 and 12-8 in conference. The Canes qualified for the NCAA tournament but ran into Oregon in the first round and lost 3-0.

Anne Kordes takes the Louisville serve n' kill gals to Coral Gables on November 7th.


ANALYSIS

Miami women's athletics, based on the reports above, appear to be middle-of-the-pack in ACC prominence. Louisville should have no trouble winning in hoops and volleyball. They would most likely out-point the Canes in any mutual rowing events. Louisville Soccer also looks to be a step ahead of the Miami squad.

This is, of course...a look at only (4) of the sports. Based on reader feedback...and coupled with the fact that the Canes don't do field hockey or lacrosse...these are the only ones that we've studied.

Miami has been well-known for their college football success. Louisville football has proven over the past few seasons to be better than "The U"...and the two will face off to start the college football season over Labor Day weekend.

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Our latest CARDINAL COUPLE Radio Hour broadcast from Saturday is up and available on the glorious Soundcloud at Crescent Hill radio. You can click on the link at the top of the page, over on the right side of the site or here to listen.

WHO LET THESE GUYS ON THE RADIO?

Worldwide Jeff McAdams rejoins the show after a three week absence. WE took it easy on him and didn't test him with a quiz. We did discuss quite a bit of basketball, volleyball and other UofL women's sports, though...and Kenny K. Keith, Otis and Don Paulie make guest appearances.

Give it a listen.

paulie