The Louisville sports schedule has been so busy lately it’s a
shocker that there are no women’s games of any sort for a span of four days,
dating back to Monday. However, this
weekend is full of action again.
Softball Hosts the Cardinal Classic
If you thought the five games in a span of four days last
week was a lot, try five games in less than 48 hours. The Softball Cards will have no time to rest this
weekend as Bradley, UMass, and Eastern Michigan visit Ulmer Stadium.
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| Pufahl welcomes all applause |
Megan Hensley and Danielle Watson will take the circle for
the Cards. The pair have been dominant lately,
surrendering minimal hits and earned runs while finding ways to increase their number
of strikeouts. Hopefully we will see the
likes of Kyra Snyder and Darianne Hale too.
On the offensive end things have been good for the most
part. Strikeouts have dwindled compared
to past years and the hits are plentiful.
Almost every out involves the ball being put into play. Celene Funke and Caitlin Ferguson are both
batting .390 or better. Nicole Pufahl is
at .365. Five Cardinals have sent one soaring
over the fence this season and, if we have a fortunate wind, I expect to see
plenty more.
My only concern at this point in the season is the high
number of infield errors. There have
been as many as four errors in a game recently.
I understand seeing one or two here and there, but the current numbers
are too high.
If you cannot make it out to Ulmer Stadium you have the
chance to listen to Cardinal Forever Maryssa Becker grab a mic and entertain us
on the ACC Network.
Lacrosse Takes a Road Trip
The Lax ladies hit the road for a pair of games on the east
coast. Louisville will visit Duke on
Saturday before straying from conference play to face Mercer one week from
today.
Scott Teeter has raised eyebrows by starting the season
5-2. There was much uncertainty in the
offseason regarding some issues. Teeter
was brought in to take care of business and he has done a phenomenal job.
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| Keep away is a good tactic |
The Cards are averaging 12.7 goals per game while allowing
just under 10 goals per game. Tessa Chad
and Caroline Blalock have made quite a pair this season, scoring 19 and 18
goals, respectively. The good news is
that Chad is a junior and Blalock is a freshman, so we should see both of them
back. 14 different players have scored a
goal on the season so there has been a balanced attack, just led by a couple of
stars.
Coach Teeter has been most impressed by his defense
lately. In fact, despite the loss to Notre
Dame he brought Molly Marshall and Hope Herling into the postgame press
conference with him. Teeter’s defense style
is intended to force opponents into long offensive possessions that does not allow
players into the circle, preventing a clear shot. Opponents have only gotten off 160 shots on
goals, compared to Louisville’s 214.
Even when a shot gets through goalkeeper Lexie Ball has been there to
stop them, recording 57 saves.
Louisville’s weakness has been draw controls. Against lesser opponents the Cards have been
dominant. However, in the games against
Denver and Notre Dame, Louisville was outmatched and outmuscled. With Kay Morrissette, one of UofL’s all-time
greats, I don’t think it will be long before we see some adjustments.
Swim and Dive Rides the Wave to Nationals
Arthur Albiero should be on his way to Columbus as swim and
dive heads to the NCAA Championships. We
will see a team-best 12 women’s swimmers hopping in the pool this year.
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| Looking for sharks in the water |
Let’s hope things go swimmingly and we see more national
champions and some new banners posted in the Natatorium.
Monday’s Selection Ceremony
ACC regular season and tournament champions should be enough
to earn women’s basketball a 1-seed. The
latest polls have the Cards ranked third, behind UConn and Baylor.
Asia Durr has proven herself as more than just “that girl”
and is deserving of ACC Player of the Year, an award Myisha Hines-Allen has
seen too.
Jeff Walz has been fortunate to have a deep, healthy roster
all season. They must survive six more games. Compared to the two Final Four teams I think
this team has an equal or better chance at winning the title.
Winning the Final Four to get to the championship would earn
Coach Walz his 300th career victory at Louisville.
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| "Asia Durr who?" |
UofL should host the first two rounds at the KFC Yum! Center,
so be prepared to get your tickets so you can go cheer them on! I believe I saw something about the tickets costing
around $30 for the full weekend.
Lexington is one of the regional sites, so it would be no
surprise to see the Cards end up at Rupp Arena (games will be played there for
the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) at some point. Then Columbus would be the final stop where
the Final Four and National Championship will be held. These are all a bit closer of trips for us
Louisvillians compared to games in Oklahoma and New York in recent years.
Paulie kept us updated each day during the ACC WBB Tournament
and our good friend Dave-O provided us with excellent insight into his trip to
Greensboro with Joe Hill. It sounds like
they had quite the adventure! If you
have not gotten a chance to check the article out yet just head over to yesterday’s
write-up to view it.
Tune into ESPN Monday night at 7:00 p.m., to see where
Louisville is headed and their game dates and times.
More Additions to Your Calendar
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| Today is National Cereal Day |
If your calendar is not full enough yet here are some other
sports to check out too! Women’s tennis
is off to a hot start this season and sits at 12-2. Track and field prepares for the NCAA Indoor
Championships this weekend. Players like
Emmonnie Henderson and Dorcas Wasike have good chances of bringing home a
championship. Women’s golf picks back up
after a monthlong hiatus when the Auburn in a week and a half.
It is definitely a busy time of the year but here at Cardinal
Couple we give you our best effort in keeping you up-to-date with all women’s
sports.
As always, Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!
Jared
Jared
What's the difference between this year's UofL wbb team and last year team ?IMHO it's the point guards running the plays and the defensive intensity.Arica & Dana getting it done!!
ReplyDeleteMLW
Those two have been a key, that's for sure. Defense has also been better than last year. I think Jaz Jones has been essential too as that explosive, energetic player that can spark the team with bursts of points. Also, Sam Fuehring is performing at a better level than last year.
DeletePaulie
Thanks for updates Jared. Does Softball have a good chance in the ACC?
ReplyDeleteIf they can clean up on the errors they should be top two in the ACC. Florida State, which is on the road this year, will be tough to overcome but it can be done.
DeleteAlso on mondsy at 8 pm espnu is doing a womens bracket anslysis
ReplyDelete