Vball Final Rankings -- Holiday Traditions -- Editor Note -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Vball Final Rankings

With the conclusion of the 2019 NCAA Tournament the final volleyball rankings were released.  The Cards finished 14th.

That's not too bad of a ranking for how the season went, but a team that made it to the quarterfinals (Elite Eight) should at least earn the respect of at least a Top 10 ranking, if not eighth.

Champion Stanford was the unanimous #1 with runner-up Wisconsin right behind.  Final Four contenders Baylor and Minnesota came next in line.

Texas, who the Cards beat in the Sweet 16, dropped to #8.  Pitt was the only other ACC school listed at 11th.  Kentucky came in at 12th and Purdue 13th.  WKU, another team the Cards upset during their Cinderella run, finished 22nd.

Although Louisville got cheated a little on their final ranking it does appear that they should be Top
15 when the beginning of next season rolls around.  As we discussed on air last week, next year should be an extremely fun year with a potential trip to the Final Four coming.

Most coaches dream of getting almost the entire roster back after a successful season and that's the case with  the returning Cardinals. We know not yet about transfers and such, it seems there are always a couple in most sports we cover, but Louisville Volleyball looks to be in fine shape for 2020.


Holiday Traditions

We are in the midst of several holidays so I'd like to take a moment to share some of my traditions and ask to hear yours.

Christmastime has always been about family for us.  On Christmas Eve we will gather at my grandma's (mom's mom) house for dinner and presents with that side of the family before heading to the Candlelight Service at church.

Christmas morning features me headed to my parents' house where I will join them and my brother for presents.  Lunchtime involves us headed to my other grandma's (dad's mom) place for lunch and presents with that side of the family.

The busy day and a half is always something I look forward to as I get to spend time with the ones I love.

What are your holiday traditions?

Merry Christmas (Eve), Happy Holidays, and Go Cards!

Jared

PS: Food for Thought: Instead of calling December 23 "Christmas Eve Eve", why not refer to it as "Christmas Adam"?  I'll be here all week, folks!


From Your Editor

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, is one of the few days we actually "shut down". You'll see a Christmas
greeting here and that's about it.

2019 has been a interesting year here at Cardinal Couple, and there's still a tad of it left. We found out that the radio station we've broadcast from for years is closing their doors. We saw many wonderful sports develop and grow throughout the year. We decided to stop "coming to you" for donations and we now depend solely on advertising sponsors. It has been a bit of a "year of change" but we have survived, held our own and remained true to our cause:

Reporting on the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports.

I have been so fortunate to have very good writers and radio personalities with me again this year. The works of Jared, Case and Jeff stand alone as a prime example of that "wonderfulness" We've had great occasional contributors in Daryl, Paige and David Watson. We are thankful for them.

Most importantly, though, we are thankful for you.

You read the site. you make observations and we appreciate that. As we've said so many times before, and still firmly believe today...YOU ARE CARDINAL COUPLE, we never forget that and we thank you.

Finally, none of this would be possible without the student-athletes we report on. They are the obvious reason we are here. Over the years, so many contacts and relationships have been built and treasured. If they didn't do what they do, we would have empty pages.

A recent encounter with a former student-athlete earlier this year bears that out. I had finished my post-game interview duties at an event and was trudging off to my vehicle when I was stopped by a young women. She asked if I remembered her.

 I did, and we chatted briefly about her life after UofL, after her days on the field of honor and competition. She was doing well, and I was happy for that and her.

One thing she said stayed with me. She said that just a brief mention of what she did... here in one of our columns and an accompanying interview was important to her, her parents and it was something she would always treasure. Something that sometimes I take for granted had touched someone's life.

Maybe that's the reason I do this...despite my advancing age and health. I made someone feel important and good, That's the biggest joy and excitement of all, if you ask me. A kind word, a bit of praise. Using your talents to praise someone else. Recognizing and praising someone else's efforts.

Pass it on, please.

YOU can make it happen.

You can effect a change. Whatever it is that you do in this journey, this life...try to make a difference for the better. Be the good guy//gal. Be quick to praise and slow to criticize. Shine brightly and share your light. You're beautiful, unique and important. 

paulie
xxxxx