WBB handles BC 79-49 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR ; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Firstly, as we wrap up 2021, I want to say thank you to the readers.  I do appreciate your comments and viewership throughout the year and sports seasons.  Without you all, why are we even typing? So thanks to you all for making Cardinal Couple what it is.  Its a pleasure to bring a closer look into the squads we love so much with you! 

Secondly, I want to wish you a Happy New Year!  It's the last day of the year and I am looking forward to new goals and new memories to be made in 2022, hopefully plenty of fond Cardinal memories are in the future. 

                        Photo: Jared Anderson

WBB wins vs Boston College 79-49

Five Cardinals scored in double figures as UofL secures it's first conference win and moves to 11-1 on the season.  Emily Engstler had an efficient night and lead all scorers with 14 points on 5-7 shooting, going 3-5 at the free throw line, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals in 17 minutes on the floor.   Hailey Van Lith logged the most minutes and went 5-10, 2-3 from 3 point land for 12 points and 3 rebounds. 

                                             Photo: Jared Anderson

End of 1Q 12-11 Cards
FG %
3-15 20% Cards
4-9 36.4% BC
Reb. 10-7 BC
3-pt %
0-4 0% Cards
0-3 0% BC

Niether squad was able to land a three pointer in the first quarter which made for a very dry offensive battle to open the game. The Cards' starters struggled to get their feet under them while BC Taylor Soule went 3-4 and had 7 of the Eagles' 11 total points.  BC also had 8 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of play but the Cards only had 5 points off of them.  Coach Walz said he did not think the Cards had any rust after the holiday break because they had a great shoot around earlier in the day.                                                         

                                                                            Photo: Jared Anderson

                                

End of 2Q 23-13 Cards

FG %
10-16 62.5% Cards

4-11 36.4% BC
Reb. 10-6 Cards
3-pt %
3-6 50% Cards
0-3 0% BC
                                                        
Louisville bigs (Olivia Cochran and Emily Engstler) went 6-6 from the field to pull the Cards to a sturdy lead over the Eagles as the team shot 63% from the field in the quarter.  The defense held BC to 0-6 from three point land which was the difference maker in the first half.  

HALF 35-24

End of 3Q 24-13 Cards

FG %
8-16 50% Cards
5-12 41.7% BC
Reb. 13-7 Cards
3-pt %
1-1 100% Cards
1-2 50% BC

Engstler continued her campaign to get drafted in the WNBA by going 2-2 from the field, 3-4 at the free throw line, adding an assist and grabbing 4 rebounds in 6 minutes on the floor in the quarter. 

        

                   Photo: Jared Anderson

End of 4Q 20-12 Cards

FG %
9-17 52.9% Cards
4-16 25% BC
Reb. 10 All
3-pt %
1-4 25% Cards
1-7 14.3% BC

                        Photo: Jared Anderson

Starters were pulled and the bench really got to see some quality playing time. Payton Verhulst tied a career-high 12 points while Liz Dixon and Olivia Cochran had chipped in 10 of their own. 

                                                         Photo: Jared Anderson

UP NEXT

Louisville vs #16 Georgia Tech Sunday at 12 p.m. in Atlanta, GA

FRED REPORT


FREE THROWS -- The Cards managed 14-21 at the charity stripe.  Olivia Cochran made all 4 of her shots at the line.  21 total attempts as a team is alot more than they've attempted in recent weeks so we will give them credit for getting to the line more but making just 66.7% of them does not meet our required 70% minimum so Ill give it a lower case f

REBOUNDING -- UofL outrebounded BC 40-33 but the game's leading rebounder was BC 6-3 Freshman center, Maria Gakdeng with 9 boards.   The teams tied in second chance points with 12 a piece.  lower case r

EFFORT/EXECUTION -- As a team, the Cards shot 47% and 33% from three point land.  They connected for 17 assists on 30 shot attempts..  With Engstler leading the squad with 4 of them and HVL, Kianna Smith and Chelsie Hall combining for only 3, I would like to see the distribution numbers a little higher for this team that allegedly does not have just one star player to rely on.  Capital E

DEFENSE -  The Cards held BC to a season low 49 points.  As one of the team's leading scorers, Taylor Soule managed to keep BC in the game in the first quarter but was locked down after that short lived burst.  After going 3-4 to open the game, she went 1-3 from the field for the rest of the game.  Louisville forced BC into 21 turnovers where they matched BC in second chance points at 12.  Capital D

FINAL FRED TALLY: f_r_E_D

                                                                Photo: Jared Anderson

Again, a Happy New Year to you and yours!! I hope you make it a safe one this evening if you do get out and about.  Tell your people you love them and you will hear from me in 2022!

Cardinal Couple Radio - The gang will continue to enjoy the holiday with a break from radio this weekend but back to regularly scheduled programming next week! 

As always 

Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

Cards Host Boston College Tonight — THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Cards Host Boston College Tonight

As PauliE said yesterday, the ‘Second Season’ for Louisville Women’s Basketball begins tonight. Back from the holiday break, Louisville opens ACC play against Boston College inside the KFC Yum! Center at 7:00 p.m., ET. The game will be shown on ACC Network Extra (online) or you can tune into 790-WKRD AM radio to hear Nick Curran and AJ call the game.

#3 Louisville boasts a 10-1 record on the year highlighted by three wins against ranked opponents including rival Kentucky. The Cards went undefeated against in-state opponents in Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and Bellarmine. Who owns the state, again?

Boston College is 8-3 on the year. The Eagles opened conference play against North Carolina recently, and fell to the Tar Heels 76-73. When it comes to offensive efficiency, the Eagles are one of the best in the country. They average 75.6 points per game and their 48.7% shooting is best in the ACC and ranks third in the country. The one weakness on offense for BC is their turnovers- 19.3 per game.

On the defensive end, Boston College is giving up an average of 64.1 points per game while forcing 19.2 turnovers per game, 9.6 of those being blocks. The Eagles are also a good blocking team at 4.3 blocks per game.

Their roster lists eight players between 6’0 and 6’3. The other six are no shorter than 5’7. Taylor Soule and Cameron Swartz have been the heart-and-soul(e) of this team. The duo averages a combined 29 points per game. Both standing at 5’11, they’re versatile enough to run with the guards but also have the size to be a presence in the post. Seven different Eagles average between 3.3-5.1 rebounds per game, led by freshman Maria Gakdeng.

Boston College looks way different than the 7-12 team from last season and more like the 20-12 team from the previous year. The Eagles are hoping to have their second winning season in the last decade.

ACC play is no walk in the park. Not every team Louisville faces will be at the level of NC State, but a good portion of the conference has the potential to win on any given night. Boston College is one of those teams that can shock you if they get hot.

As we get into the second half of the season the rotation could drop to 7-8 players consistently, but to try and wear down opposing teams, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Jeff Walz has 10 different players see action. To try to limit the strong shooting, this game has the potential to see a lot of full court press for both teams.

Paulie will be on the court with live tweets and asking Walz about his favorite Christmas present. Being back in town, I plan to be at the game tonight with my camera. 

(TODAY'S PHOTOS FROM PREVIOUS B.C. GAMES, TAKEN BY JARED) 

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

WBB: "Second season" begins Thursday -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

FIRST SEVEN ACC CONTESTS WILL BE A MAJOR TEST FOR WBB CARDS

The ACC looms...

Now done with a successful non-conference slate, the University of Louisville women's basketball squad sets their sights on ACC play. a conference that has talent galore this season. A conference aiming at the top two (UofL and NC State) and lay claim to a regular season title that is owned by someone other than the schools in Raleigh or Louisville. 

Our Cards will play their first seven games in the ACC in a mere 22 days, three in the friendly confines of the KFC YUM! Center and four on the road. From Boston College to Miami with a few stops in between. Six opponents (Boston College is in there twice) with a combined record of 53-18. Three in the top 25. All with one goal in mind, to take down a top three team in DI NCAA WBB and get a season-building "W".  As Jeff Walz has said more than once: "You don't get a night off in ACC play." With this year's parity the best it's been in some time in the conference, those words ring true this season. 

The "second season" starts Thursday night when Baldwin the Eagle beings his Boston flock to the KFC YUM! Center. A B.C. squad currently at 8-3. The Eagles fell to undefeated North Carolina last time out, the loss to Boston University a bit of a head scratcher -- especially after Georgia Tech beat BU by almost 30  --  biut the Eagles do have talent and thr league's third leading scorer in Taylor Soule  Jared will break this one down more tomorrow, just know that the Eagles return four talented starters from last year and a impressive 6'3" freshman center in Maria Gakdeng who is a board crasher. 

The Cards head to Atlanta on Sunday January 2nd. to take on Nell Fortner's Yellow Jackets. They are 10-2 currently and have an impressive win over UConn in their resume. Stumbles against Auburn and Purdue in games that could have gone either way. A top 25 struggle against in-state rival Georgia that they won in Athens by one. This one won't be easy for the Cards --they've had close one's in McCamish Pavilion before, though. (Remember Myisha's game-saver a couple of years ago?)

Pitt comes to town Sunday January 6th. Thr Panthers are 9-4 with two ACC losses already, but losing to Texas A&M, South Dakota, NC State  and Notre Dame aren't exactly program crushing, unexpected losses. They've also got Jayla Everette, Amber Brown and Dayshanette Harris back from last year-- three quick guards who can fill it up in a hurry.

Sunny Miami beckons January 9th and Sebastian the Ibus and his big winds are 7-3 this year. Top 10 Indiana and Maryland have handed the 'Canes two of their losses. Kelsey Marshall leads Katie Meyer's squad in scoring and the Hurricanes have been in the unenviable position of having their last two games cancelled (against Duke and North Florida because of COVID protocols. 

The Cards bring the "Q"-less Syracuse Orange to downtown Louisville on Sunday Jan 13th, an Orange squad that sits at 8-4 and has a win over top 25 Ohio State and who thrashed Clemson by 40. It's a whole new look for the Dome dwellers -- seven new players on the roster but interim head coach Vonn Read has got them playing sound basketball as of now and Read has a wealth of prior assistant coaching stints -- including UK and the WNBA and NBA.

After another Boston College match (at Boston this time) on January 16th, the Cards go to Raleigh for a Sunday January 20th tilt against Wes Moore and his Pack. Yes, the Pack is touchable -- losses to Georgia and South Carolina prove that, but they also have wins over Indiana and Maryland. Cunane, Perez, Brown-Turner, names we've come to know over the past couple of years, add in a sparkling transfer in Diamond Johnson and a deep bench...there is plenty to smile about in WolfPackLand. 

It'd be nice to write an article here on Jan 21st. about a 17-1 Louisville women's basketball team, but I'm not holding my breath....two very tough road tests await...as well as other tough tests against experienced teams ahead. But, it should be a lot of fun and let's hope our Cardinals returned from Christmas Break with some drive, spirit and desire.that it's going to take that this year in the Atlantic Coast Conference,    

paulie

 

Volleyball News — Almost Back to Basketball — TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball News

Louisville Volleyball’s Tori Dilfer has been named a Honda Sports Award Finalist. She is one of four finalists for volleyball. The Honda Sports Award is given to one female athlete for each women’s sport.

Dilfer was named the first ever ACVA First Team All-American for Louisville Volleyball (Anna Stevenson was also named a First Team All-American this season). She was also named ACC Setter of the Year and East Region Player of the Year. Dilfer was an integral part of the first ever #1 ranking for the Cards, an ACC Championship, and Louisville’s first ever Final Four appearance.

It’s a common saying “You live and die by your setter”, similar to what you see with a quarterback in football or point guard in basketball. .

It wasn’t too difficult for Dilfer to have a successful final year due to the loads of talent she was surrounded by. With fellow All-Americans Anna Stevenson (first team) and Anna DeBeer (third team). Claire Chaussee, Akko Jones, Amaya Tillman, and Elena Scott were all named to the All-ACC Second Team- the other three were named All-ACC First Team- so at any given time during the season, Louisville had enough award winners on the court to fill an entire 'starting seven’.

Speaking of Anna Stevenson, the middle blocker had some great news announced yesterday. Stevenson’s volleyball career will continue as she has signed a professional contract with the Turkish club Aydin Buyuksehir Belediyespor. My iPad doesn’t allow certain characters and said accents on those letters so what you’re reading is the American English keyboard spelling.

Stevenson will be eligible to compete in the second half of the current Turkish Women’s Volleyball League season. The team has already announced on their Instagram page @aydinbuyuksehirbelediyespor the news and how excited they are to have her on the team.

We have seen over the last few seasons just how excellent Stevie’s volleyball skills are and it comes as no surprise she will now being professional volleyball.

For those who don’t follow professional volleyball, it is quite an honor and a high recognition to a player’s skill set to be able to play overseas. Tess Clark and Erin Fairs are other former Cards currently playing overseas. There isn’t much opportunity to play volleyball professionally in the United States at this time, but hopefully as the sport continues to grow we will see a stronger presence here.

Almost Back to Basketball

The Christmas/Holiday break is almost over. For the Louisville Band, Cheerleaders, and Ladybirds, they all boarded a plane to Texas yesterday for the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. Surprisingly, Louisville Football is favored to win this one.

But back on campus, Louisville Women’s Basketball has reported back to campus for workouts and practices. The Cards open ACC play on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., against Boston College at the KFC Yum! Center.

For Louisville, a 10-1 record is a good start, especially after a disappointing season opener to Arizona. Since then, Louisville has taken down ranked opponents Michigan, Kentucky, and UConn. Paul gave you a good rundown (someone tell Jim Halpert what a rundown is) of ACC Women’s Basketball yesterday and just how good or not-so-good some of those teams have been doing.

The Cards have some stiff competition this year. Besides NC State, North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, Norte Dame, and Wake Forest have all had hot starts. Similar to ACC Volleyball, ACC Women’s Basketball appears to have a strong number of teams this year. Boston College comes in at 8-3 and has Taylor Soule back, who is averaging almost 17 points a contest.

We’ll preview the UofL vs BC game more thoroughly later this week. Paulie and I both plan to be in attendance for that one as I should be back in town late tomorrow night.

Thankfully, Katy’s family and I have limited our contact with the outside world minus a couple things here and there. Sadly, my family back home has not been as fortunate as many of them have come in contact with my cousin’s partner, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Christmas Day (days after I had already left Louisville). So Katy and I will avoid them for a while when we get back in town, but thankfully everyone has been symptom-free or had symptoms similar to that of a minor cold.

As the holiday season wraps up we encourage everyone to monitor potential symptoms as the CDC has stated they expect a big increase in positive cases over the next couple of weeks. Masks and vaccines can save lives, folks.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Early ACC WBB Standings -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 EARLY ACC RESULTS AND STANDINGS 

Although our Louisville Cardinals do not begin ACC Conference play until this Thursday (hosting Boston College) there have already been eight ACC in-conference game, involving 12 conference members, Besides, the Cards, only Duke and Miami have not engaged in a conference contest. Here's a early look at the standings:

NC State.          2-0          (wins over Pitt, Virginia)

Notre Dame      2-0          (wins over Pitt, Syracuse)

N. Carolina       1-0         (win over Boston College)

Georgia Tech    1-0         (win over Wake Forest)

Virginia Tech     1-0         (win over Fla. St.)

Syracuse           1-1        (win over Clemson, loss to Notre Dame)

Wake Forest     0-1        ( loss to Georgia Tech) 

Boston College 0-1        (loss to N. Carolina

Florida State     0-1        (loss to Virginia Tech)

Clemson           0-1        (loss to Syracuse)

Virginia             0-1        (loss to NC State)

Pitt                   0-2        (losses to NC State, Notre Dame) 

Out of the eight games, the home team has won three times. Pitt ha probably had the tough stretch in-conference so far, facing conference-undefeated NC. State and Notre Dame. 

The in-conference games, so far, haven't really produced any shockers or upsets. 

In overall WBB play, here's a look at the full standings:

N. Carolina      11-0

Louisville         11-1

Duke                9-1

NC. State         11-2

Notre Dame     11-2

Georgia Tech   10-2

Wake Forest    10-2

Virginia Tech    9-3

Boston Coll.     8-3

Miami              7-3

Pitt                  9-4

Syracuse        8-4

Florida St.      6-5

Clemson        6-6

Virginia          3-8

In all games, the ACC has gone 128-46,  In the latest USA Today Poll (Dec 20th.) six ACC squads are ranked in the top 25. Louisville i #3, NC State #5, Duke #16, Georgia Tech #17, Notre Dame #20 and North Carolina #25. Will the Cards move up tomorrow, since #2  Stanford lost? 

14 of the 15 ACC teams roll back into action on Thursday, December 30th. Syracuse visits North Carolina, Duke travels to Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech travels to Pitt, NC State heads to Clemson, Boston College comes to Louisville, Notre Dame contests at Virginia and FSU journeys to Wake Forest. 

I'm no expert at predicting, but I'll venture  North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, NC State, Louisville, Notre Dame and Wake Forest emerge victorious

.

North Carolina's perfect mark so far in the 2021-22 season has been a bit of a surprise to me. Wake Forest at 10-2 is also surprising, the Deacs were predicted 12th in the pre-season Blue Ribbon Panel Poll and 13th in the ACC Coaches poll.  Syracuse at 8-4, with seven new players, wasn't expected by me. 

Leading scorers so far?  Jewel Spear (Wake Forest) has the highest point average with 21.4 a contest.  Elizabeth Kitley (Va. Tech) is next at 18.7 a game. Deja Kelly (UNC and Taylor Soule (Boston College) follow with 16.8 an outing, and Chrislyn Carr (Syracuse) rounds out the top five at 15.6.  Louisville's Kianna Smith checks in at 20th., with 12.6 per contest. 

UNC leads the ACC in scoring per game at 83.6 per match and Georgia Tech is the defensive leader, allowing just 45.3 to opponents.

Have a Marvelous Monday!

paulie    

 

Sunday Cardinal Couple - Christmas Hot Takes

Happy Boxing Day

In many locations, today is Boxing Day, traditionally the first weekday after Christmas, but more recently just celebrated the day after Christmas.  Where the name come from, no one is really quite sure, but there is likely some connection with boxes used to collect or convey gifts on the day, particularly to people in service roles such as postmen, servants, tradesmen and such.  It was a chance for people who benefit from the services of such workers to show a degree of appreciation and thanks for their work.

I find this a lovely sentiment, particularly in our Covid-present when so many people who have been working in such roles are necessarily exposed to greater risk.

Christmas Hot Takes

OK, so most of the rest of the Cardinal Couple gang got the share their favorite aspects of Christmas.  I thought I'd take a slightly different approach today, now that Christmas is in the rear-view mirror.

My Favorite Christmas Music

I have shared on this site, and on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast, my take on Christmas music that I like.  Christmas music that in some acknowledges that the world isn't just happy go lucky all the time.  The music doesn't need to sound like funeral dirges or anything like that, indeed some of can be quite happy and joyous sounding such as "We Need A Little Christmas", which tells the story of two kids with their aunt (from the Broadway musical "Mame") who are decorating, early, for Christmas because it makes them happy, when life otherwise has them down.

One of my all-time fave Christmas songs is "Snoopy and the Red Baron", which is set, of course, in the heart of World War I, not exactly a joyous time on the whole.  Both of these songs are about uplifting and bringing joy, but they both give a nod to the fact that life can be rough and Christmas can come in the context of some very unhappy times.

Christmas Associated Food

Maybe my most controversial take....  Any dish that has turkey in it, would be better if it were ham instead.

Turkey can be enjoyable, without a doubt...my mother put together a turkey meal for Thanksgiving, on pretty short notice, and the Turkey that was quite good...but I'm of the opinion that ham is always better.

Even for iconic turkey dishes.  Have you ever had a Kentucky Hot Brown, but made with ham instead of turkey?  The only place I have found that will make a dish like this was the Boone Tavern Restaurant in Berea, KY, and oh my goodness it was so good.

Maybe I'm just a really big fan of ham in general, because I've also found the substitution of ham in place of chicken in traditionally chicken dishes can be quite good as well.  Ham Alfredo instead of Chicken?  Delicious!

Thanksgiving vs Christmas

Thanksgiving and Christmas shouldn't be pitted against each other, but due to their relative proximity on the calendar, roughly a month apart, and given the huge endeavor that Christmas has become over the centuries, it is somewhat inevitable.

I feel like Thanksgiving gets short shrift, getting overshadowed by the hype and commercialization of Christmas.

Maybe the Canadians have the right idea by giving Thanksgiving a bit more space from Christmas by celebrating it the second Monday of October.

I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving as a holiday.  Many people get stressed out by Christmas, and there can be a lot of pressure involved in gift buying.  It depends on how you go about celebrating these holidays, of course, but I feel like Thanksgiving brings with it a lot of the joy of being around loved ones and sharing in their company, with much less stress and pressure.

To be fair, preparing a lavish meal such as many have for Thanksgiving is not without its own pressure, but many do that for Christmas in addition to all of the extra

Regardless of your own hot takes or mine, I hope you have had a wonder Christmas celebration with loved ones based on whatever way you choose to celebrate it.  My Christmas day was very quiet with the family gathering that I am involved in happening on Christmas Eve.  And frankly, it was wonderful to just have a quiet day to spend with no pressures, no priorities, and not even any real schedule.  The Christmas Eve celebration was also wonderful with my family, so I was able to have the best of both worlds.

Louisville Women's Sports

We are all about Louisville women's sports here at Cardinal Couple, and there is, of course, no real news of note at the moment.  Women's Basketball will be back in action later in the week, on the 30th hosting Boston College, and the players will be making their way back to Louisville from their homes where they have been able to enjoy a nice Christmas break.

Enjoy your Christmas leftovers, and Go Cards!

JMcA

Merry Christmas From Cardinal Couple!

We here at Cardinal Couple would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

During this holiday season, I encourage everyone to cherish the moments they have with the people and the places that they love. This year has been a tough one and a lot of people are going through this holiday season without a special person or place for the first time. If you're one of those people, know that you've got us in your corner. 

Have a safe and happy week, especially if you're traveling, and be kind to one another, as you never know what struggles someone is facing. 

As a reminder, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast is on a holiday hiatus today and next week for Christmas and New Year's. We'll see you on January 8th!

Case

Christmas Eve; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Happy holiday weekend to all!  I hope you get to enjoy Christmas safely with your friends and family.   I've enjoyed reading up on the gang's favorites and traditions this week in between some of my own new and old.   As you might know,  I've been M.I.A. from radio for the past few months as I have been spending the weekend's away with my family being Aunt Daryl :D 

This time of the year is all about my family as my sister, mom and dad all have birthday's around the holidays.  The new addition this year just tacks on another end of the year celebration to my calendar.  Not that I am complaining... 

With not a lot of new stories out of the sports programs for the holiday break and the rest of the gang throwing out their favorite things about this time of year, I will piggy back off their lead with a few of my own favorites. I dont know about the bacon on white bread tradition that was mentioned in yesterday's post but I am here for that being my new thing...

Favorite Christmas movie: A Christmas Story 

I will admit, I have not seen every Christmas movie out there but this one holds a special place in my heart.   Not only is the movie extremely quotable (I can't put my arms down, you'll shoot your eye out, triple dog dare ya) my family and I have actually recreated several scenes from the movie before - such as the Bumpus hounds stealing the turkey and Ralphie and the fam having to get Chinese for dinner "Fa Ra Ra Rah Rah", one year I got my dad a leg lamp (a major award!!!!) and built the crate with straw that it came in including the "Frag-il-e" detail. 

The Santa Clause 

Tim Allen is absolutely hilarious in this movie and I cannot let Christmas go by without watching this at least twice.  One of my favorite jokes.. 

              You know, Neal's a real good cook.

              Yeah, and you should see him walk on water.

              - You don't like him very much, do ya, Dad? - Charlie, yeah--

              I was joking, okay? I'm sorry. I was just kiddin' around.

              I like him a lo-- Yeah, sure, I like him. You know, there--

              There's just something about him that makes me wanna--

              Lash out irrationally?

              - Where did you hear that? - From Neal.

              I learn a lot from him. He listens to me.

              Yeah. Then he charges ya for it.

ZINGGG.

Honorable Mention:  Jingle all the Way, Elf, White Christmas (I just watched this for the first time earlier this week), Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer & Christmas comes but once a year (1936) This is a short 8 minute flick that I could not tell you WHY or WHERE I ever watched this but it gives me some serious nostalgia. 

Favorite Christmas song(s): Silent Night (I taught myself how to play this as a kid on a little keyboard and Santa brought a real keyboard for Christmas that year)  White Christmas In fact, This song at the opening credits of The Santa Clause is my most fond memory from this time of the year.  You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch, Blue Christmas, Run Rudolph Run, Mele Kalikimaka are some of my favorite classics.  And just to upset Jared, all Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift holiday tracks are on my list of favorites. 

I think I have baked enough goodies this past week than I have in the past 2 years - Quarantine included.  Cherry pie, pastry appetizers and cookies for Santa with the girls are enough to keep my heart and my belly full for the holiday!  What's your favorite holiday dish?  Is there something you cannot go without for Christmas?! Let us know in the comments.  Mine is easy - dessert!! Cookies, candy, pie; I dont care, I want all the baked goods!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas Eve! 
Go Cards! 
~Daryl 

Cards Go Home for the Holidays -- Christmas Traditions -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Go Home for the Holidays

The wintertime holiday season usually involves an extended break for Louisville sports. Men's Basketball vs Kentucky (postponed this year due to COVID-19) and Football bowl games are the only exceptions.

Many of our athletes take advantage of the opportunity to go home with friends and family. As student-athletes, it's extremely difficult to travel home during the semester due to practices, workouts, and NCAA regulated games and events.

If you're active on social media, you may have seen some of the student-athletes already share photos and videos of them enjoying some well-deserved time away from campus.

UofL does an excellent job of giving student-athletes a break, which often includes leaving a gap open between games and events. Jeff Walz is a good example of this as Louisville Women's Basketball often has around a week and a half between games, giving players roughly a week at home. Walz notes that it's just long enough for players to get tired of boredom or being made to do chores at home and they arrive back to campus eager to play again.

We do wish all student-athletes, coaches, staff, and administration safe travels to and from campus during this season.

Christmas Traditions

I HOPE ALL WILL JOIN ME IN MY ANNUAL
"EAT A BUNCH OF BACON ON WHITE BREAD" ANNUAL TRADITION
ON THE 24TH !!"

Paulie talked about some of his favorite Christmas songs yesterday. I'm not sure I have true favorite Christmas songs but often prefer the 'classics' or instrumental Christmas music. There are some songs I strongly dislike such as "Christmas Shoes", "Wonderful Christmas Time", and any "Sleigh Ride" that has the "ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ding dong ding". There's also plenty of Christmas songs by newer artists such as Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber that I have a distaste for.

Another big part of Christmas is traditions. Traditions can change over time, but it could be something about whose house you go to for Christmas, certain foods, who opens presents first, going to church, and so much more.

We haven't had a normal Christmas since pre-COVID-19, but we often visit my grandma (mom's side) on Christmas Eve for an early dinner and do some presents there before heading to the Candlelight Service at church. The morning of Christmas would be at my parent's house before going to my other grandma's place (dad's side) for the last of any presents and have chili. There's usually a fair mix of Christmas movies and NBA games while at different homes.

This year will be different for me. By the time this article is viewable to everyone, I will be at the airport about to board a plane to Charlotte. From there, it's about a half hour drive to Fort Mill, S.C., to Katy's parent's house. I'm not all too sure on what Christmas traditions and plans we have going on there, but I know their church has a Candlelight Service too. Her dad loves to make a giant shrimp boil on Christmas Eve or Christmas that I hear is to die for. Some of her family enjoys to hit the gun range around Christmas and have invited Katy and I to join them this afternoon. Me shooting a gun? As long as I don't pull a Ralphie I think I should be okay!

Do you have any Christmas or holiday traditions? We'd love to hear!

Happy Thursday, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Go Cards!

Jared

VolleyCards add Lazaro through the portal -- Favorite Christmas Songs -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LAZARO, JOINS LOUISVILLE VOLLEYBALL FROM USC

It is the time of the year when we start hearing about transfers in and out of NCAA Volleyball programs. It's pretty rare to get two from a same team, and rarer still to see that they play the same position. But, our VolleyCards are getting one confirmed and maybe one additonal setters from USC, in Raquel Lazaro and Elle Glock. 

We'll start with Lazaro. She's confirmed. The senior played in 88 sets for the 15-15 Women of Troy and was the main setter, with 458 set assists. As a freshman in 2018, she was named Pac 12 Freshman of the Year and named to the Volleyball Magazine All Freshman team. She played in all 125 sets and had 1402 assists. In 2019, as a sophomore, she was named to the Pac 12 All Conference as an honorable mention and had 1402. That success continued as a junior in 2020, appearing in 13 matches and recording 522 assists. 

She's from Malaga, Spain and is a seven-year member of the Spanish National Team.

We're also hearing rumors that Elle Glock could join here at Louisville after red-shirting her freshman year at USC. She led her Wahoo, Nebraska high school squad to the Nebraska State Championship three times. She was also a two-time All-State choice. 

The Cards, of course, lose Tori Dilfer to graduation. Paige Morningstar remains the only setter on the roster from this season that just ended, and she was redshirted. Other setters -- Rachel DeMarcus is graduating and has chosen not to use her Covid year of eligibility and word is Jamie Vasilou is doing the same. Elena Scott came into to Louisville as a setter, but was converted to DS/Libero and that worked out pretty well for the Cards. 

Dilfer's skills will be hard to replace, but Dani Busboom-Kelly and the Cardinals staff is being pro-active and getting some experience and multiple options at the spot next year. The setter is basically your squad's quarterback or point-guard of a team's offense and the goal is to get them the second touch, so they can "set up" an attacking hitter. 

Will there be more transfers coming in? Probably not, but you never know who you'll find in the portal. Stay tuned...

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS

Yep, it's prime time for those right now. Does it seem like they start a little earlier each year? It does to me. With so many varieties, musical styles and genres available, i know, it's hard to come up with a favorite or even a top 3 list. . 

As far as traditional ones go, I'll go with Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls and O Come All Ye Faithful. Moving to pop/rock, my choices are' Please Come Home For Christmas" (the Eagles version), Bruce Springsteen's take on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and the excellent Vince Guaraldi jam in A Charlie Brown Christmas...aka "The Charlie Brown Christmas Dance" :

(link) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1LUXQWzCno

Jeff dancing to Charlie Brown Christmas Dance music or
doing his John Travolta imitation? You decide...

And I had to leave off "Run, Run Rudolph" (Chuck Berry) and "He's The Man With All The Toys" (The Beach Boys) off my list. I know you have a few, too.

Share them with us, but you get boos and hisses if you list "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" And Elvis stuff gets an extra thumbs-up from me...

paulie