Sunday Cardinal Couple - A Day of Rest...Or Not

Basketball Breather

Coach Walz's basketball squad has actually had a chance to catch their breath, and even have a day completely off before getting ready for current number two team in the nation NC State.

The Wolfpack did drop a game over the weekend, so they probably won't be in that second place position come game time, but make no mistake, this is a very good team.

In any case, we're going to take a bit of a break from basketball as well, but should be back at it with a full preview of the big game from Paulie tomorrow.

Swimming Beats Cincinnati

The UofL Cards beat Cincinnati by a total score of 165-91.  The Senior Day win....yes, really, the swimming regular season is now wrapped up, and it caught me by surprise, too...should help the Cards hang onto, and maybe slightly improve their 19th ranking.

The best results of the event for the Cards were in the 100 yard backstroke, where the Cards owned the whole podium in a 1-2-3 finish by Ashlyn Schoof's (53.62), Tatiana Salcutan (53.80), and Paige Hetrick (54.37).  Also the 200 butterfly, with Tristen Ulett (1:57.36), Carley Lowe (1:58.51), and Gabi Albiero (1:58.89) taking the podium.  Maria Sumida was fourth (1:59.58) in exhibition.  The 200 backstroke with Tatiana Salcutan (1:56.49), Ashlyn Schoof (1:58.37), and Abby Hay (2:00.05) forming the trio.

The Cardinals also took wins in the 200 medley relay, the 100 freestyle, the 200 freestyle (with a 2nd place finish as well), the 100 breaststroke, the 50 freestyle, and the 100 butterfly.

It was a good outing for the Cards, after the men's side of the squad got the win over Cincinnati in a session earlier in the day.

Swimming will be back in action next Friday and Saturday, the 12th and 13th, at the Ralph Wright for the "Louisville First Chance" as a tune up for the ACC Championships the week after in Greensboro.

Women's Tennis Sweeps Another

Tennis has also been in action, and they're just getting their season underway.  We don't have to worry about Senior Day for Tennis until April.  Normally Tennis gets their season started in the fall, takes a little bit of a winter break, and then has the bulk of their season in the spring.  This year, of course, the whole fall portion of the schedule didn't happen, and the first tournament of the spring season at Notre Dame got cancelled because of Covid.

So Tennis is really just getting underway for the year, and so far, so good.  In non-conference play so far, the Cards haven't lost even a single individual match, yet.  Both overall matches have been won by 7-0 scores, and even in the doubles matches where best two out of three individual matches wins the overall doubles points, the Cards have gone 6-0.

I don't want to get expectations too high, as tennis is another sport where the ACC excels and the Cards have a habit of waltzing through non-conference play before hitting the buzz-saw of conference matchups.

The latest match was against Miami (OH), and in it, the Cards only lost a single set, total.

On a very minor side note, the gocards.com write-up of the tennis match was written by Hollyn Barr taking a break from the field hockey cage.  It's not uncommon for players of various sports to intern with the athletic department and take on roles like this.  It has at times been a chance for the Cardinal Couple crew to meet and chat with various athletes, such as when Yacine Diop ran the scoreboard in the softball press box a couple of years back.

Well done to the tennis squad, and Barr in their roles.  The tennis squad will be back in action Friday afternoon against Wichita State, in Wichita.  No word on Barr's next duties.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

Basketball may have had a slight break, but The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast didn't take a break from covering them, that's for sure.

It was over an hour of recap, analysis, and preview of Cards basketball.  It was good fun with lots of games to cover.  Check it out!

JMcA