Vball Faces San Diego -- WNBA Draft -- HVL -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Volleyball Faces San Diego in NCAA Tournament

11th-seed Louisville gears up to face #21 ranked San Diego tonight in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cards earned a first round bye after being named one of the top 16 teams so a win will guarantee their sixth Sweet 16 appearance in program history.

The Toreros swept A&M-Corpus Christi 25-13, 25-15, 25-18 yesterday. It was San Diego's 13th win of the year after they went 12-4 in the regular season, all matches being played within the West Coast Conference.

San Diego went 1-3 against ranked opponents this year with the lone win coming against Pepperdine on Senior Day. It was enough to earn them an 11th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Averaging 13.1 kills per set, 12.2 assists per set, and a .268 kill percentage, San Diego ranked near the top in nearly every offensive category in the WCC. With 10 players at 6'0 or taller, the Toreros had a strong showing with 2.3 blocks per set.

First serve is set for noon ET, which would be 11:00 local time in Omaha. UofL did provide a link to watch this game live. Our very own Worldwide will be in attendance cheering on the Cards so look for him and his hair. We're sure to hear from him during our Cardinal Couple Radio Hour.

Link to watch UofL Volleyball: https://uofl.me/3wTeV3S

WNBA Draft

Tonight's primetime show on tv is the WNBA Draft. This year's draft, which will be held virtually, will air at 7:00 p.m., and will be shown on ESPN.

Dana Evans is one of the top prospects in the draft and some expertsbelieve she will be taken sixth overall to the New York Liberty, joining Asia Durr, Jazmine Jones, and Kylee Shook. Evans is without a doubt one of the best players in Louisville history. There is some speculation she might be headed to Chicago, as well, which would put her closer to her hometown of Gary, IN. 

Charli Collier from Texas is the heavy favorite to go first to the Dallas Wings. After that, there is debate on how the next few picks will go.

Van Lith Invited to 2021 USA Women's AmeriCup Team Trials

Rising sophomore Hailey Van Lith was invited to the 2021 USA Women's AmeriCup Team Trials. The event will be held at the University of South Carolina from April 18-21. Dawn Staley will be the head coach for the team.

Van Lith is joined by 19 other notable women's basketball players listed below:

-Grace Berger (Indiana University, Sacred Heart Academy of Louisville)

-Aaliyah Boston (South Carolina)

-Jakia Brown-Turner (NC State)

-Rae Burrell (Tennessee)

-Veronica Burton (Northwestern)

-Zia Cooke (South Carolina)

-Elissa Cunane (NC State)

-Destanni Henderson (South Carolina)

-Naz Hillmon (Michigan)

-Rhyne Howard (Kentucky)

-Ashley Joens (Iowa State)

-Haley Jones (Stanford)

-Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech)

-Diamond Miller (Maryland)

-Ashley Owusu (Maryland)

-Khayla Pointer (LSU)

-Sedona Prince (Oregon)

-NaLyssa Smith (Baylor)

-Jenna Staiti (Georgia)

We send best wishes to Hailey and hope that she makes the final cut. 

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared