More Impressive Start: Field Hockey or Volleyball? -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Two Louisville women's teams have had red hot starts to their respective seasons with Louisville volleyball starting 6-0 and Louisville field hockey starting 4-0. Both entered the season with high expectations and neither has disappointed. But which team has had the more impressive start?

The Resumes

Volleyball

The VolleyCards have started 6-0 while dropping a whopping one set during that span. Even against opponents Louisville has been favored against, dropping just one set is still a pretty big feat. One of those wins came in sweep fashion against a ranked Washington State team. The Cards have gone 3-0 at home, 2-0 on a neutral court, and 1-0 on the road.

Louisville is hitting .322 on the year while averaging 14.3 kills per set. Serving has been right about a 1:1 ratio with 46 service aces and 50 service errors. Opponents are at 15 and 44. The bread and butter remains the blocking, with the Cards averaging 2.6 blocks per set.

Field Hockey

The Stick Girls are 4-0 on the year with only one win coming at home. Two of the wins are true road games and one is at a neutral site, although it was within an hour of the opposing team's home turf. Half of the wins have come against top 10 including the reigning National Runner-Up.

T

he eight goals scored so far is right about on par from last season, just against tougher competition this year. They've allowed .75 goals per game so far this season, major thanks to a stellar defensive and goalkeeping performance. Seven different players have logged a goal so far, showing how many offensive weapons this team has.

The Verdict

There is no doubt both teams have raised eyebrows with how good they look, but taking down a pair of top 10 opponents gives Louisville field hockey the edge here. Expectations were already higher for Louisville volleyball, who is the current National Runner-Up and have been to two straight Final Fours. Field hockey had high expectations after finishing top 15 and making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last year, but many of us thought Northwestern or Princeton might get the upper hand against the Cards, but Justine Sowry's squad has shown their toughness.

Both volleyball and field hockey have potential for top five rankings or better and can both do some damage in the NCAA Tournament. Sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the successes of the women's sports at UofL.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared