Movin' on Up...Louisville Volleyball #2, Louisville Field Hockey #5 -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

CARDS FLYING HIGH IN THE POLLS

(Anyone under the age of 40 may not know who this is)

Without meaning to steal anything from the popular TV series THE JEFFERSONS ((1975-1985), a couple of Louisville women's fall sports squads are "movin' on up" in the DI polls that recently came out.

LOUISVILLE VOLLEYBALL went from #3 to #2 in the polls this week and LOUISVILLE FIELD HOCKEY climbed from #9 to #5. 

You read it right...that's two women's squads on campus that are top five in the nation. If football and men's soccer were able to make the same claim, this city would be going nuts...chances are, though, the women's accomplishments get scarcely more than an approving head nod from the average UofL sports fan, if they realize it at all. I guess I'll be shouting into a driving, roaring wind for as long as I do this site...but our fan base needs to get out and see women's sports.

Instead, there is more discussion and commenting of a few UK football players displaying downwards "L"'s.  Which is crazy...first of all, we realize that most UK football players didn't know their alphabet coming in to college and secondly, the downwards "L" looks like a "7"...which is what the Cards will probably beat UK by in football this year. 

Volleyball (6-0) is doing it without a few key cast members from last year's Final Four squad, but...as long as you have Aiko Jones, Anna DeBeer and P.K. Kong on your roster...you've got a nucleus that will give most opposing coaches nightmares. 

Only Wisconsin stands above the Cards in the wide net polls, and Louisville is on of five of the top six teams that is still defeated. 

I guess you could say the VolleyCards are serving up some winners. 

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Cards Field Hockey (4-0) has won the battle of the "norths" (Northeastern and Northwestern) and is undefeated in the battle of the Ivy League, with wins over Penn and Princeton. Justine Sowry's stick swingers are exactly blowing anyone out, one of the wins has been by two goals and the other three by one goal, but they're landing in the "W" column and tat's preferable to the "L" column. 

What is rather weird is the Louisville FH DID defeat Northwestern, but the Northern Wildcats are #3 in the NFCHA Poll. The Cards made a nice jump, from #9 to #5, but still being ranked behind Northwestern is a head-scratcher. 

Seven Cards have scored in the four games, which has got to pose a bit of a dilemma to opposing coaches...in the "if we shut down (player A), from scoring...then (players B thru H) could get us". 

Three opponent goals in four games also shows that the Cards are getting the job done defensively. 

Let's hope the good vibes and wins continue the rest of the week and the rest of the season for Volleyball and Field Hockey. Volleyball travels to Dayton tomorrow night in Dayton and brings in Penn State on Sunday.  Field Hockey faces Ohio St. on Friday and VCU on Sunday....and both are at Trager.

Show these top five teams a little love and support. Get out to Field Hockey and, although you may not be able to get to Volleyball because of limited seating -- remember they WILL be playing some KFC YUM! CENTER matches, and do your best to get there 

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PLAYER OF THE WEEK

A bit of a tough call this week...Tyler Everslage had a goal against both Princeton and Penn and Anna DeBeer killed everything in sight in her three games down in Missouri...but I'm going with a freshman here, in WSOC's Molly Cochran. 

She had two of the Cards three goals in the win over Central Michigan and has been quite a pleasant surprise for the Cards on offense this season.

she's also quite the pleasant young woman to talk to (you can hear Paulie's interview with her in the Monday CARDINAL COUPLE article). 

Congratulations to the Madeira, OH  native !

paulie