ACC Awards -- Looking at Fall Sports Regular Seasons -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Happy Halloween! Today, we look at plenty of tricks and treats going on in the realm of Louisville women's sports.

ACC Awards

Field Hockey Places Three on All-ACC Teams

Louisville field hockey had three players named to the All-ACC Teams. Mia Duchars was named to the All-ACC First Team while Mia Emilia Kaczmarczyk and Julie Kouijzer were named to the All-ACC Second Team. You mean to tell me that players like Aimee Plumb and Merlijn van der Vegt didn't place? Get Out. That seems like a bunch of Hocus Pocus to me.

This is the first all-conference honor for Duchars, who was a crucial part of the defense while also playing a role with transitional offense. Duchars logged four assists and scored the game-winning goal in overtime at Boston College to close out the regular season.

Kaczmarczyk is having her best season of her five-year career with the Cards. The English native also earned her first all-conference honors while recording five goals and having two assists. Opposing defenses would get Goosebumps when Kazzy lined up for a shot.

Kouijzer has been the last line of defense for the Cards for several years, and has helped captain and direct the defense from her position. The defense allowed less than one goal per game this season. The Dutch native was also a force to be reckoned with on penalty corners, with three goals and three assists.

Louisville enters the ACC Tournament as the 3-seed and will face 6-seed Boston College today at 6:00 pm ET in Charlottesville. You can catch it on tv on ACC Network. Louisville has reached the ACC Finals before but has never won the title before. Will this year be The Shining moment for them?

Volleyball with Two Weekly Award Winners

Elle Glock was named ACC Setter of the Week. The redshirt sophomore tallied 64 assists over the weekend for an average of just over 10 assists per set. Her 34 assists and 10 digs against Florida State led to her first double-double of the season.

Elena Scott was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week. The junior libero 20 digs in the sweep over Florida State, her first 20+ dig match of the season. She had 13 more assists in the sweep over Miami. She added 10 assists and a pair of aces over the weekend. Scott is a Hellraiser for opposing offenses, who think they have an easy kill before she comes diving in at the last season with the dig.

The Cards have six regular season games left this season. They visit Georgia Tech this Friday. Ready or Not, the Cards are coming for you, Georgia Tech.

Louisville has advanced to two straight Final Fours and finished last season as National Runner-Up. Will this season be the season that UofL earns The Ring they have been chasing after?

Looking Back on Fall Sports Regular Seasons

Women's Soccer

For Louisville women's soccer, this season was certainly one to make you Scream. The Cards finished 4-9-5 this year with a 3-5-2 mark in conference play. It seemed like it was all a part of a Scary Movie. While it doesn't compare to Louisville men's basketball going 4-28 last season and starting the season on a nine-game losing a streak, a true Nightmare Before Christmas, this season's results don't bode well for a team full of talent.

UofL WSOC lost four games by one goal each. Turn those into draws or turn some of the five draws into wins and this season has a much better result. 9-4-5 looks world's better than 4-9-5. They did record a couple good wins over Pitt and Duke. Perhaps the Cards were in the hands of Malignant after battling several injuries.

We will be Conjuring up good vibes for next season. We do not know of any players that might be transferring out or in for the 2024 season.

After several years of failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, the Lynn Stadium offices probably feel like The Little Shop of Horrors as they figure out how to fix that for next year. 

Field Hockey

For the most part, Louisville field hockey had a strong season, going 13-5 on the year. However, a loss to Duke on Friday the 13th sparked a four-game losing streak towards the end of the season that turned a definite NCAA Tournament appearance into one that is a little bit more questionable. I still think their overall record and rpi should be enough to get in regardless of the results from the conference tournament.

So, who did the Cards call during their losing streak? Well, it wasn't the Ghostbusters. Justine Sowry got her team back to focusing on the basics and trying to loosen back up. It definitely felt like there was something Sinister afoot but Louisville bounced back with a win at Boston College to close out the regular season.

They now prepare for the ACC Tournament and hopefully the NCAA Tournament. IT is time to get the postseason started at 6:00 pm today. UofL is coming off a visit to Boston College where they snatched a win from the Jaws of defeat and now will Duel it out again tonight.

Volleyball

The volleyball regular season isn't over quite yet. With six games remaining, the Cards are 20-2 on the year and hold an 11-1 mark in conference play. You can't help but Smile at the 14 sweeps this year for Louisville, including those over rivals Kentucky and Pitt.

Even though Louisville's home arena isn't much bigger than The Cabin in the Woods or The Last House on the Left...the arena is regularly pushing capacity. They did break 12,000 at the KFC Yum! Center earlier this season and have had great numbers in all three appearances downtown. A rocking KFC Yum! Center crowd is enough to Haunt any opposing team's dreams. It is definitely the opposite of A Quiet Place.

Don't Look Now, but the Cards moved up to #3 in the latest AVCA rankings, sitting just behind Nebraska and Wisconsin. Pitt and Georgia Tech also sit in the top 10. The ACC has been Conjuring up strong volleyball programs for the last several years, with much of that credit going to when Louisville and Pitt joined the conference.

This year's Final Four is a bit of a distance for the Cards. No it's not all the way to Halloweentown, but Tampa still takes some time to get to. There is a good chance we see UofL there again this year.

We hope today's Halloween themed Cardinal Couple post wasn't so Sinister that you turned as pale as Casper like you Saw a Poltergeist. You Better Watch Out, as Trick 'r Treat-ers will be battling the cold and knocking on your door looking for the Candyman tonight.

Happy Halloween and Go Cards!

Jared