Volleyball Sweeps; FH Offense Goes Cold; Louisville Live -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

DeBeer is Back as Volleyball Beats Clemson 3-0

Louisville volleyball took care of business against Clemson ahead of their big matchup tomorrow and moved to 3-0 in conference. After a big win over Stanford last weekend and with Georgia Tech on the horizon, it was important for the Cards to not have an emotional letdown when the Tigers came to town. No such thing was at hand, as Louisville ripped off a 25-13 first set to establish the tone of the match. Clemson fought back by making the second set closer at 25-22, but Louisville separated again at the end with a 25-17 victory to complete the sweep. 

The Cards finished with 20 errors in yesterday's match, but the first set was fairly clean. Louisville only hit 0.28 but they had just four errors. With only 25 attack attempts, it's not so difficult to see why the percentage was low. Clemson, meanwhile, hit 0.0 in the first set. The Cards won the matchup in both aces and blocks for the match and they had far fewer serving errors. In fact, Louisville was +6 at the line while Clemson was -5, netting the Cards a +11 advantage in serving. Coupled with their 12-6 advantage in blocking, it becomes apparent how Louisville could sweep while committing more overall errors (Clemson had 19). 

The second set, where Clemson closed the gap, saw the Cards hit 10 errors. They had 51 attempts in the second, putting 15 kills on top of their errors. They managed to stay positive and still outhit Clemson 0.098-0.07. It was nothing to write home about, and Louisville actually played from behind for most of the set. After going up 3-2, Louisville gave up a 6-1 run to Clemson to go down 8-4. They slowly clawed back the deficit throughout the set before regaining the lead at 18-17. The teams traded points until a tie at 20, after which Louisville took five of the next seven points to win. 

Halftime was likely filled with a bit of a wakeup call, which it seemed Louisville responded to. They came out of the break and jumped out to a 4-1 lead which they extended to 11-6. From there, the Cards kept the Tigers at arm's length before ultimately going away at the end. Clemson won three straight points to make it 19-16, but they'd only score one more for the remainder of the match. 

Leading the way were Anna DeBeer and Charitie Luper (of course). Luper had 11 kills and 4 errors to finish with a .250 hitting percentage. DeBeer, on the other hand, was back with a vengeance. We've been waiting for her to return to form and she has shown signs of getting there recently. Yesterday was another indication. DeBeer hit 12 kills with no errors, finishing with a .522 percentage. She assisted on 4 blocks and had two aces with no service errors. She also finished second on the team (and third in the match) with 11 digs. Hello, Anna DeBeer. 

Elena Scott led all players with 19 digs and added three aces and a pair of assists. She had just one service error and an error in reception. Light work for the player of the week, who continues to make her case as the top libero in the nation. Many will say it's still debatable. Most in this region would disagree. 

The Cards take on Georgia Tech tomorrow. The Yellow Jackets have slipped a bit this season but they are still plenty dangerous. It's a 1:30pm start in L&N Arena, and the match will air on ACC Network. 

Field Hockey Scores First, Falls 2-1 at Syracuse

Justine Sowry would desperately like for her team to find some offense. I know you're saying, "Case, they've scored 21 goals in 11 games; that's not bad." I hear you, but there is a bit more nuance to that. While they've scored 21, they are 5-6. Of their 21 goals, 16 have come in their five wins. Three came in their 4-3 overtime loss to Ohio State last weekend. That means they've scored two goals in their other five losses. That's... not going to get it done.

Yesterday, Louisville looked to be off to the races. The Cards earned a corner in the first three minutes and Chloe Plumb tipped in the goal after an assist from Izzy Bianco. They were 1-1 on corners and 1-1 on shots. Unfortunately, the game doesn't end at the three minute mark. Louisville went on to get just three more shots in the game and none of them were on target. That's even with earning four more corners. Eek. 

Syracuse, on the other hand, calmly took the first goal in stride. The Orange earned two corners in the first quarter, taking a total of five shots. They forced two saves from Brandelynn Heinbaugh, but they finally got by her as time wound down in the quarter, tying the game at one with just 19 seconds remaining. While the second quarter was silent for both teams, Cuse took seven more shots in the second half, putting four of those on target. For those not keeping track, that means Syracuse outshot the Cards 12-4 and outshot them on target 6-1. The Orange scored the go-ahead goal (which would prove to be game winning) with five minutes left in the third quarter.

We've talked about how Louisville's offense needs to support the keepers in women's soccer, and the same is true in field hockey. Heinbaugh finished with four saves, which isn't world beating, but it could have been enough. Louisville forced no saves from Syracuse. Outside the first goal, they couldn't even put the ball on the cage. That's not how you're going to win games. 

I don't want to be overly negative. Field hockey is difficult at the top, and that's where Louisville fancies themselves. The non-conference schedule is a gauntlet, which is supposed to help prepare them for their conference schedule. Unfortunately, for the second year running, we're looking at a team under .500 halfway through the season. The Cards may remain ranked even if they lose to #3 Virginia tomorrow, but they're going to have to find a way to get out of the offensive slump. With UNC and Duke still on the schedule, as well as Wake and Cal on the road, Louisville field hockey need some wins to be considered for the NCAA tournament. I think they're good enough to do it, but they'll need to prove it to the committee.

Louisville Live at the KFC Yum! Center

Louisville men's and women's basketball have put aside the flashy outdoor venues of 4th Street Live, Louisville Slugger Field, and Churchill Downs in favor of the friendly confines of the KFC Yum! Center. I think they should consider Lynn Family, but I doubt Soccer Holdings would be too keen to allow them to put something on their well-manicured field. L&N Stadium could also be fun with the new field level suites.

That said, there's something quite right about doing your kickoff event on your home floor. Given all that has happened with the men's basketball program in recent years, there's not a thing wrong with getting everyone to bring good vibes to the Yum! Center. Last night there were good vibes galore. Plus, how can you not get excited for the upcoming year with an introductory picture that goes as hard as this one?

Last night's festivities included a 3x3 game, 3-point contest, and a dunk competition. Taking home victory in the 3x3 were Ja'Leah Williams and Mackenly Randolph from the women's team along with J'Vonne Hadley and Terrance Edwards on the men's. They were joined by Stephen Van Treese representing the alumni. Their team was coached by Aly Khalifa and Kobe Rodgers. The team they defeated featured Imari Berry, Anaya Hardy, and Chelsie Hall along with Koren Johnson and James Scott. It was coached by Merissah Russell, Olivia Cochran, Elif Istanbulluoglu, Nyla Harris, and Jayda Curry. 

It's nearly impossible to tell who all participated in the 3-point contest, but unfortunately the women couldn't quite keep up this year. The finals were between grad transfer (and 6'-11" forward) Noah Waterman and transfer senior guard Reyne Smith. The aptly named Reyne took home the victory. 

Freshman Khani Rooths was the winner in the dunk contest, earning 10s across the board, except for the (well within his rights) strict judgement of Darrell Griffith. Dr. Dunkenstein still scored Rooths a 9. Anaya Hardy got it on the action in the dunk contest as well, exciting the crowd with (just about) a dunk of her own. I'd score it a "standard Peyton Siva breakaway" style dunk but it'd be pretty difficult for anyone to defend, so I like it. 

This season should be exciting for the Cards, and we're looking for both teams to feed on the energy each can bring to the Yum! Center.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

It'll be a twosome on the show today, as a noon kickoff holds out Jared and Daryl. I'm headed to a friend's shower (it was scheduled before the football game), but Paulie and Jeff will hold down the fort. They'll be happy to talk volleyball and Louisville Live, but perhaps not quite as thrilled about field hockey and soccer. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

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Apple Podcasts: Link

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RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case