Jeff and Jared Visit Pro VolleyCards in Indy -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Visiting the Pro VolleyCards in Indy

Fishers Event Center

Jeff and I ventured outside of Louisville following the Cards’ loss to Notre Dame on Sunday in women’s basketball. Our destination was the Fishers Event Center in Indiana to catch some professional volleyball as fans. Cardinal Couple has been denied media credentials multiple times this season for the Ignite since we are not local media and do not actively cover their team. Four former Cardinals were on the combined rosters for the match. Wilma Rivera and Tori Dilfer Stringer dressed for the Columbus Fury while Elena Scott and Anna DeBeer were on the other side with the Indy Ignite.

The host Ignite took the 3-0 sweep in front of approximately 5,000 fans. Members of the crowd included the DeBeer family, the Scott family, and the Rush (Ceci is a Louisville volleyball alum) family. The current Purdue head coach was sitting court side along the baseline to watch a couple former Boilermakers play.

Tori Dilfer Stringer

We had a chance to talk to Stringer, DeBeer, and Scott after the match. Rivera had some family in town visiting from presumably Puerto Rico and did not get to swing over to chit chat. Stringer showed some sign of frustration as she felt her team had an off night. DeBeer was not dressed in uniform, but was still on the bench with the rest of the team. Scott had an unfamiliar look as she did not wear the libero jersey for the first time since high school. Kylie Murr, who is in her second pro season, is the current libero on the team and has given Scott some competition.

While we did not conduct an official interview with the players, nor did we do any video, our former Cards were happy to talk with us and answer a few questions.

All of them seemed to be excited for both Dani Busboom Kelly on taking the Nebraska job and for Dan Meske being promoted to the Louisville job. Anna mentioned how she predicted this was going to happen this season while many of us thought this personnel change was still a few years away. We did learn that both the Louisville and Nebraska players were informed at the exact same time and found out less than an hour before the official announcement. This was to help limit the chances of information being leaked in advance.

Anna DeBeer

Tori, who has a few professional years under her belt now, has been adjusting to her new team and new roster. She and Wilma Rivera have split time at setter and both of them are playing more of a veteran and leadership role. She did mention the fun she had with helping run some of the volleyball podcasts and videos for Floyd Street Media and is hopeful to do so again next fall.

Anna is not quite healthy yet but assured us that things are trending in the right direction for her. A timeline of returning wasn’t given but she indicated that she plans to actively participate in the matches by the end of the season. We did not ask the extent of her injuries but Jeff and I both were under the impression that it was a bit worse than we thought back during the Final Four. Either way, she has a bright career ahead of her.

Elena Scott

Anna and Elena are currently roommates in an apartment not far from the arena. That’s not too bad seeing as both practice and workout together on the same team and have each other to lean on. Both players are Louisville natives and are playing outside of their hometown for the first time ever, albeit being just a couple hours away.

It was certainly good to catch up with some of our former Cards and to hear that each one is doing well. We hope to head back north for another match later this season.

Back in Louisville, Dan Meske was officially introduced as the next Louisville volleyball head coach. Jeff and I both hit this promotion over the last few days, but you can find his introductory presser below.

Dan Meske Introductory Press Conference

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared