Former Card Sydney Taylor A Pleasant WNBA Surprise for Sky -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLEThe numbers were impressive, but

TAYLOR PUTTING UP EXCELLENT NUMBERS FOR CHICAGO SKY

Although she only spent a year playing basketball at UofL, Sydney Taylor's numbers were significant as a Card and she is now having a rags-to-riches success story come to life in the WNBA.  

Taylor is averaging 14.7 p.p.g. a game for the Chicago Sky. What's the back story on the 25 yr. old rookie in the league? 

She spent her first four years of college at the University of Massachusetts, after helping high school team St. Joseph's (NY) to four straight CHSAA championships and a state title her senor year.  

At UMass, she built a solid career. In her senior year, she was Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference, scored over 1000 career points and put up 30 against Dayton. Her number were impressive but not quite WNBA type of numbers...so she took a fifth year of eligibility and came to Louisville. 

She arrived with the Cards in April 2023, after a nice stint playing USA U23 basketball and going to places such as Chile, Mongolia and Canada. She also was named the GLOBL JAM MVP after hitting the game-winning three against Canada to win the gold medal for  the USA. 

That graduate year was very significant in Taylor's basketball development...in no small part because of the Cardinals coaches. She lead the squad in the 2023-24 season with 57 made threes and was second best i scoring with 10.8 p.p.g.  She celebrated Paulie's birthday by scoring 31 points against Georgia Tech on Feb. 22nd., 2024.  Walz, Norman, Pineda and Robinson knew they had lightning in a bottle

But, she went undrafted in the WNBA draft that year. She tried the Euro circuit. Spent time in Lithuania and won a championship in 2025, then went to MB Zaglebie Sosnowiec in Poland to start 2026.

She was playing ball in the EuroLeague in 2026 for that same Polish team but had not given up her WNBA dreams just yet. and wrangled an invitation to Chicago on a training camp contract. 

"I'd been dreaming about it ever since early in my college career. I really believed it could happen, even when i was overseas and I was, like, I'm gonna get there." 

In a preseason game with the Sky, she scored 21 points and made the Sky roster, as a spark off the bench.  Her drive, desire and determination was paying off. She put up 27 in a loss to Toronto...then 30 in a loss to the Indiana Fever. It's was looking like she was "Taylor made" for the Sky. 

"Sydney knows what she is capable of. She comes in, she wants to make an impact and she does that." Sky coach Tyler Marsh has said about her. "The gravity she holds as a scorer impacts itself even when she is not scoring. People now know what she is capable of doing, nd that in itself holds some weight when she is pout there." 

Marsh moved her to the starting lineup on June 17.  

She is now a highly touted candidate for rookie of the Year in the WNBA along with Olivia Miles (Minnesota) and Azzi Fudd (Dallas). Although everyone is ready to hand the award to Miles, never count out the girl from Long Island ,who overcame long odds to get to the WNBA. 

*******************************************************************************

If anyone attended the Red & Black volleyball Scrimmage and would like to leave a synopsis or account of what you saw, please leave a comment in our comments section. All we can find out is that Black won, and that the players played on both teams. Thanks. 

paulie

Cards FH Eighth in ACC Preseason Poll -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Plenty of room for UofL to surprise in ACC Pre-Season Field Hockey Poll

Field Hockey season kicks off in two weeks for the nine ACC school participants In a league that is probably the best in NCAA DI Field Hockey...chock full of traditional powerhouses like North Carolina, Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest....the Cards have been selected to finish 8th in the league, with 19 points. Only California, with 17 points was selected lower than the Cards. 

So, Louisville could play the role of spoiler in a lot of ACC contests.  The Cards will have two exhibitions before the regular season begins...facing Bellarmine on the 19th of August at Trager and at Ball St. (in Muncie) on the 22nd before starting regular season action against Miami (OH) on the 28th at Trager. 

What are the standings? To explain, first, points are awarded depending on how high the voter thinks the particular school will finish. For the 2026 ACC Poll the voting was: 

1. North Carolina 73 (with four first place votes)                                                                              

2. Virginia 68  (with two first place votes) 

                                                                                     

T-3. Duke 64 (with one first place vote)                                                                                          

T-3. Wake Forest 64 (with two first place vote)                                                                                

5. Syracuse 42                                                                                                                                

6. Boston College 31                                                                                                                      

7. Stanford 27                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

8. Louisville 19                                                                                                                                

9. California 17                                                                                                                                

No surprise that the three newest teams to the ACC are the bottom three ranked.  Each team plays eight conference games and there is a ACC Field Hockey Tournament at the end omthe season. 

Louisville certainly has one of the best facilities around for field hockey out at Trager and the overall success of women's sports on campus would indicate Louisville can be successful in the highly competitive ACC. Since joining the league, though, Louisville field Hockey is 30-43 against other ACC schools.  

Here's hoping the Cards can turn things over .500 in conference play this season. The 2-6 conference mark last season needs a shot of adrenalin.   

paulie                                                                                                                        

 

Louisville Softball Adds Three to Roster -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 TILL, DEWATERS & SITARSKI JOIN HIT AND RUN CARDS

The 2027 Louisville Cardinals Softball squad will have a trio of transfers joining the roster. Coming into join the squad are Abbie DeWaters, Kaidance Till and Mak Sitarski. 

Abbie DeWaters

Abbie DeWaters was a freshman catcher last season at the University of South Florida. She batted .206 in 19 games played for the Bulls. She hails from Tobe Sounds, FL where she played for South Fork High School. 

Dewaters thoughts on becoming a Cards Softballer? 

"After visiting campus and meeting the coaches, I knew Louisville was the right place for me. The culture they have built and the energy around the team made me feel at home and it just seemed like the perfect fit." 

Kaidance Till

Kaidance Till redshirted last season at Ole Miss and hails from Metamora Township High School in Germantown Hills, Illinois. She is an infielder and was on four All Coference squads and NFCA All-American in 2025. 

What she said about joining the Cardinals ranks: 

"From the start, the coaches were amazing I felt very welcomed the moment I stepped on campus. The culture of the team was exactly what I was looking for. The coaching staff is genuinely a dream come true. I'm so thankful for the opportunity the coaches are giving me and the trust they have in me to become a part of their program." 

Mak Sitarski

Mak Sitarski is an outfield who heads to Louisville after a freshman season at Toledo. She is out of Allen Park, Michigan and was a three time All-Michigan selection at Allen Park High School. 

In her lone season with the Ole Miss rebels, she played in 29 games and made 13 starts in left field. 

"I chose Louisville Softball because of the speed of the offense and their unpredictability at the plate. " she said, about transferring to the Cards. "I love the aggressiveness on the basepaths and the overall grit of the team. The coaches made me feel one of the family beginning on Day One."  

L's up and a hearty welcome to the three newest Cardinals. Hit 'em where they ain't and catch everything hit your way!  

paulie

Huskers Shuck Cards WSOC 3-1 -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 NORTON ERA BEGINS WITH A STUBBED TOE 

The start of a new Louisville women's soccer season. A team that was coming off a very successful season last year and had played two impressive exhibitions. Bringing in a Nebraska squad that had not done too well in their season opening exhibition. 

What a difference a change in venue and opponent can make. Let's use the term "Husker Du" ...not referring to the American punk rock band that churned out memorable songs like "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely" and "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill". but the positive showing the women's soccer squad out of Lincoln, Nebraska had in the city known for bourbon. 

Scoring right off the bat,  with just three minutes off the clock in the first half, when Nathalie Lewis broke free on a jail brealk and planted one in the net past UofL goalkeep Kailey Kimball for the first goal of the match. 

LINK: Lewis scores on Louisville  

Nebraska would add a second goal, a long attempt...seemingly from the Louisville Lacrosse stadium to take a commanding 2-0 lead into the half-time locker room.  

The Huskers would add a third score in the second half before Louisville managed to get on the board with just 12 minutes left in the contest, when Liz Eddy found Liza Suydam on a pass for the final score of the game. 

Maybe this stat best exemplifies the Cards frustration on the pitch last night...the Cards had 18 shots and one goal.  

So...the Norton era at UofL women's soccer starts out with a stumble. The Cards kickers will get a chance for redemption and to even the season record when they bring in IU Indy to Lynn on Saturday. 

paulie

Cards WSOC opens 2026 season against Nebraska tonight --WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CORNHUSKERS VS CARDS TONIGHT AT 7:30 

Kayma Carpenter Univ. of Nebraska

We finally get into the UofL women's fall sports schedule...when Louisville women's soccer takes on Nebraska tonight at Lynn Stadium on the UofL campus at 7:30 p.m.

The Nebraska squad comes into Louisville to open their regular season as well. The have had an exhibition game, against Colorado St. but fell to the Rams 3-1. The contest will be shown on the ACC Network Extra. If UofL had an exhibition contest, it ws not made public. 

The Hunter Norton era begins at UofL with the retirement of long-time coach Karen Ferguson Dayes. Norton, a long time assistant at UofL...was named the head coach of the Cards in February, after "Coach Karen" retired after 26 years as the Cards skipper. She began in the year 2000 and amassed 224 wins. 

Nebraska head coach John Walker enters his 33rd. year as the Cornhuskers skipper. 

Who to watch for Nebraska? Kayma Carpenter, Ella Guyott and Ella Rudney are considered to be the best of the lot in Lincoln. . 

Carpenter had 15 points as a junior for Nebraska. She is a senior out of Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Ella Guyott is a senior midfielder/forward who sat out her junior year due to injury but was a solid sophomore for Nebraska and was named a Big Ten Player to Watch for the 2026 season.

Ella Rudney

Ella Rudney started every game for Nebraska last year as a midfielder and had 15 points. 

Admission is free for UofL women's soccer games. 

Good luck to the Cards for the start to their season! We'll have the recap tomorrow here at the site. 

paulie

Carys Baker a great addition to Louisville WBB -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

BAKER BOLSTERS UofL WBB FRONT LINE. 

Carys Baker had a very good season as a Hokie last year, with 14.3 p.p.g, 6.9 rebounds and was the second leading scorer for VT, just behind guard Wenzel Carleigh. Carleigh had 498 points for VT and Baker had 471. Both played in 33 games for the Blacksburg school, who went 12-6 in conference and 23-10 overall. 

However... she won't be in the maroon and burnt orange colors for her senior year. She has decided to wear the red and black and will be going to UofL for her senior senior. 

She's projected to be a starter for Walz & company, along with Tajianna Roberts, Mackenly Randolph, Zamareya Jones and Elif Istanbulluoglu. Depending on who you read, there are other starting lineups being touted, let's face it, only Jeff Walz knows for sure, and...it isn't as important  as who starts, it's who is out there in crunch time or the close thriller. 

Baker, a 6'2" forward, is a talented perimeter shooter and should fit in quite well with the Walz up-and-down the court style of offensive attack .

Basketball is in her blood...she's the daughter of NBA great and Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Vin Baker.

Carys led VT is threes made in the 2025=26 season with 56.  When she and the Hokies faced UofL last year in the KFC YUM! Center she had 16 points and nine rebounds in the 85-60 loss to the Cards. 

She'll be a welcome addition to the Cards and we look forward to seeing her participate as a Card!  

paulie

Louisville WBB offers Edmondson -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CLASS OF 2030 5'11" GUARD JYLIN EDMONDSON PICKS UP UOFL OFFER

where she started...

She already has an impressive resume..and now the George Rogers Clark guard has a offer from UofL WBB. 

She was at Franklin Country in 2025 and a part of the 2025 Kentucky 2A championship team. She also plays for FBC United Young Gunz on the travel circuit.

She runs the floor quite well for a freshman and has a deadly pull up jumper. 

She first began drawing notices when she was an eight grader at Boyd County, and is considered one of the elite already in Kentucky Girls High school basketball. 

She has a high basketball IQ and has also received offers from Florida St., Mississippi St. and Pittsburgh..in addition to Louisville, so far

Jylin released the Louisville offer news after speaking with UofL associate head coach Jonneisha Pineda.   

We hope that the Cards can land this elite baller but you can rest assured that the offers will continue to pour in for Jylin. 

paulie

Five key players essential to Louisville women's soccer successes -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CAN CARDS WSOC IMPROVE ON 13-5-3 2025 SEASON?

Ashlyn Hule

Louisville Women's Soccer goes into the 2026 season after a very good 2025 season where they went 13-5-2 and 6-2-2 in the ACC. And, now...with Hunter Norton in his first season, Cardinal fans will hope that the soccer squad can keep up the success. 

Junior Amelia Swinarski stands out as the primary returning star. She led the Cards in goals last season with 10, and also accumulated 30 points. 

Along with Swinarski, these other four players are expected to be significant contributors to the squad. 

-- Ella Bard, a sophomore defender, was named to the U.S Under 20 National Team Camp.

-- Grace Maddox, a junior defender, is another returning key anchor to the defensive line. 

-- Ashlyn Hule goes into her sophomore season as a forward with high scoring potential.

-- Kiley Peat will be a sophomore midfielder who contributed scoring last year and figures to add to that. 

Louisville brings in six transfers and five freshmen to the roster. The Cards were picked to finish ninth in the ACC preseason poll 

paulie

  

Louisville women's soccer opens 2026 season in five days -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CORNHUSKERS COME TO LYNN TO BEGIN CARDS SEASON

Nebraska WSOC

Imagine having the same coach for 33 yrs. Imagine having the coach that started the program still in place.In this day of NIL and colleges dumping coaches if they  drop below .500, John walker is a rarity. 

When Nebtaska decided to field a women's soccer team back in 1992, they selected Walker as their head coach. Going into his 33rd season, Walked will be on the sidelines when Nebraska comes to town on Wednesday, Aug 12th. in the season opener fo rboth squads. 

Walker is 372--203-62 in his only head coaching job and has been in both the Big12 and Big 10 conferences in his reign at Nebraska. 

Using a unique coaching style, he has built a well-respected program and draws the best of talent around the nation to Huskers soccer. 

They have already played a match this season...falling to Colorado St. 3-1 on Aug. 5th at Ft. Collins  Granted it was a exhibition match..but the Nebraska squad but could only get a goal from Reese Borer. 

Louisville head women's soccer coach Hunter Norton begnis his first seson as the UofL head coach.

The match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be on ACC Network Extra online...if fyou can't go.. We won't have live coverage of the match, since I have been banned from attending any UofL women's athletic events or press conferences as a media person. I would assume I could still atttend matches as a fan ,buy health issues have me sidelines .If you are interested on what Norton and Swinarski had to say in a presser yesterday, it is linked up below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8w7Fm7TFqw&t=21s   . Norton and Swinarski.

...

paulie

Cards On The Table a fresh look at player interviews -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 EPISODE ONE of CARDS ON THE TABLE AN IN DEPTH DISCUSSION BETWEEN "E", IMARI and TAJIANNA AND MACKENLY

Cards On The Table isn't a new campus game of cards or hijinks in the team's dining area.

What it is..is an nicely moderated discussion with moderator Mackenly Randolph.and three current Cardinals Women's basketball players. Episode One features Elif Istanbulluoglu , Tajianna Roberts,MacKenly  Randolph and Imarr Berry.

Randolph asks the other three players questions and they respond to her. She is a natural for the moderator's role and the players respond well to her and also seem to be having a lot of fun taping the segment. 

It is a unique and well-designed format, where the discussion is free flowing and pretty funny at times...but the over 30 minute production is fast paced and informative. Walz is one of the topics that they discuss. 

One area they talk a lot about is the Versa. To explain it, the Versa is not the phrase "Vice versa" but a piece of equipment workout that involves upper and lower body vertical climbing movements. The low-impact training build high aerobic endurance and muscular strength without heavy joint stress from running. 

Click HERE. for a clip of the Versa Climber. 

This is supposed to be a regular feature that UofL WBB will be doing, and we look forward to the next one. 

paulie 

CARDS VOLLEYBALL ON TV THIS UPCOMNG SEASON -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS VOLLEYBALL CURRENTLY  SCHEDULED FOR 10 GAMES TO BE BROADCAST NATIONALLY. 

Louisville Volleyball will be shown on five different channels in the upcoming 2026 season. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC NETWORK and ABC will televise the Cards, beginning three weeks from now when they'll face Texas A&M in Milwaukee on Augusr 21th at 6:00 PM on ESPNU in the AVCA First Serve. 

The list is as follow: 

-- 8/21  Texas A&M in Milwaukee on ESPN2                                                                                 --8/22  Wisconsin in Milwaukee Not assigned a network yet)                                                       -- 9/4   TCU in Louisville on ACC Network                                                                                     -- 9/6   Texas in Nashville on ABC                                                                                                 -- 9/9   Missouri in Louisville on ACC Network                                                                              -- 9/20  Kentucky in Lexington on ABC                                                                                          -- 10/11 Stanford in Lousiville on ESPN                                                                                        -- 10/25 at Miami on ACC Network                                                                                                -- 11/01 Georgia Tech in Louisville on ACC Network                                                                    -- 11/12 at SMU in Dallas on ESPNU                                                                                            -- 11/15 at Pittsburgh on ESPN

In additional to these nationally televised matches, all other home games and away ACC matches will be on-line on ACC Network Extra

The Cards were selected to finish third in the ACC Coaches Preseason Poll and were voted #8 in the Preseason D1 rankings.  We'll have much more on volleyball as the seaso start grows closer. 

paulie                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -- 

WNBA Wednesday Standings -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LYNX LEAD THE LEAGUE

Dana Evans on the dribble

With most teams around the 30 games mark right now, in a season that runs around 44 games, the Minnesota Lynx lead the league with a 25-6 record.

 No Louisville WBB former stars are o the Lynx roster, but the ACC is represented by Natasha Howard (FSU) and Liatu King and Kayla McBride (Notre Dame).in Minnesota. 

3.5 games behind the Lynx are the Las Vegas Aces at 21-9. Dana Evans is a reserve guard on the Lynx, and averages 3.0 p.p.g and almost two assists in back up duty. The ACC also has Chelsea Gray (Duke) on the roster and Jewel Loyd ,Brianna Turner and Jackie Young, all from Notre Dame on the squad and A'ja Wilson (UNC). 

The Golden State Valkyries are in third place...four games back of Minnesota. Thy play in San Francisco. No Walz players there, but the ACC is represented by Miela Sowah (Duke), Ashton Prechtel and Nadia Fingall...both from Stanford, 

The Dallas Wings are tied for fourth place at 19-11. .Playing from the ACC for Dallas is Aziaha James (NC State), Haley Jones and Alanna Smith (Stanford) and Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard (Notre Dame). Tied with them are tthe Indiana Fever. Myisha Hines-Allen is in Indy for the ACC along with Lexie Hull (Stanford) and Makayla Timpson (Florida State) and Ugonne Onyiah (California).

The rest of the league? 

6. Atlanta Dream  .7. New York Liberty. 8) Washington Mystics. 9) LA Sparks. 10) Phoenix Mercury. 11) Chicago Sky. 12) Portland Fire, 13) Toronto Tempo 14) Connecticut Sun and 15) Seattle Storm. 

Good luck to our Cards in the WNBA !!                          

paulie                                                                                            

How big a girl are ya? -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 ZHANG ZIYU IS OVER 7'2" 

It was Roy D.Mercer who recorded the hilarious "How Big A Boy Are Ya" clip, back in 1999, (you can hear it HERE) and the clip came to mind when this very tall woman came into the clinic I go to for my dialysis treatments. I was talking to one of the technicians after this tall woman left ,and we were discussing tallest people we had ever seen in person. She claimed she had seen a 6'9" woman at a trade show a few months back, I told her mine was a girl named Allyssa DeHaan, who played for Michigan State and was 6'9" when I saw her play around 2009 or 10. 

Was she the tallest girl to ever play basketball? The answer is "No". Zhang Ziyu of the Shandong Six Stars in the WCBA. The WCBA is the Women's Chinese Basketball Association and Ziyu is 7'2' (some say 7'3" ) and is 19 yrs. old. 

Your first question may very well be...why isn't she in the WNBA? That league has a rule that international players must be at least 20 on the day of their signing. If you are a player in the United States, the age requirement is 22. Why? My best guess is that the WNBA doesn't want to start usurping talent from the colleges too early, since it is their major recruiting source. Out of the roughly 160 players in the WNBA, around 120 attended a U.S. college or university. We also started talking about the tallest woman basketball player that has played at UofL. That would be either Liz Dixon, Eseosa Imafidon or Syndi Schetnan, who were all 6'5". An interesting fact is that Liz didn't start her college time at UofL...she first went to Georgia Tech. Sydni and Eseosa didn't finish their careers as Cardinals...Sydni ended up at South Dakota St. and switched primarily to Volleyball there. Eseosa is now a senior at Providence. 

Ayse Melek Demira. 

Who is the tallest Cardinals player this upcoming season? That's a tie between Grace Mbugna and Ayse Melek Demira at 6'4"

The tallest WNBA player award goes to Margo Dydek..who has seen time at the Connecticut Sun, Los Angeles Sparks and the Utah Starzz. She is 7'2". 

The tallest woman I ever dated was a 6'4" girl from Anderson County, KY who was the little sister of one of my fraternity brothers. She confided to me it was nice to finally go out with someone she didn't have to start down upon...(I'm 6'3") and dance with someone who's head wasn't buried in her breasts during slow dances. I wonder whatever happened to her? 

Know a tall girl? Make sure and remember her on June 20 or 21, that is National Tall Girls Day and comes about on the Summer Solstice. 

I wonder if it's too early for a "tall boy"? 

 paulie

Louisville Volleyball predicted to finish third in ACC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 STANFORD, PITT AND LOUISVILLE TOP THREE IN ACC PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL COACHES POLL

The votes are in and the coaches have spoken. The Stanford Cardinal were selected first in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, followed by Pitt and Louisville

The Cardinal received 280 votes and 10 first place votes. The Panthers got 277 votes and three first place votes. The Cardinals got 257 votes and one first place vote. Rounding out the top five were SMU with 245 votes and North Carolina with 220 votes. 

The next five? Georgia Tech totalled 198 votes, Miami came in with 193 votes, Florida State received 180 votes, NC State came in ninth with 148 votes and Wake Forest rounded out the top ten with 131 votes. 

The other eight schools? Virginia (114), Notre Dame (104), California (93), Clemson (89), Boston College (87), Duke (70), Syracuse (37) and Virginia Tech (21).

Stanford was eliminated in the NCAA DI Austin Semifinals last year by Wisconsin in four sets . Pitt made it to the National Semifinals before Texas A&M knocked them out of the tournament. Louisville got knocked out by Marquette in the second round of the tournament. 

Four UofL student-athletes made the All-ACC Preseason Volleyball team: Nayelis Cabello, Kalyssa Blackshear, Chloe Chicoine and Payton Petersen.

paulie

United States defeats Canada in World Lacrose Championships -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 TEETER'S LAXERS TAKE SILVER IN WORLD LACROSSE

The United States LAX squad jumped early on the Scott Teeter coached Canadians and won the 2026 Nissan Foods World Lacrosse Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan at the Prince Chichubu Memorial Stadium....by a score of 16-4 . 

Israel claimed bronze, or third place with a win over the Haudenosaunee 7-4. The win was Israel's first ever bronze medal in the event. 

Canada reached the finals by knocking off the Haudenosaunee 18-5 and USA got to the finals by turning back Israel 19-7. The USA was coached by Acadia Walker-Weinstein, who is also the head coach at Boston College, won their 10th consecutive title.

I suppose you could say it was an All-ACC coaches final, too...with Teeter and Walker-Weinstein.

Boston College, as you might have expected, had a large presence of players on the USA roster with eight current or former collegiate Eagles players on the 22 player roster. North Carolina, a traditional ACC power house, had six current or former players.  No UofL laxer student athletes made the USA roster. Nicole Perroni, who played for UofL, was on the Canadians roster. Kokoro Nakazawa played for Japan. 

Congratulations to the USA for another gold and also to Teeter and associate coach Allison daley for their silver medal. 

paulie

What Does 5 for 5 mean for Cards WBB? -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 NCAA CAN'T MAKE UP THEIR MIND ON ELGIBILITY

Maybe you are asking what is "Five for five?" 

My brain went back to my childhood, when the DJ on the radio station would smoothly purr out..."Hey, we got another five hits in a row coming up for you here on W$#%...it's five for five , Louisville ." Or when we all started replacing handshakes with the words "Gimme five". high five and slapping hands. Which led to, "on the back side" and other such nonsense. like "high five or low five". 

If six were nine Watch the clip

It's also not like a sale on canned chili...you won't find five student-athletes available for five bucks available at your local Stop N Putt. 

What it is...is the current NCAA eligibility mode...which gives college athletes five years to play five seasons. It also give student-athlete a fifth year to transfer to another school if they choose. It used to be four years and you are done, but there were so many ways around that, like injuries and hardship and "Gee, I lost my homework on the way to Economics" excuse, "better grant me an extra year." The 5 for 5 replaced the 5 for 4. If six were nine...and it's 25 or 6 to 4.  

25 or 6 to 4  Watch the clip

For Cards WBB? It's means Carys Baker and Elif Istanbulluoglu could possibly return next year after this year. Both are probable high minute candidates for the squad this season...so that may not be a bad thing. After all...talent is going to play, while backups watch away. 

It took me five years to matriculate UofL , but I was working full time and could not take a full load some semesters. So, since college student-athletes could be considered "working" with all the time they put into practice, playing games, travel and such...the rule for five rule works. 

After the NCAA implemented the five for five rule, restricting athletes who had already exhausted eligibility from receiving another year of college sports...legal battles followed. A judge in the DIstrict Court of Colorado intervened and granted athletes a fifth year. 

As usual, when the NCAA is involved in something, it takes five people to light one match. One to hold the match, one to guide the hand to the striking surface, one to confirm the match is lit or unlit, one to review the previous action and one to yell when the match burns the fingers. 

Have a great Saturday. You have my permission to take five minutes to do something you might normally do in four. And listen to some Hendrix or Chicago.

paulie

Walz's "Six pack" could make Cards a contender for Final Four -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 ROSTER OF 14 CONTAINS SIX NEW PLAYERS TO GO WITH EIGHT RETURNEES. 

(Incoming freshman Ayse Melek Demirer)

Although we haven't received any word on UofL practices (and probably won't..due to our black-listed status down there with Louisville Basketball media) we can only imagine the battles are fun to watch and a bit intense and spirited. 

There is a new "six pack" on campus,and...although it isn't one that you can drink on a hot summer afternoon...it is "loaded" and one that looks very interesting to observe, Along with the eight returnees, this is a deep and talented unit. 

New on campus...making up this six pack... are three transfers and three incoming freshmen. 

-- Carys Baker comes in from Virginia Tech. She averaged 14.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg for the Hokies and is 6'2" 

-- Zamareya (Zam) Jones leaves the NC State Wolfpack and averaged 14.3 ppg last season and 3.3 rpg and 3.8 assists.She's 5'7" 

--Deniya Prawl comes in from the Lady Vols and averaged 4.0 ppg and 2.8 rpg. The sophomore guard is a Canadian and is 6'2" 

The freshmen are:

-- Ariyana "Peanut" Cradle.  She ranked 38th in the Sportscenter Next 100 and is from Westerville,OH. She's a 5'10" guard. 

-- Myah Epps  She ranked 68th in Sportscenter Next 100 and and is out of Ft. Wayne Indiana. She's also a 5'10" guard. 

-- Ayse Melek Demirer . The 6'5" forward/center comes in from Turkiye. 

These six will forge together with the returnees Tajianna Roberts, Imari Berry, Elif Istanbulluoglu, Mackenly Randolph, Rebecka Graves, Grace Mbugna, Yevheniia Putra and Reagan Bender, 

On paper, the roster looks strong, talented and deep. We'll see how paper strength translates into on court skills. 

paulie

World Lacrosse Championships down to a Final Four -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 USA, CANADA, HAUDENSAUNEE AND ISRAEL ADVANCE TO THE SEMIFINALS. 

Four teams remain in the World Lacrosse Championships being held in Japan. Only one of the matches was a blowout...with the United States destroying Puerto Rico 23-4. 

In other action...

-- Canada defeated host Japan in overtime 5-4 

-- Haudenosaunee downed England 10-9 in overtime. 

-- Israel squeaked by Australia 12-11. 

In the USA game, the red, white and blue jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after a quarter and led 12-2 at the halftime break. 

Canada and Scott Teeter advance to play in the semifinals, despite Cardinal great Negai Nakasawa scoring a hat trick for Japan. 

It may be considered a bit up an upset but Israel snuck past Australia and Haudenosaunee used last minute heroics to send England to the sidelines. 

paulie

16 team playoff set for World Lacrosse Tournament -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 USA, CANADA AND A COUPLE SURPRISES ADVANCE TO 16 TEAM WORLD LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS PLAYOFF BRACKET

Scott Teeter's Canadian squad and the USA have made the World Lacrosse Championships Playoff Brackets, and the 16 finalistS are a few all expected would get there and a surprise or two. 

The first observation here is...who is Haudenosaunee? It is a traditional homeland that encompasses New York State, parts of Pennsylvania and portions of Quebec and Ontario. They are also known as the Iroquois (and should NOT be confused with the high school in Jefferson County off Taylor Blvd.) 

Puerto Rico getting in as a #11 seed in the world rankings is a team I'll follow closely because of another UofL connection. Monica Negron is now Moncal Negron Acevedo.

Sixteen squads are in the playoffs  They began July 24th, and in action up to today...in Pool A, the USA is 3-0, Haudenosaunee is 2-1, Ireland is 1-2 and Chinese Taipei is 0-3. In Pool B, Canada is 3-0, Australia is 2-1, Wales is 1-2 and Germany is 0-3. In Pool C, England is 3-0, Puerto Rico is 2-1, Argentina is 1-2 and Scotland is 0-3. In Pool D, Israel is 3-0, Japan is 2-1, Philippines is 1-2 and Czechia is 0-3. 

The events are streaming globally on World Lacrosse TV.

Best of luck to the USA and to Puerto Rico, where Cardinal great Monica Negron Acevedo is the coach. 

paulie .

Louisville Rowing -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDS WOMEN'S ROWING ONE OF 13 PROGRAMS IN ACC.

JULIA SHOEMAKER OF LOUISVILLE ROWING

iF I asked you to guess how many colleges or universities in Kentucky offered rowing as a varsity sport, what would your guess be? Three? Two? One? the answer is...just UofL. 

The program started in 1999 and the Cards now compete in the ACC. Even with a huge river and boat house there, Louisville does not have any meets on the Ohio. They go to the Melton Lake Rowing Venue for meets....located in Oak Ridge, TN. 

Derek Copeland is the head coach of the program and had been since 2012. The 2025-26 ACC Championships were on May 15th in Raleigh, NC. The Cards finished 10th in the ACC Championship and did not qualify for the Nationals or Regionals. 

We haven't seen a 2026-27 schedule yet...but the Championships are scheduled for May 16-17 on Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, NC. Ironically, NC State is located in Raleigh but does not offer women's rowing as a ACC sport, just a club team. 

ACC schools that row are Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Miami. North Carolina, Notre Dame, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia 

The 2025 ACC Championships went to Stanford with Virginia finishing second and Cal third. 

Louisviile,KY has one representative on the UofL squad...Julia Shoemaker. out of Eastern High School in Middletown.  

I hope they continue the tradition of the Red/White inter-squad competition to start out the season at UofL. It's a fun event , held right outside the boathouse on River Road. 

paulie

 

Skylar Jones one of seven transfers on Baylor roster -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 EX UOFL GUARD GOES TO PLAY FOR NIKKI COLLEN

We all remember when Jeff Walz made the announcement that the Cards and Skylar Jones had mutually parted ways right before the 2026 NCAA WBB Tournament. I got tired of answering questions about why she was dropped from the Cards roster. I hadn't a clue. 

Speculation later surfaced that loyalty issues, playing time and selfishness were the cause for the mutual parting of ways. Walz's announcement back then was short and rather matter-of-fact. Jones never released a statement...at least not one I could find.  

Well, the 6'0" guard is now at her third college, She is a part of the huge influx to the Baylor Bears program. 

Seven transfers in... that are still on the roster. Besides Jones, they also have acquired Tatiah Scott (Auburn), Ella Brow (SMU), Lorena Awou (NC State), Reese Ross (Utah), Tianna Thompson (Ole Miss), and Trinity Turner (Georgia). 

The Bears have no incoming freshman on the roster. 

If Jones had been able to keep her cool, play as a teammate and a few other things, maybe she'd still be here. she has the talent, just not the college attitude yet. 

Nikki Collen's approach is one that you rarely see in women's college basketball. There is only one player who has been on the roster for five years...Kyla Abraham...who only averaged around five points last season and was more known for her shot blocking skills. 

First Kim Mulkey, now Nikki Collen....Baylor has had some interesting coaching this decade. I wonder if they are all wearing "Hello, my name is..."tags in the Baylor practices. 

paulie

Surviving another attack -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CARDINAL COUPLE ATTACKED BY HACKERS 

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the woods again.... 

Sunday morning started normal and commonplace. A eye-opening cup of coffee, then to the laptop to write the Sunday article. I planned a "where are they now" article on a former UofL women's athletic great...but I soon found out, something was wrong. 

I could not get into my web page. When I tried to access Cardinal Couple, I was taken to a very descriptive site about "couples who want to meet other couples" . And, it wasn't for coffee or a leisurely breakfast. and, there were pictures, too. 

I tried every way I know of to circumvent the message and questionable words and pictures I was getting. I even clicked on the banner that promised more information. That was a mistake, because I started getting pictures of couples that were "ready for action" 

Not exactly the kind of thing that a 70 yr. old guy needs, right? 

I used my phone to call my security service. They were not answering on Sunday. In desperation I used my phone to see  what to do. I saw that by hitting the windows key and then "r" typing eight letters, I came up with four unknown user names associated with my account. I selected them and then immediately selected remove for each one. But, still o access to mail or my site. 

In desperation, I called my old internet security provided. I explained my troubes to the man answering the phone. I explained that I used to ave them as my ISP but they had dropped me because I wasn't a business anymore. But, he said he would help me but it would take a while for im to get into my account and then "sweep and clear it" as he said. He promised to call me when it was done. 

I got that call at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon.  I asked him what had happened and he told me he wasn't the one who did the cleaning but thing like this normally happened when hackers were searching for financial information, bank records or other searching bots, usually from chinese or European "miners". 

He also suggested that I do a full Windows security scan. I did. 

I am 99.9% sure that Sgt. Hacker, from Gomer Pyle was not behind my hacking.  

If you happened to see on my site what I did, I apologize to you as well. It is certainly not what we are recommending or supporting here at Cardinal Couple. The guys at the ISP said it's wasn't transferable to readers. I pray it wasn't. 

But, it kind of ruined any plans for putting up a Sunday article. 

I apologize to all of you who read me daily or tried to today and got nothing but Saturday's article again. It has been a long and stressful Sunday. I'll be back with a Monday article. I think right now, I will have a beer and just relax with some television. 

paulie

Teeter and Daley coaching Canada in World Lacrosse Games --SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 CURRENT AND FORMER CARDS ON FOUR ROSTERS

Toyko, Japan will be the home for the 2026 World Lacrosse Games from July 24 thru August 2nd. 

Eight UofL coaches or players will be competing in the contests for four different nations. 

CANADA

Scott Teeter will coach the Canadian squad along with UofL's associate head coach Alison Daley. Former Cards star Nicole Perroni will take the field for the Canada squad, which is ranked #2 in the world. Perroni played at UofL from 2020-24. 

CZECHIA

Anna Lottman (formerly Kopecka) was at Louisville from 2013-15 and will si ut up for the Czechs. She was o the team that finished seventh in the 2024 European Women's Lacrosse ChampIonships. 

JAPAN

Kokoro Nakazawa will play for Japan, She and her squad won the 2025 Asia-Pacific Women's Lacrosse Championships' Nakazawa played for UofL from 2021-24 and as a senior had 61 goals and 21 assists to lead the squad. 

PUERTO RICO

Negron

Three former Cards are on the Puerto Rican roster. Monica Negron will serve as the head coach of the squad and Kirsten Parker and Jamie Redding will be assistants. Negron played at UofL from 2011-14, Parker from 2019-22 and Redding from 2011-14. Negron is the Director of Marketing and Engagement at the UofL Center of Belonging, Access and Engagement.  

Good luck to al the Cards in the World Lacrosse Games!

paulie

Does Cards WBB Have A Shot at Kaleena Smith? -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 SMITH HAS VISITED OR WILL VISIT 16 SCHOOLS SO FAR

She is the top recruit in the class of 2027. She currently plays at Ontario (CA) Christian and going into her senior season, her high school hoops numbers are quite impressive. 

In 100 games, she has averaged 30 points a game and is a 5'6" guard. 

Schools she allegedly has visited are Louisville, Notre Dame, LSU, Syracuse and Cal. Upcoming visits are planned to Washington, Baylor, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona State, Miami, USC, UCLA, UCon and Texas A&M.

One has to wonder what kind of shot the Cards have at her with so many other top flight DI schools and coaches involved in the running for her services. 

What kind of game does she have? First of all, she is a obvious scorer. In addition...she she quick handles, strong playmaking abilities and is a deadly three-point shooter. Her speed and change-of-direction skills offset her obvious height disadvantages.

She got her first college offer in the sixth grade. No, that is not a misprint. She was playing at a camp against older girls and ruling the floor on them, so Cal Baptist threw an offer her way. 

It is unclear whether her previous visits have been official or unofficial. What is the difference? you might ask? 

An official visit is paid for by the school and a lot of the time it is a multi day visit where the school does the best to impress the visiting athlete. . 

We are not allowed anymore to contact UofL coaches about any players or basically anything anymore, so I would normally ask Coach Walz about her, but certain media gestapo  have gotten to him as well and I no longer here from him. Someone hijacks my X account, I delete it and try to erase it and any other past entries, which is impossible on X, and I am still a persona non grata. 

Smith already has a multi-year shoe and apparel contract with Adidas and another merchandising deal with ESPN. 

It will be interesting to see where she ends up. Her current NIL has not been made public, but we would imagine it is already in the millions. . 

Good luck to the Cards. I see she is planning a visit to UConn next. Tough school to compete against in recruiting. 

paulie