Volleyball looks to better last year's mark -- Tuesday Cardinal Couple

EXPERIENCE, DEPTH BOLSTER VOLLEYBALL CARDS 2015 CAMPAIGN

Tuesday is traditionally the day where our "steamed" colleague Jeff McAdams takes to the keyboards and gives us a weekly article. I got a text from him last night, though...asking me to cover Tuesday's column because he was experiencing internet connectivity issues.

Mind you, this is the man who carries a minimum of 19 electronic devices with him at all times and even has his bicycle connected to Twitter. We're pretty sure the dog ate his homework as well...

But, in keeping with Worldwide tradition, let's do the Tuesday column about his favorite UofL women's sport...curling.

(OK, it's actually volleyball)

The 2014 Wide Net Cards went through a learning experience in their first ACC season...a 7-11 conference record and losing to seven out of their last eight opponents.

A 15-15 overall record kept them out of the NCAA Tournament but the season was a reality check on where the squad was after going 18-0 in AAC conference matches in 2013. 

Back for Anne Kordes is Katie George...the senior setter has 1124 of them in 2014 and seemingly ran from The Troll Pub to River Road to track down passes. Improving first hit capabilities was the main off-season priority for this returning job and all report tell us that it's gotten a lot better. That probably won't bother George in the least.

The top the "kill artists" for Louisville return also in Maya McClendon, Janelle Jenkins and Tess Clark. Outside hitting will also get a huge boost from transfer Erin Fairs...who won virtually every award available in the state of Florida last year at USF.  Clark will have plenty of backup at middle blocker with freshman Jasmine Bennett and sophomore Maggie DeJong.

Freshman Molly Sauer is one of three liberos listed on the roster and the Cards are getting a good one in the Louisville Assumption superstar. 



The Louisville native and USA Today All-USA High School Preseason 1st team selection joins the Cardinals after a successful prep career at Assumption High School. Under head coach Ron Kordes, Sauer helped her team to two KHSAA State Championships, as well as two regional championships and three district championships. The libero was a member of the KVCA First-Team All-State (AAA) in 2014 and the KHSAA All-Region Team in 2013. Additionally, she was named as PrepVolleyball's No. 25 Senior Ace.

Returning players from last year also include Gabbie Wiley at defensive setter, Roxanne McVey, Eleni Georgiafandis and Lyndsay Palmer. Kali Eakin transfers in after one year at Kansas State and Morgan Miller plus Aniah Philo are other incoming freshmen and sophomore Ashley Pettibone fills out the Cardinal roster. 

Can the Cards achieve a .500 or better record in one of the tougher volleyball conferences in D1? Can they climb to a over .500 record for the season. Can they avenge the loss to UK in the KFC YUM! Center from last year? 

We'll start getting answers on Aug. 28th. when the season begins with the Cards at Illinois and we're sure that Worldwide will give us a much more in-depth and comprehensive preview as the season draws nearer.   

paulie
xxxxx

Monday Cardinal Couple -- USA wins gold in FIBA U 18 104-74 over Canada

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Wilson's 25, Moore's seven assists lead USA to win

Five games in five days is a lot to ask of any athlete. For
the FIBA Americas USA squad, it looked like they could have gone another five straight and barely broke a sweat. 

Led by A'ja Wilson's 25 points and 11 rebounds...plus a outstanding performance by Louisville's Mariya Moore...USA jumped out to a commanding lead and never looked back.

Mariya Moore (Salesian H.S./Richmond, Calif.) dished out seven assists, and Wilson with 11 attempted free throws tied the USA U18 single-game record – a mark that was set by Turner on Aug. 8 and also matched by Shepard on Aug. 9. 

“This game was special because it was the gold medal game,” Wilson said. “We took care of business and executed everything. Great things started to happen, and things fell into place. It was a great game."

In a rematch against the Canadians, the USA squad jumped out to a 26-12 first quarter lead and extended that to a 50-32 halftime advantage. The Americans kept it rolling after the break and held a 79-47 point differential after three...winning by over a Canadian squad they had defeated by 31 two nights earlier. 

For the five-game tournament, the USA outscored its opponents by a convincing 44.8 points per game margin, and four U.S. players averaged double-digit scoring, including a USA U18 Women’s competition record 19.0 points per game from Wilson, who also set a USA competition record for field goal percentage with 76.5 percent (39-51 FGs). Collier averaged 14.0 ppg., Turner averaged 13.6 ppg. and Shepard scored 12.6 pp


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Ever wonder what overseas ball is like for ex-USA college stars and WNBA players? Check out the link from one of UConn's "three scribes" for GEno...the always, ever pleasant John Altavilla: 

http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81043964/
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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- USA completes FIBA Americas pool play with win over Canada

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- USA survives early scare...downs Canada 107-76 in FIBA U-18 WBB Americas

- CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO today

The first 10 minutes may have not gone the way USA FIBA U 18 coaches Dawn Staley, Jeff Walz and Kim Barnes Arico wanted but after trailing 23-21 at the end of the first quarter to Canada...they roared out to a 54-41 halftime lead.

Mariya Moore and crew pushed the lead to 83-59 in the third quarter and won their third straight game. USA will be the top seed in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament...facing Argentina tomorrow night at 7:30 EDT.

Moore saw her highest amount of court time so far in the tournament and made the most of it...totaling 10 points on 2-4 shooting and a 6-7 free throw performance.


Attendance...at least from an internet viewer's observation...for these events has been sparse in terms of filling up the bleachers in the first three days. Maybe Colorado Springs just isn't into the FIBA Americas WBB events or the price of admission is exorbitant. 

I bet we could get 5,000 plus in the KFC YUM! Center for an event like this...

In any event, the semifinals today will feature an Argentina team that squeaked by Puerto Rico 47-44 to gain admission and a USA team that has had three straight wins by over 30 points. 

The winner gets the victor of the Brazil vs. Canada game. 

All four teams will advance to the FIBA World Championships next summer. 

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We're diverting fully off course with today's CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO today...but offering a fun-filled full hour of two Louisville comedians at 11 a.m. in John Maupin and Bryan Cohen. 

It's an idea I've been debating for quite some time as an occasional diversion from UofL women's sports and since the season is a bit slow currently...it seems like a good time to give these two local funny guys ( and UofL women's sports fans ) some air time.

It could get crazy. Be sure to tune in at 11 a.m.

Link below:


LINK:

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY FUNNY...


paulie
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Friday Cardinal Couple --- USA U18 cruises to 118-50 win over El Salvador

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- USA goes to 2-0 in FIBA Americas with lopsided win

- Atlanta Dream has a nightmare in Seattle

- Power to the conferences

With eight players in double figures and a 76 point lead after three quarters, the USA FIBA U18 WBB squad coasted to a 118-50 win over El Salvador in Colorado Springs Thursday night.

USA jumped out to a 33-11 first quarter lead and increased that to 67-22 at the half. El Salvador was powerless to stop the USA fast-break transition game and it was 105-29 after 30 minutes. 

El Salvador did manage to shoot well over the USA zone in the final 10 minutes...outscoring Dawn Staley's squad 21-13 in the fourth quarter. 

Louisville's Mariya Moore led the USA squad in assists (6) and steals (3). She ended with five points in 18 minutes.


The three-point shot also returned for USA...after a 0-10 effort against Mexico, they responded last night with a 8-17 effort beyond the arc. A blistering 68% effort from the floor overall (52-76) for USA, aided by 78 points scored in the paint. 

USA will face Canada (2-0) in the final round of pool play today at 7:30 p.m. The Canadians remained undefeated with a 81-54 win over Mexico earlier Thursday. 

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 Atlanta's Shoni Schimmel attracted a crowd and Seattle used that buzz to lift its game.

Camille Little had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the Storm used a 13-0 first-quarter run to build a double-digit in a 88-

68 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Dream on Thursday night.

Crystal Langhorne added 17 points and Temeka Johnson had 16 to help Seattle (11-20) keep alive its faint hopes of making the WNBA playoffs for the 11th straight season.

Tiffany Hayes had 16 points for the Dream (17-12) and Shoni Schimmel added 14. Atlanta has lost three straight and seven of its last nine.

Schimmel, last month's WNBA All-Star game MVP, played in high school in Portland and grew up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in northeastern Oregon.

Many in the sellout crowd of 9,686, including a large number from several Pacific Northwest tribes, wore Schimmel T-shirts or held up signs of support of the rookie star from Louisville. The loudest reaction of the night for any player was when Schimmel made a 3-pointer early in the second quarter.

''At the end of the day, we fed off of the energy, whether they were cheering for Schimmel or the Dream,'' Little said. ''It was loud, and it was a great atmosphere.''

Schimmel played 37 minutes and had four rebounds and six assists.

''I heard people traveled from Wyoming and Montana - those aren't easy trips. We're on a road game, but at the same time, it feels like a homecourt advantage,'' she said. ''It's great to have the fans behind you. They tried to get us going, but we just came up short.''

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YET ANOTHER REASON IT'S GOOD TO BE IN THE ACC...OR SHOW ME THE MONEY

The NCAA board of directors has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping package plan that will give the five biggest conferences the ability to create their some of their own rules.

   If the legislation approved Thursday withstands an override attempt, the five wealthiest Division I conferences could start exercising their new autonomy as early as Oct. 1.

   The SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 will have the ability to implement some rules on their own, though probably not policies on rules violations. But a stipend for athletes that goes beyond currently allowed limits of tuition, room and board, books and fees, seems likely.

   Commissioners and school leaders from the power conferences have until Oct. 1 to create a wish list of issues they want to handle on their own.

paulie

Thursday Cardinal Couple -- USA U 18 WBB rolls in FIBA opener 104-55 over Mexico

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Mariya Moore scores nine in USA win

- Sellout for Shoni

- Mary Beth Whittaker leaves UofL WBB

The USA U18 FIBA National team had little trouble with first round opponent Mexico...winning 104-55. Louisville freshman Mariya Moore had an impressive evening with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 14:29 minutes
of action. She was 4-7 from the field and hit her only free throw.

Moore...who did not start...grabbed four of her boards in the first half, but did not score until the last minute of the 3rd quarter. She finished big in the final 10 minutes...connecting on three fast break layups, one off a nice steal.

USA jumped out to a 26-10 first quarter lead and led 47-24 at the half. They started the second half with a 20-5 run and held a 77-40 advantage after three quarters. USA had scored 52 points in the paint in 30 minutes...mostly on layups and putbacks. 

If there was any negative about the romp, it would probably be that USA was 0-10 from three-point range. 

Jeff Walz...assistant coach on the squad...was his usual active self seated at the head of the bench...barking out sets and plays, coaching up players on the bench after substitutions and chatting up the official scorers.  

Next up for Moore and the USA squad....El Salvador on Thursday. They lost to Canada on Wednesday 65-34. Game tips at 7:30 EDT and can be seen at FibaAmericas.com

No commentators to get in the way of the action (at least last night). Other top scorers for the USA below: 

Jessica Shepard - Fremont H.S/Fremont, NE   16 pts.
Brianna Turner -  Manvel H.S./Pearland, TX    16 pts.
A'ja Wilson - Heathwood H.S./Hopkins, SC      15 pts.
Napheesa Collier - Incarnate H.S)/O'Fallon, MO 10 pts. 
Destinee Walker - Lake Highland H.S./Ocoee, FL  10 pts.

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The Atlanta Dream continue the "Road Trip from Hell" in Seattle tonight to face the Storm in a sold-out arena. They're honoring Shoni Schimmel tonight. 

We hope she continues the upward trend she had against Phoenix Tuesday and gets a bunch of minutes on the court. 

We know of several  CARDINAL COUPLE readers that'll be in attendance and hopefully we'll get a live report from one of them.

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Louisville WBB Director of Operations Mary Beth (Whitaker) Norton has left the Cards to go into the family business in Somerset, KY.

She will be missed. 

As the gatekeeper to Coach Walz's office...Mary Beth was always fun to talk to while waiting to see the Mad Scientist.

She handled a variety of duties for WBB. Day-to-day managerial operations, summer camp co-director and helping with on-campus recruiting.  

Recently married...MaryBeth began her duties at UofL as a graduate assistant manager for UofL WBB in 2007. She then went to EKU where she served as the Director of Operations until 2010. She rejoined the Cards after two years in Richmond. 

No replacement has been named as of yet. 




paulie

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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- FIBA AMERICAS BEGIN TODAY

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Walz, Moore seek Gold

- More on  Moore


They're not equipped with pack mules, prospecting equipment and pick axes...but two UofL
WBB representatives are looking for gold out Rocky Mountain way.

 University of Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz and freshman
 Mariya Moore begin their quest to bring home the program’s second gold medal this summer in Colorado Springs, Colo.


The two are part of this year’s U.S. U-18 Women’s National Team, with Walz
serving as an assistant coach for the first time, and his McDonald’s
All-America guard beginning play on Wednesday in search of the team’s seventh consecutive gold medal at the FIBA Americas U-18 Championship.


Rising senior Sara Hammond guided the U.S. Women’s 3x3 World Championship Team
to gold in Moscow in June.

The U-18 Team has spent the last 11 days training in Colorado, and the opening
 contest is taking place against Mexico on Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. ET in Sports Center
 I or II at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The finals
are scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 10, and all games will be held in one of the two
 venues.

Games can be viewed online at FIBAAmericas.com.

The field features eight national teams from North, South, and
 Central America and the Caribbean, consisting of Argentina, Brazil, Canada,
 Chile, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

The top four finishing teams qualify for the 2015 FIBA U-19 World Championship
 for Women.

Walz, who guided Louisville to the NCAA Elite Eight last year in seventh season
 at the helm of the program, is working alongside U-18 National Team and
 South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and national team assistant and
 Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico.



Under Walz's tutelage, the Cardinals have reached at least the NCAA Sweet 16
three of the last four years, including a national runner-up finish in 2012-13.
 The head coach quickly has developed Louisville into a national power,
leading the Cardinals to two 30-wins seasons and a 181-70 record. This year,
 Louisville had a school-record three WNBA Draft picks, headlined by
 No. 8 selection Shoni Schimmel.



Moore secured one of 12 roster spots on May 26.


The highly decorated California native, in addition to McDonald’s

All-America honors, earned WBCA high school All-America honorable mention accolades in 2014. A two-time San Francisco Chronicle Player of the Year, she finished her career at Salesian High with 2,396 points, 1,110 rebounds, 878 assists, and 535 steals.

With the games featuring international play, the U.S. will have to make
adjustments based on rule differences. One adjustment includes the fact
that no player can call a timeout, and that timeouts only can be called on
 a dead ball.



After the opening day game, the U.S. is scheduled to play El Salvador
 on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET and then Canada on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
All three games are part of the preliminary round.



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Here's the scoop on Moore:


Mariya Moore


Guard/Forward
6-0
175 lbs
Salesian High School 2014
Richmond, California
Twitter: @MariyaMoore4
Instagram: @mmoore4

USA Basketball Notes
Named to the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team on
 May 26, 2014.

Participated in the 2011 USA U16 National Team Trials as an
 applicant athlete.

College Notes
Signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and compete for the
 University of Louisville.

High School Honors
2014 WBCA High School All-America honorable mention.
Member of the 2014 McDonald’s High School All-American Game
East Team that defeated the West 80-78 on April 4 in Chicago;
 posted six points and five rebounds.

2014 MaxPreps All-America second team.
2014 USA Today All-California first team.
2013 and 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Player of the Year.
2014 MaxPreps All-State first team.
2014 Contra Costa Times All-Area and Player of the Year and
 2013 and 2014 All-Area first team.
2014 Cal-Hi Sports North Coast Section Player of the Year.
2013 All-North Coast Section first team.
2013 league MVP.
2012 all-league first team.
2011 all-league second team.

High School Notes
Attended Salesian College Prep School (Calif.), where during her
 four-year prep career, she started all 137 games played and
 amassed 2,396 points, 1,110 rebounds, 878 assists, 535 steals and
 81 blocked shots, while making 47.0 percent of her shots
 from the field and 80.0 percent from the line.

As a senior, helped Salesian to a 30-7 record and a California
 Open Division state runner-up finish; averaged 17.8 ppg., 8.6 rpg.,
 7.0 apg. and 3.5 spg.

Helped Salesian finish as the California Division 4 state runners-up
in 2012 (31-5) and 2013 (29-8).

As a freshman in 2010-11, her squad finished with a 24-6 record.
Also competed for her school’s track and field team.

Personal Notes

Born on June 10, 1996, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Daughter of Cenne Carroll-Moore and Errol V. Moore Jr.,
 has one sister, Minyon Moore (15).
Both her grandfather, Alan Carroll, and uncle, Nathan Carroll Jr.,
 played basketball for St. Mary’s College.

Started playing basketball in the fourth grade.

The Inside Scoop
Favorite moment of the 2012 Olympic Games was the Opening Ceremony.
Plans on majoring in communications and sports broadcasting.
If she could drive anything, it would be: a Lamborghini
with butterfly doors.
Currently drives: an Acura Legend.
Favorite Twitter account to follow: @mdaag.
Favorite superhero: Spider-Man.
Top five movies of all time: Titanic, Hercules, Little Mermaid,
 Finding Nemo and Daddy’s Little Girls.
Favorite non-sports site: pandora.com.
Favorite sports site: MaxPreps.com.
Must-have pregame meal or snack: Krispy Kreme donuts.

Has a pet Siamese cat named Forrest Gump.
Favorite app: Instagram.
Favorite sport other than basketball: cricket (kidding!).
Favorite class: lunch.
Favorite basketball player of all time: LeBron James.
Favorite basketball team: Miami Heat.
Favorite Olympian: Maya Moore.
Most played song on her iPod:
Best players ever faced: Jamie Cherry, Mercedes Russell.
Most impressive person ever met: Ruthie Bolton, because of her
“relentless effort and energy.”
Compares her game to: Magic Johnson.
This right-hander wears No. 4 because: it was an even number.
Also, it was her soccer uniform number when she was four years old.
Away from the court, enjoys: sleeping.
Most people don’t know: that she’s a little OCD.
Supersititions include: the volume on the radio has to be
on an even number.
Has traveled outside of the United States to Cancun in 2013.

PAULIE
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Tuesday Cardinal Couple - Tidbits

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( JEFF MCADAMS CATCHES US UP ON A FEW THINGS BEFORE HE DEPARTS ON
HIS "WORLDWIDE" TOUR TO SAMPLE COLD BEVERAGES IN A CHEESE STATE...)




We're just a bit over a week away from having some actual, honest-to-goodness results to share.  That also means that teams are hunkering down and really getting down to the work of practicing for the seasons to come.

A couple of tidbits to talk about, though...

Handball

Wait, Handball?  Yes, Handball.  Graduating Senior Katie Walz will be joining the USA National Handball team in December.

Walz was a defensive player for Karen Ferguson-Dayes which means she didn't get too many opportunities to score, playing a sport that is known for its lack of scoring.  Now she'll be scoring frequently in one of the fastest moving sports around.

Olympic Handball is played on a court slightly larger than a basketball court, with a ball roughly the consistency and texture of a soccer ball, but slightly smaller than a volleyball.  There are 7 players on the court for a side...six court players and a goalie.  The goalie has sole domain over a six meter arc around the goal.  The team on offense must dribble or pass the ball within three steps, and cannot hold the ball for more than about three seconds.  On offense, you cannot touch the court within the six meter arc with the ball, you can be within the space within the arc, but you must release the ball before touching the court again.  This leads to some spectacular scoring attacks, with attackers twisting and turning, throwing the ball into the net backwards, and even using spin on the ball on a bounce to "curve" the ball around the goalie.

I have watched some Olympic handball and it can certainly be said that it is a very fast-paced, high scoring
game, and really a lot of fun to watch.

Katie will be training with the team and attempting to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Rowing Schedule Released

The UofL Rowing team, announced their schedule for the coming season.

Things get started with a scrimmage with IU up in Bloomington on September 20th.

Your only real chance to see the Rowing team in action in the Louisville area will be October 4th at the Red & Black Regatta.  This is an intra-squad scrimmage on the Ohio River near Tumbleweed.  The course for the scrimmage will start around where Beargrass Creek joins the Ohio, and finish right next to Tumbleweed.  This is a great event that the Rowing team has held for several years now, and it is a great chance to go see the UofL Rowing Center.  After the races, there will be food and beverages at the boathouse, which will be open for guests to look around, and try out the training tanks...from past experience I can tell you that rowing is definitely harder than it looks.

The Rowing season will begin at the beginning of November, and runs through the beginning of May.  The ACC Championships for Rowing will be held at Clemson, May 15th and 16th of 2015, with the NCAA championships in Gold River, California outside Sacramento, from May 29th through 31st of 2015.

Only two events in the fall, with a break after the middle of November until mid-March when the season resumes with events in which the Cardinal Rowing squad has performed impressively previously in Oak Ridge, TN and Clemson, SC in the mix.

Volleyball Academic Honors

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced the teams that earned the AVCA Team Academic Award.  This award is given to teams that cumulatively maintain a 3.30 GPA (4 point scale).

As always, at Cardinal Couple, we like to make an extra effort to recognize academic achievement of UofL student athletes.

JMCA




USA gets it rolling Wednesday

The 2014 USA U18 women's team gets it started Wednesday in the FIBA Americas. These shots of the roster and coaches...

(I never realized just how short Kim Barnes Arico was...top right..)

2014 USA Women's U18 National Team Roster

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

Name

Ariel Atkins

Jersey #

7

Pos

G

HGT

5-11

Name

Recee Caldwell

Jersey #

5

Pos

G

HGT

5-8

Name

Napheesa Collier

Jersey #

10

Pos

G/F

HGT

6-1

Name

Paris Kea

Jersey #

4

Pos

G

HGT

5-8

Name

Marina Mabrey

Jersey #

8

Pos

G

HGT

5-11

Name

Teaira McCowan

Jersey #

15

Pos

C

HGT

6-7

Name

Beatrice Mompremier

Jersey #

12

Pos

F/C

HGT

6-4

Name

Mariya Moore

Jersey #

11

Pos

G/F

HGT

6-0

Name

Jessica Shepard

Jersey #

13

Pos

F

HGT

6-4

Name

Brianna Turner

Jersey #

9

Pos

F

HGT

6-3

Name

Destinee Walker

Jersey #

6

Pos

G/F

HGT

5-10

Name

A'ja Wilson

Jersey #

14

Pos

F

HGT

6-4

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