UofL Women's Basketball Mount Rushmore -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Today feels like a good day to stir the pot. There's no better way to create controversy than creating a debate topic that you know will have several different opinions. A topic that makes its rounds about once per season is "Who Should Be on Louisville Women's Basketball's Mount Rushmore?"

People take different approaches with their reasoning such as individual stats and success, overall team success at the time, fan favorites, and success that continued on post-graduation. Our only requirement is that the four names you pick must have played women's basketball at Louisville at some point in their life, so no Jeff Walz, Sam Purcell, Steph Norman, or beyond eligible.

Jared's Mount Rushmore

Angel McCoughtry (2005-2009): In four years played at Louisville, McCoughtry was the team leader in multiple statistical categories for three of them. She is Louisville's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She helped the Cards get to their first ever Final Four, before falling in the title game. McCoughtry broke several single season and career records at Louisville during her career. Currently, McCoughtry is the only women's basketball player to have her jersey retired at Louisville.

Asia "AD" Durr (2015-2019): Another four year player at Louisville, AD became the go-to player almost from day one. They led the team in scoring for three seasons and is second in school history in total points. AD became one of the top three-point shooters not only at UofL but in the ACC and country during the back half of their career. They were a part of the Final Four team that made its way to Columbus after winning the ACC regular season and tournament titles. They won ACC Player of the Year multiple times.

Dana Evans (2017-2021): Evans' career came to a close during the COVID-19 pandemic but that didn't stop her from becoming a prolific scorer while also being tabbed as one of Louisville's best ever defenders. She became the first player to ever win ACC Sixth Player of the Year one season and follow it up with as ACC Player of the Year the next season. She won ACC POTY multiple times. She was a part of the Final Four team her freshman season.

Myisha Hines-Allen (2014-2018): Hines-Allen was a walking double-double in the back half of her career. She is one of the few to be a part of the 2000-point club and even fewer to break 1000 rebounds. Hines-Allen was named the ACC Tournament MVP after the Cards won the title en route to the school's third Final Four appearance. In her senior year, Hines-Allen set the Louisville single season rebounding record.

Honorable Mentions

Sara Hammond

Becky Burke

Mo Reid

Sam Fuehring

Cortnee Walton

Shoni Schimmel

Mykasa Robinson

Jazmine Jones

Asia Taylor

Jazz Covington

Does your Mount Rushmore look different? We'd be happy to hear yours! No answer is a wrong answer on this one.

We may talk about this on a future Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Jazmine Jones to Connecticut Sun -- Angel McCoughtry Gives Back -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jazmine Jones Signs with Connecticut Sun

As we hinted on our most recent Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast, Jazmine Jones did not remain a free agent for long. The Connecticut Sun announced that they have signed the Louisville alum.

Jones spent all four years of her collegiate career with the Cards and only missed the NCAA Tournament her final year when the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.

Jones was drafted 12th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty where she played up through the end of last season. She averaged 10.8 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game her rookie season.

Per Sun policy, the details of the contract were not released. It is unclear the role and playing team Jones will have as the season is approximately 1/3 completed.

At 10-4, the Sun currently sit atop the WNBA standings.

Angel McCoughtry Gives Back

Another Louisville women's basketball great has been in the news for good reasons. Angel McCoughtry is giving back to the Louisville community.

McCoughtry has been leading the charge, including offering major financial support, to open up a new basketball court in town. Shively Park will see the official grand opening of the new "Reaching for the Stars" court this Friday at from 11:00-2:30. The event is free and open to the public and McCoughtry has encouraged UofL fans to come out.

If you're free this Friday around lunchtime and want the chance to meet Angel McCoughtry you can head over to 1902 Park Rd., Louisville, KY 40216.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Asia Durr and Other WNBA News -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Asia Durr Traded to Atlanta Dream

Louisville women's basketball alum and former #2 pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft... Asia Durr... will call a new team their home. The New York Liberty have traded Asia Durr to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for forward Megan Walker and the draft rights to Raquel Carrara, who was the second overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft.

AD, an Atlanta native, will have a bit of a homecoming and reunion by playing in front of family and childhood friends.

AD has been through a lot in the last couple of years after suffering serious setbacks from COVID-19. After sitting out for two full seasons, AD took the court this season and averaged 7.0 minutes and 1.4 points per game.

Recently, AD came out as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Instead of going by Asia or Durr, the former Cardinal now prefers to go by AD. Out of respect for their wishes, we will refer to one of our favorite Cards by their preferred pronouns and name.

Other WNBA News

Besides AD, three other former Cards are currently active in the WNBA.

Myisha Hines-Allen continues to be a staple with the Washington Mystics. Hines-Allen is averaging 6.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg on 19.0 minutes per game.

Emily Engslter has made a name for herself as a rookie with the Indiana Fever. Engstler is averaging 6.8 ppg and 7.0 rpg on 20.7 minutes per game.

Dana Evans is in her sophomore campaign with the Chicago Sky. Evans made the highlight reel recently with a buzzer beater shot from a little beyond half court. In 18.3 minutes per game this year, she is averaging 8.9 points per game and 2.6 assists per game.

Angel McCoughtry started the year with the Minnesota Lynx before agreeing to a contract buyout after two games. Currently a free agent, it is unsure if McCoughtry plans to retire after battling injuries late in her career.

Kianna Smith, Kylee Shook, and Jazmine Jones are all currently listed as free agents.

We hope to see some of our other Cards on WNBA rosters soon!

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Catching Up With WNBA Cards -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

FOUR CARDS CURRENTLY IN WNBA

As we roll into June, the WNBA starts to heat up in action and it's a good time to take a look at how the four Cards WBB former greats are doing in the "the W". 

The four currently donning WNBA uniforms are Asia "AD" Durr (New York), Emily Engstler (Indiana) Dana Evans (Chicago) and Myisha Hines-Allen (Washington). It's interesting to note that all four play in the Eastern Division of the WNBA . 

ASIA "A.D." DURR

Asia began her WNBA time in 2019 with the Liberty, but was sidelined for two seasons with COVID before returning this season. She's a guard on the Liberty roster, who are 1-7 so far this season. Durr has played in seven games so far, as a back=up guard, and averages about 8.3 minutes a contest. As of 5/31, she's scored nine points in those seven games (1.3 a contest). 

One has to feel that once she gets back in rhythm after the two-year layoff because of COVID, her minutes and scoring will go up. She did average 9.7 ppg a game in her rookie season and almost 27 points a game. We all remember how she could take over a game at Louisville and she and Sabrina Ionescu have the potential to be a young, dynamic and high scoring duo for a New York team that hasn't shown much this season

EMILY ENGSTLER. 

The rookie has done some impressive things with the Indiana Fever, and Jeff Walz told us she would (in the WNBA) shortly after she arrived in Louisville for her final collegiate season. She's averaging 7.4 points and 7.3 rebounds for a Fever team that is 3-7 on the season. Engstler sees about 20 minutes a game for the Fever and had 13 points and nine rebounds in the Indiana win over L.A. 

You could tell she was all about te hard work when she got to Louisville and that desire and toughness goes a long way in "the W". We see her being a league fixture for many years in the bigs. 

 

MYISHA HINES-ALLEN

Going into her 5th season in the league, Myisha has proven to be a hard-nosed, rebound grabbing and point-scoring forward for the Washington Mystics. She's averaging 5.9 ppg and 4.6 rebounds a game for the 6-3 Mystics this season and sees about 18 minutes a game. 

Maybe her numbers were a little higher when Elena Della Donne was out, but Myisha has always been a team player, willing to do whatever her team needed her to do, and never taking a play or minute off when on the court.

That 2017-18 Louisville WBB squad with Asia, Myisha and Dana all on the roster is probably my favorite of all time -- 36-3 overall, a Final Four Trip to Columbus, and ACC Regular Season and Tournament champs. Myisha was the enforcer and the heart of that squad and I still believe to this day that McCowan fouled Myisha at the end of regulation. 

DANA EVANS

In her second season in the WNBA, Dana Evans has become a very solid and contributing  guard for the Chicago Sky (4-3}. She sees 20.3 ppg a night for the Sky and averages 9.7 points per game. 

Dana has that incredible three-point range and somehow finds her way to the basket against much taller players in the league, Evans has no fear when it comes to taking on a tough guarding assignment, either, and compliments well with the Sky's guards Vandersloot and Quigley. 

I can see Dana playing a long time in the league and being a success. 

Last night in WNBA action, three of the four mentioned above were in action. The Fever vs Mystics had Hines-Allen get two points, three assists and six rebounds in 15 minutes -- Engstler saw 24 minutes for Indiana and had six points, six boards and three assists.. Washington won 87-75.

For Chicago, Dana Evans played 10 minutes, and had six points, an assist and a rebound in the Sky's 73-70 win over the visiting Phoenix Mercury

Here's also hoping Jaz Jones and Angel McCoughtry find their way back to the WNBA. They're too excellent players that would be a benefit to a lot of rosters out there. We also hope Kylee Shook returns after her year's hiatus. 

paulie

Softball Struggles at Notre Dame -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball

Sam Booe pitching in relief

A number of Louisvillians make it a point to get out of Louisville for Derby Day, and Softball is no exception.  The squad went north to 20th ranked Notre Dame, and dropped a pair of games, 5-0, and 5-1.

After inclement weather prevented play on Friday, the Cards and Irish made yesterday a double-header and will finish the three game series today.

In the first game, Taylor Roby started in the circle and pitched four innings and started the fifth inning before getting relief from Sam Booe.

Korbe Otis drawing the walk

Notre Dame played some small ball and took advantage of some fielding errors to get a pair across the plate in the 3rd inning.  A similar story in the 4th with the run getting around the field almost completely on mistakes by the UofL squad in the field.

Roby would be finished for the game, though not quite for the day, after a inning opening solo shot by Notre Dame.  As mentioned, Booe came in as relief at this point, and despite giving up a pair of walks in the inning prevented anything further.

Carmyn Greenwood at bat (that's a "7"
not a "1")

The Irish would finish their five runs in the game in the 6th inning, again with mostly small ball.

In the later game, the Cards would get a run across in the first inning, but that would be it.  It started out with Korbe Otis drawing a walk, getting to third on Taylor Roby's single, and scoring on Kendall Smith's ground out to first base.

Notre Dame would tie it up in the bottom of the second and then the scoring would go quiet until the bottom of the 5th.  More small ball and mistakes in the field would get another across the plate for the Irish.

Taja Felder in mid-hover-pitch

Taja Felder would get a couple of outs early in the 6th inning, but with a runner on 2nd and two outs the Irish would score a trio on a couple of singles and a fielding error.  It would be enough enough to sit Felder and let Roby enter to finish the final out of the game.

The Cards and Notre Dame will finish out their regular season schedule with the 2pm game on ACC Network.

Ally Alexander at shortstop

Special thanks to Ryan Greenwood for again supplying us with some away game photos, a special treat for us here at Cardinal Couple.  He's not just out there cheering his daughters, Carmyn and Cassady on, he also slings a pretty impressive DSLR.

WNBA

The WNBA has gotten their season underway with two days of games.  I'll be heading up to Indianapolis today with the family to watch the Fever's home opener against the Sparks.  We were, of course, originally expecting...hoping?...to see a trio of former Cards in this matchup, but WNBA roster sizes being what they are, we won't have the opportunity to watch Kianna Smith or Jaz Jones.  It's a shame, but it will be good to get a chance to see Emily Engstler play in a professional game.

Engstler played 16 minutes in the season opener against the Mystics, grabbed nine rebounds, stole a couple, and scored four.  On the Mystics side of the ball, another former Card, Myisha Hines-Allen scored nine, pulled down six rebounds, and had a trio of assists.

As we look around the rest of the WNBA at other Cardinal Alumnae, Angel McCoughtry is still recovering from another knee injury with the Lynx, but AD (Asia Durr) is back on the court, at least for limited minutes.  She played six minutes with the Liberty yesterday, but had no stat entries.

Dana Evans up in Chicago, is the big success of the weekend so far.  The Sky would go down to defeat in overtime, but Evans was only barely edged out by Emma Meesseman for the most time on the court for the Sky, but she would lead the team in scoring with 24 during her 35 minutes.  A pair of threes, 4-5 from the charity stripe, five assists, and four steals made for a very nice stat line indeed for Evans as she shows why she has earned that starting shooting guard position.

On tap for today, the Fever game that I'll be at with family at 3pm, you can find this one on Amazon Prime, on the Fever's page on Facebook, and Spectrum SportsNet apparently.  And then at 8pm, the Mystics and the Lynx will be on ESPN2.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

The CCRHP was silent yesterday as the crew took the day off to celebrate Derby.  I must admit my level of "horse race junky", as Case put it yesterday, is, "Why do we have to interrupt this nice party to watch a horserace?"  I did have a good friend there that had Rich Strike across the board as one of her bets, so that's a nice bit of payout for her.

We'll be back next week with more joy and excitement about UofL women's sports!

WBB Gameday and a Wrap for Volleyball

UConn GameDay

"Jeff, meet Geno. Geno, meet Jeff!"

A Top 10 matchup in Connecticut today as the Cardinals get ready to take on the Connecticut Huskies.  The Hall of Fame Women's Showcase, which this game is a part of, is not on UConn's home floor, but it might as well be. Mohegan Sun Arena has served UConn well over the years. 

After a stumble to start the season, and a few early games where Louisville ended up in the win column, but definitely had some things to work on, the game plan is starting to come together for the Walz squad.

UConn has no "buckets" today

Today they'll be facing an injury depleted UConn team, with only eight players expected to be active today.  Notably, the Huskies are missing their lauded superstar Paige Bueckers, but also sidelined for UConn is another notable name in freshman guard Azzi Fudd, along with Nika Mühl, and Aubrey Griffin.

Even with those players out, UConn will still have the likes of Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Aaliyah Edwards, and Evina Westbrook.

The Cards season calling card seeming to be withering defense, and The Cardinal Couple Semi-Irregular Awards Committee is taking comments from interested parties about potentially raising the height requirement to be consider for the Attack Yorkie squad.  The proposal is to lift it to 5'7" to allow Mykasa Robinson, Chelsie Hall, and Hailey Van Lith to be eligible for the squad designation.  The squad is currently limited to players 5'6" and below. If the proposal gets out of committee discussion, we'll submit it to our Board of Chimps (along with nacho dip and Tostitos !)

Even without any currently official Attack Yorkies, UofL will be leaning on the lock down defense to set the tone of the game.  Increasing the tempo definitely works in the Card's favor.  When the opponent only has eight dressed players, fatigue can become a factor by the end of the game.  Geno Aurriema's teams typically have been well conditioned and haven't shown susceptibility to fatigue, but it's a weapon in the arsenal that you have to try to use.

The Huskies will be looking to try to take advantage of UofL's aggressive defense, playing off of defensive over commitments and using back cuts to try to get open looks at the basket.

Of active players, Christyn Williams is the highest point scorer, followed by Westbrook, and then Nelson-Ododa.  Williams, and particularly Westbrook, are threats from three point range, while Nelson-Ododa hasn't even attempted one all season.  UConn isn't much of a threat to the passing lanes, so if UofL can force some turnovers, that could lead to a fairly lopsided matchup.

The game is on ESPN (us Youtube TV folks will have to make other arrangements for this one) at 3:30pm and we'll have Eric Frede, Rebecca Lobo, and Andraya Carter on the call.

Angel tackles Geno for a loss of three...

An Open Letter to Volleyball

Dear 2021 UofL Volleyball squad,

Gwen Rucker

Becky Burke

Candyce Bingham

Janae Howard

Laura Terry

Monique Reid

Angel McCoughtry

Chauntise Wright

Keshia Hines

Dez Bird

These names may not mean all that much to you, but for longtime fans of UofL Women's Basketball, many of these names bring smiles to faces.  These fine women are thought of, almost with reverence, but certainly with gratitude to anyone that knows much of the past decade plus of history of the program.

You see, these are the members of the 2008-2009 basketball roster.  That team was the first UofL women's basketball team to advance to the Final Four.

These players are forever remembered, and thanked, for the major milestone that they achieved for the program.

I've heard Jeff Walz talk a number of times about how a successful program gets built.  He thanks Angel, and Mo, and Laura, and others for not only what they did on the court that season, but for how they helped build the program for the future.  He usually talks about hosting recruits, and points out that some of these players hosted recruits on campus for official visits, and some of those recruits end up becoming the core of the team several years down the road.  The impact of a special team is felt in a program many years down the road.

You all have taken this team from "Upset Queens" to the best team in the land in two years.  The future impact of that work will be felt far beyond two years.

Numerous people have posted open letters like this to you all.  Most have focused on your season this year being a breath of fresh air in a year filled with a lot of distractions and chaos at UofL.  They're...not wrong.  Your character, integrity, and spirit have shown through in a period that has been challenging at UofL, and frankly around the world as well.

But what I want you to know, particularly to the graduating seniors and super-seniors, is that, though this season is over, and some of you may not be putting on the jerseys anymore, you are still a part of this program, and you are still having an impact on the court.  Over the next four years when Alexis Finnvold, Hannah Sherman, Nina Moorer and others even farther in the future step out on that Taraflex at L&N FCU Arena, you are there alongside them, and when I and others are cheering for them, we're also still cheering for you.

Thank you for a season beyond words, and when you come back to visit and cheer, and I hope you do frequently, you have an open invitation to join me, for I would be honored to have any and all of you by my side, when the opponent calls a timeout.

C-A-R-D-S!

Jeff

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

Due to the way the holidays fall on the calendar, the last CCRHP episode of the year was yesterday.  Case, Jared, Paulie, and myself were on the call.

We spent most of the hour wrapping the magical volleyball season and talking a bit about the bright future for the program.

We did preview a bit of the UConn basketball game today.  I expect basketball to be the core of the discussion for the next couple of months.

You can check out the replay on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP4WkFqaPBI.

You can also listen to it on via your favorite podcast directory and app with some tweaks to the audio that Case always does so well with.  He posts it via anchor.fm, so you can catch it at: https://anchor.fm/cardinal-couple/episodes/Volleyball-Comes-Up-Short-Basketball-to-Face-UCONN-e1bt1cr or search for "Cardinal Couple" in whatever podcast source you use.

A Busy Fall Sports Sunday -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

We normally look at the Labor Day Weekend as a time to relax and enjoy the final summer holiday weekend. This was far from the case on Sunday, though, as three UofL women's sports squads were in action and provided a lot of excitement and interesting results. Let's take it from the top, to use a musical term,and look at these as they occurred:

VOLLEYBALL 

We start our recap with the first event of the day, down on Floyd Street at the LNFCU, where Louisville Volleyball played their third match as in as many days...hosting Northern Kentucky in the Cardinal Classic. The Cards got a "sweep" over the visiting Norse 25-22, 25-25-12, 25-20 but two of the sets were far from easy. 

A rather slow and ponderous start for Dani Busboom Kelly's crew in Set 1, finding themselves down 7-3 early to the eager, upset-minded NKU squad. A timeout by Louisville, arguably called to cool off the hot Norse, was effective and Louisville climbed back into the action -- gaining a 12-12 tie. NKU was not sold on climbing back on the bus and traversing 1-71, though, and held a 20-18 lead late, necessitating anther timeout for UofL. The ploy worked, with the Cards gaining three straight points, and forcing NKU to call a time out. Louisville took four of the next six points to gain a hard-fought, three-point win over the visitors -- 25-22

The Cards built on that first set ending surge and jumped out to an early 6-1 second set lead. That grew to 10-1 and NKU was unable to stop the powerful Louisville attack, the Cards hit .400 for the set and produced 12 kills in a 25-12 romp

. 

Jeff leads the LNFCU crows in the C-A-R-D-S cheer

 After the break, Louisville started the first set well -- going up 4-0 and pushing that to 7-3. NKU had one last surge left, though, and battled back to even the set at 12-12. The action went back and forth before the Cards mustered a 3-0 run to gain a 17-15 lead, forcing NKU to stop action again and allow out writer Jeff McAdams to lead a cheer from the seats. Louisville use a 8-5 run to seal the deal and get the sweep -- 25-20. 

Three Cards were named to the all-tournament squad in Amaya Tillman, Tori Dilfer and Anna Stevenson. Stevenson was named the MVP of the Classic. In the Sunday match, Aiko Jones and Stevenson ha 10 kills each, Claire Chaussee added eight and the Cards got 36 assists from Tori Dilfer and 15 digs from Elena Scott. The win pushed the #12 ranked Cards to 6-0 on the season, and that ranking will certainly rise, given the upsets in the world of DI Volleyball this weekend. 

FIELD HOCKEY

Let's jump from the friendly confines of Floyd Street to Ivy League land next, where we found Louisville Field Hockey engaged in the final game of the ACC/Ivy League Challenge against home-standing Princeton.  The Cards gained a hard-fought, overtime victory over the Tigers -- never giving up against, arguably, the best squad in the Ivy League. 

Princeton grabbed a 1-0 lead with six minutes left in the first quarter -- getting a score off a penalty stroke. The Cards, back-to-the-wall, remained patient and consistent in the offensive attack and it paid off when they earned their first corner of the match with barely half-a-minute left in the first quarter. Bitting-to-Pichea-to-Kouijzer proved to be the magic sequence, and the Cards junior from the Netherlands drove home the set to tie it up at 1-all. 

Louisville rode that momentum as second quarter action got underway and Charlie van Oirschot intercepted a Princeton pass in the first minute of action and sent a nifty advancement to Katie Schneider. She maneuvered the ball  to the top of the circle and sent the orb to Erica Cooper. Cooper's first shot was stopped by Princeton goal keeper Robyn Thompson, but "Coop" collected her own rebound and sent a second missile into the cage to make it 2-1 Cards. 

That lead looked secure until the final minute of the half. The Tigers put together two passes to get a nice opening for a shot that tied it up at 2-2. 

And, that's how the contest stayed in the second half. Scoreless.  Both teams were employing lock-down defense and preventing the ball from getting into the net. To a seven-on-seven, overtime session.

Actually, the Cards had a 7 to 6 player advantage on the field, benefitting from a Princeton green card penalty. And, in the fifth minute of "free hockey", it paid off. The Cards earned a penalty corner and Aimee Plumb took the attempt. It was blocked, but Mia Duchars deflected the rebound and Mattie Tabor connected with the waist-high orb  and baseball-swatted it into the net for the game winner. A lengthy official's review followed the score -- but the goal was allowed and the Cards were proud owners of their fourth win of the season. 

Justine Sowry postgame: 

What a game and gritty performance by our team. Princeton is a great team and very well- coached. We were put on the back foot at the beginning and took too long to play our game. With that being said, we had a "never give up" attitude with a fantastic work rate by our strikers defensively and we were able to capitalize at the most critical moment. I'm very proud of our team for our first road weekend.." 

Field Hockey comes home for a Friday match -- hosting Indiana. 

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Let's jump back into the sports travel machine and return to Louisville for the third and final match of the day. Back on Floyd Street at Lynn Stadium, where Louisville women's soccer and Western Kentucky were renewing the "battle of I-65" series, on a beautiful Sunday evening. 

The Tops came in undefeated and owners of a 1-0 win over Louisville last season. And, they struck early in the 2021 rivalry, getting on-board in the 12th.minute of action, putting a rebound of a blocked shot past Gabby Kouzelos and the defense to grab the lone goal of the match. 

This was a defensive struggle and WKU did a little better job in that aspect of the match. Louisville did out-shoot the Hilltoppers 16-7, both teams had five shots-on-goal, but it was WKU's "bend-but-don't break" defense in the final twenty minutes that kept turning the Cards offensive attempts away. The 1-0 WKU win improved their record to 4-0 on the season

One could raise an eyebrow over Louisville lack of offensive production in their last two outing -- just one goal against St. Louis and failing to score vs. WKU. You have to consider the quality of the foes, though -- St. Louis may be the best 0-4 team in women's college soccer and WKU has a defense that dominates the mid-field and makes it very hard to put together a series of successful passes to gain scoring opportunities. 

It doesn't get any easier for Karen Ferguson Dayes' "Kickin' Cards". They bring in Michigan Friday to Lynn Stadium. The Wolverines are 5-1 so far in 2021 and have allowed a scant two goals so far. 

(Thanks to Jared Anderson for the "double duty" yesterday and the Volleyball and WSOC photos !) 

ANGEL McCOUGHTRY

We'll end our busy recap of Sunday news with a positive item. 

To celebrate their 25th. anniversary, the WNBA came up with their top 25 player list over the 25 years. And, Louisville's Angel McCoughtry is a proud member of the group. 

"McCoughtry Magic" is a well-deserved addition to the group, which includes ten current players. The names are breath-taking. Beside Angel, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Elena Della Donne, Sylvia Fowles, Britany Griner, Nneka Ogwumike, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi made the list. It was a great joy and extreme honor to see six of them when the USA Women's National Team came to the KFC YUM! Center to scrimmage the Cards last February.  

Some great players from the past also made the "W25" .: 

Seimone Augustus, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Yolanda Griffith, Becky Hammon, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Maya Moore, Ticha Penicheiro, Cappie Pondexter, Katie Smith, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and Lindsay Whalen.

Our congrats and love to "35" for the honor and a great appreciation and thanks for those magical years she thrilled us in Freedom Hall. 

Have a marvelous Monday! 

paulie

USA WBB Tops Nigeria -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

USA Wins 93-62 in Final Tune-Up

With Louisville continuing the summer dead period (the last UofL women's athletic event I can find news on is soccer wrapping up their youth camp), Racing Louisville off this week, and the WNBA on summer break for the All-Star game and Olympics, there really isn't much to talk about. One thing that is going on these days is the lead up to the Olympics. Team USA bounced back from their loss to Australia yesterday, but you'd be hard pressed to figure that out. After a number of searches, I was able to find the final score, but not a box score of any type. 

The game is a preview of how the two teams will open the Olympic games in Tokyo, as they're set to play one another on July 27th. The Nigerian team will hope to have two big boosts to their ranks in that game that they did not have yesterday, as Nneke Ogwumike and Elizabeth Williams are not currently allowed to play for the team. Those two and Nneke's sister, Chiney, all applied for the opportunity to play for Nigeria after being left off of the USA Basketball roster. Chiney was allowed as a naturalized citizen, but Nneke and Williams were rejected. The three argue that they are all Nigerian citizens by birth due to Nigerian parents, but will need the Court of Arbitration of Sports to rule in their favor in the appeal to be able to play in the Olympics.

A big win for Team USA was very needed. The team hadn't lost in international competition since 2010 prior to the Australia game, so an Olympic gold medal was going to require a confidence boost. While the only Cardinal adjacent player headed to Tokyo for basketball is Merissah Russell as an alternate for Canada, ex-Cardinal Elizabeth Balogun helped this Nigerian team qualify for the Olympics. With a lot of young talent coming out of Louisville women's basketball in recent years and in the future, there may be a good chance to see Louisville Cardinals once again representing Team USA as Angel McCoughtry did for many years. Remember, both Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Cochran have been with youth versions of the team in recent years.

That's all for me today. A slow weekend will do that. Paulie should be back to these pages soon. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball and Odds and Ends - Sunday Cardinal Couple

 Softball Loses to UNC

Louisville Softball is in a battle to earn a first round bye in the ACC tournament this coming week.  Alas, they stumbled a bit yesterday and are now in a bit of jam to get it done.  UNC downed the Cards 5-0 and moved into a tie with Pitt in the ACC standings in the battle to get the last seed in the tournament.  More numbers analysis on this below.

In yesterday's game, UNC scored in the even numbered innings, starting off with a trio in the second.  A solo shot home run on the first pitch of UNC's at bat in the second set the tone for the inning.  They followed it up with a single, and then took advantage of a Cardinal error to advance runners into scoring position.  Another single up the middle scored the two.

In the fourth, UNC did the job with two outs on the board.  A single kept the inning alive, and then the runner stole second.  Another single scored the runner.

Finally, in the sixth, a solo shot to right field would bring the Tarheels to their final tally.

On the field today, the Cards and UNC will play each other in a double-header, but in some respects, the Cards are also playing against NC State, and UNC is playing against Pitt.  NC State and Pitt each are playing only a single game today, with the Wolfpack hosting Duke, and Pitt hosting Florida State.

Here's how it breaks down...assuming I've done all my math right.  If UofL wins both games today, they should be assured the sixth seed and the first round bye.  A single win by the Cards would leave their fate in NC State's hands.  A single win in the first game would edge UofL ahead of NC State's current standing by the margin of the one game against FSU being a tie instead of a loss.  If the Cards lost the second game, they would need NC State to lose as well to maintain that tie-vs-loss thin margin.  Obviously, if UofL and UNC split, the win and lose could be reversed from what I've outlined above for the same result, but it was easier for me to work out thinking through the scenario above.

On the UNC vs Pitt side, it's a similar story.  Currently UNC and Pitt are exactly tied in the conference win percentage, but Pitt has played a significantly larger number of games overall.  This means wins and losses for UNC moves their percentage more.  So, a win by UNC in the first game moves them just ahead of Pitt, and then a lose in the second against puts it in the other team's hand.  A win by Pitt with a UNC split today and UNC's season is over.  A lose by Pitt with a UNC split today and UNC gets into the ACC tournament with the 10 seed.  A sweep by UNC today and Pitt's season is over regardless of what they do in Pennsylvania.

The Cards and UNC, as well as Pitt vs FSU, get underway at 10am.  NC State vs Duke gets started at noon.  I believe all of these games will be on ACC Network Extra, although Pitt vs FSU currently isn't listed in the "Upcoming" games on ESPN's site.

Field Hockey Returns Home

The Field Hockey squad returned home after their semi-final lose in the NCAA tournament against Michigan.

On the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast yesterday, we expressed the general notion that this was a successful year for the squad overall, despite that last game outcome.  It seems we're not alone in that sentiment.

The Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport saluted the returning squad with a water cannon salute as they taxied to their parking location.  Louisville Social Media Coordinator Tim Haag captured the occasion.

It was exciting to see so much of the city of Louisville recognize what the Field Hockey squad has accomplished and show the love and respect to a team that, let's be honest, doesn't tend to get a whole lot of attention outside of here on Cardinal Couple.

Kudos to the airport personnel for the salute.

Angel McCoughtry Injury

In a pre-season game with her current team, the Las Vegas Aces, UofL great Angel McCoughtry, went down in significant pain, holding her right knee, about two and a half minutes into the game.  She would not return to the game.

Head Coach Bill Laimbeer did not have any official update on McCoughtry after the game, only saying that "it doesn't look like it's very good news for us at the moment."

Angel ended her 2018 season, and missed all of the 2019 season rehabbing a left knee injury.

We wish Angel the best and hope for a complete recovery.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

Finally, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast was back in action after taking Derby day off.  Case couldn't be with us, but Daryl, Jared, Paulie, and I were on the call.  We covered Field Hockey, Softball, Lacrosse, Basketball, Golf, and Volleyball.  A busy hour or so, to be sure.

Check it out!