10 UofL Women's Swim and Dive Student Athletes to compete in Olympic Trials -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 10 UofL Women's Swim and Dive Cards headed to Lucas Oil for USA OLYMPIC TEAM trials

We all know that Arthur Albiero builds strong UofL swimming and diving squads each year at the University of Louisville . The 2023-24 women's squad was 9-1 in dual meets and also fared quite well in events like the Louisville invitational, NCAA Championships and ACC Championships, where the women finished second. 

In mid-June, the USA Olympic Trials will take place at Lucas Oil from Friday to June 23rd.  Ten member of the women's sqaud (and 21 Cards overall) will thry to make the USA squad. 

USA swimming has also rolled out a prime competing venue, creating the Lucas Oil pool in Indianapolis. which will also be able to hold 30,000 spectators. That's huge, considering the previous venue for Olympic trials was in Omaha and sat 15,000.

These women Cards will compete: 

-- Gabi Albiero (100 Fly,) (100 Free), (50 Free)

-- Summer Cardwell (200 Free, 100 Free) 

-- Mia Chitwood (100 Breast)

-- Julia Dennis (100 Free, 50 Free) 

-- Paige Hetrick (100 back, 50 Free) 

-- Lucy Mehraban (50 Free, 100 Free) 

-- Christina Regenauer (100 Fly, 100 Free, 50 Free)

-- Rye Ulett ( 100 Back, 200 back) 

-- Tristen Ulett (100 Fly, 100m Free, 200 Free, 50 Free)

-- Ella Welch (100 Fly)

We wish all our Cardinal swimmers the best of luck and great times as they compete to join the USA Olympic squad.

paulie

Getting to Know the Coaches: Swim and Dive -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Getting to Know the Coaches: Swim and Dive

We're back in action with getting to know the coaching staffs of our various Louisville women's teams. The fall only sports are gone but a few sports run through multiple seasons, such as the swimming and diving season, which begins late in the fall and runs through early March.

Arthur Albiero, head coach

Arthur Albiero has overseen the Louisville swim and dive program for 20 years. He helped the program rise to prominence with several top 10 finishes and a handful of individual national championships such as Kelsi Worrell Dahlia and Mallory Comerford. He has also served as the head coach for the Brazilian National Team during this stint.

During his early days as head coach, Albiero played a crucial role in the design and construction of the Ralph Wright Natatorium. The Natatorium continues to be one of the premiere swim facilities in the country for college athletics.

Before coming to Louisville, Albiero was an assistant at Alabama for four years. Before his days with the Crimson Tide, he had a decorated four-year career at Oakland.

Stephanie Juncker, associate head coach

Stephanie Juncker has been with Louisville since 2014 when she was hired as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2011. She has been with the Cards every step of the way in the ACC and has been the women's recruiting coordinator.

Juncker was an assistant coach at Arkansas for one season prior to Louisville and one year at Fresno State before that. She is a Louisville alum, swimming her entire collegiate career under Albiero and earning multiple Big East championships.

Nick Zorn, assistant coach

Nick Zorn is one of the newer faces on the coaching staff, joining Louisville in 2021 during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. He came to Louisville from Florida State, where he was an assistant coach for three years.

Zorn was a volunteer assistant at Alabama two years before that. He came to Alabama straight out of college after building a strong resume in his four years as a swimmer at Delta State.

Ryan Rougeux, diving coach

Ryan Rougeux came to Louisville in 2017 as an interim diving coach and was promoted to head diving coach in 2018. Since joining the Cards, the Louisville student-athlete divers have set numerous school records.

He was the head coach at Wright State for three seasons before coming to Louisville. He earned Horizon League honors during that time. Before his time at Wright State, Rougeux was a four-year diver for Centre College in Danville, KY. He also earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the Dayton School of Law in 2016.

We've been fortunate to get out to the Natatorium in the past to witness Louisville swimming and diving events and hope to get back out there again this season.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

ACC swim & Dive Championships -- WBB Final Stretch -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ACC Swimming and Diving Championships

Postseason is upon us for Louisville Swim and Dive. The ACC Championships begin today at the McAuley Aquatic Pavilion on Georgia Tech's campus. The events will run from Tuesday through Saturday.

Currently, eight women's teams from the ACC are located in the Top 25: #1 Virginia, #4 NC State, #7 Louisville, #21 North Carolina, #22 Virginia Tech, #23 Notre Dame, #24 Florida State,  and #25 Duke. That alone is the recipe for one heck of a showdown. Louisville has 17 women competing in the events this weekend.

Sophomore Gabi Albiero, daughter of head coach Arthur Albiero, will be one of the performers to keep an eye on as she is slated to compete in several freestyle and butterfly events.

Mariia Astashkina is back after missing last year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and is a part of the 2018 400 medley relay team that set a school record.

Paige Hetrick had a breakout sophomore season and has shown her versatility as she will compete in events featuring all four strokes.

Alena Krauss, who has her name in the top ten in Louisville record book multiple times, will compete in several sprints in the freestyle and butterfly.

Rye Ulett doesn't even have a full semester under her belt at Louisville and already holds the school record in the 200 backstroke. Rye and her sister, Tristen Ulett, will both compete in several individual and relay events.

Liberty Williams has emerged as a star in just her first season as a Cardinal. On the season, she has three times ranked in the top ten nationally (2nd, 1000 free; 3rd, 1650 free; 6th, 500 free). The 1650 free, is a school record she set against Kentucky that Jeff and I got to witness, took nearly 16 minutes, which is an impressive feat.

Although results can often be delayed, especially with heats and finals taking place on different days occasionally, we will keep you updated with how our Cards are doing.

Women's Basketball on the Final Stretch

Louisville women's basketball has entered the final stretch of the regular season, with just four games remaining. It's a tight race in the ACC with Louisville (13-1) and NC State (14-1) vying for the ACC regular season title and the 1-seed in the ACC Tournament. Both the Cardinals and Wolfpack are expected to be 1-seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia Tech sits in third at 11-3 with Georgia Tech and Notre Dame tied for fourth at 10-4. The Cards hold the current head-to-head tiebreaker over the Yellowjackets and Irish and will square off against the Hokies on Senior Day this coming Sunday.

Assuming both the Cards and Wolfpack win out, the two will share the honors of the ACC regular season title with the latter earning the 1-seed in Greensboro. However, with a little help from Wake Forest, Syracuse, or Virginia Tech, NC State could suffer a second loss and open the door for the top spot for Louisville to take.

There's too much basketball left to be played to worry too much, but the latest Bracketology has the Cards as the 1-seed in the Wichita Region with Arizona, Oklahoma, and LSU taking the 2-, 3-, and 4-seeds. Three of the projected eight ACC teams are in this region, currently.

Don't forget to start studying up for both the ACC WBB Pick Em and NCAA WBB Pick Em. Both will be here before you know it! And of course, tell your friends and family and encourage them to participate! Paulie is currently working on the gift cards that we award annually for the first and second place finishers in the contests../

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

NIL Compensation -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Kentucky Approves NIL Compensation

Friday's With Daryl have been put on hold again as Daryl spent last evening commanding the video camera crew at Louisville Slugger Field. The Bats started their home series against Indianapolis, which, coincidentally, Louisville City FC hosts Indy 11 this weekend. I-65 is sure to be busy the next few days.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky created all kinds of commotion yesterday. What started off as a day to discuss the possible NIL bills floating around different states quickly turned into Governor Andy Beshear signing an executive order making Kentucky the first state to allow NIL compensation by an executive order decision. Six states have already approved NIL compensation through their respective legislation. This will take effect July 1.

Several University of Louisville coaches and notables in the Athletic Department took to social media to express their thoughts on the matter, all seeming to be in approval of the decision.

Vince Tyra: "On behalf of our student athletes at the University of Louisville and other Kentucky institutions, we are incredibly grateful for Governor Beshear's Executive Order allowing them to earn additional compensation on behalf of their Name, Image, and Likeliness. Bringing the state of Kentucky into competitive balance with other across the country, and more specifically, the Atlantic Coast Conference was critical. His leadership, in collaboration with our universities and legislators in Frankfort, was welcomed and needed in leveling the playing field for our institutions and, more important, for our student-athletes."

Jeff Walz: "We applaud Governor Beshear on this ground breaking decision. This is the right thing to do. This allows our student-athletes to enhance their profile in the profession of their choice. This is about opportunity, and we are all for it."

Scott Teeter: "We commend Governor Beshear and the state of Kentucky on this thoughtful decision regarding Name, Image, and Likeliness. The success of our student-athletes has always been our highest priority and this decision provides them with even more opportunities moving forward."

Karen Ferguson-Dayes: "I'm very happy to hear that Governor Beshear issued an executive order on Name, Image, and Likeliness for the state of Kentucky. I fully support our student-athletes having an opportunity to advance themselves forward and this is a very positive step."

Mark Beckham: "I'm happy  and excited for my athletes to have the opportunity. The things they can do are limitless, which is a good thing. This is a new day in college athletics though; they can legally make money. We will see how it works, hopefully it is for the best."

Derek Copeland: "It makes sense that people should benefit from their own Name, Image, and Likeliness. These student-athletes work very hard to build and maintain their personal brand and should be rewarded when they do it so well. I am glad that our governor has taken these steps to allow for this to happen."

Arthur Albiero: "Kudos to Governor Andy Beshear by recognizing the importance of NIL to all student-athletes in our state and for the urgency with which he is treating this matter. I support the changes related to NIL as a path for our student-athletes to maximize their opportunities. It also keeps our state on a level playing field with the rest of the country. I am grateful to Governor Beshear's leadership."

Many of the men's coaches, including Scott Satterfield and Chris Mack, provided statements on the matter, all in favor.

There are still plenty of questions to be asked in regards to the NIL approval as well as how much different student-athletes will make. On the women's side, we expect to see Hailey Van Lith to be one of the players being able to do well with NIL based on her following. Women's basketball in general gets a lot more exposure than many other women's sports so those players have a good chance at doing well. Someone like Anna DeBeer, who has had an excellent career so far, could also benefit well. Mercedes (Mechi) Pastor is one of the most well-known collegiate field hockey players and has an international presence and may do well too.

What does that mean for places that cover UofL athletics, or collegiate athletics in general?

Well, first, we are one of those. The answer is plain and simple: we don't know. Cardinal Couple does not generate profit and does not make money by using different players' NIL. We do report the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. Will this even affect our normal operations here? Paulie is looking into this more and working with the terrific SIDs so we know how this will directly affect us.

Our Cardinal Couple Hour is back again tomorrow. We never know for sure who is going to pop in on the broadcast, but we can pretty much ensure Paulie, Jeff and Jared will be there.  We will dig into the Name, Image, and Likeliness more, but we will not have an answer to the question in the previous paragraph yet. However, the world famous CC Quiz will happen tomorrow. We always welcome you to join at home. Hint: study up your mascots.

Happy Friday, have a good weekend, and Go Cards!

Jared

Lax Tonight -- Softball Postponed -- Swim News -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Lacrosse Hosts Duke

For the second time this season, Louisville Lacrosse will play a match under the lights of Cardinal Stadium. Another blue team from the state of North Carolina ranked in the Top 10 will take on the Cards at Louisville's football stadium.

#8 Duke will square off against Louisville at 7:00 p.m. The Blue Devils are 6-5 on the year with a 2-5 conference record. They ride a three-match losing streak into tonight with all losses coming against Top 10 ACC opponents.

Their conference wins have come against #18 Virginia Tech and #9 Virginia. Duke is averaging 13.7 goals per match on the year while they allow just under 11 goals per match.

Senior Katie Cronin has led Duke with 23 goals and is second on the team with eight assists. Fifth-year Catherine Cordrey has 20 goals. Grad transfer Gabby Rosenzweig has a team-high 18 assists to go along with 17 goals. Rosenzweig played four years at Penn where she set the school record for career points and single season assists.

Duke has rotated their goalkeepers with a trial and error basis. Sophia LeRose has appeared in nine matches and started seven while allowing 78 goals to go along with 58 saves. Chase Henriquez has played in eight matches and started four while allowing 41 goals to go with 20 saves. Stephanie Zempolich has filled in in a couple matches to record two saves while allowing one goal.

For the Cards, Ally Hall leads the way with 27 goals. That mark is also fifth-best in the ACC. Hannah Morris has scored 21 times while Carolina Blalock has added 20 goals. Blalock also has a team high 10 assists.

Rachel Florek has allowed 125 goals while recording 103 saves per GoCards.com. The NCAA only has the senior with 102 saves, putting her seventh in the country. If credited with 103, she would be in a tie for fifth. Florek ranks 27th in saves per game.

Louisville hopes to get their second ever win against Duke. You can catch this one on ACC Network starting at 7:00 p.m.

Softball News

Louisville was all geared up to host rival Kentucky last night for a match-up that was circled on the schedule from day one. Mother Nature had other plans.

The game was set to start at 7:00. Thunderstorms rolled in shortly before 6:30 and a tarp was placed on the field. Then came the downpour. Fans were sent to their cars or the Student Activities Center for safety measures as lightning struck overhead.

Things looked promising around 7:45 as the sun reappeared and the rain died down, but a quick meeting between the coaches and facilities crew left fans disappointed. With more storms quickly approaching and the Cards preparing for an early morning bus ride to Atlanta it was decided to postpone the game to an unspecified date.

There is speculation the two foes will play a double header on April 21 when the Cards were already scheduled to travel to Lexington. Many fans would prefer to still see one of these games hosted at Ulmer Stadium due to the limited seating from social distancing guidelines.

Softball did see some good news in Carmyn Greenwood. The elder Greenwood sister was named ACC Player of the Week.

Greenwood went off during Louisville's series victory at Pitt. She went 11-15 at the plate with six doubles. She also had five RBI's and five runs scored. Her on-base percentage was an incredible .750. Greenwood leads the team with a .437 batting average, eight doubles, 17 runs scored, and seven stolen bases.

Swim News

Both Arthur Albiero and Nick Albiero received ACC accolades. Coach Albiero was named ACC Men's Coach of the Year while his some was named ACC Swimmer of the Year.

The Louisville's men's swim team won their first ever ACC Championship this year. The men also recorded two NCAA Championships including Nick Albiero's 200 butterfly.

The fall season should pick up around November and the father-son duo shall return.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Midweek News and Notes -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Midweek News and Notes

We have seen plenty of news lately ranging from new rankings to weekly honors to contract extensions.  Between that, the recent conclusion of the WNBA season, the start of the NBA season, the start of the World Series, and regular seasons for several fall sports winding down there's always the chance some news may have gotten buried.

New Rankings

Louisville Field Hockey stayed the same at #5.  The top five teams all won and stayed the same.  North Carolina is still the top ACC team at #1 in the country, Duke is ranked 4th, and Virginia sits right behind the Cards at #6.  Iowa fell to 8th after their loss to the Cards.

Louisville Women's Soccer climbed to 12th in the Coaches Poll and 9th in Top Drawer Soccer.  The ACC dominates the Coaches Poll.  Virginia is 1st, North Carolina is 3rd, Florida State is 5th, and Duke stayed at 9th after their draw with Louisville last week.  Clemson at 15th and Virginia Tech at 25th round out the rest of the ACC representation in the rankings.

Louisville Volleyball sits just outside the Top 25.  Their first conference loss and the loss of Melanie McHenry did not help the Cards.  They're in the receiving votes category and would be considered 27th.  They're joined by Florida State and Notre Dame in that category while Pitt remains the only team in the conference in the Top 25 at 3rd.

Louisville Women's Swimming and Diving is 21st in the latest rankings as of last week.  Their season is still early and rankings don't matter much until nationals roll around.  Still, they're one of six ACC teams ranked with another receiving votes.

Hollyn Barr Weekly Honors

Field Hockey's Hollyn Barr was named ACC Field Hockey Co-Defensive Player of the Week.  Barr
recorded a shutout against ranked Stanford last week.  On Sunday, Barr recorded a career-high nine saves as the Cards took down Iowa in overtime.  Barr has clearly won the starter job over Sam Minrath after the two split minutes in the early season.

Barr has paid her dues over the years, patiently waiting in a backup role behind goalkeeper Ayeshia McFerran for a couple of seasons before getting her chance this year to guard the net. It's good to see that patience and perseverance pay off for the Lancaster, PA redshirt junior !

Arthur Albiero Contract

Louisville Swimming and Diving head coach Arthur Albiero recently received a new contract.  The Athletic Association Board of Directors approved the terms last week.

Albiero receives a $50,000 raise in his base salary.  He also receives incentive bonuses when his program finishes Top 5/10/25 at the NCAA Championships and based on their finish at the ACC Championships.  His base salary should now sit at roughly $250,000 per year.

Louisville is the first program in ACC history to have both the men's and women's teams finish in the Top 5 in the ACC Championships in the same year.  He's also had national championship winners in Joao de Lucca, Kelsi Worrell Dahlia, and Mallory Comerford.

Vince Tyra is hoping the contract shows Albiero that UofL wants the future Hall of Fame head coach for the rest of his career.  As if the money is not enough, Albiero's son, Nick, is a junior on the team and his daughter, Gabi, has committed to join the Cards in the fall of 2020.

Minus the injury news it's not too shabby for most of the UofL women's sports right now.  Oh yeah, we're also THIRTEEN days away from the UofL WBB season opener against WKU.

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Jared Anderson's "A history of" -- Swimming and Diving -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

A History of Louisville Women’s Sports Chapter 5: Swimming and Diving

As we transition from the fall sports to winter sports I decided to focus on a program that does not receive the publicity and recognition equivalent to their accomplishments.  In terms of national championships combined between individual and team events the Louisville swimming and diving program is unlike any other.  Their streak of national championships traces back to when I first started as a student.  However, today we are focusing solely on the women’s side, so we will negate all men’s accomplishments for the time being.

Ralph Wright is a name recognized as the aquatic center where the Cardinals compete at today, but the name means much more than that.  Ralph Wright became the first swimming and diving (S&D) coach at UofL for the 1948-49 school year.  Wright had a prestigious record long before his time at UofL including a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps.  He continued to coach in town at the Y.M.C.A, Lakeside Swim Club and Plantation Swim Club up until his death at the age of 45.  There are now multiple buildings named in his memory.  Wright is now a member of the Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame.

There was a gap in stats, numbers and records following Wright’s departure up until the 1990’s when UofL

started keeping records.  That’s when Rick Hill came in.  He was the second most recent swimming and diving coach, where he held the position from the 1990’s to the 2002-03 season.  Hill spent his time as coach as a member of Conference USA and now has an award named in his honor.

Arthur Albiero first took over in 2003.  He came from Alabama, where he played an integral part in their rebuilding period.  Albiero worked with architects on the design of the Ralph Wright Natatorium just in time for UofL to join the Big East Conference.  Since then, Albiero has helped the Cards onto numerous individual conference championships in the Big East, AAC and ACC.  He has guided Cardinals onto higher levels with NCAA Championships, World Championships, and Olympic medals.  The women won their first ever conference championship in 2009-2010, under his guidance.  Two women’s swimmers have one individual NCAA titles- Kelsi Worrell Dahlia and Mallory Comerford.  Albiero has also coached the Brazilian Olympics team.

Worrell won titles in 2015 and 2016.  Comerford went three years with the crown in 2017, 2018 and 2019.  Both swimmers were also a part of the 2016 Rio Olympics USA gold medal team.  On the men’s side, Joao De Lucca and Carlos Almeida have both taken the title during their careers.

The Ralph Wright Natatorium has been home to the Cards since September 2005 after a two-year construction project.  It is most well-known for Louisville swimming and diving but serves a greater purpose.  Local swim and dive events happen year-round at the venue.  The University takes advantage by offering aquatics classes for students and swim lessons and classes for the public.  It has eight full lanes for competition while the diving area goes as deep as 18 ft. 

Prior to the Natatorium was Crawford Gymnasium.  It was host to the swimming and diving teams for most of the program’s life, starting with its construction in 1963.  Crawford Gym was also home to several UofL P.E. classes up through its demolish in late 2016.  It has been replaced by a state-of-the-art classroom building.

Now a national powerhouse, UofL Swimming and Diving consistently finishes ranked in the Top 10 and

finished in the Top 5 last year.  Admission is free to all UofL Swimming and Diving events at the Natatorium, but they usually charge for parking in the area.  You can catch a few of us Cardinal Couple folks at events throughout the year.

From the basement of a gym to a state-of-the art facility...Louisville Swimming and Diving has continued to grow and attract the best swimmers in the world. We don't see that changing.

She's back...

Milwaukee's loss is Louisville's (and the ACC) gain. 

Former Miss Kentucky,  Cardinal Volleyball setter and Assumption High School Alumnae Katie George has left her role as the sideline and digital reporter for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks after 10 months to take a position with the ACC Network. 

George will be an anchor and reporter with the ACC Network. One can logically assume that she'd be a part of the network's Volleyball coverage -- but she's the type of person you can throw into any situation and she'll shine. 

For more on Katie and her decision to return to Louisville and the conference where she spent her final two years of her student-athlete career, check out the link below: 

https://onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/katie-george-leaves-bucks.html

Country music legend Jerry Lee Lewis recorded a classic hit back in 1968 titled "What made Milwaukee famous".

LINK to song:  George Jones' Classic Hit

In this case, though...Milwaukee isn't sending us a fool or loser back home. We are re-gaining an up-and-coming shining star who continues to move up in her career. 

Can the return of the double fist pump be far away? 

                                                                    #############

I’m back to banking this weekend and Daryl is tossing pitchers for saying “that’s horrible”.  Paulie, Worldwide and Case will be on air for another World-Famous Cardinal Couple Quiz so tune in to see if you can win! Don't miss The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Saturday morning on WCHQ 100.9 FM, Facebook Live, the WCHQ app or listen live at the station's website:  

WCHQFM.COM

Emanating from the magnificent, marvelous and massive media mansion on Mellwood ...the best of UofL Womens' Sports...

Go Cards!

Jared Anderson

I’m back to banking this weekend and Daryl is tossing pitchers for saying “that’s horrible”.  Paulie, Worldwide and Case will be on air for another World-Famous Cardinal Couple Quiz so tune in to see if you can win!

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball, Lacrosse Host Top 5 Teams; More Swimming Accolades; Rowing Underway in Florida -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Florida State and Louisville Start with Double Header Today

As Jared mentioned yesterday, Louisville is hosting defending champion #3 Florida State for a three game set. Previously scheduled as a Saturday-Monday daily matchup, impending weather caused UofL to shift the games to a double header on Saturday, with Monday's game remaining in place. ESPNU will have this one on the air, just as they did the Monday matchup between the two teams last season. 

Conveniently, the televised game between the two last year was Louisville's best showing, as the Cards fell to the Seminoles in Tallahassee 1-3. The previous two games on the weekend saw Louisville outscored 12-0. Of course, at that time, Florida State was well on their way to a 58-12 season and a national championship. Louisville will be looking to avenge those beatings from last season, especially since this season sees the Cards hosting, but Florida State is not much more vulnerable than before.

The Noles currently sit at 36-3, and while much was said about their loss at Grand Canyon early in March, no one really mentioned that FSU won the second game of that two game series 11-1 in 6 innings the next day. Of Florida State's losses this year, only one was by more than 3 runs (Arizona beat them 11-3) and Arizona was the only team FSU didn't dominate in their other meetings. Notre Dame took the middle game off of the Noles, only to find themselves losing the other two by a combined 16-1 scoreline. Florida State still beat Arizona in their other games of the series as well.

The bottom line is this: Florida State is good, still. It was exciting to think that they might be in trouble when they lost a game they shouldn't have, but teams do that all of the time. Louisville will need to be locked in to make some noise this weekend. They've shown in previous matchups this season that they have the talent to go toe-to-toe with top softball powers and this will be a three game series to show that definitively. The first game gets underway at 1PM today, with the second game to follow. It should be a beautiful day, so if you're able, get out to Ulmer and root on the Cards. If not, both games are available on the ACC Network Extra.

Asia Durr Selected for Dawn Staley Award


Who is the best guard in D1 women's basketball? Why, look no further than Asia Durr!

Another trophy in the bag for Louisville's one-of-a-kind sharpshooter. The Dawn Staley Award is presented yearly to the best guard that embodies the skills Staley had in her playing time, on offense and defense.

Asia will be officially awarded the honor in Philly, Thursday April 11th.  

Lacrosse Hosts UNC

In addition to the third ranked Florida State Seminoles, Louisville will play host to the fifth ranked North Carolina Tar Heels today. At 4-9 so far this year, Coach Teeter is not having the season I'm sure he hoped, but there is a lot more to look at than just the overall record. The Cards have played a tough schedule, and, of their 9 losses, 5 have come by three or fewer goals, and 4 have been just one goal losses.

Louisville has been strong offensively, even against top teams, being held to fewer than 7 goals just twice; once in the second game of the season in snowy Denver and the other in a tough road matchup against Notre Dame. The Cards have lost three in a row, but the last two have both been by one goal apiece. Today's game will be a tough one, but we'll see what the Cards can put together against yet another top team. The game gets underway at 12PM which means we'll take you right up to it with the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. It's available on ACC Network Extra.

Comerford, Albiero Earn Honors

In what should be a surprise to no one, Mallory Comerford and Arthur Albiero weren't finished bringing home hardware after the National Championships over the last couple of weeks. Yesterday, it was announced that Comerford was the ACC's women's swimmer of the year and Albiero was the conference's coach of the year. I think you could make an argument that Comerford, a two-time individual champion this year alone, could be named the overall swimmer of the year for the conference, but I don't think that they have that award, so we'll just remember it for ourselves here at Cardinal Couple.

Rowing in Three Finals Today

Rowing had a good first day at the Sunshine State Invitational yesterday, coming up a little short (just over 9 seconds) from competing in all four grand finals this morning. The Cards are competing in grand finals for Varsity 8, Varsity 4, and 2Varsity 4. They'll be in the petite final in 2Varsity 8. Louisville qualified 2nd overall in Varsity 8 and will look for their best finish of the season if they can grab wins in multiple finals this morning.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We'll be back in the studio today with a full(ish) house. Daryl and Paulie elected not to go to Tampa without the Cards, so they'll join Jared and me on Mellwood as Jeff checks in from the Highlands.

We're grateful to Monk for stepping back into the engineer role for us as Jeff is out this week. Jeff will bring us a report directly from the KIVA event, and we'll preview softball, talk about their last two games, and look a bit at the Final Four that started last night (RIP my bracket hopes). Tune into WCHQ FM at 11AM for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. The show is available at 100.9 FM, the WCHQ App, wchqfm.com, and on Facebook Live.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

The End of the Fall is Nigh -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

November is Donation Month for Cardinal Couple. If you would like to help us continue what we do here -- in 2019 -- please send whatever amount you want to. You can use Pay-Pal, but, if possible, we're prefer you to mail your donations to:



CARDINAL COUPLE
P.O. BOX 91521
LOUISVILLE, KY  40291

Thank you!  

*********BREAKING NEWS**********

Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra fired Bobby Petrino Sunday morning after a 2-8 start to the season. Here's what he had to say about the move.

“We want to thank Bobby for guiding our football program to some of the better seasons we have had historically at UofL during his two separate tenures here,” Tyra said. “However, at this time we feel the program needs different leadership and we owe it to our student-athletes and fans to get this turned around.”

Tyra had talked throughout the season about his hope for a turnaround under Petrino's leadership. He had said he didn't want to make a change during the season, but events of the last couple of weeks made an immediate decision more necessary.

“I did not have the confidence that it was going to happen next season without a change and it needs to start happening now," Tyra said. "We expect to determine a new head coach soon to restore our football program to national prominence.”

Action Yesterday

Only one sport was in action yesterday, Swimming and Diving was competing in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge up at Purdue in West Lafayette.  This isn't specifically a UofL event, but it truly is an event between the conferences.  Coaches are named for the conference teams, with Arthur Albiero being an Assistant Coach for the ACC squad, and all-star participants are selected from conference schools to compete on behalf of the conference.  11 UofL athletes were picked to compete, a veritable who's who of Cardinals Swimming and Diving with Mariia Astashkina, Sophie Cattermole, Mallory Comerford, Molly Fears, Alina Kendzior and Grace Oglesby on the women's side...nearly all names that have been mentioned here at Cardinal Couple a number of times before.

Perhaps the least frequently mentioned name is Mariia Astashkina, from Moscow, who is competing primarily in the breast stroke in her sophomore season as a Cardinal swimmer.  Five guys are representing the ACC as well, again, mostly names you've heard before if you follow the Swimming and Diving to any significant degree; Marcelo Acosta, Nick Albiero, Andrej Barna, Zach Harting and Evgenii Somov.

After the first day of swimming, the Men are neck and neck with the Big Ten at 85 points, and the ACC at 82.  The women's battle is not as close, with the Big Ten in the lead 123-44.  The event continues today.

Action Today

Rowing is participating in the latest of the wonderfully named rowing events, the Rivanna Romp, in Earlysville, VA.

Men's Soccer is competing at noon for the ACC Championship.  They tangle with North Carolina, in Cary NC.  This matchup is a 4 seed, Louisville, vs the 2 seed Tarheels.  In national rankings, UNC is #4 in the coach's poll, while UofL sits in 10th.  This one gets a bit of a step of from the typical ACC Network Extra and will be on ESPNU.

Also in action today, a bit of an injury depleted UofL Volleyball squad will be taking on Wake Forest at 1 p.m.  This one is available on the ACC Network Extra.

A quick run down on the injuries that we're aware of.  Alexis Hamilton has been out all season, going down with an ACL tear right before the season opener.  Kelly O'Neil has been out for an extended period already with a back injury, details are not known.  And in the past week, Emily Scott and Melanie McHenry have both been either out, or at least on limited playing regimes due to knee injuries (we have a report of a stress fracture for Scott, and a strained patella tendon for McHenry, neither are anything official).  

The positive aspect of this has been that these injuries have been spread around among different positions, hitting an outside hitter, a middle hitter/blocker, and two defensive specialists.  Starting the season, we were commenting on the depth of the team, with discussions about who will get playing time both in the middle between the triumvirate of Jasmine Bennett, Emily Scott, and Piper Roe, and on defensive with what seemed to be the absurdly high number of DSes on the roster.  Jasmine Bennett went out for a bit with a strained abdomen a little while back, but has returned to 100%, only for Emily Scott's sidelining with a knee injury, so we've been glad to have 3 middles that were ready and capable of playing at a D1 volleyball level.

Along with the departure of Maggie Mullen from the team, the injuries at DS have left the team eyeing the remaining DSes closely.  Freshman Mia Stander has stepped up and proven herself capable of taking on the role beyond any shadow of a doubt.  Akela Yuhl, sophomore, has stepped up and filled the role well, and we still have Natalie Palastro who could step into the role as well, so we're still in a good situation for DSes, but I certainly wouldn't want to lose any more to injury.

Today might be a good day to spread some of the playing time around and develop some of those
extra players that have spent time in the wings ready to step up when their number is called.  Wake Forest sits in the bottom quarter of the ACC rankings at 4-11 in conference, 9-18 overall.  Wake has dropped decisions against Air Force, UNC Greensboro, and Ohio University.

The VolleyCards are the lone "fall sport" that we regularly cover that is still in action...with WSOC and Field Hockey finished for the season.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Three of the knuckleheads graced the magnificent media mansion on Mellwood yesterday.  Paulie, Jared, and I held down the fort and had a good discussion where we wrapped up the Field Hockey and Women's Soccer seasons.  And, yes, we even griped a bit about people getting the name of our teams wrong.  We aren't "The Cardinal", that's Stanford, and we aren't "The Lady Cards".

We discussed Volleyball, Women's Basketball, and even had a little bit of fun with Rowing event names.

A special "Thank You" to WCHQ for giving us this great venue to relay the joy and excitement of Louisville women's athletics.  

Catch the replay fun at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/2199765830347342/

-- 

JMcA