Monday Cardinal Couple -- Soccer falls in double overtime to Memphis

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Soccer loses in quarterfinals of AAC to Tigers

- Field Hockey conquers Kent State 6-0

- Volleyball takes broom to Memphis



CARDS DROP DOUBLE OVERTIME MATCH

Memphis made it a successful weekend stay in Louisville by downing the University of Louisville women's soccer team 2-1 in double overtime at Cardinal Park Sunday afternoon.

Memphis (13-7-0) advances to the semifinals out of the #7 seed while UofL (12-5-1) awaits the NCAA Tournament Selections show on Monday, Nov 11th. at 4:30 p.m.

Louisville opened the scoring in the contest in the first half when Charlyn Corral sent a penalty kick into the box that Devyn Ciotti headed into the goal at the 20 minute mark.

The Tigers tied it two minutes later and the 1-1 score took both teams to halftime...Louisville holding a 8-5 shot advantage.

Louisville tried time after time to take the lead in the final 45 minutes of regulation and held a 16-2 shot advantage...but could not get the ball into the net. The same malady held true in the first overtime.

Six minutes into the second extra session, Kaityn Atkins got her second assist of the game...setting up Kelly Sanderson at the far post and she booted home the game winner. Despite an overwhelming 26-9 shot advantage...Louisville could not produce points when needed.


A tough end to a potentially great situation where the Cards could haven strengthened a bid to make the tournament at a higher seed. Being ranked in the top 25 prior to the tournament virtually guarantees the Cards a slot in the NCAA tournament but losing in the early stages of conference play will undoubtedly drop Louisville back out of the top 25 and probably set them up as a #7 or #8 seed in one of the regional brackets. 

Time for the Cards to regroup, re-focus and roll through the NCAA tournament. A good season so far and a NCAA bid awaits....but holding a +17 shot advantage and falling to a #7 seed that had played just 48 hours earlier raises some eyebrows about the accuracy of the Cardinal attack and questions about the preparedness this team had for a team they defeated earlier in the season.

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FIELD HOCKEY CELEBRATES SENIOR DAY WITH 6-0 WIN


The sendoff for three Louisville field hockey seniors was spectacular Sunday...the Cards rolling past Kent State 6-0 to end the regular season.

Louisville got their first goal 17 minutes into first half play when Alyssa Voelmle sent a penalty corner set into the net. Four minutes before half, Voelmle got an assist by passing to Victoria Stratton to put the Cards up by two.

The second half was a productive one for the 15-4 Cards. Becca Maddock got the first of four UofL goals when she rebounded a missed shot attempt off the Golden Flashes goalie and sent it back through. Voelmle made it 4-0 on a penalty corner set three minutes later. Elisa Garcia increased the lead to 5-0 on a rebound attempt from a missed penalty corner and Jennifer Pels ended the UofL onslaught with a couple minutes left.

Next for the Cards is a trip to Storrs, CT for the BIG EAST Field Hockey conference tournament. Despite a three-way tie for the regular season title with a 6-1 record...along with UConn and ODU...the tiebreaker rules gave Louisville the #3 seed in the four team tournament.

 They'll face #2 seed ODU on November 8th....a team that has improved dramatically since their early in the season 3-2 loss to the Cards.

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VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS THE TIGERS

Louisville Volleyball goes to 11-0 in the AAC with a three game pummelling of Memphis 25-16, 25-20, 25-11 Sunday afternoon in Memphis.

Good performances from Emily Juhl (11 kills) and an awesome defensive show that held Memphis to just .064 hitting improve the Cards to 16-7 overall for the season.

Louisville had no trouble with the Tigers in the first set and Katie George's two serving aces were highlights in the nine point triumph.

The Cards did fall behind early in game two...not getting the lead until 18-17. A 7-3 run closed out the set in Louisville's favor.

An 8-0 run highlighted a Cardinal offensive display that gave them a 20-7 advantage in the final set. Acting coach Lee Maes emptied the bench after that and Carly Sahagian delivered the final kill to give Louisville the 14 point win.

The Cards are finally back home after seven straight on the road and will hit the KFC YUM! Center for action Friday night to host Houston.

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

Our most recent Saturday radio show is now up on the heavenly SoundCloud and available for listening. We discuss hoops, volleyball and pregnancy. The quiz features Jenny moderating a debacle between The Grumpy Old Man (Paulie) and whiney Jeffy. The return of Smooth Charlie and Don Paulie wonders about clocks.

Radio like no other you have ever heard. Check it out at the link below:

JENNY SCORES HUGE UPSET IN QUIZ!!!

-Paulie

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Monday Cardinal Couple -- Volleyball stays undefeated in the AAC

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Volleyball defeats Knights in 4 sets

-Soccer gets blanked by #19 UCF

-Field Hockey loses in O.T. to Brown


Another "three for Sunday" for UofL women's sports to report on today. Only Volleyball was able to notch a "W", however...we look at all three contests below.

MAYA SAYS "Hiya !" TO UCF DEFENSE

Maya McClendon had a "double-double" against UCF Sunday in the KFC YUM! Center...with 18 kills and 18 digs and the Cards downed the invading Knights 23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20. The contest was shown on ESPNU.

Louisville is 6-0 in the AAC with the win and goes to 10-6 overall...currently on an eight-game win streak. The Cards got three others in double-digit kill totals...Brooke Mattingly "stomping" out 15, Randi Ewing "leaping" for 11 and Emily Juhl adding 10. The loss was the first for UCF in the AAC.

A tight battle throughout the entire first game...with 13 ties and six lead changes. Up 22-21, the Cards suffered two unforced errors and saw the Knights finish the game on a 4-1 run to take the first set.

Louisville came out strong in game two, going up 14-8. UCF rallied back, though, and led 18-17 after a 9-4 run. Finally, the Cards broke a 23-23 tie and took advantage of a UCF missed hit and game winner from Mattingly to even the match with the two-point win 25-23.

Another close game ensued after the half. Deadlocked at 10-10, UofL went up 15-12...thanks to some strong serving by Haley Pouliezos. The Knights wouldn't go away...charging back to make it 18-17 before the Cards used a 7-1 finish to take a seven point win at 25-18.

Louisville volleyed to an early 13-4 lead in the final but saw yet another rally from the Orlando invaders cut the margin to 15-13. Catlin Welch came to the Cards rescue with six straight serving points, though and the Cards pushed the advantage to 22-13. The Cards were outscored 7-3 the rest of the way but held on for the five-point 25-20 win.

Louisville goes to Wichita State for a Tuesday match next and then to Cincy for Friday action.

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SOCCER CARDS SHUT OUT IN HOME FINALE


It was a battle of the conference undefeated at Cardinal Park

Sunday in women's soccer action and UCF took a defensive struggle against the Cards 1-0.

The lone tally in the contest came 20 minutes into the game, when Jennifer Martin fired over the top of freshman goalie Paige Brown. UCF controlled the first half action, with a 5-1 shots on goal advantage.

The Cards hammered away at the stout UCF defense in the final 45 minutes...getting five shots on goal...but was unable to slide one into the net.

It was Senior Day and senior Charlyn Corral attempted four of the six total shots on goal for the Cards in her final home appearance.

With the loss, the Cards go to 9-4-1 overall and 5-1 in conference.  UCF stays atop the AAC at 5-0 and is 11-2-2.

Louisville travels to Temple next, facing the Owls on Friday, Oct. 17th.


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FIELD HOCKEY FINDS OUT WHAT BROWN CAN DO IN 2-1 OVERTIME LOSS

Louisville Field Hockey suffers their second straight loss with a 2-1 overtime fall to Brown University Sunday afternoon in Providence, R.I.

The Cards led early against the Bears...sweeping past Ditka to score in Soldier Field. Check that...it was Erin Schneidtmiller taking a feed from Becca Maddock to go up 1-0 six and a half minutes into the game.

Brown countered at the 30 minute mark of the first half on a penalty corner shot and deflection.

After a scoreless second half, the teams entered overtime.

Louisville went on the offensive attack immediately in the 7 vs.7 format...Alyssa Voelmle firing twice to no avail in the first three minutes of the golden goal extra period...but it was Brown who took the game when they connected on another penalty corner at the 4:30 mark.

Louisville drops to 10-4 on the season. the Cards outshot Brown 26-8 in the game and held a 13-7 edge in corner attempts.

UofL returns to action at Trager Stadium with a Saturday draw against BIG EAST foe Rutgers at noon. The Cards will tangle with Northwestern on Sunday, Oct 20th, @ 1 p.m.



-Paulie


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Thursday Cardinal Couple -- MidTerm Grades from Paulie

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Paulie's MidTerm grades for Field Hockey, V-Ball and Soccer

- Soccer travels to The Lone Star State for two

-Columnist Jeff McAdams' latest post at Rivals

We've reached the midway point for the three sports we cover the most in the Fall Season...Field Hockey, Volleyball and women's soccer. My esteemed colleague and columnist for us...Jeff McAdams would argue that Volleyball is only 40% thru their regular season ( he would be correct) but I'm doling out grades anyway today because I have no games to report on that took place yesterday and even though soccer plays tomorrow in Dallas...we have time to preview that one.

As usual, complaints and audit requests can be filed with Timmy the Intern...who will wrap them up in a shiny ribbon and hand them to Jenny (for a nominal fee).

FIELD HOCKEY    Grade = A

The power of the hat...fear it

I like the way Justine Sowry has this eclectic combination of freshmen and upperclassmen playing currently. They're 8-2 and undefeated in Trager in four matches. They've lost to the #1 team in Field Hockey nation (Virginia) and not that badly. The other loss came to Michigan...where the offense took a siesta in a 1-0 beat.

Wins include THE Ohio State University and Northeastern...two better than average squads. The Stick Cards have won eight out of their last nine. Impressive.

Sowry's flock is 2-0 in BIG EAST Conference play and the start is the best in 20 years for Louisville Field Hockey. They'll host Temple in a tough match Friday night in Trager at 6 p.m. and they sure could use a packed east side bleachers to cheer them on. Please be there and yes, they do have convenient and accessible concession stands and restrooms. Plus, it's free. Spend a couple bucks in gas and cheer them on.

WOMEN'S SOCCER   Grade = B

Through ten games...Karen Ferguson-Dayes kickers are 6-3-1. They've also won five out of their last six since the loss at UK. Sporting a 2-0 record in AAC play is about what we hoped for...the convincing win at higher ranked Rutgers shows that Dayes is getting her shooters to become makers.

Freshman goalie Paige Brown has been impressive between the pipes and Corral and Exeter are scoring as expected.

We'll watch closely the upcoming jaunt to Dallas (SMU) tomorrow and Houston on Sunday. The Cards have a much higher RPI than both conference members and should win each without much trouble. If they don't, it could spell trouble down the road for more impressive AAC foes like Connecticut, USF and UCF.

We'll have full reporting coverage on the results of the SMU game in Friday's Cardinal Couple.

VOLLEYBALL    =  Grade B-

Anne Kordes has the wide net Cards back on the right track after a formidable pre-conference schedule straight out of hell. Four wins in a row after a five match losing streak has Louisville back at .500 at 6-6. They are 2-0 in AAC play and also take off to Texas for matches against the aforementioned SMU (Friday) and Houston (Sunday).

The good things are Caitlin Welch is probably one of the top five liberos in the nation, senior Brooke Mattingly has been solid and steady (and gets Jeff's MVP award so far this year) , freshmen Maya McLendon and Janelle Jenkins have been pleasant surprises and Hannah Kvitle is good as advertised. Randi Ewing has been entertaining. I hope Emily Juhl stays healthy...she's been stellar at times.

The not-so-good aspects were the puzzling losses to Northern Iowa, Wisconsin and Pepperdine. UK was a heartbreaker that the Cards were four points away from winning in Lexington. Kordes has been shuffling the lineup non-stop. It most likely means she hasn't found what she's looking for yet fully.

40% through the season so far. A record of 6-6. I'll venture a guess and say they go 15-3 the rest of the way out. The AAC doesn't appear to be nearly as tough as the pre-conference gauntlet Louisville had to run. And, yes..I'll probably raise their grade at the 2/3 rds mark of the regular season if they can run off a win streak of eight or so in a row.

Make me look good, Anne.

Lord knows I need all the help I can get when it comes to good looks...

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We mentioned earlier in today's article about women's Soccer and Volleyball making a swing through the Lone Star State over the next couple of days. Karen Ferguson Dayes' kickers will start of the festivities with a match tonight against SMU.

The Mustangs are 6-4-0 on the season, 1-1 in conference play. They defeated Temple last time out after losing to UConn last Thursday. They're led offensively by a Redman...not not that Redman...Shelby Redman, who has seven goals on the year.

This is the first meeting ever between the two teams.

Makers, not shooters....Coach. SMU has allowed a scant three goals in their last four games...scores could be at a premium tonight.

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Jeff McAdams has written an excellent recap over at our local Rivals site (and proud partner) that is featured this morning.

Check out the Jeffaroo's article at:

http://louisville.rivals.com/




-Paulie


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Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Field Hockey defeats ODU 3-2 in O.T.

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Field Hockey wins BIG EAST opener 3-2 over ODU

-Women's Golf in 3rd after first round

-CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR this morning!

-Volleyball with two today in CARDINAL ARENA


In soggy conditions on a "black out" Friday night that also experienced a 45 minute rain delay...Louisville Field Hockey improves to 5-2 with an overtime win over Old Dominion.

After seeing a 2-1 lead disappear in the final 1:44 of regulation, the Cards wasted no time in getting the win...Erin Schneidtmiller banging home a pass from Victoria Stratton just 45 seconds into the extra period for the sudden death win.

Louisville took the early lead in the contest when Stratton took assists from Mallory Mason and Paige Monson to score on a penalty corner sixteen minutes into first half action. ODU countered with a goal from Sarah Breen on a penalty corner five minutes later to tie the contest.

UofL took the lead at 2-1 with 2:26 left in the first half.

Mason corralled down a missed penalty corner attempt and sent it past ODU goalie Megan Hept. The lead held until halftime.

Threatening weather, lightning strikes and a torrential downpour halted action just ten minutes into the final stanza and the teams waited out a 45 minute weather delay with Louisville still leading.

The field had standing water everywhere but drained quickly as the rains subsides and the teams continued. It looked like the one goal Cardinal advantage just might hold...but Breen found the back of the net on a penalty corner attempt with just 104 second left in the game to tie it at 2-2.

Louisville came out on the attack in O.T. and secured the win when Schneidtmiller scored with 14:15 left in the first overtime.

ODU held a shot advantage for most of the game and, although Field Hockey doesn't keep a time possession stat, it seemed the Monarchs had the ball in Louisville's front court trying to score for close to 50 minutes of the 70 minute game. They held a 5-3 shot on goal advantage over the Cards with 7:18 left in regulation...credit the Cards defense and goalie Sydney King for keeping ODU to just two goals. 

After arriving at 6 p.m. and leaving at 9:30 p.m....I didn't stick around in the re-appearing rain to do a Coach Sowry post-game interview. Call me a fair-weather fan...

Louisville (5-2) will play Northeastern Sunday at 1:30 in Trager. In earlier action Friday, Northeastern shut out Michigan State 2-0. The Michigan State v. ODU game faces off at 11 a.m. Sunday.


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( We hope the weather clears up for Courtney Trimble's birdie makers today in Knoxville...as they seek their third straight tournament win in Big Orange country. )

The University of Louisville women’s golf team shot a 283 in the first round of the Mercedes Benz. UCF is sixth with a score of 286.

Collegiate Friday afternoon at the Cherokee Golf Course in Knoxville, Tenn. The Cardinals are currently in third place after one round of play. South Carolina leads the field with a score of 279. Arkansas is in second with a score of 282. Host Tennessee is fourth with a score of 285 while

Junior Katie Petrino shot a collegiate low of 69 in the first round. Petrino is currently tied at third after finishing the day with four birdies. UCF’s Fanny Cnops and South Carolina’s Katelyn Dambaugh currently lead the field after shooting a 68 in the first round.

Louisville sophomore Laura Restrepo finished the day tied at eight. Restrepo finished the day at one under par after finishing the day with five birdies and three bogeys. Junior Emily Haas shot a 72 in the first round. Haas is currently tied at 19^th along with teammate Louise Oxner. Oxner finished the day with three birdies and four bogeys for a score of 72.

Senior Tara Lyons carded an 83 in the first round. Lyons is currently tied at 90^th. The Cardinals will tee off on Saturday at 10:20 a.m. Live scoring for the tournament is available atwww.golfstat.com.



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Why not start your Saturday right by listening to the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR from 11 a.m. to noon on Crescent Hill Radio? Paulie, Jenny and Jeff discuss a wide range of Louisville women's sports squads and results. Today's show has a great interview with Field Hockey head coach Justine Sowry, recaps of volleyball, soccer, field hockey and golf action, our weekly quiz and Don Paulie!

Join the knuckleheads for an hour of facts, fun, flubs, forecasting and frivolity at:

www.crescenthillradio.com


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And, if football isn't your thing, why not head over to Cardinal Arena on campus and catch a day's worth of Volleyball?

The WideNet Cards face Rice @ noon and Virginia Tech at 7:30 p.m. I suppose the Owls and Hokies play each other somewhere in between.

It's the Active Ankle Challenge...presented by Marriott Courtyard. You could even get those ankles active and walk down Floyd St. after the football game and see the action in Cardinal Arena.

It does fill up in there rather quickly....so don't stay tailgating too long after Louisville demolishes FIU.

Rice and Hokies...hmmm....sounds like the lunch special at Sal Monella's restaurant. Can I get brown gravy with that?

-Paulie
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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Cards Field Hockey schedule full of challenges

The 2013 Louisville field hockey schedule doesn't give us any further insights to the AMERICAN conference (Louisville will play in the BIG EAST CONFERENCE this season) but it does show us that the Cards will be facing many of the top-ranked schools in the 20 game slate. Louisville will play 10 contests at Trager Stadium but the major competition will be on the road for Justine Sowry's stick swingers.

"We are very excited about our upcoming season, with a challenging and demanding non-conference schedule as well as the finale in the BIG EAST Conference. Our opponents include the usual foes with strong rivalries as well as some new and unfamiliar teams. This year is going to be a fantastic one to showcase our team around the country and it will be a great preview for what is going to be expected when we transition into the ACC in 2014. Our team is a year older, a year smarter and we all have high expectations."   -- Justine Sowry, head field hockey coach

It all gets underway with a Aug. 24th scrimmage against Indiana in Bloomington. Louisville will get an early introduction to ACC Field Hockey when they travel to Charlottesville, VA on Aug 30th. to open the regular season against Virginia. While in the state, they'll also tangle with Richmond on Sept. 1st. before returning home for their first game in Trager against William and Mary on Sept 6th.

The BIG EAST Championship will take place in Connecticut Nov 8-10th.

2013 LOUISVILLE Field Hockey Schedule  ( HOME GAMES IN CAPS)

Aug 24      at Indiana (scrimmage)               1 p.m.
Aug 30      at Virginia                                         5 p.m.
Sept 1        at Richmond                                     noon
Sept 6        WILLIAM AND MARY                  1 p.m.
Sept 8       OHIO UNIVERSITY                       1 p.m.          
Sept 13      UC-Davis (at Ann Arbor, MI)     1 p.m.
Sept 14      at Michigan                                       1 p.m.
Sept 20     OLD DOMINION                             6:30 p.m.
Sept 22     NORTHEASTERN                            1:30 p.m.
Sept 28     Georgetown ( at College Park, MD)  1 p.m.
Oct 1           at Ohio State                                      3 p.m.
Oct 4          TEMPLE                                               6 p.m.
Oct 6          INDIANA                                             1 p.m.
Oct 11         at Connecticut                                   6 p.m.
Oct 13          at Brown                                              noon
Oct 19         RUTGERS                                           noon
Oct 20        NORTHWESTERN                           1 p.m.
Oct 27         at Villanova                                        noon
Nov 1          PROVIDENCE                                    6 p.m.
Nov 3          KENT STATE                                      noon
Nov 8-10   Big East Championship  (Storrs, CT) times TBA


Louisville is coming off a 2012 season where they went 12-8 and finished #25 in the nation in the final NFCHA rankings.

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CARDINAL COUPLE Radio Hour is coming at you this morning at 11 a.m. and we have an excellent show in store for you. We'll look at the Julie Hermann saga, WCWS action, The AMERCIAN conference, softball and much more.

Jenny is a working girl this morning, so it'll be the Jefferoo and Paulie spinning the platters and causing the mayhem.

We also have a great five minute interview with Jeff Walz which you won't want to miss. Coach talks camps! Off the record, he is pledged to help me get in shape to beat Hannah Kiyohara in the 60 yd. dash. After I've accomplished that, I'm gunning for out-throwing Emmonnie Henderson in the shotput (Cletus is my teacher there...) and finishing up this triad of amazing feats by defeating Nita Slaughter in a three-point shooting contest.

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO. Join us, won't you?

HEAR CHIMPS BABBLE LIVE AT 11 a.m.


--Paulie

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Volleyball returning home

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Volleyball with homestand

- Field Hockey in BIG EAST TOURNAMENT tonite

- Reynolds to announce Friday

(In response to the e-mails we've had about our wildly popular Breeders Cup picks...we hope to have Friday's selections at the bottom of today's column by 10 a.m. EDT. The chimps are typing as fast as they can.)


( CARDINAL COUPLE Correspondent Jeff McAdams gets us caught up on CARDINAL Volleyball today. Watch the net, practice your set and get ready for the kill! )


Past, Present and Future

Its been a while since Louisville volleyball has played in the friendly confines of either of either of their home floors, but they're about to return for a match this Friday at Cardinal Arena against Villanova, followed by Sunday back downtown against Georgetown.

I figured now was a good time to look back on the past 3 weekends of play, check out current national standings, and look ahead at the rapidly dwindling set of matches still to be played.

St. Johns, Connecticut, Syracuse, Marquette, Cincinnati

The last three weekends have seen the VolleyCards on the road.  My normal dog sitters were on an extended vacation, and I had already been warned that it wasn't wise to let Coco and Timmy dog sit, so I didn't get to make it to any of the matches in the first two weekends.  The last weekend was just a quick jaunt up I-71 which can be done in just a day trip...and my dog sitters were back in any case.

The first trip was a swing through the northeast with visits to St. Johns and Connecticut.  This trip really should've been an easy victory tour, but both St. Johns and UConn gave the Cards some challenges to overcome.  They did prevail, however, and came back with the Ws.

The next weekend brought another of the crazy Big East road trips, with visits to Syracuse and Marquette.  After getting stuck in Detroit overnight on their way back from Pitt when they flew commercial, the Cards decided to charter this one.  This trip included one of the bigger challenges for playing volleyball in the Big East this year, Marquette.

After handling Syracuse without any real discomfort, the Cards really made their presence felt in Milwaukee taking the match 3-1 and playing quite well.  Marquette did stream the match on the Internet, so I did get a bit of a chance to see how this one went.

Finally, the Kordes Krew made their way back into the Ohio Valley with a single match this past weekend at Cincinnati.  Usually Cincinnati is a serious threat in the Big East.  This year...not so much.  They have some good talent on the team, but with a new coach, they just haven't seemed to put it all together.  The Cards got through the sweep pretty quickly and without much drama.  Its good to get the win, but I would've liked to have seen it be a bit more interesting for the ESPNU coverage...though not too interesting, of course.  The outcome was never in much doubt, despite Louisville giving as many points to Cincinnati as they could via service errors.

The Volleyball world, as it currently stands

The top 10 in both the coach's poll and the RPI is graced by the likes of Stanford, Penn State, Nebraska, Texas, and UCLA...no real surprises in any of those.  Some of the others making appearances in one or both are Oregon, Minnesota, Washington, and Hawaii...again, nothing that causes any real jaw drops.

Louisville continues to creep back up the coach's poll, making it up to the number 12 spot in the just released poll.  Some thanks is due to the previous number 11 Florida who dropped their match against previous numer 12 Florida State.  Florida dropped two spots to 13, and FSU joins us in getting bumped up a spot.

In the RPI, we continue to hang on to the number 7 position.  We've been winning consistently, but for the most part, not against any real powerhouse teams, so we haven't been getting much of a bump from the wins.  The win over Marquette probably helped us stay where we are, as well as continued good performance by the likes of Kentucky at 15, Miami(FL) at 16, Purdue at 21, as well as...go Hilltoppers...WKU at 33, and then Illinois at 35.  Marquette checks in at 36.

The RPI, of course, takes into account not only a team's own win-loss record, but the win-loss record of their opponents and even of their opponent's opponents, so our earlier wins over these teams that are all representing well in the RPI, helps out our own ranking.  On the other side of the equation, our only losses are to Penn State, checking in at 2, Texas following closely behind at 4, and lastly Notre Dame, who's coming in at 34, which means that our loses aren't hurting us that much at all.

Let's play "Good news, Bad news, Good news"

For home vs away:

Good news:  The rest of our regular season matches are all at home.

Bad news:  Only one of the matches is at the arena downtown.

Good news:  Cardinal Arena is pretty darn cool, too.

For RPI consideration:

Good news:  There's a pretty good chance we could win out the rest of the regular season.

Bad news:  We won't be playing much of anybody that can help us out much in the RPI.

Good news:  Except Marquette, again.

On TV coverage:

Good news:  We'll be on TV twice.

Bad news:  Versus Georgetown and Cincinnati, neither of which should be terribly competitive.

Good news:  The Cincinnati match is nationally televised (ESPNU) again.

Tournaments

There's a berth already waiting for the Cards in the Big East tournament which will be held at The Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee November 16th through 18th, with Marquette hosting.  Marquette, Notre Dame, and Louisville have already clenched spots in the tournament based on their league records at 10-1.  Louisville currently has the number 1 seed in the tournament based on our overall win-loss percentage due to the Big East tie breaker rules.  Each of those losses in those 10-1 records is against one of the others.  We lost to ND, ND lost to MU, and MU lost to us.  This tie-breaker scenario will change, however, as we play Marquette again, and Marquette also has another match against Notre Dame.  It also would change if any of the three teams lost another conference match.

While its not a tournament, a quirk of volleyball scheduling is that the Cards play another "regular season" match after the Big East tournament, versus whichever team is the champion of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.  A quick look at OVC standings suggests that we could have a rematch with Morehead State as they are 12-0 in conference play.  Of course, anything can happen tournament time.

And then the big one.  The NCAA tournament selection show will be Sunday November 25th at 4pm ET with the tournament beginning Nov. 29th.  In volleyball, only 16 teams in the tournament of 64 are seeded, with the rest being placed geographically.  The first and second round matches are at non-predetermined sites, almost always at the locations of the 16 seeded teams.  This is why we've played so many of our tournament matches at Purdue in past years.  The 16 seeds typically follow the RPI rankings very closely, so if UofL keeps winning, we'll likely be a host for the first and second rounds of the tournament.  I understand that the athletic department is already making (tentative) plans for the event at The KFC Yum! Center based on the likelihood of UofL being seeded and hosting. 

Third and fourth rounds are at predetermined sites.  This year, the Regionals are at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, CA;  CenturyLink Center in Omaha, NE;  Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, TX;  and...wait for it...Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, IN.  Geographic principles still apply, so if the Cards advance to Regionals it looks like another road trip to Purdue...I think my Jeep can make the drive on its own, now.

And, of course, we get the honor of hosting the Semifinal matches and the National Championship at the KFC Yum! Center December 13th and 15th...you do have your tickets ordered already, right?

Jeff (white shirt) is also an avid WBB fan!

Incidentally, Kentucky is hosting a Regional in 2013 at Memorial Coliseum, and a 2014 Regional will be back here in the 'ville at The KFC Yum! Center.

This weekend

Villanova and Georgetown come into town to play this weekend.  Villanova is 11-15 (5-6), and Georgetown is 7-17 (1-10).  The GU match is slated to be shown by WHAS.  Realistically, as long as this UofL team doesn't take these matches for granted, neither Villanova nor Georgetown should really pose that much of a threat.  I'll be in my usual seats, come say hi.

( A great article by Jeff today! Go VolleyCards!)


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The BIG EAST Field Hockey Championships are at Trager Stadium on campus this weekend also. #25 Louisville faces off against #5 UConn at 7:30 p.m. The action begins at 5 p.m. with Providence and Syracuse taking the field.

GO CARDS!

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Jordan Reynolds, another target of Jeff Walz on the 2013 recruiting trail, is scheduled to announce Friday where she'll be attending college.

We want her at Louisville, make no mistake about it. She's a hard-slashing combo guard that played with Alexis Montgomery and Mercedes Russell in Oregon AAU Team Concept ball and made a huge name for herself at Central Catholic...as well as on the West Coast. 

Make it the 'Ville, Jordan! Now that we have Coach Walz firmly entrenched as a coach/referee, you'll get the best calls and plenty of free throw opportunities at Louisville.

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FRIDAY BREEDERS CUP SELECTIONS

( Please remember these are for entertainment purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CARDINAL COUPLE staff. Bill the Goat thought they were tasty, though...and ate them the minute we got them posted on here. GOOD LUCK! )

JUVENILE SPRINT

PAUL                                                      SONJA
Merit Man                                               Merit Man
South Floyd                                             Super Ninety Nine
Super Ninety Nine                                   Sweet Shirley Mae

MARATHON

PAUL                                                       SONJA
Atigun                                                      Eldaafer
Not Abroad                                              Atigun
Jaycito.                                                     Grassy

JUVENILE FILLIES TURF

PAUL                                                        SONJA
Flashy Ways                                             Watsdachances
Spring Venture                                          Spring Venture
Tara from the Cape                                   Sustained

JUVENILE FILLIES

PAUL                                                         SONJA
Executive Privledge                                   Beholder
Kauai Katie                                                Executve Privledge
Beholder                                                     Dreaming of Julia

FILLY & MARE TURF

PAUL                                                          SONJA
The Fugue                                                   Marketing Mix
Marketing Mix                                            Zagura
In Lingerie                                                  The Fugue

LADIES CLASSIC

PAUL                                                           SONJA
Questing                                                       Awesome Feather
Royal Delta                                                  Royal Delta
Grace Hall                                                    My Miss Aurelia

Our buddy J.J. Hysell has done extensive research on today's card and you can see her well-thought out selections over at IN THE MONEY.  Click the box NOV 1 to see them when you get there.  Link below:

IN THE MONEY


GOOD LUCK AND WAGER RESPONSIBLY!

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Field Hockey faces must win at Providence

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Post-season on the line at Providence for Field Hockey

-Football in a showdown with UC

The University of Louisville Field Hockey team travels to Providence, R.I. for a Saturday noon match that carries serious post-season consequences.

In short, if the Cards win, they're in the BIG EAST Tournament. A loss drops them into a three-way tie potentially with Rutgers and Villanova. The tie-breaker looks to be more complicated than figuring out ObamaCare or Mitt Romney's route to the ocean from Iran.

Louisville (11-7, 2-3) is on a three-game win streak, last defeating #22 Ohio State. They handled the Friars easily last year in Trager Stadium 6-0. The Cards lead the overall series 8-1.

Amber Thomas leads Louisville with nine goals this season and Becca Maddock follows closely with eight scores. Goalkeeper Erin Conrad allows a scant 1.85 goals per game.

Providence is 3-1 in their last four games and sports a record of 9-7 on the season...3-2 in the BIG EAST. They're automatically qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament as a third seed...but a loss to Louisville would drop them to the fourth seed.

Speaking of the BIG EAST Tournament, it will be held here in Louisville at Trager Stadium. Semifinal games are next Friday and the championship will be played Sunday. The other participants in the Big  East Tournament are top seeded UConn and Syracuse...who face off this weekend to determine who will win the regualr season title.

Good luck to Justine Sowry's flock as they fly north to cook the Friars!

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With no women's athletic events scheduled on campus today, we would draw your attention to a big football game being played at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The undefeated Louisville Cardinals take on one-loss Cincinnati at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

A contest that has sold out the Pizza Oven. Five things we like about tonight's matchup...

1) UC's quarterback's name. "Munchie" Legaux. Munchie Let-go. Seriously? Got to be one of our favorite opponent names since the days of Baskerville Holmes and Ace Custis...
2) Evening football. Gives one a chance to get stuff done during the day and still get out and tailgate a few hours. Friday is even better, we can now go watch the men's bb scrimmage tomorrow.
3) They play for "The Keg of Nails". That's just a tough-sounding award. Makes me want to grab a ladder and a hammer or something. Ooh-rah!
4) The payback factor. UC beat Louisville last year in Paul Brown Stadium and "Munchie" says he's a better QB than Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater. Harumph!
5) A chance for "two". Louisville Volleyball goes to UC for a Monday match. Chance to beat the Bearcats twice in several days appeals to us! Goooo CARDS!
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