Someone wake up Snarky Worldwide -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

Worldwide back with you after a week on the road, and most of the weekend trying to catch up on sleep.  If someone ever tells you that you can be social in the evenings on Pacific time, and wake up in the mornings on Eastern time, don't believe them, at least not if they claim to do it for more than a few days.  Compound that with a red-eye flight back east, and I was having a tough time forming coherent sentences Friday.


Now, let's take a bit more of an in-depth look at Volleyball, because there's a good chance you'll be surprised at what we find.

I don't want to jinx anything, and am pretty happy with flying under the radar on this, but the Louisville Volleyball squad finds itself tied for 3rd in the conference this week.  It's a little bit of a shakeup in ACC standings over what is typically expected.  Pitt and NC State are in the top two spots with undefeated conference records, neither of which are particularly known for their volleyball prowess.  Tied with us in third is a resurgent Syracuse.  Of course, The Orange do have a tradition of some quality volleyball, but they haven't been quite on their game in the past couple of years.  Leonid Yelin has his strongly international recruiting plan in gear, and while I haven't seen them play, I suspect blocking is a strong part of their game.  We won't meet Syracuse until the last match of the season, but expect a block party in the house that day.

What was expected to be the class of the conference, Florida State, finds themselves squarely in the middle of the pack with a 3-3 record.  After we swept them in Cardinal Arena, they went up to South Bend and got edged out by an also resurgent Irish squad in 5 sets.  They did get the win over Miami in a mid-week in-state rivalry matchup, but then fell to Pittsburgh in 4 sets Friday.  After the losses to us and Notre Dame, the Seminoles did drop out of the Top 25, but did still receive some votes.  I suspect even those will disappear this week.

Notre Dame is also picking up a few votes in the coaches poll, and will probably get more this week with a win over Virginia on Friday, and what I expect will be a win today over Virginia Tech.  As long as The Cards can get the job done as expected today in their battle over Virginia, I suspect we may join The Irish in the "Getting Votes" category.  Interestingly, despite the lofty coach's poll consideration, ND is only sitting at 2-3 in the conference.  To be fair, they have opened the conference slate with what is turning out to have been a pretty intense schedule, going down to defeat to us, NC State, and Miami before picking up wins against Florida State and UVA.

Now let's turn to the RPI for a second.  The first RPI ratings came out this past week.  Keep in mind that the RPI is a computerized ranking system that doesn't have any biases towards "traditional powerhouses" like we pretty clearly see in the coach's poll.  Louisville holds the highest spot of any ACC team in the RPI, at 22.  Of course, some of this comes thanks to the absolutely brutal non-conference slate that the Cards played.  While we took a number of losses in those matches, they were uniformly against top teams.  Of the 5 losses that UofL has taken in the overall season, only 1 is to a team outside the Top 25 in RPI (UNC), the rest are against teams in 24th, 7th, 5th, and 4th.  The next highest ACC team is Notre Dame, who is not far behind us in 26th.  The Florida twins, FSU and Miami, sit in 33rd and 34th, with NC State close behind at 37th.

So, don't look now, but Louisville is poised to start climbing into the Top 25 rankings in the next week or two.  Again, this is presuming we don't drop a head-scratcher at UVA, and successfully hold court as we should over Clemson and Georgia Tech next week.  The schedule turns into a scorcher again after those, with a visit down to Florida for rematches against FSU and Miami, then a short prep time for a mid-week rematch with Notre Dame in South Bend, and then Pitt comes for a real challenge in Cardinal Arena on Friday.

In short, this team has put themselves pretty much in the driver's seat at this point in conference play.  There are challenges ahead in the quality play of the ACC, but they are starting to show what the possibilities are for the team.

The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour had some strong bench performances yesterday with Case and Jared both otherwise occupied.  Julie "JC" "no periods" Sullivan and Paige "I write on just about every sports outlet in the city" Sherrard joined Paulie and I.  There's no drop off in the Cardinal Couple bench, let me tell you.  We got their thoughts on the latest from the Men's Basketball scandal, I updated my thoughts with the provocative thought, "No one who has 'interim' or 'acting' in their title should be hired into the permanent position - anywhere in the University, right now."  We talked Volleyball, we talked Field Hockey for a bit, and we talked about Women's Basketball some.  Let's face it, when you get JC and Paige in the house, you don't skip Louisville WBB. Paulie led a discussion on his WBB practice visit earlier this week. 

You can check out the rebroadcast at the Soundcloud.

Next week's show looks to be a pre-recorded affair due to an early Football kick-off.  It's also looking likely that Paulie will be on the bench for this one, though hopefully getting some good audio for later shows.  So, no calls for next week's show...wait, we never take calls...still, no calls for next week's show either.

-- JMcA

It's Friday time again. -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

I think "It's Friday time again." is more upbeat than Ray Charles' "It's Cryin' Time Again." (originally written by Buck Owens) so that's what we're going to go with.

Soccer Can't Get It Done

A top 25 opponent came into Lynn Stadium last night and won the game against UofL, but a Cards fan could be forgiven for not getting too down about this one.

OK, the first half wasn't pretty overall, with FSU posting 2 goals, but to be fair, UofL came out of the gate strong, they just couldn't find the back of the net.  The 'Noles put one up in the 19th minute scoring off of a deflection, and then again in the 27th with a free shot from just outside the box.

The Cards came back strong again in the 2nd half, dominating possession, and Emina Ekic finally slipped one past the keeper on her own free kick from just outside the box.  The free kick came as a result of a FSU player fouling Ekic, so she gets all of the credit on this one, top to bottom.

KFD and her squad will be back in action Sunday at 1pm against Miami.  As is typical, this one is available on ACC Network Extra.

Field Hockey

After a disappointing road trip, the Field Hockeyers are returning to the friendly confines of Trager Field.   The going doesn't get any easier, though, with Wake Forest coming to town.  It almost seems redundant to say that this is a top 15 matchup, because, well, it's the ACC, they're all top 15 matchups in conference.

 Wake shows up at #11 in the nation, and technically at the top of the conference standings at 2-0 in conference.  Louisville sits at #15 in the nation, which means we're the lowest ranked team in the ACC right now, and we're sitting 2nd to last in the conference officially, albeit with only a single conference matchup played so far.  This one doesn't list any video availability.

The non-conference matchup for the Sowry Squad is James Madison, who clocks in at #13 in the nation, so it doesn't get any easier for the Flock in the non-conference matchup either.  Catch it at Trager, or on the ACC Network Extra.

Volleyball

Volleyball got a good win against a pretty decent Kennesaw State team Sunday to wrap up the last of their non-conference slate.  They start conference play with a good test, with The Irish come into what promises to be a pretty warm Cardinal Arena on an approximately 90 degree day.  Notre Dame's program almost completely fell apart a few years back, and head coach Debbie Brown was replaced with Jim McLaughlin who has rebuilt the program over the past 3 seasons with great success.  McLaughlin is the only coach to have led both Men's and Women's teams to NCAA titles.  For the past few years, I've been saying that Notre Dame isn't what they used to be.  Yeah, they are again, now.  Will they win the conference and be a national championship contender?  Maybe not quite yet, but they are a back to their ways of being a potent team.  They are poised on the edge of being a Top 25 ranked team.  This would be a big statement win for UofL.

Coach Busboom Kelly and the team will hit the road for the 2nd half of the weekend, with a trek down to North Carolina.  You never know what you're going to get with the Tarheels year to year, but this year hasn't been kind to the baby blue, with an overall record of 3-5, with losses to Auburn and Loyola Marymount and no signature wins on their resume' thus far.

The ACC Network Extra will be on hand for both matches this weekend.


Football, Softball and Radio

This is NOT Paulie, Jeff, Case and Jared. Do
you know WHO it is? Leave your answer in the
comments column. First correct answer gets
entered for a free $20 Panera Card. 

With a noon kick-off versus the Golden Flashes of Kent State, The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Crew will not be in the studio, but we do have some great interviews that Kathy, the wonderful station manager at our hosts WCHQ, is arranging to put on the air.  I'll be getting some brief audio with Dani Busboom Kelly after the Kennesaw State win over to Kathy to add in, but Paulie has been camped out on Floyd St this week and has gotten audio from Jeff Walz, Sandy Pearsall of Softball, and more.  You won't have us goofballs in the studio, so even more reason to tune in and check out the latest reasons to be excited about upcoming women's sports at UofL.

You can hear the Pearsall softball here:

LINK: PAULIE INTERVIEW WITH SANDY PEARSALL

-- JMcA

Women's Soccer Preview -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

What's in Store for the Kickin' Cards?

Since the women's soccer team will be opening up the fall competition this year for UofL, it seems only fitting for them to get the preview treatment first. You've already seen my lofty goals for the Cards. I want 12 wins, a win in an ACC tournament game, and an NCAA appearance. I think that if the first two happen, the third is a foregone conclusion, but stranger things have happened. Last week on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour, you may have heard me defend my goals. While the Cards finished only 7-7-4 last season, with a 2-5-3 conference mark, I think they are far more likely to move forward this year than back. The women's soccer team is due for a big step up, and I believe they have the team this year to do it. 

The ladies at Lynn are led by head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes. Coach K has been in charge for 16 seasons, and there are those that believe her best days as head coach are behind her. The Cards have made the NCAA tournament 4 times under Coach K's control, but not since 2013. It was in 2011 that the Cards made the Sweet 16 and won a school record 14 games. (Yes, my goal for their season is only two games off of the school record.) To the naked eye, it may appear that this team has seen better days and that it will take a new leader to bring them out of their current slump. However, soccer is a fairly cyclical sport. A single player or group of players can spell massive success for a team, and losing those players can create a void. That does not mean that Coach K is not able to recruit other good players or that the team cannot exist without stars, merely that it can be harder to find an identity in that situation.

I played soccer for 15 years before graduating high school and putting my particularly competitive days behind me. Since I have played in an adult league and in college intramurals. Unlike football, where all eleven guys on the field have a specific role and a specific task on each play, soccer requires extreme team chemistry and mental understanding. Not having a vocal team leader can lead to miscommunication on plays, and a single misplay in soccer can lose the game. Other sports provide other opportunities, whereas soccer may be the most punishing for even an attacker making a mistake. The attack is, of course, the first line of defense. The Cards this season may not have that star player to shine on the field and lead the team (but they might, who is to say), but they certainly have a greater chance at team chemistry. Some of the key members of last year's offense were young. Even if they were extremely talented, it is hard to create significant chemistry in such a short time, especially with organized team activity rules in place in college. Look for a step up in maturity and teamwork on the field this season.

This past year, Louisville's biggest loss was that of goalkeeper Taylor Bucklin. She provided a rock solid defense in the goal box, yielding only 20 goals against while racking up 72 saves in 1,714 minutes. She recorded 3 clean sheets and had a 1.05 goal against average. It is hard to replace that, but the Cards have last year's back up, Victoria Gabor, leading a host of challengers to take the spot on the back line. Tori is the only other keeper on Louisville's roster, having played 37 minutes in relief last season, garnering 1 save and giving up 0 goals. However, most of Louisville's key players returned. That said, Louisville sits with 6 seniors on this season's roster. With some of the star studded names from last year (Allison Whitfield, Brooklynn Rivers, Niamh Nelson, Sarah Feola) being only sophomores and soon-to-be big contributors like Kennadi Carbin being added to the fray, this is the year for the offense to be the driving force of this team. Last year's offense put up 27 goals, however many came in the early part of the year against lesser non conference opponents. They finished with a shot conversion percentage of just over 9% and an on-goal percentage of 47%. Yikes. This year's team should make strides toward better shot decision making, which should only lead to an increase in goal production. Last season's team outscored opponents by a total of 27-20. They still lost or drew 11 games. With a higher octane offense this season, the Cards stand to turn a lot of those losses and draws into wins.

Last year the Cards played only 8 non-conference games with only 1 on the road. They went 5-2-1, with the draw coming at Ball State. Louisville with face 10 non-conference teams to open their schedule with perhaps the three biggest (Ohio State, Indiana, UK) all coming on the road. Louisville will need to be tuned in ready to go. After opening with OSU on the road, they'll come home to open at Lynn Stadium against Depaul. Last season's early season successes may have been fools gold. Louisville played inferior opponents and got burned in ACC play. That said, one of Louisville's two conference wins came against then-number-one UNC at Lynn Stadium. This season's non-conference schedule, while still containing a few pushovers, should create a more realistic view of this team early on. I have complete confidence that they can find an average of 6 wins each between conference and non-conference.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

It's Saturday, and you know what that means! We knuckleheads will return to our seats in the studio and bring to you an hour of the joy and excitement of women's sports. Paulie might even drive himself! We may ramble, get off track, and discuss the male Cards, but we will have plenty to discuss regarding the crux of this site. Paulie also gathered an exclusive interview with former Cardinal Becky Burke that you won't want to miss. Tune into the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour at 11AM on 100.9 WCHQ FM. The replay can be found at the link below:

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 7/15/17

Until next time, Go Cards.

-CH-

Softball adds two...The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

COUSINEAU, HALE JOIN SOFTBALL SQUAD

We haven't had a lot a Softball talk here in the CARDINAL COUPLE articles since the season ended back on May 11th. in the ACC quarterfinals with a 5-2 loss to NC State. One thing we have lamented about is the lack of getting runners on base to home plate. 

Sandy Pearsall is working on that. 

Madison Cousineau and Darrianne Hale are the two newest "Hit and Pitch" Cards to join Pearsall's roster...both coming in via the transfer route. They'll be on campus for the fall 2017 session and both have impressive numbers. 

Cousineau comes to Louisville from Mississippi State. She spent two seasons as a Bulldog and plays catcher. Her knowledge of the game and communication with the pitching staff are strong points for the Otto, N.C. native and she also possess a strong bat.  

Returning from last year behind the plate is senior catcher Jenna Jordan...who started 40 of Louisville's 44 games and batted .286. After that...with Alison Szydlowski now looking to be more of an infielder now than plate guarder and Shelby Graybill...listed as a catcher but used primarily as a pinch hitter...Cousineau's addition adds valuable backup at the position. 

Hale hits the Belknap Campus after a season at Butler Community College. She was a member of the 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association championship team. Playing first base and pitching...she complied a .407 batting average and hit 22 home runs for the Grizzlies. She also went 6-0 on the mound with a .187 ERA in 45 innings of work. She comes in as a junior...spending her freshmen year at Incarnate Word...where her numbers were equally impressive. 

The Cards have needs at all three areas of Hale's expertise. WIth Tiarra Sanabria graduated and Michala Riggle transferred to Liberty...first base is open. Pitching wise, the Cards show only Megan Hensley and Sydney Warriner...who spent most of the season injured... on roster. A back up in the circle...especially one who can hit...is a welcome aspect for this squad. 

We haven't seen a list yet of the freshmen that will be on the 2018 squad yet. We imagine there will be a sizable number...a look at the current roster, adding in Hale and Cousineau, shows 16 players. Of those, six regularly saw starting roles for the Cards in the 2017 campaign...so opportunities exist for immediate playing time for the reserves and newcomers to the program. Another key element will be how starting shortstop Sidney Melton comes back from an early season-ending injury last year. 

We'll miss the speedy McNary...but will cover her
future political aspirations as they develop. 

Graduation hit Louisville fairly hard. Gone are Maryssa Becker, Jordan McNary, Morgan Meyer and Tiarra Sanabria...all key starters from 2017. Transferring out of the program were Lillie Goetz (Murray State)...in addition to Riggle. 

Cardinal fans and the players are anxious to see this squad return to post-season play. Hopefully, the returnees and newcomers can accomplish the task. The Cards will play a fall exhibition schedule and we'll watch it with interest as a pre-cursor to what lies ahead for the squad in the ACC for 2018


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BURKE ON THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

We have had a lot of fun and you, the listeners, have really seemed to enjoy the "Catching Up With" segment we've been featuring on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour the last couple of weeks. Believe me, it's been a blast creating the piece and my sincere thanks to Sara Hammond and Asia Taylor for eagerly agreeing to be our subjects of examination and providing us great interviews in the first two episodes. 

We go to a Burke this Saturday. 

No, not musical performer Justin Burke. It's not ESPN announcer Doris Burke (although both would make for pretty interesting interviews). 

#11. "Double B's"...the Gunslinger. Becky Burke joins us to catch us up on life in west central Arizona as she prepares for her second season as head women's basketball coach at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. 

Some teases to listen for..

- What "aged Becky 20 years"? 

- How does she view this current crop of Cardinals? 

- What were her favorite memories as a Cardinal? 

- What is a common misconception about Embry Riddle Aeronautical University? 

- Can she still drill the "3"? 

Becky's segment will run around 11:30 Saturday. The show starts at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 FM locally and on the Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com

You can go to the Cardinal Couple archives at the radio station website to re-listen to the Hammond and Taylor interviews if you missed them. I think the previous show list goes back about four months currently. 

Go to the site, hover over Programming, click on Cardinal Couple and scroll down to see the previous broadcasts. It's so simple even Paulie can do it! 

Who said we've nothing to cover in the off-season? Join Worldwide, Case, Jared and I Saturday for sports talk radio that "beats anything on the air in Bradenton" according to David Watson.


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ACC MEDIA FOOTBALL DAYS

Normally, this wouldn't be a big area for us to cover here at Cardinal Couple. Since it seems about half the Louisville sports media has descended on Charlotte, however, and it involves Lamar Jackson....I did sample some of the stuff that happened down there yesterday. 

Three things I liked: 

"New look" Lamar

1) I wonder if Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher is an auctioneer in the off-season? Have you ever heard this guy ramble? I think only horse racing callers and ice hockey announcers have a faster delivery style...

Sample a bit of his audio if you don't believe me from yesterday. I surely would not want to have to transcribe him live for visual content. He's the Hannah Koloski of talking! 

2) Head Syracuse football coach Dino Babers has a sense of humor. During the media days yesterday, he walked up to Lamar Jackson and touched him on the shoulder. He then turned to the cameras and said: 

"Did you get that? I just wanted to prove to our defense that you can get to him...he is touchable." 

Reportedly...Lamar got a big kick out of the encounter.  (Last year, L.J. put 610 total yards and five touchdowns on the Orange.)

3) Speaking of Lamar...how about the "new look" for the Louisville quarterback? Sporting a new haircut and a under-toned but stylish suit...it looks like he's undergone a bit of GQ transformation. We approve. We think he'll have a lot of photos snapped of him this upcoming season and you might as well be photogenic, right?  


paulie
xxxxx

Summer Time is Time for You--SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Swimmers Keep Swimming

It's July, which means it's the perfect time to get into the pool. As Jeff mentioned yesterday, some Louisville swimmers are currently doing just that. The competition wraps up today, and on the women's side we'll see the finals for the 1500m Freestyle, the 200m Individual Medley, and the 50m Freestyle. Personally, I've always felt the 50m Freestyle event is closer to 30-40m because of how long they are underwater before actually getting to the freestyle motion, but that's just how it goes.

Yesterday's competitions saw Louisville swimmers compete in the 400m Freestyle, 100m Breaststroke, and 100m Backstroke. She qualified for the A cut in the 100 meter fly. Louisville is lucky to have Mallory Comerford for a couple of more years and she may very well be the next Cardinal to represent her country in the pool at an Olympic Games. 

July Brings Free Time

This may not seem true, depending on how you schedule your vacations or how your work schedule pans out, but allow me to point something out. July is the only month in a calendar year in which the University of Louisville has no scheduled competition. As I know all of you are avid sports fans, I'm sure you spend much of your time indulging in Louisville athletic events. Thus, if you spend time on athletic events and there are none, you now have free time.

Boom--math.

I challenge each of you dear Cardinal Couple readers to use this free time appropriately. Many people will take time that is created and use it to work harder or become otherwise busy. My challenge is that you use this time you have gained as personal time just as you would if you were watching a Louisville sporting event. Instead of heading to the Yum! Center for 3 hours on a Sunday to watch a women's basketball game, use that 3 hours to start on that book you've been meaning to read (or write). Instead of hitting Lynn Stadium for some Tuesday night soccer, go play soccer (or any other physical activity you prefer) for those couple of hours instead. Don't fill up your schedule with minutia just because you can. Taking time for yourself is essential to your mental health and devoting some time to even a walk around the block can do wonders for your physical health as well.

One of the things you might occupy your time with if you still want to partake in sporting events is coming up tomorrow. I won't be on the radio today (in fact I'm writing this article at 1PM on Friday) because I'm at Clifty Falls State Park near Madison, Indiana. Every year, on July 4th weekend, people flock to Madison for the annual Madison Regatta. You may have seen a movie about this event titled Madison in which I am one of thousands of extras. The Madison Regatta is an annual hydroplane race on the Ohio River which pits 27' long boats going up to 200 miles per hour against one another. The Regatta has fallen on hard times recently, with weather and other extreme circumstances lowering attendance both in crowd numbers and in boat teams. The organizers had to scramble to get four teams this year in order to make it a points event and there is talk that a poor showing this year could spell doom for the event. (You can read more about the struggles in a recent Courier-Journal article.) If you aren't doing anything tomorrow, and this sounds even the slightest bit interesting, I implore you to head up to Madison. It's about an hour drive and you can get into the event (I believe) for less than $20 per person for a full day of boat racing. The racing begins at 11AM and you can be home shortly after supper. You can be sure my family and I will be there.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

As I mentioned, I'll be out of the studio today, but there will still be a full house in the basement. Paulie and Jeff will be joined by Julie Sullivan and Daryl Foust. They'll have a ton of fun, I'm sure and you won't want to miss it. Tune into 100.9 WCHQ FM, on the WCHQ app, or at www.crescenthillradio.com at 11AM to get in on the fun. 

Until next time, Go Cards.

-CH-

PS: Ya gotta regatta!

The True Summer Slump -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

We knew this day would come. In fact, we have been expecting it for quite some time, and we're fortunate as sports fans to have lasted this long. But now it is real. With Louisville baseball having fallen in their quest for a national championship, Louisville is officially in the summer slump. There are no Cardinals currently hitting the practice field gearing up for this week's game, meet, match, etc. There are summer workouts going on, no doubt, and teams learning one another's ins and outs to get the best on field chemistry they can, but there are no real games on the near schedule. So here we sit, Louisville's "All Sports Calendar" in a barren, compressed state for more than a month. Women's soccer gets it all started on August 9th, but that's away. Even still, by that point, we will have driven ourselves crazy with anticipation of some sort of sportsball.

There will be content on this site every day, though, make no mistake. We will have interviews, speculations, player profiles, you name it. The Cardinal Couple team will do our best to keep your joy and excitement for Louisville sports high even as the University faces its own rough patches this summer. One of the pieces of content I'm excited to bring you is my statistical roundup. I've never taken on a task like this before, though I have considered it. I want to dive deep into the statistics of our women's sports teams and see where they went right or wrong last year. How they stacked up in conference on advanced statistics, not just the ones that are readily available. This is going to be a project that takes me some time, and I've yet to be able to start it. I am finishing school this weekend, and then I promise to get that excel document started. With that said, please let me know in the comments if there is anything specifically you want me to take a look at in this project. It can be how the women's soccer team's time of possession affected their win rate or anything obscure like that. You name it, and I'll work to address it. This project is as much for your entertainment as it is for my enjoyment of creating it.

I'll keep it short and sweet today. There are many days left to go before a ball is put into play and I can't exhaust all my creativity on day one! The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is back today, with Jared Anderson once again joining us in the studio. This week's episode figures to be much more cheerful than the last, despite our upcoming dearth of content and the loss we'll need to cover. We've got an hour to fill and I'm sure we'll find some crazy way to do it. Tune into 100.9 FM WCHQ, the WCHQ app, or online at crescenthillradio.com at 11AM to join us. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball secures series...seeks sweep at State -- Lacrosse awaits their fate --Radio Show -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

MIKE, MIKE, MIKE PROVIDES THE SPIKE IN 4-3 LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL WIN

It has been a year of transition for Cards Softball slugger Alison "Mike" Szydlowski. A switch from her catcher's role to handling 'the hot corner' at third base took a bit of adjustment. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the hitting prowess she has shown during her tenure at Louisville. 

Yesterday, in sunny Raleigh, NC...she drove home the tying runs in top of the seventh inning and then produced the winning RBI in the eighth to give Louisville a 4-3 win over the Wolfpack. 

Jenna Jordan scored Louisville's lone run prior to that...in the second inning after a walk and then scampered home on Caitlin Ferguson's double to left. Jordan was on base when "Szyd" sent a shot soaring over the center field fence in the top of the seventh to set the score at 3-3.

The bags were full of Cards in the top of the eighth with two outs when "Mike" went to the plate and smacked a solid single to center that scored Tiarra Sanabria. Winning pitcher Maryssa Becker kept NC State silent in the bottom of the inning to give the Cards their 30th. win on the season and her 21st. 

The two will close the series today at noon. ACC Network Extra has the coverage. 


LACROSSE AWAITS THEIR FATE TONIGHT

Louisville Lacrosse will find out whether they are part of the 26-squad field for the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championships tonight at 9 p.m.

13 conference automatic qualifiers will receive bids and 13 at-large teams will be selected to make up the field. 

Louisville (11-7) is currently ranked 18th. in the nation by the IWLCA Coaches Poll, 19th. by the Inside Lacrosse Poll and has an RPI ranking of #29. 

The thought process is that the Cards will make the field and have to hit the road for their first two games. 

The Selection Show will air tonight on NCAA.com 


THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

Worldwide Jeff McAdams and Case Hoskins manned the broadcast studio and Paulie joined the lads via phone yesterday for the weekly show.  It was a lively broadcast and you can hear the replay at the link below. 

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO 5/6/17



paulie
xxxxx

Softball Opens Series with Win -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Two Big Innings Lift Diamond Cards

Louisville opened a weekend series with Virginia yesterday afternoon trying to beat the rain. After failing to close any of the three games against Florida State last week, Louisville needed some conference love this week. Last night, the offense was able to make it happen. The Cards trailed twice yesterday, and twice they were able to string together enough offense to take the lead. 

With all of the solo shots, yesterday's game felt like an
exhibition of power.

Virginia opened the scoring with a bases loaded, two run single in the second inning. The Cards were unable to answer immediately, but put together a three run third inning, highlighted by a Tiarra Sanabria solo homer to jump out in front. Virginia, not to be outdone, hit solo home runs in each of the next three innings. Fortunately, Louisville pitcher, Maryssa Becker, was able to limit the damage to just those dingers and Louisville trailed 5-3 in the sixth. What followed was a combination of small ball, grit, and luck. Louisville put together a 4 run bottom of the sixth using no more power than a one out double. They trailed 5-4 with runners on second and third and two outs. Three straight two out singles (with a couple of errors) plated unearned runs to put the Cards up 7-5. Becker opened the seventh inning by allowing the first two runners to get on base before Coach Pearsall put Megan Hensley, the starter of yesterday's game, back in for the save opportunity. Hensley made short work of the three batters she faced and that was the game.

Louisville now sits at 27-17 and 10-7 in conference play. They're fourth in the conference, just a game and a half behind third place Boston College. The Cards are actually even with the Eagles overall with BC having played two more games. Virginia, at 8-14 is fourth from the bottom in the conference and Louisville desperately needs this sweep to keep the gap behind BC minimal. Boston College is currently playing Georgia Tech, the second to last place team in the league. Barring any rain difficulties, Louisville and Virginia will continue their series today at Ulmer at 1PM.

Radio Heads

The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is back again, unable to be scared off by storms that wake up the entire city in the middle of the night. Paulie, Jeff, and I will talk softball, postseason play for lacrosse and tennis, what new things we know about men's and women's basketball, and anything else we can fit into the hour. Tune into 100.9 WCHQ FM, download the WCHQ FM app, or hit up Crescent Hill Radio's website at 11AM to get your fix of the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics live on the air.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Saturday Cardinal Couple - Celebrating Friday Success - Softball Tennis and More

It's the weekend, and the Cardinal sports teams are off to a good start.

We bring you the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports, but as always, we're fans of all the different sports around UofL, so one quick note on the guys' side of things.  Baseball opened their season down south in Clearwater Florida with a win over Alabama state, with Maryland on tap for an afternoon matchup today in Clearwater, FL.  You can check out their action locally on 93.9 FM.  You won't hear the dulcett tones of Sean Moth as he's still back here in Louisville to do PA work for the Men's Basketball game this afternoon, but I'm sure they'll have a fine substitute for him providing the coverage.

Swimming and Diving competed in the ACC Championships all week and ended up with a 3rd place finish the overall competition.  A fine finish, with some excellent individual performances within that.  The successes of our Swimming and Diving team are exciting to see.

To yesterday's action, though!

Tennis

The tennis team headed east to West Virginia to take on the Thundering Herd of Marshall.  The
Cardinals got the job done against a good Marshall team, but it was a battle, to be sure.  The Cards started off by getting the doubles point, but had to come back to do it.  The Herd got the win on the first court, but UofL was able to put up a pair of 6-4 wins on the other two to take the point.

The singles matches weren't any less dramatic.  Most of them went the full 3 sets, and one of the 2 set matches ended up in Louisville's column 7-6, 7-5.  Overall the singles points were evenly split between Marshall and Louisville, but the doubles point gave Louisville the overall win 4-3.  This one went down to the wire as an overall competition, and on most of the individual courts in play.

This is a good win for the Cards, against an NCAA Tournament calibre team.

Softball

Softball continued their season opening road-trip by heading to North Carolina, where I'm not sure if it was any warmer there than it was here in Louisville.  It turns out Softball and Baseball probably could've had their season opening at home and been ok this year, but of course, that can never be predicted when the schedules are being made, so we'll have to deal with the diamond Cards being on the road this week and next, before Ulmer sees any action this year.

A great day for Pearsall's players, they started the day with a fairly easy 7-0 victory over Ohio State in 5 innings.  The scoring did come late in the game for the Cards, but boy did it come big when it did.  Scoreless through 3, Lillie Goetz got the scoring started by plunking the scoreboard in left field.  If you've ever met Lillie, you probably wouldn't expect her to be a real power hitter as she's one of the smaller players on the team, but this isn't her first career homer, so she's got the power to do it.  Some small ball earned another couple of points for the Cards with Sidney Melton reaching on an error and scoring The Poof, Nicole Pufahl.  Jordan McNary reached safely on an infield hit, and scored fellow speedster Mo Meyer.  The scoring wasn't done, though.  Maryssa Becker walked to fill up the bases again, and then Megan Hensley ripped one to left field to score everybody to finish off the scoring in the 4th with 7 on the board.

A couple of more scores in the 5th with mostly small ball put the game into run-rule territory. Goetz doubled to set it all up and eventually made it home on a groundout by pinch-hitting freshman Shelby Graybill.  Jordan McNary's RBI then brought Blaire Bass home who had gotten on base with a walk earlier.  The Cards were able to prevent any scoring by the Buckeyes in the game, and most importantly in the bottom of the 5th so the game ended after 5 on the run-rule.

The second game of the day was a much more challenging matchup, with the Purdue Boilermaker's comprising the other half of the Big-10 contingent at the ACC/Big-10 Challenge.

Purdue got out to an early 3-0 lead, and the Cards couldn't generate any offense until the 6th inning, with homeruns by Ashley Nikolao and Jenna Jordan.  Nikolao's was a solo shot, the first in her career, but Maryssa Becker drew a walk which was followed up by a solid Megan Hensley double to set up Jordan's 3 run homer.  Both Becker and Hensley were replaced by pinch runners when they reached - Celene Funke, and Michala Riggle respectively.  Their base-running skills wouldn't be needed, however, as they both got to trot home when Jenna Jordan took her first career homer over the left field fence.  That gave Louisville the 4-3 lead after 6 with more to come.

Purdue scored a pair in the top of the 7th, which really put the pressure on the Cards.  Needing 1 to tie and a pair to win, Sidney Melton reached on a hit, advanced on a Jordan McNary groundout.  Maryssa Becker walked...again...her 3rd of the game and 6th of the day...it's like the opposing pitchers are scared of her.  Megan Hensley got a 2-out hit to bring Melton and Becker home, and win the game 6-5.

Purdue is up to bat again today at 4pm, with another game against Ohio State on deck for Sunday at 10am.  Live stats and twitter feeds are the best you're going to do for these.

Team Jordan or Team Sid/Syd/Szyd

Our buddy Jose at USF indicates he can't choose between the
two entities. 

Really, though, the most important question we have to tangle with here at Cardinal Couple...

Are you Team Jordan or Team Sid/Syd/Szyd?  I, clearly, am Team Sid/Syd/Szyd, while Paulie is apparently Team Jordan.

Team Sid/Syz/Szyd has longtime members Allison "Mike" Szydlowski, and Sidney Melton, along with newcomer freshman pitcher Sydney Warinner.  Team Jordan, on the other hand, sports Jordan McNary, Jordan Vorbrink, and Jenna Jordan.

Team Sid/Syd/Szyd joined forces yesterday to catch a potential base stealer at 2nd, with Warinner pitching to Mike behind the plate who threw the pickoff to the shortstop Melton.  The Jordans have a speedster slapper in Jordan McNary, they have their own catcher in Jenna Jordan who did get a 3-run homer yesterday, along with an outfielder in Jordan Vorbrink.

Sound off in the comments, and if you pick Team Jordan, as great as they are, you're obviously wrong.

Scheduling

Gettin' hot in here, now...

Also in action today, Lacrosse meets their first ranked opponent of the year in Denver, Baseball continues their opening weekend in Clearwater, FL, and Men's Basketball hosts Virginia Tech.  The last one is on the ACC Network Extra and locally on WAVE.

Also, don't forget to check out the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour at 11am today on Crescent Hill Radio.  We're without Case today, but we have an excellent guest joining us in Jared Anderson.  Jared has been on the show before and is a fantastic supporter of all UofL sports.  Since he has been on the show last, he has taken the helm of River City Cards as editor-in-chief. A recent UofL graduate, Jared is one of the "young guns" of internet sports. We like that.

Check us out on Crescent Hill Radio where we try to do a show without any percussion section.  It'll be a challenge, but clap along and I think we can get through it.

-- JMcA

Louisville Lacrosse opens season against Vermont -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

#18 LAX CARDS START 2017 CAMPAIGN AGAINST VERMONT AT 1 P.M. TODAY

Leading scorer Koloski back for UofL

The UofL Lacrosse team takes to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium pitch today for a 1 p.m. match against northern invader Vermont University. With highs expected to rise to the mid-40's...the Cards begin their 2017 season with a wealth of new faces and a return of a few familiar ones. 

Louisville's leading scorer from 2016 Hannah Koloski is back for her senior season. The Lakeville, MN native had 43 goals for the Cards last year. She'll receive help from returnees Heidi Smith, Jillian Balog, Julia Wood and Madison Hoover...plus a strong freshman attack class.  Louisville also gets defenders Stephanie McNamara, Emily Howell and goalkeeper Brittany Read back from 2016...Read is fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury and McNamara a member of the All-ACC squad. 

The Cards finished 12-6 last season...advancing to the NCAA Tournament but... hindered by the loss of Read...bowed out in the first round against Northwestern. The Cards raced out to a 12-1 start to the 2016 campaign but lost their final five after losing Read. 
Word is from the Cardinal Lacrosse crew is that Read is fully recovered from the ACL injury and eager to get back out between the pipes and defend the net. 

The Cards will look to a talented freshman class and the returnees from 2016 to replace a couple of the greatest LAX players in UofL history in Kaylin Morissette and Cortnee Daley. Kelli Gerding has also graduated...but head Coach Kellie Young is hopeful and optimistic about the new and returning talent on the roster...and is pleased with the competition for the openings in the lineup. 

Vermont faces the Cards for the first time and went 6-10 in 2016. The Catamounts return 27 letter-winners and their leading scorer Alex Bernier.

We'll be in attendance for the contest and will have a full report on the action in Sunday's edition of CARDINAL COUPLE...plus a preview on today's THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR today at 11 a.m. 


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THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR IS ON THE AIR

We have a great show lined up for you today on THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR. Reviews and previews of Lacrosse, women's and men's basketball and clips from the Spring Sports Media Day. 

We'll see how Case is prepping for his assignment of learning how to row and Worldwide will fill you in on all the UofL athletic activities coming up in the next seven days. We'll see what technical glitches and malfunctions Monk and Punkin have lined up for us in the basement on a hill and maybe even get in a little curling practice. 

It's live radio and that explains a lot. Join us at www.crescenthillradio.com this morning at 11 a.m. 


paulie
xxxxx

Volleyball wraps up season tonight...Football Saturday vs. Cats -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

BOSTON COLLEGE VISITS AS VB WRAPS UP SEASON

The end of the 2016 UofL Volleyball season comes tonight when Boston College visits the Cards in the KFC YUM! Center at 7 p.m. Louisville (11-18, 6-13) will not being going to post-season play and the Anne Kordes era ends as well as the Cards take on the Eagles (8-21, 3-16) in a match that has little more significance than both teams trying to end their season on a win and positive note and, in Louisville's case...sending off a beloved coach with a win. 

Kordes is 274-136 (66.8%) going into her final game. Her Louisville record is 132-61 (72.3%)...the Wide Net Cards won titles and she was coach of the year in three different leagues (Big East, AAC, ACC).

This probably wasn't the type of season that Anne would have picked to end her 20 year career in college volleyball. Even though the Cards only lost three to graduation from last year, a couple of key transfers and a relatively young and inexperienced squad struggled with in-state foe Kentucky and the majority of the ACC opponents this season. 

Kordes leaves behind some very good emerging talent that her successor (still unnamed) can build on...plus a noted recruiting class potentially arriving on campus. Defense and consistency are a couple of things that the new floor boss will need to work on...but with Melanie McHenry, Morgan Miller, Jasmine Bennett, Molly Sauer, Tess Clark, Maggie DeJong, Kali Eaken and others returning...the Cards do have a solid nucleus with game experience back in the fold...pending transfers, of course. Only Lyndsay Palmer and Janelle Jenkins graduate.

Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich is conducting a nationwide search for Kordes' successor...but more than just a few feel that the new skipper should be a guy who is already on the staff...associate coach Alex Wilharm. 

Kordes gives him high marks: 

"Alex has proven he can make an impact in the gym and with recruiting and building relationships within our team and the university. He is a phenomenal representative of the Louisville Volleyball team and the University. He is also one of the sharpest and youngest coaching minds out there. He is going to rise fast."

Sounds like a good fit to us. Jurich has rolled the dice many a time on candidates that, for whatever reason, weren't getting high profile attention. Consider the names Dan McDonnell, Ken Lolla, Charlie Strong and Jeff Walz...just to name a few. 

Neither age nor lack of head coaching experience should be a factor in the hiring, in my opinion...but a few have told me they think it eventually will be in this case. If that happens, Wilharm...who has been the subject already of inquiry from other programs...is probably gone. It would be a shame to lose him. The thing is...Jurich rarely replaces at the top from within the ranks. (See McDonnell, Lolla, Strong and Walz) 

A season ends, a new era begins and the future is full of questions for Louisville Volleyball fans. The program is vastly attractive as a "end destination" job to many...with high attendance, superb facilities, competitive conference and a large fan-base. We await the next chapter after tonight. 


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BATTLE OF THE BLUEGRASS SATURDAY

ESPN has determined that Louisville and Kentucky shall play at noon in the 29th meeting to see who wins the Governors Cup. The series is tied at 14-14. 

I've said it before and I'll mention it again that I'm not a fan of noon kickoffs. First, it means we either cancel or pre-record THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR that we do weekly...experiments with Jeff in the studio and me on game site for game day just didn't turn out as well as we wanted...and it also means we have to prepare for a show without any knowledge of late-breaking events that can sometimes occur Friday or early Saturday. 

It is what it is...though...and we carry on. 

The game. Can the Cards contain the potent Kentucky rushing game that features Stephen Johnson, Boom Williams and Benny Snell, Jr.? Will Louisville get a dysfunctional offensive line back together that was absolutely "el-stinko" against Houston last Thursday? Can the Cats run "The Wildcat" effectively against a fearsome Cardinal defense? Does Lamar Jackson have a field day in rushing and finding receivers against a Cats secondary that has improved immensely since the season began? Do the Cards take their sixth straight?  

I'll visit with THE MORNING JAM crew on WCHQ 100.9 FM this morning at 8:00 to preview the game and the women's sports schedule for the weekend with Kevin and Bryce. Case, Worldwide and I will gather later today to record the radio show and ponder these same questions. Then, it's off to Churchill Downs to record the final segment of HANDICAPPING HEROES for the year. If I have any energy left, a trip downtown to see the final Louisville kills and sets of the season. 

You can listen to The Morning Jam, which starts at 7 AM at the link below:

KEVIN AND BRYCE BRING PAULIE IN FOR THE MORNING JAM

Black Friday? Nope, don't think so. More like a Cards and Churchill Friday. Not a bad combination at all...


paulie
xxxxx