Volleyball rises in poll -- Soccer news -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

VOLLEYBALL NOW #22 IN AVCA POLL

Our boys "mug it up" with a few
Volleyballers

Since the debacle against Kentucky back on Sept 14th...Louisville Volleyball has quietly but effectively done nothing but win. The victory streak is up to seven games now -- with the 3-0 sweep of Wake Forest on Sunday -- and the Cards are now getting a bit of national and regional recognition as well now. 

Louisville (13-4, 6-0) climbed to #22 in the nation in the latest AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) poll recently and freshman middle blocker EMILY SCOTT was named ACC Freshman of the Week yesterday for her efforts out on the hardwood against conference foes the Duke Blue Devils and Winston-Salem's finest...the Wake Forest Demon Deacs.  

Dani Busboom Kelly has built the squad around a combination of old and new...and had to deal with a few significant injuries along the way.  Senior MOLLY SAUER, the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, is having another stellar season with 268 digs...just short of 16 per match. (Maybe Bobby Petrino should consult her on his current defensive woes). She's also provided 21 service aces. We'll say it..."Good Golly, Miss Molly!" 

MELANIE McHENRY, everyone's favorite Speedway Sprocket,  has been credited for 217 kills on the season, tops for the Cards, and is just 33 short of reaching the 1,000 kill club at Louisville. The junior also has a little football in her high school background but Cardinal Volleyball fans know her for those vicious floor burners she sends over the net. You can thank WILMA RIVERA for a lot of that success. The Setter of The Year in the ACC last year, she's already "helped out" 650 times this season and is a high risk, high reward server who's notched 20 service aces in 2018. Since transferring her from Penn State, she's been a superlative and intergral part of the Cards attack and I know Fred Flinstone is out there somewhere yelling "Wilma!" or maybe "Yabba Dabba Doo!" after each magical set up.

AMANDA GREEN, PIPER ROE, MIA STANDER, MARIJKE VAN DYKE...and many others have helped build this squad into a top 25 contender. And, the Cards have also had to overcome significant injuries with ALEXIS HAMILTON out for the year (knee), and JASMINE BENNETT and KELLY O'NEIL watching from the end zone recently because of dings and dents. 

Roc the Panther has something to growl about this year
in Volleyball 

The Cards are one of two ACC schools ranked in the top 25. Pittsburgh is cruising along at #6 in the nation...sporting a perfect overall and ACC record. Our Volleyball "savant" Jeff McAdams has seen a bit of Panther play and assures me that they are the "real deal" and the Cards will face a very strong foe on Oct 21st. (a Sunday) when the Cards travel to the Fitzgerald Field House on "the Hill" to face them. 

The Cards and Panthers finished atop the ACC last year and all indicators point to a similar finish in 2018. Plenty of Volleyball left in the season, though, and it continues when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame visit Cardinal Arena tomorrow night for an ACC show down. UND is 10-6 on the season and 4-2 in conference but stumbled in five sets against Duke Sunday. 

The Cards and Irish start at 7 p.m. and it'll be available on the ACC Network Extra if you can't attend.


UPDATE ON ROUSE 

We've noticed lately that Cardinal sophomore midfielder MOLLIE ROUSE hasn't been "on the pitch" for Louisville women's soccer contest. A confirmed sighting of her at a recent game, sitting in street clothes in the "Boyle" section of the stadium watch the Cards play raised some questions.

Transfer? Injury? Suspension? Alzheimers?  

A CARDINAL COUPLE associate ran into her leaving Lynn Stadium after the Miami game and confirmed that the English sophomore is looking to transfer. No further details were provided. 

Rouse spent the first part of the season playing for the English National Team in World Cup competition before arriving on campus. She's play in five contests for the Cards, starting two games. A total of 204 minutes on the Lynn Stadium turf with two goals, one assist and eight shots. 

Each side has two stories. We've haven't heard UofL's version yet and may not. Understandable there. Rouse declined on commenting as well, except to confirm her transfer plans. There's as many reasons for a player transferring as there are blades of grass on a soccer field, so we'll take the high road here and wish her the best of success on wherever she ends up. 


DID YOU KNOW? 

If you watch the Cards WSOC squad on the ACC Network Extra, you've undoubtedly noticed the dulcet tones of one of the women's commentators providing the analysis. That would be ERIN YENNEY...who played for Karen Ferguson Dayes squad from 2011-14. 

The former mid-fielder from Troy, OH came to Louisville and made an impact immediately...starting all 24 matches her first year. After graduation, she continued her soccer pursuits, spending 2016 with the Swedish football club Ostersunds DDF, 2017 in Colombia playing for Independiente Santa Fe and 2018 with the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL. 

Erin played in 72 matches as a Cardinal and scored 13 goals in her time as a student-athlete. She's one of those Cardinals that actually played in three conferences during her time at UofL...the Big East, AAC and ACC. 

We're guessing she's got a pretty huge and varied collection of different conference t-shirts, jerseys and logo-ed travel bags stashed. We heartily approve of Erin transition from the floor to the booth! Erin, go announce! 

Erin was one of Paulie's favorite WSOC players back then and, I'm pretty sure that if I researched Cardinal Couple back files and history...I could find a clip or two of us interviewing her after a game or at a Fall Sports Media Day. It's always good to have "one of your own" up behind the microphone providing analysis of the action. The sad thing is that I don't get to hear her call, since I'm at all home Louisville women's soccer games covering the action while she's two booths over doing work. 

Erin's been a pretty popular first name among Cardinal women's athletes over the years.

Your assignment today:  Name three other "Erin's" that come to mind associated with Louisville women's sports. No "Googling" the results!  



paulie
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Soccer signs two -- Thursday Cardinal Couple

  

KB returns to strengthen defense

University of Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes has announced the Cards’ 2015 recruiting class, which includes two standout student-athletes. Jill Vetere and Gabrielle Vincent have both signed letters-of-intent to play for the University of Louisville next fall.

“We are thrilled to be adding both Gaby Vincent and Jill Vetere to our class of 2015,” said Ferguson-Dayes. “They will both be able to make an immediate impact on our program and we are excited to help them reach their potential both in the classroom and on the playing field.”

Both Vetere and Vincent have extensive experience on the

high school, club, and national development levels and will help the Cardinals compete within one of the most talented conferences in the country.

“Jill and Gaby are great compliments to one another,” she added. “While Jill has an attacking presence, Gaby has the defensive presence and both have the mentality to compete in the very prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference.”

The Cards graduated just four from the 2014 squad, including standout Erin Yenney...at least six freshmen were heavily involved in Ferguson-Dayes playing rotation and the team returns starting goalie Paige Brown. They also  return their top three leading scorers from last season and freshman sensation Inger Katrine Bjerke. 

In an effort to fill out the roster, Coach "K" has also announced that there will be spring tryouts for walk-on spots on the team. 

The squad went 7-9-2 last year overall and 3-5-2 in the very

demanding ACC. The freshmen that were exposed to how soccer is played on the collegiate level undoubtedly know now what is expected of them and what they need to produce to get Louisville contending for the conference title year-in and year-out. 

Whether it will take another rebuilding year or not is anybody's guess. Tom Jurich wants people in the brand new Lynn Stadium and a competitive team on the turf. Even though the attendance figures were impressive for the first year...another season below .500 could have an impact on the future direction of the program. 

paulie

Five to remember from 2014 -- Friday Cardinal Couple

FIVE PLAYERS TO REMEMBER FROM 2014


As we wind down 2014 -- let's take a look at five players who left some long lasting memories on UofL women's sports during the last 12 months. 

Erin Yenney -- Soccer 

"Yen" was a four year starter and stalwart at midfielder for the Karen Ferguson-Dayes soccer team. Her role as one of the few seniors on a freshman and sophomore laden team was one of guidance, leadership and inspiration. She was second on the squad with shots-on-goal and led the team in shots. Her shoes will be big ones to fill...


Katie George -- Volleyball


The Louisville native was everywhere on the court as the team's primary setter...she was the one responsible for tracking down the Cards less than perfect passing so the Cards could score. An AVCA All-East Region selection, she returns for her senior year to lead a team that went through a learning season in the ACC.


Nikki Boltja -- Lacrosse


The senior scoring machine helped lead Kellie Young's squad to a perfect Big East season and trip to the NCAA Tournament. Young calls her the hardest working, most dedicated player she has ever coached and this year's team will get to reap those skills again this year...as Boltja has been added to the Lacrosse staff as a program assistant.

Alyssa Voelmle -- Field Hockey


The heart and soul of Justine Sowry's defensive squad...Vo
elmle was the guiding force behind the UofL point preventers that took the team to the NCAA Tournament. A key contributor on UofL's corner attack offense, the senior was selected to the First Team All-American squad.


Shoni Schimmel -- Basketball

Fill in your own memories of the four year career of the prolific, dynamic guard. I'll contribute two...shooting the Cards back into the Maryland game and almost putting the Cards into the 2014 Final Four and "the layup" against Griner.

All five were aided by the outstanding team and coaching support that surrounded them. Their accomplshments at UofL will last a long time.

Women's Soccer back to .500 with 1-0 win over NKU -- Thursday Cardinal Couple

Weinland's goal enough in win over the Norse

It has been a season of ups and downs for Karen Ferguson Dayes' young women's soccer squad. The thrill of a new stadium to compete in but the struggles against a decidedly better conference to participate in than ever before.

Louisville stepped outside of challenging ACC play Wednesday night and downed the Northern Kentucky University team 1-0 last night in Lynn Stadium. Sophomore Kari Weinland tracked down a corner kick from Cardinal Couple favorite  Erin "Yen" Yenney and headed the ball into the goal 17 minutes into the first half.


Yes...it was wet at Lynn last night but it didn't keep the Cards from dominating the offensive stats in this one. Louisville had a 21-4 advantage in shots and 18-1 domination in corner kicks. 

Paige Brown continues to be the stone wall in front of the goal...recording another shutout (her fifth of the season) and recording two saves. 

Coach KFD had mixed feelings about the "W": 

" I'm definitely glad we got the win, but looking at the 90 minutes, it showed we still have a lot of work to do. In the first half, I was pleased with the performance, but not with our efficiency. In the second half, I was not happy with our discipline at all."  

Growing pains from a young team that has 12 freshmen on the roster...it was the first win this season for the kickin' Cards against an in-state opponent.

Louisville (6-6-2) returns to the rigors of ACC play on Sunday, Oct 18th when they'll try to upset #3 Virginia. Louisville is 2-2-2 in conference play. The Cards have four games left on the regular season schedule...all against ACC opponents. 

Game time is 1 p.m.  

		CONFERENCE			OVERALL
RANK	SCHOOLS	W-L-D	POINTS	PCT	W-L-D	PCT
1.	Florida State	6-0-0	18	1.000	13-1-0	.929
2.	North Carolina	6-0-0	18	1.000	9-2-1	.792
3.	Virginia	5-1-0	15	.833	13-1-0	.929
4.	Notre Dame	4-2-0	12	.667	9-4-1	.679
5.	Clemson	3-2-1	10	.583	10-2-2	.786
6.	Duke	3-2-1	10	.583	7-6-1	.536
7.	Virginia Tech	3-3-0	9	.500	12-3-0	.800
8.	Louisville	2-2-2	8	.500	6-6-2	.500
9.	Boston College	2-4-0	6	.333	9-6-0	.600
10.	Pitt	2-4-0	6	.333	6-8-0	.429
11.	Syracuse	2-4-0	6	.333	5-7-3	.433
12.	Wake Forest	1-4-1	4	.250	3-8-2	.308
13.	Miami	0-5-1	1	.083	2-11-1	.179
14.	NC State	0-6-0	0	.

  

Women's Soccer faces their toughest ACC test so far tonight -- Thursday Cardinal Couple

CARDS AND NOLES KICK IT OUT TONIGHT ON ESPN 3

Never let K.B. drive you to South Carolina

A litmus test for Karen Ferguson Dayes' UofL women's soccer team this evening in Tallahassee. #5 ranked FSU (8-1) brings the Kickin' Cards into Seminoles Soccer Complex for a 7:00 pm match that will be shown on ESPN 3.

FSU is averaging 2.78 goals per game while allowing a scant 0.65 to their opponents. They played in the National Championship game last season and return a veteran lineup that has only lost to in-state powerhouse rival Florida...by the score of 1-0.

The Cards (4-4) have had a mixed results season...defeating Ole Miss and Syracuse but losing to mid-majors Morehead and Miami (OH). A few defensive adjustments by Ferguson-Dayes resulted in a come-from-behind win over Kent State and shut out of Syracuse. 

Whether the duo of freshmen Inger (K.B.) Katrine Bjerke and Chatham DeProspro...who now anchor the back line... can slow down FSU's offense remains to be seen...they have been a part of allowing zero scores against the Cards in the last three halves of Louisville women's soccer action. Goalie Paige Brown is solid and makes very few mistakes in goal. 

The 'Noles allow less than 1 goal per game

The offense will need a boost from senior Erin (Yen) Yenney and freshman Isabella (Bella) Hubuda if Louisville expects to walk out of the 'Noles game with a "W". Louisville starts six freshmen. They'll need to perform like seniors tonight.

The squad expresses a new-found confidence and encouragement about their turn-around after winning two in a row. Let's hope it's enough to get them past a dangerous ACC opponent in FSU that has never lost to Louisville women's soccer. 


Be sure to catch K.B. and Yen on the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR at CRESCENT HILL RADIO this Saturday @ 11 a.m. as they talk with Paulie about their respective careers at UofL and take the Paulie quiz! You can hear our most recent broadcast from 9/20/2014 at the link provided below:

WORLDWIDE JEFF IS BEGINNING TO LIKE VOLLEYBALL

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The University of Louisville women's golf team capped its three-day run at the Golfweek Conference Challenge on Wednesday with a fifth-place showing in Wolcott, Colo.

Louisville compiled a total score of 25-over-par 889 following its 7-over-par 295 in the third round. The Cardinals, who now have top-five finishes in all three tournaments this year, finished just eight strokes behind Campbell for fourth.

Katie Petrino led the Cards on the final day...shooting a season best, -1 under par 71. 

paulie
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Louisville Women's Soccer defeat Syracuse 1-0...Saturday Cardinal Couple

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

++++++++++SPECIAL REPORT+++++++++

                       Legendary.

 #14 Louisville Field Hockey down #1 UNC this afternoon. Louisville took a 2-0 lead at the half...weathered 2 UNC scores in the first two minutes of the second half and wins on a Becca Maddock score with five minutes left in regulation. We'll have more on this biggest win in Louisville Field Hockey history in the Sunday edition of      CARDINAL COUPLE. Legendary !!!!


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


- Yenney scores early...Soccer downs the Orange

- Volleyball takes two in Rice tournament
- Field Hockey hosts #1 UNC today
- CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO IS ON THE AIR!

 

 

 

Erin Yenney wasted no time in getting the Kickin' Cards on the board last night in Lynn Stadium and her early goal against visiting Syracuse proved to be all the Cards needed in winning their first ACC game of the season.

The Cards capitalized on a penalty corner and Victoria Martins pass to Yenney resulted in the only score of the game at the 2:03 mark of the first half. It was the first score of the season for the Troy, OH senior. 

The Cardinal defense took care of business the rest of the way...allowing no Syracuse shots on goal in the first half and only three in the final 45 minutes. Louisville ended up with five shots on goal...Isabella "Bella" Habuda taking three of them.

Freshman Chatham DeProspo nearly made it 2-0 in the final half. Her long range attempt with 21 minutes left in the contest looked like it was going in the net but soared over the goal's top bar by less than an inch. 

Enough cannot be said about the defensive effort from Louisville last night. The Cards have now held opponents scoreless in three halves of soccer...and moving DeProspo back to help defend as a mid back with Inger Katrine Bjerke, Hannah Konermann, Rachel Avant and Chinyelu Asher has created an unpenetrable line of defense that stymies opponents. How it will hold up against powerhouses Florida State, Miami and Duke remains to be seen...but Coach KFD has built the Great Wall right here in Lynn Stadium.

Goalie Paige Brown picked up her second shut out of the season...Louisville (4-4) gets back to the .500 mark and now prepares for a three game road swing that will take them to Florida State Thursday night, Miami (FL) Sunday afternoon and to Duke on Oct 4th. 

BE SURE TO LISTEN TO CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO TODAY FOR POST GAME, EXCLUSIVE COMMENTS FROM COACH KAREN FERGUSON DAYES, ERIN YENNEY AND CHATHAM DEPROSPO. 

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Louisville Wide Netters sweep in Rice Invitational

Rice was on the evening menu at the Rice Invitational for Louisville Volleyball and the Cards cleaned the plate...taking down the Owls in straight sets...25-19, 25-22, 25-19.

The Cards got 14 kills each from Maya McClendon and Janelle Jenkins and strong middle play from Tess Clark, Tara Gowan and Maggie DeJong to take the match.

Early in the day, Louisville romped Stephen F. Austin in straight sets 25-17, 25-19, 25-22. McClendon had 13 kills in the matinee and the Cards got strong support from Clark, Jenkins and Laura Blab.

Louisville (7-4) has won four out of their last five and will finish off this morning against Texas Southern @ 11:30.

Be sur to tune in to CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO this morning at 11 AM to hear Jeff McAdams comments and analysis on Anne Kordes' crew.


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FIELD HOCKEY STICKS CHALLENGE #1 TODAY


The #1 ranked UNC Lady Heels invade Trager Stadium today at 1 p.m. to take on Justin Sowry's flock in ACC Field Hockey action.

It's Kids Day at Trager and the team will be holding free clinics for the young, aspring stick swingers beginning at 10 AM. There will also be refreshments, free sunglasses to the first 100 fans and....a Bouncy Castle!

(You're never too old to go in the Bouncy Castle....)

The Cards could rock the ACC and National Field Hockey world with a win today. Louisville is 5-1 on the season...and ranked 14th. in the latest Field Hockey polls. UNC has been very impressive with a 5-0 record and allowing just 4 goals all season...while scoring 20 against five top-25 opponents.

Plenty of time to take this one in before Louisville Football on TV at 3:30. Please support Louisville Field Hockey. And join Jeff and I in the Bouncy Castle.

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CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO returns to the ethernet after a week off. We have a busy hour ahead of us....discussing women's soccer, volleyball, field hockey, softball and exclusive interviews with Justine Sowry, Karen Ferguson Dayes, Erin Yenney and Chatham DeProspo.

You should tune in. Link below

RADIO WITH AN EDGE...CARDINAL COUPLE



paulie
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Friday Cardinal Couple -- W.Soccer regular season starts tonight

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SCORE UPDATE:  With two goals by Isabella Habuda,
Louisville starts the season off with a 2-1 win. More in the
Saturday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. Cards win! 


( KIM PEMBERTON AND THE FRIENDLY FOLKS OVER AT THE UOFL
SID DEPARTMENT ARE OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZING THE START OF
SOCCER SEASON FOR THE GIRLS...we tend to look at the exhibition slate
as the starting gun here at CC...)

Women's Soccer Opens Up the 2014 Season on the Road against Wright State and Illinois Cardinals begin the season on the road against the Raiders and Fighting Illini Senior Erin Yenney Aug. 21, 2014 Louisville, Ky. - The University of Louisville women's soccer team will open up the 2014 season this weekend when it travels to Wright State and Illinois for two matches. The Cardinals will face Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before traveling to Champagne, Ill., to face the Fighting Illini on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Cardinals are led by head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes, who begins her 15th season with the Cardinals. Louisville went 12-5-2 and finished second in the American Athletic Conference in 2013. The Cards return four starters from last season, including senior midfielder Erin Yenney, a 2013 Second Team All-AAC selection, and sophomore goalkeeper Paige Brown, who registered four shutouts for the Cardinals during her freshman campaign. Wright State enters the 2014 season after compiling an 8-5-5 record overall. The Raiders finished 5-1-1 in the Horizon League and made a run to the conference tournament semifinal, where their season ended in a penalty kick loss to Oakland. Wright State returns 13 letterwinners from last year's squad, including senior defender Allie Metzler, junior midfielder Kalee Thompson and junior midfielder Ashley Gogolio who were recently named to the College Sports Madness Preseason Horizon League Teams. The Raiders lead the series 12-1-1 against Louisville, with the most recent contest ending in a 0-0 tie during the 2006 season. The Cardinals are 1-4 when playing Wright State in Dayton. Illinois is coming off a successful 2013 season after registering its fourth NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history. The Illini went 11-9-3 overall and 5-5-1 in the Big Ten. Despite falling to Indiana in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, the team received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that led to its impressive run. Illinois returns seven starters from last year's squad, including senior Jannelle Flaws, the reigning Big Ten Forward of the Year and 2013 national goal-scoring leader. The Illini have never lost to the Cardinals and boast a 5-0-0 record through the series history. Louisville fell to Illinois 4-5 in overtime just last year when the two teams faced off in Louisville for the Cardinals' second match of the season. paulie

Monday Cardinal Couple - Women's Soccer falls to Illinois

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-CARDS FALL IN OVERTIME TO ILLINI
    
     -Paulie's report
     -Jeff McAdams report


-JEFF'S VOLLEYBALL COLUMN


Despite a late goal that tied the contest with 91 seconds remaining, Louisville falls to Illinois 5-4 in overtime at Cardinal Park Sunday afternoon.

Coach Dayes on the loss:

"Anytime you give up five goals it's a difficult day for sure," said head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes. "I thought we did well to get ourselves in a leading position but didn't do very well to hang on to the lead with some careless mistakes that allowed them to score some very good goals. No disrespect to Illinois, I thought finished some great shots, I just think we could have been a step earlier or we could have slid. Just some extra effort would have really been the difference today. It's kind of a difficult game to swallow because I thought it was a game we could have gotten and we let it slip away. Now we have got to refocus and go on the road against two very good ACC teams next weekend."


Louisville trailed 1-0 before Erin Yenney set up Casey Whitfield to tie the game 14 minutes into the contest. The Cards got another score when Charlyn Corral rebounded a missed Kari Weinland shot and found net 11 minutes later. That 2-1 Louisville lead carried the Cards into halftime.

It took Illinois only four minutes to tie it in the second half. The Cards responded less than a minute later...Corral picking up her second score of the game on a penalty kick.

Illinois battled back. Goals by the Illini four minutes later and then at the 60 minute mark gave them a 4-3 lead which lead until Rachel Melhado bombed a 30 yarder that bounced off the top crossbar and landed in front of Christine Exeter...who guided it in to tie it.

Corral narrowly missed the potential game winner a minute into overtime with a shot that just barely went wide. Two minutes later, Megan Johnston got loose on a breakaway and scored the game ender past Louisville freshman goalie Paige Brown.

The Cards outshot Illinois (1-1) 18-17 in the contest and Brown had four saves. Illini goalie Claire Wheatley had seven for the visitors.

Louisville returns to action Friday when they face Virginia Tech in the Wake Forest Invitational.

-Paulie

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JEFF MCADAMS files this report on the contest also and has his observations below from Saturday's Volleyball Red/Black match:

-Soccer In Action
 

The Women's Soccer team took on a good Illinois team yesterday afternoon on a sunny and warm day at Cardinal Park. There were several swings in momentum as Illinois mostly controlled the first 14 minutes or so, culminating in their first score in the 13th minute. After that, UofL played good possession ball for the rest of the first half. Gathering goals with the 15th (Casey Whitfield) and 26th (Charlyn Corral) minutes, the Cardinals went into the locker room with a 2-1 lead. A look at the other stats showed a very tight game at halftime, with Louisville maintaining a slim lead on shots taken at 9-8, Illinois with a slim lead on corners at 2-1, and both goalkeepers having made 4 stops.

The momentum swung back Illinois' way in the second half, and it seemed that Louisville was having a difficult time getting the ball out of threatening territory and and back downfield. When the soccer ball spends that much time in, or just outside of your box, the opposing team is eventually going to start getting some shots in. Illinois chalked one up in the 51st minute, though Charlyn Corral was able to capitalize on a penalty kick from hand call in Illinois' box to get the Cards back on top at 3-2. The momentum really stayed with Illinois, though, and they continued to press the ball down into territory threatening scores on the Cards and capitalized on that with scores in the 56th and 61st minutes to take their first lead.

With only a minute and a half left to play, Christine Exeter was able to gather a rebound off the bar and find the back of a net to tie it up for the end of regulation.

Still, the momentum really stayed with Illinois, though. They ended it in the fourth minute of overtime period and took home the 5-4 victory.

Karen Ferguson-Dayes squad takes to the road with a trip to North Carolina to take on future ACC conference foes Virginia Tech and Wake Forest next weekend. They come back closer to home the next weekend with games in Lexington, KY and Oxford, OH against Kentucky and Miami (Ohio).

The next chance to see them at home will be Sept. 13th against Morehead State, and the 15th against Texas-San Antonio.

-Volleyball Analysis

 

Paulie wrote up the coverage yesterday of the Alumnae/Red-Black scrimmage from Volleyball, but I wanted to share some of my observations from the day.

• Alex Wilharm is good. Alas, he's not eligible to play. The assistant coach did play in the scrimmage for his team as a player/coach. The roster from his college playing days has him listed at 6'2", but he is very athletic and provides a very good foil for our players to deal with very hard hit attacks and big blocks.
• Speaking of staff...Sarah Drury Petkovic didn't play, but she has definitely gotten back in shape after giving birth to her second child and looks like she could get out there and play with the best of them.
• Keeping score at this event is mostly pointless as players switch back and forth between the two teams depending on the what lineups the coaches want to most work with.
• The new black uniforms look really sharp. I'm looking forward to seeing the white and red variants.
• Emily Juhl is back. Her jump serve is a thing of beauty. Her front row attack (right side) is also really impressive. Thanks in part to...
• Hannah Kvitle and Katie George are spreading the ball around very well, including their back sets to Emily, and they are really on target this year.
• Randi Ewing and Janelle Jenkins really do jump as well as Coach Kordes has told us. Really, though, about the only hitter we have that can't put a lot of room between their sneaks and the ground is Carly Sahagian thanks to some ongoing knee issues.
• Even Brooke Mattingly looks like she's getting some extra space under her soles, and she's not exactly known for her jumping ability, though with an extra 2 inches in height on everyone else on the team, she's still making herself a very strong presence at the net.
• 2013 Haley Pouliezos is definitely quicker than the 2012 model. She ran down a second hit at the far back corner almost off of the Sport Court and put it solidly back in play. 2012 Haley never would've gotten to that shot.
• I don't want to play against Javoni Faucette...in any sport. She is a great athlete, and I suspect she's probably good at any sport she attempts.
• Brooke Betts is wearing a knee brace while she's still recovering from her ACL surgery but she does look like she's moving well and isn't really hindered by it much, or at all. Its a little hard for me to say since I don't what what 100% looks like for her having not seen her play before.
• What year is Hannah Kvitle? The roster on the website lists her as a senior, but she introduced herself as a junior. She played a year at SLU, sat out for a transfer year and played for us last year. That means she should have another year of eligibility after playing this year. I think the roster is listing academic years, with Brooke Mattingly and Randi Ewing listed as "GS" for Graduate Student, but then they have Janelle Jenkins as "RS FR" for Red-Shirt FreshMan.

Volleyball starts their season Friday with a match against Syracuse at Penn State. Remember that Syracuse, for this year only, is not a conference foe. They go on to play #2 ranked Penn State Saturday evening.

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