FALL SPORTS MEDIA DAY -- USA U 19 VS EGYPT -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Teleconference with women's fall sports

I had the chance to "catch up" with head coaches and key players yesterday during the UofL Fall Sports Media Day Teleconference.  Yes, teleconference. We're still not back to meeting with them "face to face", enjoying a university-purchased box lunch or gathering in a media room. 

Someday soon, oh lord. Someday soon, we hope.

Instead of going into a detailed analysis of each speaker, you're "big boys and girls" (except for Jared) and can assimilate and process the words by yourself. And, yes, that's me....asking the questions in a "tag team" format with one other UofL media impresario, 

Here we go: 

VOLLEYBALL -- DANI BUSBOOM KELLY

VOLLEYBALL -- TORI DILFER

FIELD HOCKEY -- JUSTINE SOWRY

FIELD HOCKEY -- ALLI BITTING

WSOC -- KAREN FERGUSON DAYES

WSOC -- GABBY KOUZELOS

CROSS COUNTRY -- DALE COWPER

CROSS COUNTRY -- RYAN JOHNSTON

CROSS COUNTRY -- PURITY SANGA

MEN'S SOCCER -- JOHN MICHAEL HAYDEN

MEN'S SOCCER -- BRADLEY SAMPLE

As a bonus, I tossed in the Louisville men's soccer and the Louisville men's cross country, even though those aren't areas we normally cover or dwell on. Chalk it up under the "if I had to participate, you have to listen" column -- although they are quite interesting. 

It all gets started Saturday night, with WSOC hosting Ball State for a exhibition. Case will break that one down, as well as offer his thoughts on 2021 Louisville WSOC in his column and on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast.  

Just a note: we're doing a bit of situational shuffling of the writer lineup over the next coiple of days.  Case is in for Jared tomorrow, Jeff is in for Daryl Friday,  as we play the "Who's Playing First? That's Right..." game to baffle you, dear reader, even further.  I swear, I can't keep up with these crazy kids...

USA BEAT EGYPT

In what should come as no surprise to anyone, the USA U 19 FIBA Women's team (3-0) had no trouble whatsoever with Egypt. (0-3) yesterday in the squads final "in-pool" contest in Hungary. The final was 97-36 -- USA. It probably could have been twice that. 

Not to belabor nor rub it in too much, we'll just tell you that the USA was led by Azzi Fudd's 18 points, as head coach Cori Close played all 11 available (still no Jewel Spear). 

Payton Verhulst saw almost 18 minutes and produced six points (on 3/7 shooting), five boards, four assists and had two fouls. 

USA advances to the "Round of Sixteen" and takes on Chinese Taipei today. 

have a wonderful Wednesday! 

paulie  

2021 Fall Sports Schedules released -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

Good Friday morning to all, 

The baseball gods are funny sometimes, sending hurricane storms our way last night causing the Thirsty Thursday Bats baseball to get postponed... allowing me to get home in time for today's write up.  Back to reporting the news, as several fall sports released their schedules for the upcoming seasons.  Jared's already blocking off his calendar for multiple game-day photo coverage. 

The gang will definitely have thoughts on some stand-out games from the releases on Saturday's podcast recording. The rivalry games/matches are always fan favorites.  Postseason rematch and revenge is always sweet, too! Volleyball and Field Hockey look to build off of record setting seasons and Women's Soccer looks to improve on a tough overall split season from last year. 

Check out the fall slates! 

2021 Louisville Volleyball Schedule

(photo from UofL Volleyball Instagram)

UofL opens the season in Tempe where they will battle Cal Poly, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Arizona on Aug. 27-28. The Cardinals will host the Cardinal Classic, which will feature Missouri, South Dakota and Northern Kentucky Sept. 3-5 in L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.  The annual rivalry game with reigning NCAA champs (blehhhhhh) the 'blue team' is September 15th at L&N.  There are 13 home matches for the Cards.  In the spring, UofL finished the 2020 season 15-3 and ACC Champs.

2021 Louisville Field Hockey Schedule

(photo from gocards.com)

The Cards 2021 schedule includes nine regular season home contests. The slate also features four NCAA tournament teams including national champion North Carolina and runner-up Michigan as well as 10 opponents ranked among the top 20 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) final 2020-21 poll.  The Cardinals will  kick off a tough five-game road swing in mid-October at #2 Michigan in a rematch of the 2020-21 NCAA semifinal game where UofL fell 2-1 to the Wolverines in a shootout. 

 

2021 Louisville WSoccer Schedule 

(photo from UofL WSoccer Instagram)

The Cards open the season with four consecutive home games hosting Ball State on Saturday, Aug. 14.  They then host Western Michigan on Aug. 19, James Madison on Aug. 26 and Northern Kentucky on Aug. 29.  The Cardinals will play 11 home games at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium. Ten ACC matchups and no Kentucky (currently) on the 2021 slate

                                           ******************

Random thought: Two weeks from the Olympics!!! 

Go Cards and Go USA! 

~Daryl 

No scores but things to think about -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 WHAT'S GOING ON 

We know that a lot of our readers come here for scores and results of athletic events. It is in our mission statement, to share and report on the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. That extends to former Cardinal student-athletes who have gone on past the collegiate to participate professionally.  

No scores from last night, as the WNBA chose to stay off the court a second night because of the Jacob Blake protest. Below is a statement from the WNBA's New York Liberty: 

1,103 days since the New York Liberty’s first annual UNITY Day game dedicated to social justice. As the injustices persist, so does the work.

Today marks what should have been the Liberty’s 4th annual UNITY Day game which is devoted to telling Breonna Taylor’s story and highlighting the #SayHerName campaign. In light of today’s protest, our UNITY Day will be rescheduled at a later date. While we will not take the court today, we will continue to stay loud in our pursuit of justice.

The New York Liberty organization stand in solidarity with our players and demand justice for #JacobBlake, #GeorgeFloyd, #BreonnaTaylor, #AhmaudArbery, and the many human lives affected by brutal police encounters. We will not be silenced.

All lives can’t matter until Black lives matter.

The statement reflects an important part of the change in sporting these days. We try not to get too political or opinionated on things here at Cardinal Couple, but we live in a changing world. A world that has become very political, statement-laden and rightly so. We will continue to cover it as best we can. I'd like to think that our coverage of UofL women's athletics contests has been comprehensive, factual, and accurate in past seasons. I fully expect it to be the same in the future. There will come a day when we are able to resume that. Until then, we wait and see what will transpire with COVID. We have always been about the health, safety and well-being of the student-athlete. That is priority. 

NO SCHEDULING YET

Louisville's Volleyball, Field Hockey and women's soccer squad continue to practice hard for the hopeful eventuality of a schedule and competition. There isn't a schedule out there for any of these three sports yet, some adjusting and re configuring most likely going on since ACC members Duke and Syracuse won't be fall participants in the three sports. Are there more ACC schools that will follow suit? That's possible, if 2020 has shown us anything, we have learn that things are subject to change. 

It's tough to request interviews to discuss game results, future games, player performance and overall conference standings and trends with coaches and players when they don't currently exist. Any "up close and personal" interviews are pretty much out-of-the-question these days and it is a time where the student-athletes and coaches are having meaningful dialogue and meetings about what is going on in the world and our country today. So, we wait patiently and hope for the best.

One thing we haven't gotten official verification on, but have heard that happened, is that the year-old UofL Golf facility on Floyd Street, north of "the circle" has been closed. This is a beautiful facility and I hope the closure is just temporary -- because of budget cuts and COVID -- and isn't permanent. We have to realize that the UofL Athletic Department is not able to operate at a profit these days and that cutbacks to save dollars are necessary. Still, I feel bad for the coaches and golfers.  Just for the record, I've contacted several sources on this news, and haven't received a reply or confirmation.  

If you like to follow the pursuits of the squads in their preparations, I can highly recommend that you follow them on Twitter. We have our columnist Jeff McAdams UofL Sports based Twitter feed over on the right side of our site and it's a real good way to stay informed on the who, what and how of Louisville women's athletics as they exist these days. 

We hope for the best, accept what is in front of us, realize change is needed and continue to hope for the safety, good health and success for all. 

paulie

Giving Tuesday -- Fall Sports Season Happening? -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Karen Ferguson-Dayes Interview

Paulie will be sitting down with women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes later this afternoon.  Well, they will be sitting down in their respective homes and talk over the phone.  We will hear plenty about how she is handling these tough times, staying in touch with her team, and what she expects this fall.

Perhaps, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, they will sip on margaritas throughout the interview?  I'm sure that would make things more interesting as it goes on.


Tune in ( or click on) tomorrow to hear the full interview between Paulie and Coach KFD.


Fall Sports Season Hopeful

The MLB continues talks of its shortened season, which they hope to start late summer.  The NFL
said they will play their regularly scheduled season without a preseason.  Places are starting to reopen either May 25 or June 1.  UofL is planning on having their normal fall semester on campus.

All of these are promising signs for college sports fans hoping to have a fall sports season.

Fall collegiate sports typically do not start competitive play until late August or early September, well after the slow reopening of places.  The trick will be finding out how soon teams are allowed to get together for workouts and practices.

We may see a shortened or delayed season and these seasons may be held without fans in the stands but signs are pointing to having a fall sports season.  For us at Cardinal Couple it means field hockey, volleyball, and women's soccer.

Add on men's soccer and football for myself.  And Paulie is an avid UofL football fan and loves to go to the games with Sonya.

NCAA Notice of Allegations

Coming to no surprise was the NCAA Notice of Allegations to Louisville's men's basketball program.  The NOA goes back to the Pay For Play issue with Brian Bowen and several coaches who are no longer employed at Louisville.

We also learned that Vince Tyra and Dr. Neeli Bendapudi were not going to back down and will fully fight the NCAA on this.  They also stated that they will not self-impose a postseason ban.

These occurred under a now-gone basketball coach and have nothing to do with the current roster of student-athletes or coaching staff.

It seems a bit retro-active to punish the current players with any NCAA Penalties. That being said, it is the NCAA, and we know there is no love lost between them and Cardinal Basketball.

We'll see.


Giving Tuesday

May 5th is "Giving Tuesday" at UofL.

This #GivingTuesdayNow, we’ve made it our mission to further our first Cardinal Principle: to unite as a community of care. Whether it's supporting our most vulnerable students, empowering ground-breaking COVID-19 research, or 3-D printing and supplying Personal Protective Equipment, you’re helping us make a lasting impact for years to come. This all starts with you

The link to give is: 

http://give.louisville.edu/s/1157/19/fdn/interior.aspx?sid=1157&gid=1&pgid=6429


Although we operate on a shoestring budget here at Cardinal Couple, Paulie and Sonya have checked the books and made a $100 donation out of the Cardinal Couple account to this very worthy cause.

He challenges you to do the same, or give what you can. Show you care.



To conclude today I wish everyone a Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Make sure to celebrate Taco Tuesday the right way and add a margarita or four with it!

Happy Tuesday, stay safe, and Go Cards!

Jared

Evans Player of the Week -- Fall Sports Rarity -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Evans Named ACC Player of the Week

Dana Evans has been named College Sports Madness ACC Player of the Week.  The junior guard played a key role in Louisville's win over Kentucky.

Evans posted a double-double that featured team-highs in points with 18 and assists with 10.  She shot 7-14 from the field and went a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line.  Evans added three rebounds while limiting herself to three turnovers in 38 minutes played.

Jeff Walz mentioned during the postgame interview that Evans is starting to appear more like a point guard by controlling the floor on offense and finding the open players for assists.  The Cards had 18 assists on 29 made shots.

Evans and Louisville look to push their record to 11-1 tomorrow night at UT Martin.


Kylee Closing In

Guess who is closing in on the All Time Blocked Shots record for Louisville WBB. No other that Kylee Shook. The current record is held by Angel McCoughtry, with 162 total in her time at Louisville. With five blocks against Kentucky, Kylee now stands at 161 in her time as a student-athlete. 

She's already the holder of the most blocked shots in a game with eight recorded against Tennessee State on 12-2-18. She's third and fourth in most blocked shots/season with 52 in 2018-19 and 51 in 2017-18. So far this season, in 11 games, she has 24. 

Kylee is on pace to be the only WBB Cardinal to lead the team in blocks for four years in a row.

I guess you could say that whenever Kylee is on the court, a block party is about to break out.

. 
Louisville Fall Sports Pull Off Rare Feat

Having a team make the postseason is a sign of a good program.  Having five fall sports teams make the postseason is a rare sight and a sign of a great athletics program.

Louisville is one of two schools nationally to have field hockey, football, men's soccer, women's soccer, and volleyball compete in their respective postseasons.

Field Hockey was named the 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Volleyball went into the tournament unseeded but enjoyed a Cinderella story run to the quarterfinals that featured upsets over 15-seed WKU and 2-seed Texas.

Women's Soccer opened tournament play with a win to advance to the second round of play for just the second time in program history.

Men's Soccer enjoyed a trip to the third round of tournament that included an upset over South Florida.

Football is set to play in the Music City Bowl against Mississippi State on Dec. 30.

Field hockey, women's soccer, and men's soccer all saw an ACC team claim the title or finish runner-
up.  Football has an ACC team represented in the College Football Playoff.  There are no ACC teams remaining in the semifinals of volleyball.  The Cards were the last ACC team remaining in the tournament.

Also, on a side note here are some teams of early season or preseason interest:

Women's basketball ranked 6th
Men's Basketball ranked 3rd
Baseball ranked preseason #1
Women's swimming and diving ranked 12th
Men's swimming and diving ranked 9th

The softball preseason rankings have not been released but I suspect the Cards will be in the Top 25 before they ever play a game at home next season.

Where's Waldo? 

Today's Where's Waldo is Where's Jared

Thank you to Paulie for switching days with me this week.  I am headed to Chicago this morning and will return home extremely late tomorrow night.

The music ensemble I am in received the honor of being one of the select few to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference that will see enough people to fill up the KFC Yum! Center over the next few days.  To be selected to perform here is the highest honor a music ensemble can receive.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: We always suspected Jared was full of hot air. This confirms it. )


Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Expectations -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

EXPECTATIONS...

A popular question I hear from people is: 

"How do you think (fill in the sport) is going to do this year?

When it comes to UofL women's Fall sports, a few of those questions are now getting partially answered. 

Expectations differ, depending on who is doing the expecting. My expectations may differ from a coach, player, another fan's or member of the Cardinal Couple staff.

Which is fine. Expression and freedom of thought is healthy and creates discussion. I'll discuss my expectations, how they are matching up with results and how they might ultimately turn out in today look at (4) squads.

Field Hockey, Women's Soccer, Volleyball and Women's Basketball. 

I'll try to keep it short. If your expectations differ, let us know in the comments section. 

FIELD HOCKEY

We've seen a change of guard at the goalkeeping position. When you lose "the greatest goalkeeper in the world" to graduation, you really don't know what to expect at that spot.


I expected a bit of a drop off. I do believe, though, I've been proved wrong. 

Consider this, though. In nine games, the Field Hockey Cards have allowed 11 goals. Last year, after nine games, they had allowed 15. Obviously, better than I expected. The squad was 6-3 last year after nine games. This year, they 8-1. So far, better than I expected. Five have been on the road, including their only loss, which was to #1 UNC.  

A six game home stand awaits over the next 19 days.  The Cards have an RPI at #4 in the nation right now. Virginia is #5, Iowa #17, Stanford #19, Penn State #34, Wake Forest #39 and Longwood #58.

My expectations are for Louisville to win all these six home games. Virginia and Wake Forest to be the toughest of the six. After that, just three regular season games remain. At William and Mary, at Duke and home against Syracuse. A 8-1 finish to the season is entirely possible and what my expectations are. Playing #2 Duke, at Duke, is my only worry. Going into the ACC Tournament with just two losses and these losses to the top two teams in DI Field Hockey.  

Bethany Russ has been a force. Hollyn Barr has stepped into goalkeep and been quite effective. The "Flock" swarms on opponents and dictates the action. I love it.  

So far, Field Hockey has exceeded my expectations. Exceeding them in the best Field Hockey conference in DI. Let's fire off a water cannon salute! With Jared standing in front of it. 

VOLLEYBALL

At 9-3, the second year under Dani Busboom Kelly has gone about as well as I expected it to. Losing Wilma Rivera and Molly Sauer to graduation has left some huge spots to fill, but the Volleyball Cards have managed. We all know the capabilities of Melanie McHenry, and she's lived up to them so far. Aiko Jones has been a very pleasant surprise.

Emily Scott is solid and Amber Stivrins is showing potential greatness. Add in Tori Dilfer, Anna Stevenson and Alexis Hamilon and you have a very potent and exciting combination. And these names just scratch the surface of what this squad, as a whole, can do. 

Losses to Florida, Purdue and Kentucky were expected by me. These are all top 25 programs. The Cards are tapping at the door to get back in to the top 25 with a current #26 ranking.

The foes ahead?  The three opponents that worry me the most are Pittsburgh, Florida State and Notre Dame. The Volleyball Cards play Pitt and UND twice. 

Much Volleyball to be play. My expectations were for the squad to be a top 25 squad at this point and they've flirted with that all season. I expected "Mel" to have a great year and she's doing that. Expectations met. 

Run down to the bottom of the L&M Federal Credit Union stands and lead a cheer celebrating this, Worldwide Jeff. And get a picture of it, Jared. 


WOMEN'S SOCCER

I had high expectations for Louisville women's soccer going into the season and, so far, the Kickin' Cards have not disappointed. At 9-1, they're displaying multiple scoring options, shutdown defense and dominating action.  with a #18 R.P.I., and a lone loss to #3 UNC, the Cards are using their combination of experience and several new players to optimum efficiency. 

Emina Ekic and Brooklyn Rivers are two of the stars on the attack and Gabby Kouzelos is the vault at Fort Knox in goalkeep. 

Surviving a team-wide illness last week, Louisville went to Syracuse and Boston College and got the tough road wins. 

Consider that the ACC has four of the top five teams in DI WSOC with UNC, Virginia, Florida State and Clemson.  The Cards get the Tigers at home next week. They travel to Charlottesville on the 24th. They won't see FSU in the regular season. 

If the Cards can manage wins against these two worthy opponents, I'll be pleasantly surprised. Believe. Anything is possible if you believe. 

As Case likes to say, The huge importance of a single goal in WSOC is the beauty of the sport. Sometimes, 1-0 wins ARE the most exciting ones. 

WSOC gets the stamp of meeting expectations from this columnist. I think our soccer expert Case would agree. If we could only get him to lighten up on post-game questions...


WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

And now, into the great unknown. 

Talent. Yep, you bet, in huge numbers. Speed? Oh, yeah. 

With the addition of "E" and "Liz", Walz could probably petition the WNBA for inclusion in next year's season. The expectations are high. Quite high.

Coordinating all this talent is going to be a key. Getting the right combinations, finding the "closers" and utilizing the increased height for rebounding superiority are things to be determined. I have faith. Trust in Walz. 

Jazz is an Energizer Bunny. You can't stop her, at best, you hope to try and slow her down a bit. Dana is smart, quick and brilliant. Is the shot there, though? Yacine is the veteran. Battle-tested, tough and ready. Is the knee, though? Bionca and Kylee improved last season and we hope to see that trend continue. 

The sophomores are hungry. They want some of that court time, too. How much will Kasa, Lindsay and Seygan figure into the arsenal stocked up down on Floyd Street?

This returning nucleus, along with always steady Jess, welcomes the new additions to the fold. Individuals, yes...but they bond as a team and are, in my opinion, a top five team nationwide and the best in the ACC. 


The freshmen and transfers could ultimately hold the key on just how far this team goes. I'm ready to head to New Orleans in early April for the Final Four. I'll watch with great interest on how they are deployed this season.  Make it so, Cards.

I expect a lot. I have this feeling I'm going to get what I expect. 

These are the days of wine and roses on the Belknap Campus. Drink deeply and enjoy the fragrance, Cardinal Fans. In the words of the late Karen Carpenter: 

"We've only just begun". 


Have a Tremendous Tuesday !!

paulie
xxxxx

Analyzing Fall Sports -- Louisville Volleyball -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Dani Busboom Kelly Begins Second Season as Louisville's Head Coach

To continue on with the "Analyzing Fall Sports" theme Paulie has kicked off this week we will continue onto Louisville Volleyball.  Worldwide has been following the program for much longer than I and is a volleyball guru so I am asking for his input on it either by edit or in the comments section.

First things first, the Cards are the reigning ACC Champs.  Their conference record was matched by Pittsburgh last season, but Louisville held the head-to-head tiebreaker.  They are the preseason Number Two pick for the 2018 season in the ACC this year, right behind Pitt.


There are several big name returners to the squad.  Molly Sauer has made herself a household name.  The libero from Assumption High School here in Louisville has been the Cards' best defender in all her years so far.  She is accompanied by two other seniors, McCracken County product Jasmine Bennett and Puerto Rico native Wilma Rivera.  Bennett has progressed into a powerful hitter and middle blocker.  Rivera transferred in as a junior and was the top setter all year.

Other key returners include Amanda Green, Alexis Hamilton, and Melanie McHenry.  Green transferred in as a red-shirt sophomore and is in her second season wearing the red and black uniform.  She was on the Collegiate National Team that took the European tour.  Hamilton is a rising sophomore that also hails from Assumption High School (this school has a good history of sending volleyball studs our way) and will play a big role on the back line.  McHenry is a well-rounded player entering her junior season.  You can put McHenry anywhere on the court and she can answer the call.


Coach Kelly's roster is stacked and is the size of a small army, totaling 19 active players.  Nine of those players are new to the team from last year.  Six of the new faces are freshmen.  Two of them transfer in as sophomores, with one returning to her hometown where she graduated from Mercy.  The final new face actually returns back to Louisville.  Brianna Lester was a red-shirt her freshman year in 2016, transferred to Pepperdine to play basketball, and comes home to UofL to get back into volleyball.


Schedule Breakdown

Volleyball plays many more games than soccer or field hockey, which means you have more chances to see them play.

The Cards kick off the regular season as host to the Cardinal Classic on August 24 and 25.  Their opponents include Tennessee-Martin, Southern Illinois, and IUPUI.  They should start the year 3-0.


Labor Day Weekend will be a trip to Florida.  No, the "Volley Cards" are not going to Orlando to watch the Louisville vs Alabama football game, but they will make a stop in the Theme Park Capital of the World.  Coincidentally, I'll be half an hour down the road at Walt Disney World.  Sadly, I won't be making the trip to see the Cards play.  They'll then hit the road to Gainesville to face Florida and Southern California.  Playing two of the best teams in the country away from home will be a challenge that Louisville might not be ready to face this early in the season.  I expect the weekend to be 1-2, sending the record to 4-2.

September 7-8 will be a short trip to West Lafayette to compete in the Purdue Tournament.  Besides facing the host Purdue, Louisville will also test their skills against Lipscomb and Xavier.  The Boilermakers are not a team to overlook, especially at home.  The Cards come out of the weekend winning two of three, improving their record to 6-3.

Before diving into conference play Louisville returns home to host Kentucky (Sept 14) and Chattanooga (Sept 15).  The Cards are looking for revenge following a 3-0 in Lexington last year.  They'll add two more to the wins column, moving up to 8-3.


A trip to Raleigh on September 21 to face NC State and Ms Wuf will be the Cards' first ACC test.  UofL swept the Wolfpack last year and will win again, improving to 9-3.

They'll make the hop, jump, and skip over to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina on Setpember 23. These two teams battled it out to the death at Cardinal Arena in the home finale after falling at UNC 3-2 early in conference play.  UofL had to fight to come back in the fifth set to claim the win and secure their perfect home record in ACC play.  Louisville will win this one a little easier this year, hitting the 10-win mark, going 10-3.

Headed south on their road trip, the Cards will take on Georgia Tech on September 28 and Clemson on September 30.  Louisville swept both teams last year and will take the win in both again.  After improving to 12-3 the Cards will finally break the Top 25.

Following the road stint we will get to see the Cards at home in conference play for four straight games.  Duke will visit on October 5 and Wake Forest will follow on October 7.  UofL swept Wake Forest last year and used a second half comeback after trailing 2-0 to defeat the Blue Devils in a five-set nail biter.  Home court advantage will help the Cards add a pair of wins and move up to 14-3.


Instead of a weekend of games the schedule will alter slightly the next week.  Notre Dame will come in on Wednesday, October 10 and Virginia Tech will say hello to Cardinal Arena on Friday, October 12.  Louisville defeated the Hokies 6-1 in two matches last year and defeated Notre Dame twice 3-2.  UofL will enjoy playing at home to win two more, and improve to 16-3.

The Volley Cards hit the road again to head north.  On October 19, they will take on Virginia and then visit the highly-anticipated game against Pittsburgh on October 21.  The Cards routed the Cavaliers twice last year and should be well-rested after a week-long break to take that win.  Pitt will have their revenge from last season as the Cards drop their first conference game.  UofL will come out of the weekend 17-4.

A four-game homestand will be nice around the time midterms hit.  Boston College comes to town October 26 and Syracuse will follow right behind on October 28.  UofL beat both of them last year and will do so again this year.  Their record goes up to 19-4.


The next two home games include Miami on November 2 and Florida State on November 4.  The Cards and Hurricanes each defended their home turf last year while the Cards stole both games from the Seminoles last year.  Late-season weariness will be enough to send both matches to five sets.  Either Miami or Florida State will walk away with a win, stunning the Cards at home.  Their record moves to 20-5.

November 9 will be a trip to Boston College with November 11 being a trip down the coast to Wake Forest.  Louisville will beat both teams again for the second time that season to go to 22-5.

Louisville's final road game will be November 16 at Notre Dame.  Despite a couple rough years lately the Irish have historically been good and will prove themselves to defeat UofL.  The loss will be the sixth on Louisville's record of 22-6.

2018's finale will be at home when the Cards host Georgia Tech on Black Friday, November 23.  The long break and final game of the season will result in victory for the Cards, who will win the ACC for a second straight year.  Their final record: 23-6, 15-3.


This record is pretty par to last season, as Coach Kelly continues to work her gameplay style and recruits into her system.  The 23-6 record and Top 25 ranking would be enough for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, but winning the ACC will ultimately be how the Cards get in.

No first round exit this year for Louisville, who will make their fifth ever Sweet 16 appearance.  The 2018 season will also lead to Louisville's 27th NCAA appearance and 26th conference championship, including their third in the ACC.

Louisville has a skilled team and will continue their recent dominance in conference play.  They'e exciting to watch and undefeated with Case in attendance.  Look for the Cardinal Couple contingent covering the chaos and competition on the court.

Your thoughts on the team? Talk about it in the comments section!

What Day Is It?

Grab a lemon meringue pie and relax to celebrate two holidays at once.  A major Catholic holiday today is Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Day.  There are two big names celebrating birthdays today.  Internationally, Napoleon Bonaparte was born on this day in 1821.  More recently, Louisville-native and Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence celebrates her 28th birthday today.

Here in Louisville, it is the first official day of going back to school for the Jefferson County kids. Be watchful on the roads today for children and buses and those friendly school crossing guards that always seem to jump out in front of you when there are absolutely no kids waiting to cross the street...

Other Notes




On a personal note I officially released my photography website yesterday www.jdaphotos.com.  A few people knew about it in advance and I thank the rest of the Cardinal Couple crew for their input and advice in helping my construct the site.  For you technology geeks (we're looking at you, Worldwide) I used Wix as my website building platform.  Everything from format to layout to making sure everything linked properly was all done by hand, or mouse.  I will continue using Flickr as my photo storage site but JDA Photography will be the official site to go to for pictures, including pictures from all women's sports at UofL.  You can see UofL WBB from Senior Day, the Sweet 16, and the Elite 8 on there.

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EDITOR NOTE: REALLY PROUD OF JARED AND THE WONDERFUL THINGS HE HAS CREATED AT THE SITE. GO GIVE IT A LOOK AND DEFINITELY KEEP HIM IN KIND IF YOU WANT THAT SPECIAL OCCASION OF YOURS CAPTURED IN PHOTOS. YOU CAN FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO SEE JARED'S FANTASTIC ARTISTRY: 

https://www.jdaphotos.com/


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Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Fall Sports Media Day -- Angel out -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW DAY

A chance to interchange with four of the fall sports at UofL. Field Hockey, Volleyball, Women's Soccer and Cross Country met with the media Thursday afternoon at the Lynn Stadium office complex and training facility to preview their seasons. 

A bit of difference in the format from previous years, with each squad -- complete with coach and selected players going to the interview room and fielding questions after opening statements. No breakout session with they individuals afterward. Part of that change because of a delay in the proceeding since a football media opportunity went long and a lot of the media were covering that. 

Field Hockey went first with head coach Justine Sowry and student-athletes Katie Walsh and Taylor Stone. You can hear them in their entirety at the link below: 

https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1446mp3




Next up was Louisville Volleyball. Coach Dani Busboom Kelly took the stage with players Molly Sauer, Jasmine Bennett and Wilma Rivera. That session linked up below: 

https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1447mp3

Coach Karen Ferguson Dayes and her Louisville women's soccer contingent were next. Emina Ekic, Gabrille Vincent and Gabby Kouzelos fielded media questions. Their session is available below: 

https://soundcloud.com/user-748907999/dr0000_1448mp3



Closing the session was Cross Country with head coach Dale Cowper and runners Dorcas Wasike and Daniel Fleace. Our audio quality isn't the greatest there, so I did not include ours here....but Cross Country's words and a UofL recap of the entire event can be found at: 

https://gocards.com/news/2018/8/9/field-hockey-cards-host-fall-sports-media-day.aspx

Fall sports. They're right around the corner...starting with a WSOC exhibition Saturday at 6 p.m. against Morehead at Lynn Stadium. 

We're excited! How about you? 

ANGEL FALLS

Atlanta Dream all-star forward Angel McCoughtry will miss the rest of the season and the playoffs with torn ligaments in her knee, the team announced Thursday. McCoughtry suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of the team’s win over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.

Here's a vid of the injury and a good read on what it means to the Dream at the link below:

https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2018/8/9/17672720/angel-mccoughtry-knee-injury-wnba-dream

A tough break, no doubt, for the Dream...so close to playoff time. We, at Cardinal Couple, wish her a speedy and complete recovery. 


paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Sports Preview/Review with Jared Anderson...Enter our Contest! -- Wednesday CARDINAL COUPLE

        (Jared mentions at least 32 different people and organizations today!)

VOLLEYBALL

Another Louisville vs. Kentucky match-up this week as the VolleyCards travel east to face a highly ranked and highly talented Kentucky squad. This rivalry leans toward the gals in Blue -- they hold a 27-25 advantage overall in the history of the series. UK Coach Craig Skinner is 6-3 against our ladies since he has been in Lexington. This is, of course, Dani Busboom Kelly's first tangle with the Blue. 

The Wildcats are 7-2 on the season and have multiple wins over ranked opponents. They're currently ranked #12 in the DI polls. Their outside hitter Leah Edmond is the big weapon on offense. They have a strong back defensive line, like the Cards...but I'd take Molly Sauer and Alexis Hamilton over UK's Gabby Curry any day. 

Sitting at 5-3 our Cards are on a hot streak. They'll have a tough challenge in Memorial Coliseum but seem to have put the pieces together to contend for the upset. The Cards are looking well-rounded and starting to look like the dominant Cardinal squad from the past. 

I'm told Paulie and Jeff will be attending this one, so I'm sure they'll have plenty of tales to tell and discussion points for THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR on Saturday. 


FIELD HOCKEY

The Stick Girls look to bounce back after a Sunday 1-0 loss at Maryland. Justine Sowry's squad visits Durham to face the Duke Blue Devils. How about this -- it's a Friday night match for once instead of early afternoon. (Hint, hint UofL Athletics) 

My Minnie Mink prediction is crashing and burning like my fantasy football team -- but as the Radiers' David Carr mentioned recently -- it's not about how many stats he racks up personally, what matters is if the team wins. Let's hope to start the ACC Field Hockey season 1-0 and if "the little Dutch girl" could score 8-10 goals, I'd be right back on track. 

WOMEN'S SOCCER

The Kickin' Cards are close to boarding the struggle bus. Their loss to Purdue was anything but pretty. I will give them credit for the fight to the finish and gathering a couple of scores in the final minutes. Too little, too late but maybe something to build on. 

Coach KFD's turf dwellers will face the Runnin' Bulldogs from Gardner-Webb on Thursday night at glorious Lynn Stadium.  Be advised that this is a 5:30 p.m. start instead of the usual 7:30 we're used to. You might catch this handsome fella showing up a tad late in his banker clothes. Paulie won't be in attendance due to a previous commitment (he's missed two home games in a row and will be issued a yellow card) and I'm not sure if Case will be attending but we'll have coverage of it on Friday in Worldwide's write up. 

This is the final non-conference contest before ACC play starts...so we need a win here to get "The Battling Bjerke's" to 6-2 and help Case out with his preseason prediction of a 12-win season. 

Cards running with the bulldogs. Clear Floyd Street! 


WOMEN'S GOLF

As mentioned yesterday, the Cardinal women's "chippers and putters" were setting the Minnesota Invitational golf course on fire after two rounds. The swingers did finish tied for 5th when it all ended. The single-round school record for lowest score is quite an accomplishment for this under-publicized squad, as is the second lowest score in history for a tournament. 

And, it was their first match of the season! 

Courtney Trimble has assembled a roster that combines the best of our commonwealth golfers (Olivia Cason, Kristin Engle, Lauren Hartlage) with a couple of talented Europeans (Margot Bechadergue, Linda Trockel) plus representation from Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina and Alabama. 

Admittedly, golf is a sport that doesn't hold my fascination...but even I can see that this will be a squad to be reckoned with anywhere and anytime.  


FOOTBALL

My prediction for Saturday's game against Clemson is 41-37. We will get revenge for the last three years of close losses and Lamar Jackson will continue his madcap, all-over-the-field pursuit of a second-straight Heisman trophy. You can't tackle what you can't catch.

Please take a moment to participate in CARDINAL COUPLE'S Score Prediction contest if you'd like a free meal for you and a friend. Panera Bread has generously provided a $20 gift card to the winner. It's easy -- just pick a score and who you think will win. Paulie reports that 14 (15 counting mine) brave souls have provided their picks and the trend is currently 12-3 for the Cards to win.  

And, it's free. 

Leave your pick in the comments section or e-mail it to Sonya at cardinalcouple@twc.com
(It's about time she did some work around this place...)

You have until 7:30 p.m. Saturday to enter. We're guessing she'll have determined a winner by Sunday morning and we'll post "the Champ" here in Sunday's article. 


THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

After you are done with College Game Day festivities, be sure to tune your radio to 100.9 FM or download the WCHQ app to hear our broadcast. 

You never can tell just what the "A team" will get into. I'd expect we'll roll through everything I've written about above and I'm also suggesting we make our own Game Day posters for the studio. 

That ought to confuse the Handicapping Heroes and La Vida Loca shows that follow our broadcast sufficiently.

You really need to download the WCHQ app (available at www.crescenthillradio.com) so you can take the station with you wherever you go. You don't want to miss out on entertaining broadcasts like Kevin and Bryce's MORNING JAM, LUNCH BREAK LIVE, MIDDAYS WITH CJ, AFTERNOON DRIVE and all the other original programming available. 

Great local music and talk.  24/7. The most unique community radio station on earth! 

You definitely want to tune in tomorrow for WCHQ'S all-day on air party for the GIVE FOR GOOD LOUISVILLE fundraiser. Help WCHQ meet their goal and keep local music and programming on the air all the time! Many of your favorite hosts and on-air personalities will be coming in to man the microphones. So many and so quickly, in fact, the list was full for the day before the Cardinal Couple crew got around to offering their dubious talents to the affair! 


Go Cards! 
Jared Anderson