New Roundup -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Catch Up Time

The Cardinals' women's basketball team was in action Thursday night, which means you've gotten a recap, and they don't play again until tomorrow, which means it's not quite time for a primer.

The Cards WBB squad will bring in Georgia Tech, who has been having a very good season so far at 12-4 and 2-1 in ACC play.

They have two great freshmen and will be looking for revenge from last year, when they got "Myisha-ed" in Atlanta.

There has been a lot going on in the other sports in the world of UofL and general women's athletics, so here are some quick news items for late this week. 

Volleyball Brings in Transfer Setter

Tori Dilfer, daughter of former NFL QB Trent Dilfer, has decided that she no longer wants to call TCU her home. Louisville Volleyball announced the incoming transfer of Dilfer yesterday afternoon. Head coach, Dani Busboom Kelly, says she's excited to add Dilfer to the 2019 team, but unless a waiver is filed and granted (which I would find unlikely), it seems Dilfer will be sitting this entire year. Dilfer was a full time starter at the setter position for the Horned Frogs last season and played every set for them. 

In the 2018 season, Dilfer found herself climbing the single season record lists for TCU. Her 11.2 assists per set is good for 5th all time and her .40 aces per set was best in the Big 12 and 7th all time in a season for TCU. Dilfer was All-Big 12 second team, and Academic All-Big 12 first team. Dilfer's former head coach at TCU, Jill Kramer, says she respects all of her players' decisions and just wants them to be happy and successful. I imagine Kramer may think otherwise if the two schools meet in some capacity once Dilfer is eligible, but it is a commendable position to be sure.

Dilfer will join a setter room that is a bit thin following the departure of Wilma Rivera. She'll sit and learn with the rest of those trying to fill Rivera's shoes as she awaits her eligibility.

Coach Dani Busboom Kelly was pretty successful with that first setter transfer, so let's see if the magic can work again.

At the very least, maybe Trent will hang around campus and venture over to watch the Cardinal quarterbacks a bit and offer advice if asked. He did have a very decent NFL career (winning a Super Bowl with the Ravens) and joins the list of celebrity fathers of Louisville Volleyball players...we'll miss Winston Bennett. 

Indoor Track and Field Season Begins Today

The indoor season for Louisville Track and Field gets underway this weekend as the Cards travel to West Lafayette for the Gene Edmunds Cup. There, they'll be taking on Purdue, Alabama State, IUPUI, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, and Western Kentucky.

Standout Dorcas Wasike began her indoor season last month, but the rest of the team will be joining her in competition today. Live results are available on the Go Cards website.

Lauren Hartlage Invited to Augusta

Hartlage has been invited to the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur event in April.

Hartlage earned an invitation as one of the top 30 ranked amateur women's golfers in the United States, as she found herself ranked 22nd at the end of 2018. The event takes place the weekend before the Masters, with only the final round actually being played on Augusta National. Hartlage says it has been a goal of hers to make the tournament since it was announced, and I imagine that goal also includes making it to that final 18 hole round.

Best of luck to Lauren, who should be one of the leaders in the Louisville clubhouse this spring.

Maori Davenport Reinstated

Following an absolutely bonkers saga, Maori Davenport returned to the court for her high school team in Alabama last night. She scored 25 points and the high school stat keepers were unable to keep track of her assists and rebounds. In her first game back after being held out by a ridiculous ruling, Davenport showed why she was a highly sought out recruit.

Congratulations to her for getting the opportunity to enjoy her senior year before heading off to Rutgers and a semi-sarcastic congratulations to a sports association for finally making a common sense decision. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

I am a late scratch from the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour squad this morning, but have no fear!

Paulie and Worldwide will be joined this morning by Daryl Foust who is amped to bring you her wrath about officiating in women's basketball. The crew will talk the women's basketball loss to Notre Dame and what needs to be different for the Cards to reestablish themselves going forward. They'll also dive into the transfer news and more about the joy and excitement of Louisville women's sports.

Tune in at 11AM to WCHQ FM, available at 100.9 FM, wchqfm.com, the WCHQ app, or on Facebook Live at WCHQ FM.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Rouse, England Fall To Japan 2-0 -- Davenport has a top five -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ENGLISH LOSE IN WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL TO JAPAN 2-0 

It was a match-up of the two highest scoring teams in the FIFA U 20 World Cup semifinals yesterday in Vannes, France but the Japanese squad did all the scoring in a 2-0 win to advance to the finals against the Spanish team...who defeated France 1-0 in the other semifinal match. 

UofL women's soccer standout Mollie Rouse isn't quite done with her contributions to the English U 20's yet, though. The English will meet France with the bronze medals on the line Friday in Vannes. Rouse, from Warwichshire, England (a county in south-central England and about two hours northwest of London) went to Stratford-upon-Avon school...maybe best known for being located where famous writer William Shakespeare was born.  Rouse played in the semi-final match after sitting out the quarter-finals against The Netherlands. Like her teammates, though, Rouse could find no answers or scores against a technically sound and ball-hawking Japanese defense. 

Both goals were scored in the first half and within five minutes of each other when Japan connected on a Riko Ueki attempt from the outside corner of the box in the 22nd. minute of action. 

What it means for Louisville women's soccer is that Rouse will definitely miss the Thursday, August 23rd. game at Dayton and most likely the August 26th Sunday match at Michigan. The Friday August 31st. annual battle of the Bluegrass against Kentucky at Lynn Stadium is a definite possibility for her, though. 

As we saw with Field Hockey's goalkeeper extraordinaire Ayeisha McFerran, getting acclimated to "stateside" and college action takes a bit of time...although McFerran was impressive in the 2018 team's romp over the alumnae on Saturday and their 3-1 exhibition win against Michigan in Columbus, OH yesterday. 

Speaking of McFerran, she and Louisville head Field Hockey Coach Justine Sowry will be meeting with the media on Wednesday this week (tomorrow) at 2:30 over at Trager Stadium to discuss the 2018 season and Ayeisha's adventures in England with the Irish National Field Hockey squad that finished second in recent World Cup competition. 

The Field Hockey squad begins their regular season in Bloomington, IN against Indiana University with a 3 p.m. scheduled start. 


MAORI DAVENPORT NARROWS IT TO FIVE SCHOOLS

Maori Davenport, a 6'4" post out of Charles Henderson H.S. in Troy, Alabama, has narrowed her college list to five schools and Louisville is one of those five...along with Mississippi State, Georgia, Florida and Rutgers....according to several Tweets from last night.
Earlier reports that South Carolina was one of the five (at another website) appear to be incorrect. 

Davenport played on the USA U19 squad that Jeff Walz was the head coach of and that won the FIBA Americas tournament in Mexico City recently.  She was selected to the All-Tournament team after the competition. She's #2 ranked at her position in the latest ESPNW listings and #13 overall in the 2019 class. 

Davenport hasn't commented on when she'll narrow it down any further or make a choice between the five schools. Visits to the schools haven't been announced yet either. 


Three SEC Universities are represented in the final five and Florida head WBB Coach Cam Neubauer is a former assistant to Coach Walz. Maybe a bit of concern over the wealth of SEC suitors...all three schools are not that far of a drive for her parents and the close proximity of the other SEC schools to Troy, AL. are something to consider. Rutgers definitely a "long haul" from Troy but has the allure of head coach C. Viv Stringer. Tim Eatman, who served as an assistant coach at Louisville from 2004-07, is an assistant on Stringer's staff. 

Troy, AL. is just a seven-hour trip up I-65 from "the Ville". Ultimately, of course, it eventually breaks down to what is the best fit for the player, the coach and the team goals and philosophy fitting the player. 

Walz has the edge in coaching her in the FIBA events and both got a chance to evaluate each other's style and philosophies. The Cards had the second best 2017-18 season of the "final five" in Davenport's list.

The recruiting game. So many factors and intricacies. We'll let you know when we know more. CARDINAL COUPLE has a interview scheduled with Coach Walz on Wednesday, and although we can't talk recruiting, we'll discuss the FIBA and USA experiences Walz had and hopefully get a little first-hand insight into the 2018-19 season. Be sure to check back here on Thursday for the interview recap and audio! 


Guess who's going to classes? 

If there was any worry among our readership or Louisville WBB fans out there, rest assured. All three freshmen on scholarship are on campus, enrolled in classes and attending them.  They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so...we present this shot from 
Sam Purcell's Facebook account. 

All three would be best advised to avoid Sam as much as possible....everything, as we know, is his fault...study well and learn all you can Mykasa, Molly and Seygan! 



paulie
xxxxx

USA U18 Women Win FIBA Championship -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

USA Defeats Canada 84-60 to Win FIBA Championship

Canada gave the United States a run for their money.  Nothing came easy like some of the earlier games.  Ultimately, the American squad, coached by Jeff Walz was victorious, 84-60.

Walz, clad in his Team USA red polo with black pants and tennis shoes, had his hands full the entire night as the Canadian defense slowed his hot offense down.  As the game progressed Walz's squad furthered their lead to pull away.

As a team the Americans shot 34-for-76 (44.74%) from the field.  At the free throw line they went 10-for-16 (62.5%), which would receive a lowercase "f" if we were to do the ever-so-popular "F-R-E-D" report.  Since we didn't do a "F-R-E-D" though...if you were to give one what would yours look like?

Foul trouble limited a few players on the US team, with three players finishing with at least three fouls.  However, four of the five starters finished with one foul.

Nalyssa Smith powered the offense with 18 points and was one of four players in double-digits. Christyn Williams scored 11.  Ashley Joens and Nazahrah Hillmon-Baker each finished with 10. Aijha Blackwell got USA off to a nice start by nailing the first two threes she took and USA's first six points.
 

Maori Davenport joined Smith and Hillmon-Baker with six rebounds.  They led the way as the US out-rebounded Canada 50-44.  The Americans hauled in 19 offensive rebounds, but second chance points was not a stat readily available in the FIBA Championships.

Walz's team spread the wealth as they dished out 22 assists, compared to Canada's 17.  Williams and Anaya Peoples each had five to their name.

Jenna Brown displayed her excellent guard work for USA in the final. Stanford is really going to love her. Olivia Nelson-Odobo drew the tough assignment of trying to stop powerful Canadian post Christina Morra and did about as good a job as anyone could against her.

Desiree Caldwell had an extremely quiet night.  She recorded one assist, one steal, and one foul in five minutes played.  Sedona Prince did not play due to the injury (a broken right leg) she suffered a few nights back. She wasn't present for the awards ceremony or final two games, back in the states undergoing successful surgery. She will have to sit out the 2018-19 season at Texas.  .

Rhyne Howard, who is headed to Kentucky for college, was named the MVP of the tournament. She was also selected for the All-Tournament team, along with Maori Davenport (USA), Christina Morra (CAN), Mayra Caicedo (COL) and Florencia Chagas (ARG).

United States moves to 6-0 all-time vs Canada.  The other wins came in July 2006, July 2008, August 2012, and twice in August 2014.  This is the first time in the last three match-ups that the US failed to break 100 points.  It's the second-lowest point total in the history of the series.

The victory gives the United States nine straight gold medals and 10 overall in the 12-time history.  The full results of each championship is posted below:

1988: United States 70 - 68 Brazil
1992: Brazil 80 - 70 United States
1996: Brazil 82 - 78 United States
2000: United States 69 - 46 Cuba
2004: United States 121 - 56 Puerto Rico
2006: United States 85 - 52 Canada
2008: United States (round robin group) Canada
2010: United States 81 - 38 Brazil
2012: United States 71 - 47 Brazil
2014: United States 104 - 74 Canada
2016: United States 109 - 62 Canada
2018: United States 84 - 60 Canada

Despite the recent match-ups between the United States and their neighbor to the north it appears
Brazil has been more of a rival over the years after shocking the US in 1992 and 1996.

A big round of applause for this USA squad. After the contest, head coach Jeff Walz spoke of the devastating loss of Prince and how the team vowed and made a pledge to win the FIBA Americas for her.

They did that and did it convincingly. The final-game 24-point margin of victory was the smallest margin that USA won by.

What Day Is It?

For you feline or Kentucky lovers it is International Cat Day.  It's also Custard Day and Zucchini
Day.  Coincidentally, it is also a day you are encouraged to sneak zucchini onto your neighbor's porch.  Whether you do it as a kind gesture or in spite of them is entirely up to you.  For us financial industry folks we can laugh at National Dollar Day because it doesn't get you far anywhere.  No, it doesn't mean we're giving away free money either.

If you want to get really adventurous today, why not leave a zucchini, with a dollar wrapped around it, on your neighbor's porch while eating custard and taking your or someone else's cat for a walk?

If you're a fan of zucchini, here's a great recipe for it:

In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan mixture. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes.

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Walz in Colorado Springs for USA squad...Staff recruiting -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WALZ WORKS U 18 SQUAD WHILE STAFF RECRUITS

July. That month in the year where NCAA women's basketball coaches get two chances to scour the country (and abroad) to evaluate high school talent and identify players who might make up the future rosters at their colleges and universities. A huge month for the talent-rich camps, showdowns, shootouts and tournament for club ball and AAU events. 

The second evaluation period of the month has begun and Cardinal coaches are spanning the globe to watch and observe. Louisville head women's basketball coach Jeff Walz is out at his "home away from home" Colorado Springs, CO...coaching up the USA U 18 squad to get them ready for the FIBA Americas Tournament in August. USA goes to Mexico City to begin play on August 1st. 

This time he didn't cross the Mississippi River alone. Associate coach Steph Norman and special assistant to the head coach Beth Burns were with Walz at the U.S. Training Facility over the weekend to watch a couple of girls on the squad who are still undecided on their university choice in the 2019 class. Maori Davenport (Henderson High School, Troy, AL), a 6'4" center and Aijah Blackwell (Whitfield School, Berkeley, MO), a speedy 6'0" guard are the interest there. Both are top-25 prospects going into their senior seasons. 

If Walz doesn't know his way around the US Training Facility, Air Force campus and streets of Colorado Springs by now...he's as geographically challenged as Paulie...

Cardinal great Sara Hammond with Sam

Meanwhile, Sam Purcell is overseas in Minsk, Belarus monitoring the USA U 17 squad and their games. He's probably not getting much time to sample borscht, caviar and sip vodka, with future Cardinal prospects in the 2020 and 2021 classes Azzi Fudd, Zia Cook, Charisma Osbourne, Jordan Horston and Haley Jones on the court. USA has rolled past Italy and Mali in their first two contests in Minsk and takes on China Tuesday. If you want to watch, the link is facebook.com/USABasketball

"Sardechna Zarashayem!" is a greeting Sam will no doubt hear from the locals a few times while in Minsk. Don't accept any fake rubles, Sammy. 

Other places of interest stateside for Cardinal coaches include the United States Junior Nationals in Washington, D.C. 2019 prospects Jada Boyd and Rickea Jackson remain high on the Cardinal observation list. 

They probably won't have time to hit The Deli At Watergate...but if you find yourself in D.C., it's highly recommended. The pastrami is incredible there. 

Recruiting. Maybe best summed up by the quote: 

"In recruiting, there are no good or bad experiences...just learning experiences" 

Here's hoping the Cardinal coaches learn a lot and the players learn that the UofL coaches and campus offer a lot for the continuation of their student/athlete process. 


KATIE VS.

Local television sports reporter Katie George (WDRB) has started a series where she takes on players at their sports. She went up against Cardinal Couple favorite Jaz Jones in the first segment. Jaz "Myisha'ed" her, as you'll see in the link below. 

Kudos to Katie for the "Katie Vs." segment. It's a rehash, in sorts, of several other sportscasters' attempts to show their (sometimes lack of) athleticism. "Domine Does It" comes to mind, as does "I Challenge Fred" from past years. 

An entertaining segment, for sure. We'd like to see if she could score on UofL Field Hockey goalkeep Ayeshia McFerran...

LINK: KATIE VS


paulie
xxxxx