Monday Cardinal Couple -- Watson's farewell

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-USA Womens Olympic Basketball cruises by 52.


-The final Watson column (for awhile)


-Chicken Sandwiches: To eat or not to eat. 


Angel with 10 points and three steals as USA rolls past Angola 90-38. After a slow first quarter and only a 22-12 lead, Angel and company kicked it in gear and took  a 41-18 lead at the half. 69-29 after three and a balanced scoring attack for Geno's ballers.


Three-point shooting still needs work, but an easy-as-expected romp to go to 2-0 in pool play.


Undefeated Turkey next on Wednesday. 


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(David Watson is a special columnist for CARDINAL COUPLE. He'll be taking leave of us for awhile...as he explains in today's column.)


All good things come to an end. 

I've had a great time writing for CARDINAL COUPLE over the last couple of years, but other things are calling...so, this will be the last chance you have to shake your head and wonder what this boy is thinking for awhile. 


My oldest daughter Abby is enrolling in college this fall. Actually, she's already on campus and taking summer classes -- so she's already technically a freshman. 


One down, two to go. 

She fortunate enough to be attending on a couple of partial scholarships -- one for academics and one for field hockey. From what side of the family she got these special talents from to earn these honors is still up to debate -- but we're all proud of her. 


Since it isn't UofL where she's matriculating, I have decided to follow the university where she's attending.

Might even start a website/blog about the trials and tribulations of her athletic and academic pursuits through the eyes of her father. Her mother and I plan on being active parents in any way we can toward the college and have already met several of the field hockey mom and dads. 


If I do start a site, I'll insist Paul put me on the "Sites We Recommend" on the left side of the site. After all, the tremendous growth CARDINAL COUPLE has experienced was certainly spurred by my ground-breaking and thought-provoking articles, right? 


I'll leave with a couple of parting comments. 

First, I'll still be following the pursuits of the University of Louisville sports teams. Louisville looks to be very strong in quite a few different sports this upcoming season and I expect nothing less than conference titles from them in football, both basketball teams, volleyball and softball. 


Tom Jurich has done a great job with facility building, coaching hires and creating excitement for the fans  University of Louisville athletics. The University of Louisville seems committed to raising the academic bar as well. I truly hope that the recruits continue to be top-flight for the sports teams at UofL.


I can't help but wish my daughter had been talented enough to receive a scholarship offer from Louisville...but that's the way it goes and she's happy where she is. 

Finally, I want to thank Paul and Sonja for letting me be a part of the CARDINAL COUPLE world. I know there have been times when readers have disagreed with me and taken a different viewpoint. The way I see it is that if everyone share the same viewpoint, it would be a pretty boring world. Several people can look at the same event and have a different viewpoint on it. I've tried to express my views with you, the CARDINAL COUPLE readers, and I appreciate the chance to do so. 

Not to worry, you've still got quite a few excellent writers here at CARDINAL COUPLE to keep you informed on the joy and excitement that is UofL women's sports. I've enjoyed reading articles by Jenny, Sandy, Mark and the co-owners of the site -- Paul and Sonja. I never got to meet the first three mentioned above, but feel like I know them from their writings. 


Paul has encouraged me to pop in from time-to-time with a column and I've promised him I'll try, so maybe this isn't a final farewell, but a "till we meet again" goodbye. 


Anyway -- it's been fun and I'll be reading, so keep the bar high in your coverage, comments and details of one of the best sports programs in college athletics.


-- David.


(We wish David all the best and thank him for his coverage these past couple of years! We know he and Cheryl will be great college parents.)


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The Chick-Fil-A drama is heating up on the UofL campus and we've received several e-mails about it so we'll take a little time today to discuss it. 

We'll go on record by saying that we like the tasty Chick-Fil-A sandwich and UofL was supplying these to the media earlier this year during the softball tournament. I suppose they were donated by the restuarant or maybe purchased...we're not sure, but they seemed to disappear pretty quickly.


I remember eating mine next to Courier-Journal sports writer C.L. Brown a few innings before Louisville won the game against Valparaiso in dramatic fashion when Alicja Wolny cleared the right-field fence with a base clearer. If I knew she was going to provide such a dramatic ending to the game, I might have asked for two sandwiches and saved one for her.
I don't know if this would have been considered an NCAA violation or whether she likes chicken sandwiches or not. I might have even eaten both sandwiches. I'll ask her at the start of softball season.

The recent statements by the owner of Chick-Fil-A have drawn considerable scrutiny because of the content. Seems he's in favor of traditional marriage and some other situations that have angered the gay and lesbian community. Thus, a boycott has been called and UofL's president James Ramsey and other UofL administration personnel have stated that they'll no longer eat at the campus location. 


I'm trying to cut down on fast food, too. It's worked, I'm now at 192 lbs. and two summers ago I tipped the scales at 240. 

I don't attribute all the weight loss to cutting back on fast food. But, I've stopped drinking soft drinks also. Switched to a low carb, light beer. Started walking more. Ride my bicycle 3-4 times a week. I can tell you my knees feel a whole lot better without the extra 48 pounds.


I still crave fast food, I just don't indulge in it as much. I'm guessing Teena Murray, Director of Sports Performance at UofL would be proud. I've never talked at length with her, but we did an article on her awhile back and I know she tries to get the players to eat healthy. 


I do like the Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich, though, so the moral dilemma begins. Do I join the UofL boycott of the restaurant or give in to my taste buds and still occasionally treat myself to one of their sandwiches? 

I may still get a sandwich occasionally but I will try not to be happy about it. Until that first bite. Then again, I've heard Zaxby's and Wendy's have a pretty good chicken sandwich also. I may have to investigate.


Maybe one of our sponsors, Panera Bread, will invite me over to sample their chicken offerings. I'm about out of cinnamon raisin bread, so that would work...


We live in a country that gives us religious and social freedoms. We live in a country that protects us from oppression. We live in a country that allows entrepreneurial opportunities. We also live in a country where the media can make a big deal over chicken franchises. 


Somewhere, Col. Sanders is rolling over in his grave, clutching his secret spices recipe tightly. 


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USA Womens Olympic basketball tonight against Angola. Go, Angel go! 5:15 EDT time. MSNBC with the live action. Rachel Maddow and Larry the Cable guy with the play-by-play. (Just kidding.) 


We're pretty sure Angel will see some significant minutes. Unless she and LeBron James have decided to enlist in the French Foreign Legion. 




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Swimming leads, Softball falls, Sypher sentenced..

SATURDAY at CARDINAL COUPLE PRESENTS:


-Swimming still #1 after Day 3 of Championships

-Softball drops two in 'Bama Classic

-Sypher gets 87 months in extortion case.

-Watson's take on South Florida hoops vs. Lady Cards

-And the Panera winner is.....

-Pitino's Cards cage the Huskies in the YUM

The University of Louisville's men and womens swim squads still lead after Day 3 of the BIG EAST Championships. 'Sharin' Karen Sypher, pictured above, had to miss the competition...trying to swim out of her own cesspool down at the courthouse yesterday. She sank...

The women's swim squad has a commanding lead over Notre Dame 623.6 to 430.50 as the final day of splashing starts today. Several Lady Card swimmers touched the wall first in races yesterday in the Ralph Wright Natatorium. Let's look at the action:

Raine Thompson took the women's 100-fly with a new conference record 53.10. The Cards also had good finishes from Mary Mittel (5th), Esther Povazsky (7th) and Lacy Bobo (8th) in the final.

Therese Bergstrom captured the 100-breast stroke, defeating last year's champion from Notre Dame, Samantha Maxwell. Cardinals Giselle Kohoyda, Aileen Cole and Kameron Chastain also picked up points in the event.

The Cards also got a third in the 400-IM, second in the 200-free and second in the 100-back. The highly heralded 400 medley relay team of Bergstrom, Thompson, Cole and Krissie Brandenburg just missed against the Irish...who set a new BIG EAST record with 3:35.89.

The men go into the final day clinging onto a 591-570.5 lead over the Irish..


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Tough Friday for Sandy Pearsall's softball team in Tuscaloosa, Al. at the 'Bama Bash. Losses to Syracuse and Alabama drop the Cards to 3-4 in the young season. Against the Orange, Louisville jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning...Alicja Wolny's double scoring Jennifer Esteban. 'Cuse roared back, though, with a 3 run blast from Stephanie Watts in the top of the third. The Cards got back within one and had a chance to win it in the top of the seventh. Tanner Fowler, Esteban and Katie Keller reached on infield singles to load the bases with two outs. An error got pinch runner Chelsea Jordan to the plate but Syracuse reliever Jenna Caira stopped the rally...leaving the Cards one run short. Caralisa Connell (1-1) took the loss, allowing three runs, five hits and getting five strikeouts in seven innings. The 3-2 win pushes the 'Cuse to 5-0.


In the nightcap, Alabama jumped on Cards hurler Tori Collins early with four runs in the second inning. A two run double by Kendall Dawson and two run homer from Jackie Traina did the damage. 'Bama added two more in the third and led 6-0 until the top of the fourth when Louisville countered with two runs. Colby Wherry put one over the fence, bringing Katie Keller to the dugout with her. The Tide would add two more in the fourth and fifth innings for the final 10-2 score. Collins took the loss...giving up ten runs, 14 hits and fanning five in 4 innings.


The Cards look to rebound with a noon game against Texas-San Antonio today.


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Sharin' Karen Sypher received a seven year, three month sentence for her extortion attempts on Rick Pitino in Federal Court Friday. Her attempts back in 2003 to force Pitino into forking over cash, cars, college educations and a house for her and her kids is going to put the blond bad girl away with no chance of parole or reduced time served, since it is a federal case. Sypher plans to appeal and won't have to start serving the sentence immediately...as was pleaded by the prosecution. Think she takes a southbound to Georgia and dyes her hair black?


WE at Cardinal Couple feel that she got what she deserved. Although WE do NOT approve of Pitino's indiscretion with her, or the fact that money was provided for what ultimately turned out to be a Sypher abortion...what Sypher did, six years later, was much more severe. Her bizarre attempts to present the facts in a totally opposite and implausible reenactment and her equally strange appearances on obscure radio and TV talk shows indicate to us that she needs some serious psychological observation and help. She's isn't the sharpest pencil in the pile and her alleged previous 'gold-digging' attempts and successes on others show us she needs to be sequestered to a place where following the line in an orderly fashion and doing laundry eight hours a day is the agenda. (See 'ya and wouldn't want to be 'ya.)

Hey...she'll be eligible for AARP and Shoney's breakfast bar discounts when she gets out.....


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Shoni Schimmel and Monique Reid search for their missing shooting stroke today in the Sun Dome against USF. Our special correspondent David Watson provides his take on running with the Bulls below. You can e-mail David at mrwatsonipresume@insightbb.com if you get extremely bored...





Call me irresponsible or foolish (both usually apply) but I see good things in store for the University of Louisville's womens' basketball team Saturday in Tampa. It's Florida, for goodness sakes, who wouldn't be happy to be there in the middle of February? South Florida isn't exactly the Beast of the BIG EAST this year. They've notched one win in the brutal BIG EAST so far this season. They have a win over Seton Hall. I conservatively figure that my son's Catholic Youth team could give a respectable run for the money against the Pirates.

Andrea and Andrell Smith are the two main horns on a Bulls squad that won't be running with the crowd in the NCAA Tournament. They weren't present for USF's stunning upset over UofL last year in Freedom Hall and they might want to consider heading over to Sanibel Island and collecting seashells instead of suiting up for today's impending rout. Louisville is desperately seeking win # 8 in conference play and they'll get it if Walz can convince the Cards to block out, be patient in the offensive sets and not take a deep sea fishing expedition in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Say what you want about the road woes for the Cards this year. This is no Marquette, Syracuse or Connecticut that Hines and company are tipping it up against this afternoon. These Lady Bulls (excuse the oxymoron) are not proficient in rebounding, shooting or playing defense. At home or on the road. If Louisville can manage to lace up both shoes, find their way out of the locker room and shoot at the correct basket each half...then they stand a excellent chance of winning.

(David Watson occasionally sends us his views and observations on Louisville sports when he isn't too busy trying to persuade his oldest daughter to attend
Louisville instead of Notre Dame in two years.)

WE'LL HAVE FULL COVERAGE HERE LATER TODAY AFTER THE GAME IS FINISHED
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A tip of the tap and free Panera Card to Kenneth Stark, Sr. for having this week's winning entry in the random draw. His was the final entry that Bill the Goat tried to eat after a wild night on the Drunken Amish farm. Ken wrote:

"OK. Hope you don't actually have to have a favorite since I have never actually been to one. Maybe a coupon or something free will entice me? If/when I do go to one, it would be the Poplar Level Rd location.
P.S.-love your site!"

Well here's your big chance to break your maiden, Ken! We've got a Panera Gift Card headed your way and we're confident it'll be the first of many trips to Panera for you. We like the Poplar Level Road location, too. Even if we have to tie Bill the Goat up outside before we go in...
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We'd be remiss if we didn't offer the Pitino Cards a slap on the back and hearty "attaboy!" following their win over UConn in the KFC YUM Center last night. Gorgui Dieng with a double-double and Peyton Siva with some high flying magic for the 'Ville. 20 wins for Preston and the bunch and even Musburger and Knight gave Louisville some hearty praise on the four letter network. Always great to beat UConn in anything and Louisville has done it twice now this season in men's basketball. Boo-yah!
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Softball to Bama, Swimming winning

FRIDAY at CARDINAL COUPLE.

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-Softball Cards travel to 'Bama Bash.

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-Swimming leads BIG EAST Championships.

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-Track signs four.

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-Uh Oh...here comes the road.

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-PANERA Contest.

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The University of Louisville womens' softball team spends the next three days in historic Tuscaloosa, Alabama participating in their second tournament of the season. They'll kick off the activities against a BIG EAST foe...Syracuse....today at 1 p.m. The 'Cuse knocked off Louisville in the finals of the BIG EAST tournament last May in Louisville's Ulmer Stadium 2-1. Ace pitcher Jenna Caina returns for them. The Orange (4-0) have gotten off to an excellent start to the season, winning the Georgia State Tournament last weekend. The bats are working well for the Orange...they outscored opponents Tenn. Tech, Morehead State and Georgia State 33-3 in the four games.

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Louisville will face Alabama in the second game Friday. The Crimson Tide (5-0) is off to a great start also...winning the Easton All-Alabama Classic last weekend...running up 47 runs against Samford, Alabama A&M, Jacksonville State, South Alabama and Troy. The two teams will meet again Saturday at 4 p.m. and Louisville will have Saturday and Sunday games against Texas-San Antonio while there.

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Sandy Pearsall prefers to think that this matchup against Syracuse isn't a revenge or payback game for Louisville...she looks at the season ending series with the Orange as payback time...but we're guessing the returning Cards from last season wouldn't mind having a good outing against the tricky hurler Jenna Caina...

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The Cards (3-2) will most likely use the pitching trio of Tori Collins, Carlisa Connell and Chelsea Leonard again this weekend. Collins had a one-hitter last weekend against Tulsa. Louisville has gotten productive offense power from Alicja Wolny, Jordan Trimble, Jennifer Esteban and Colby Wherry this season and the dangerous Chelsea Bemis, 2010 BIG EAST Player of the Year, is always a threat.

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Day two of the BIG EAST Swimming Championships concluded yesterday with both the Louisville men's and women's squads in first place. Both squads are trailed by Notre Dame in second. For the ladies, a win in the 200 free relay capped off the evening. Aileen Cole, Nicole Landisch, Lacey Bobo and Grite Apanaviciute edged out the Irish in a time of 1:31.44.

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Cole took second in the 50 free. She was followed by Landisch in third, Apanaviciute in fifth and Bobo and Krissie Brandenburg tying for sixth.

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Lindsey LaPorte finished sixth in the 500 free for the Cards and Breann McDowell eighth.

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The Cards got another win when Sarah Andrews took the 200 IM. Stephanie Juncker finished fifth.

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Action continues today at the Ralph Wright Natatorium.

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Ron Mann, Louisville track and field coach, announced the signing of three athletes to the women's track and field team for 2011. Rachel Serafin is a shot put and discus champion from Pennsylvania and will add to the already strong group of 'throwing girls' on campus. Megan Klein comes in from Lexington and is an accomplished distance runner at Paul Dunbar High School. The Cards also picked up Hannah Cox, who holds the school records at her high school (Christian Academy, Knoxville, TN.) in the long jump, triple jump, pentathlon and 4X200 relays. She also pole vaults. Mann promises many more good recruits are on the way and will be adding Cardinals all the way up thru mid summer.

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Jeff Walz's Lady Cards return to action Saturday...on the road in Tampa to face the South Florida Bulls. Despite just one win in BIG EAST play, the Bulls are a dangerous opponent. OK...enough of the obligatory, complimentary nonsense. The Bulls are horrible. Besides sisters Andrell and Andrea Smith and the occasional sighting of Porsche Grant...they're not a great or talented team. St. John's blasted them by 20 in the latest game down in the Sun Dome. Georgetown, Syracuse, Notre Dame and WVW have 25+ point wins over them. They did manage to beat visiting Seton Hall by four in front of 521 people back in late January and early in the season scored victories over Wake Forest and Auburn...but they're a bottom feeder in the BIG EAST and will most likely view their game Feb. 26th. at Villanova as the only chance left to stay out of the BIG EAST cellar.

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A four point loss to Pittsburgh on the road and falling by six to Marquette shows that they'll give opponents a tussle at times...but Cincinnati beat them and so did Providence. USF is last in the BIG EAST in scoring defense, field goal defense percentage and 13th in scoring margin, They trail the rest of the conference in three point field goal percentage and are 15th in rebounding defense. If Shoni Schimmel, Monique Reid and Becky Burke have shed the demons that invaded their bodies in Syracuse that caused them to be incapable of hitting a cow in a pickup truck...the Cards should be OK in sunny South Florida.

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It is the road, however...and the mere mention of walking into an opposing gym for basketball strikes fear into the hearts of most of the Cardinal faithful. When it's away jersey time, the Cards are 2-4 on the year...with wins at Villanova and Cincinnati...which isn't saying much. This one is a "gotta have it" scenario for Walz's bunch if they are going to reach the magical 9 wins in the BIG EAST...

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WE'RE going to take the high road, though...and predict that Louisville will regain the shooting touch, play inspired defense, learn how to block out and go for loose balls and pull out the win Saturday. May not be by 25+...but any "W" is a good "W" when you play in the best conference in college basketball. Maybe another one on the Monique Reid 'payback' list...USF came into Freedom Hall and gored the Cards 63-60 last year.

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WE draw for another PANERA Card tomorrow. Entries have been good this week, but since it is a random draw, why not get your entry in and see if you get lucky. A recent chat with Panera managing partner Archie Karel revealed that PANERA is about to invade the Highlands with a new location. WE approve and wait patiently for the day that they expand to friendly Fern Creek or Jeffersontown.

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Saturday with THE Couple...

(Paul and Terry Jackson demonstrate that even short guys and tall ones can be buddies)

-CARDS TAKE TWO IN TEXAS

-TRACK RESULTS

-SARA HAMMOND SELECTED FOR MCDONALDS GAME

-PITINO'S GUYS HANG ON AGAINST SYRACUSE

-YOUR WEEKLY PANERA WINNER.

Friday was a good one for Sandy Pearsall's Softball team in Austin...beating both N. Illinois and Tulsa. Freshman pitcher Caralisa Connell went four innings...getting the win while going four strong innings, allowing no runs, only three hits and striking out four in the 6-1 victory over the NIU Huskies.

Jennifer Esteban collected three hits in the victory. The Cards got started early when Esteban singled in the bottom of the first and then was advanced to home by three illegal pitches by NIU starter Whitney Owens. Taner Fowler and Colby Wherry kept the scoreboard flashing in the second...each getting singles and advancing on a Kristin Austin ground out. Katie Keller's sacrifice fly scored Fowler and a Esteban single drove home Wherry.

Louisville made it 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Austin reached first on a NIU fielding error and then stole second. Esteban got a single for her third hit of the day and Maggie Ruckenbrod drove Austin home with a sharp single. Another illegal NIU pitch got Esteban to home plate. Alicja Wolny's single scored Ruckenbrod to complete the Cardinal scoring.

Northern Illinois scored their only run in the bottom of the fourth on a couple of singles.

The win evened Louisville out a 1-1 on the season. NIU drops to 0-2.

In the second game for Louisville against Tulsa, sophomore pitcher Chelsea fanned 10 Golden Hurricane batters in five innings en route to a 4-1 win for the Cards. Louisville managed only one hit in the opening three innings..but that was one more than Tulsa could muster. In the top of the fourth, the Cards broke through for three runs...Esteban starting the parade with a single and advancing to third on a Ruckenbrod ground out. Alicja Wolny got hit by a pitch next and stole second on the next play. A wild pitch got Esteban to the plate and Jordan Trimble's single got Wolny safely home for a 2-0 UofL lead. Chelsea Bemis pounded a double next...scoring Trimble.

Louisville struck again in the fifth when Esteban singled, advanced to second on a Ruckenbrod single and scored on a Wolny single for the Cards final score of the game

Tulsa managed a lone run in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Caralisa Connell. With the win, the Cards are facing Tulsa again Saturday in the semifinals. We'll have the results of that one in Sunday's column.

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Results from women's track...in the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, AR. (we assume the Tyson Chicken folks, not the boxer...) Saravia Richardson ran 16th in the semifinal and 6th in the consolation heat. Margret Harris placed 20th in the long jump and Charachesicia Lockhart 12th in the long jump. In Akron, Gabrielle Jackson ran 11th in the pentathlon.

We'll have more results from today's action in the Sunday CARDINAL COUPLE.

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Sara Hammond has been selected to play in the McDonald's All-American game March 30th in the United Center (Chicago, IL.) The Rockcastle County senior is the only girl selected from Kentucky this year and the first Louisville signee to be awarded the honor. Hammond is rated 12th nationally and is scoring 15.5 points a game and pulling down 13 boards. She's the front runner for Kentucky's Miss Basketball. Out of the 24 girls selected, BIG EAST foe UConn has three signees playing, Stanford, Duke and Tennessee two.

We feel this is just one of many honors that Sara will be picking up this season and during her career at UofL. We love to see her play in the Derby Classic but they don't sponsor a women's game. We don't like that and if you agree contact the Kentucky Derby Festival and let them know how you feel. They have waiters and waitresses compete with trays of wine, for goodness sakes, can we get a girls game featuring the best high school seniors in girls hoops?

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Exciting afternoon for the University of Louisville men's basketball team with a four point win over the Syracuse Orangmen. The YUM was definitely rocking and the had a great end to the first half...down by seven, they roared back to go up by 10 at 40-30 by halftime. An 11-2 run to start the second half had Kyle Kuric and company up by nineteen..they led by 20 shortly later and withstood a furious Syracuse three point barrage that cut the lead to three several times. Some clutch free throw shooting late and a spectacular steal by Peyton Siva allowed Louisville to hang on for the win.

We love how loud the YUM gets during men's games...being a part of the crowd is a ton of fun. Not that sitting on press row for the women's games isn't a blast (it is!) but sometimes it's fun to get loud and crazy without having to worry about 10,000 people watching you boogie, yell and question referee's calls.

A great halftime presentation today with the coaches and players from the 1986 National Championship Team on the court. A shame that Pervis Ellison and Milt Wagner couldn't attend...but it was fun to see how the guys that were there looked 25 years later. Billy Thompson did a great job on the microphone and quite a few of these guys still look like they

could lace 'em up and throw a few through the hoop. Remember where you were 25 years ago when the Cards took down Duke for the title? Paul was watching the game with a few friends at a local establishment which is no longer in business. Sonja viewed it from the house. David Watson claims he was there...we didn't see him on TV and he's long since (reportedly) lost his Final Four ticket stubs. Said he got lucky in the student lottery on campus and ended up with a ticket. If everyone who has told us over the past 25 years that they were there for that game was...I think they would have had to play it in the SuperDome...not Reunion Arena.

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Jane Feger is the lucky winner of a PANERA Gift Card for this week. She writes:

"It's hard to say which Panera I like the best. I visit all the east end locations on a regular basis. I was recently in Houston and had breakfast at the Panera on San Felipe. My favorite thing is breakfast. I always get a cup of their great coffee and a spinach and artichoke souffle. Delicious!

We're big fans of the java brews at PANERA too, Jane. Hope you enjoy an upcoming trip...because it's on us! You can get in on the fun as well... just e-mail us at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com and tell us about you & PANERA. (Or take us out for a lunch!)

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Softball starts today

THURSDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:


-Texas Invitational for Softball Cards

-Breaking down the 2011 squad

-High School hoops realignment

-Poll results


While we scrape car windows and shiver during the morning walk to retrieve the newspaper here in Derbytown, the University of Louisville softball team prepares to begin their 2011 softball season in Austin, TX. in the Texas Invitational today. Texas, N.Illinois and Tulsa join the Cards in the four day event. Chelsea Bemis (pictured here) leads a talented group of Cardinals in the opening game against Texas at 7:30 this evening. Louisville will play five games in the invitational. After facing Texas on Thursday, Louisville plays N.Illinois on Friday night. The Cards will face Tulsa Saturday afternoon...then play in the semifinals Saturday night. The consolation and championship game take place Sunday...beginning at 11 a.m.


Louisville is 1-0 all time against the Longhorns...defeating them last year out in Fullerton, CA. Texas is ranked #15 in the preseason coaching polls. They'll most likely put sophomore pitcher Blaire Luna on the mound. Luna was Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year...going 30-10 and posting a 1.39 ERA. N.Illinois has lost both lifetime appearances to Louisville...last falling to the Cards at Ulmer Stadium last season. NIU went 25-34 last season. Louisville and Tulsa have never met. The Golden Hurricane went 32-21 last year and finished second in Conference USA.
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(Note) We received an e-mail from assistant S.I.D. Lori Korte that the weather was far from ideal in Austin. The team took batting practice this morning 26 degree weather. That's gotta sting with an aluminum bat...
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The Cards return seven starters from last year...losing All-American Melissa Roth at catcher and Kristen Wadwell on the mound. Here's a breakdown by position of Sandy Pearsall's team and our guesses at potential starters:

Pitcher.

Three Cardinals will vie for time on the mound. Returning junior Tori Collins was selected for All-BIG EAST honors last season and went 18-6. Sophomore Chelsea Leonard returns after an injury shortened season. She was 4-2. Freshman Caralisa Connell had an impressive fall pre-season for Louisville and is from Murfeesboro, TN. Pearsall likes the depth of her hurlers this season and predicts big things down the road for Connell. We figure Collins will get the start against Texas...


Catcher

With Roth gone, several players will compete for the spot. Freshman Maggie Ruckenbrod is a power hitter and performed well in the fall. Sophomore Sarah Anderson backed up Roth last year and is a contender. Freshman Taner Fowler played the position in high school and also hits for power. Chelsea Bemis has played the spot and third base if could go there from third base if needed. Catcher could be a spot that sees several player rotating time...we like Ruckenbrod a lot and see her getting the nod.


First base

Alicja Wolny returns after her All-BIG EAST selection as a freshman. She led Louisville in doubles last year and is a above average fielder. Several will compete for back up time.
Wolny is solid here and will anchor a great infield.

Second base

Katelyn Mann saw extensive time at the position last year and the sophomore is the front runner to start. The coaches were impressed with the fall play of freshman Katie Keller. Freshman Hannah Kiyohara is another option if the Cards decide to rotate at the position. Last year's starter at second...Jordan Trimble...moves to the outfield. We expect Mann to get the nod..but Keller could see considerable time.


Shortstop

Colby Wherry returns for her senior year. She's been the starting short shop for three years and has two All-BIG EAST selections under her belt. Either Kiyohara or Keller could back up.
Wherry is experienced, an excellent fielder and is part of a strong Cardinal left side.

Third base

Chelsea Bemis, BIG EAST Player of the Year, looks to have another big season. The senior led Louisville with 13 home runs last season and batted ,299. She's locked in the spot and several will compete for back up time...if Pearsall needs to move her to catcher. The sky is the limit for the personable slugger.

Left field

Toss up between senior Christina Roesel..an infielder last year and Jennifer Esteban. The sophomore drew some starts there last season. Katelyn Mann had high school experience there and can be used in the outfield if needed. We see Roesel drawing the opening day assignment.

Center Field

The Cards move Jordan Trimble from second base. Tesha Payton has seen back up time there the last two years and is a good glove. Trimble will anchor a Cardinal outfield that has seen considerable changes from last season.

Right Field

Kristin Austin is a two time All-BIG EAST selection. The junior led Louisville in triples last year and scored 30 runs. She'll be backed up by Chelsea Jordan and Chrisanna Roberts. Austin has a big time 'gun' and base runners better be aware if they try to test it.
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Louisville looks loaded for the 2011 season and will challenge DePaul and Notre Dame for the regular season title. Pearsall's players have experience, depth and one of the best freshmen classes in school history. The schedule is equally formidable. The Cards play four teams that finished last year in the top 25 and nine NCAA Tournament participants from last year. We'll give you daily coverage of the season opening tournament...and all Cardinal softball action this season. Just don't ask us to pinch run....

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The KHSAA has realigned the 6th. and 7th. Regions for hoops...beginning in the 2011-12 season. They've gone with a north/south alignment...replacing the current east/west set up. It'll make for some interesting district matchups. Manual moves from the 7th to 6th and draws a bunny district with Central, Portland Christian, Shawnee, Presentation and St. Francis. Mercy goes to District 28 with Fern Creek, Whitfield Academy, J'Town, and Bullitt East. North Bullitt and Bullitt Central are moving to District 27 with Moore, Evangel, and Southern. This breakup of the three Bullitt County schools makes no sense...a much more plausible re-alignment would have had these three matched up with Fairdale and Southern. An alignment that makes sense in the Sixth region is putting Shawnee, Central, Brown, Portland Christian, St.Francis and Presentation together. District 25...with Beth Haven, Fairdale, Holy Cross, PRP and Valley looks the weakest of the new alignment...we wouln't want to have a team in District 28 with powers Mercy, Fern Creek, J'Town and Bullitt East....


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The results are final for the latest poll we've been running and you have spoken on which five Lady Cards you would choose for the starting five. The results are below:

92% Monique Reid
92% Shoni Schimmel
75% Tia Gibbs
64% Keisha Hines
53% Asia Taylor
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Becky Burke finished sixth with 32%. All 12 currently playing Cardinals got at least one vote. We did not include the injured or sitting out players (Burton, Dyer, Johnson and Warren). Also, Candyce Bingham did not get any votes either. Just as well, she's already returned to Europe to play hoops.
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Two days to get your e-mails to us for free Panera. Your gift card is waiting...all you need to do is tell us which Panera you like to go to and why. We're doing it differently this week...we're taking all the entries and putting them in a hat. The first one that Bill the Goat attempts to eat is the winner. Seriously, we're going to pick one randomly...so, if you aren't that great of a writer or like the luck of the draw...get your entry in to us at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com along with the rest. A hot bowl of soup, panini sandwich and steaming coffee sounds pretty good right now...
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Labor Day Tribute

HAPPY LABOR DAY FROM CARDINAL COUPLE

As you go thru your day of picnics, relaxation or whatever you have planned...remember that you live in a land that gives you the personal freedoms to do things without the fear of reprisal, banishment or punishment. It wasn't always that way. We've come a long way, there is still much to do and although the road may seem long and weary...rest if you must...but don't ever quit.

Congratulations to Eric Downs, winner of the final PANERA gift card contest. Eric sums it up well by saying:

"Panera has excellent breads, bagels and muffins and I can get free refills on coffee while I dine and go thru the morning paper. Then, a "to go" order for the gang in the office."

Thanks to all that participated!

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Angel McCoughtry led the Atlanta Dream to a win in the first game of the WNBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at New York 81-75. McCoughtry ended up with 21 points...13 in the decisive 4th quarter. They square off again Tuesday night in Atlanta.

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# 13 Louisville Field Hockey bested #15 American University yesterday 2-1. Hayley Turner put the Cards ahead in the second half after 1-1 first half action. Louisville (3-1). The Cards host Ohio State next. Game time is 6 p. m. on Wednesday.

UofL womens sports pulls off the hat trick on Sunday

MONDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Volleyball turns back Ohio in five sets

-Field Hockey blanks Central Michigan 9-0

-Soccer bests Bucknell 2-0

-Your weekly PANERA winner

-RACHEL runs second to longshot

University of Louisville women's sports teams swept the board and won all three events Sunday. If there was ever a better way to begin the week, it would be hard to fathom.

The Volley Cards, led by tournament MVP Anastasia Artemeva pictured here, outlasted tough Ohio University to win the Louisville Invitational in 5 sets...23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 16-25 15-9. It wasn't an easy win for the Cardinals but team play helped them finally turn back the Bobcats. Louisville fell behind early in the first match and despite a late rally that saw them take a 20-19 lead, couldn't catch Ohio and fell by two points. The Cards fought back in the second game and finally pulled away late to even the sets at 1-1...winning by three.

Louisville started out the third game with a 6-1 lead but Ohio battled back to tie the contest at 9-9. The Cards regained their confidence though and went on a run to take a 18-12 advantage and go on to win game 3 by 3. Game four was tight early but Ohio used a 9-4 run to grab a 13-9 lead that they would increase upon and even the match at 2-2...winning by nine.

In the final contest, Louisville jumped out to a 6-1 lead, thanks to some strong serving, but saw the Bobcats roar back and climb within one at 8-7. The Cards regained the momentum after that and took seven out of the final nine points to win the game by six and take the match.

Louisville got strong net play from Artemeva with 12 kills in the five game match. Teammates Gwen Rucker and Lola Arslanbekova also had 12 kills and Emily Juhl added 11. Taylor Brauneis led the squad with 36 assists.

Lindsey Mango and Juhl joined Artemeva on the All-Tournament team for Louisville. The Cards travel to Lexington Wednesday for a match against rival Kentucky.

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Pam Bustin's field hockey squad rebounded nicely from Saturday's loss to Duke to whitewash Central Michigan 9-0 in the consolation game of the Champions Challenge at Michigan State. Nicole Youman tied a team record by scoring five goals in the win. Louisville roared out to a 6-0 halftime lead against the Chippewas and coasted in for the victory. Louisville struck early in the contest with Youman knocking one in just two minutes into the contest. Just a few minutes later a Youman shot was tipped in by Amber Thomas to make it 2-0. Youman scored the third goal of the game seven minutes into the game on an assist from Thomas.

Rachel Hollenbach joined the scoring frenzy for goal 4 off an assist from Youman. The half drew to a close with Youman scoring on two unassisted goals, putting the Cards up by six.

The second half saw Louisville increase the margin to seven on a second Hollenbach score off a Thomas set up and Youman increased it to 8-0 minutes later on a penalty shot with assists from Jenna Ahern and Hayley Turner. Thomas closed out the UofL scoring late in the game on another penalty shot...Ahern and Karah Nall assisting.

The Cards outshot the Chippewas 38-3 in the game and goalie Erin Conrad got the shutout with two saves. The road trip continues for The Flock with a trip to Harrisonburg, VA. to face James Madison on the 4th and American University the 6th.

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Soccer stayed undefeated with a big win in the Gamecock Courtyard Classic finals over Bucknell 2-0. The contest started out a defensive battle before Angelika Uremovich got Louisville on the board with a long attempt that slid into the net 19 minutes into the contest. Lousiville took that 1-0 lead into halftime and protected it until late in the game when Julie Casselman slipped by the Bucknell goalie and knocked in an uncontested shot for the final margin.

The Cards placed goalkeeper Taylor Vancil on the All-Tournament team and she took MVP honors as well for her stingy goal allowance during the tournament. Cardinals joining her were Christine Exeter, Caitlin Rehder and Uremovich.

The Cards (3-0) kicked their way to a 19-6 advantage in shots in the final and are now off to their best start to a season since 2007. They return to action Friday Night in Cardinal Park...hosting Toledo.

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Kenny Clay is the proud owner of $10 in PANERA gift cards with his response on why he likes PANERA:

"I travel around the area as a sales rep and I can dine at Panera in Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green and Owensboro. Even in Evansville. It's the same good food and friendly faces no matter which location I'm in. It's a relief to see that PANERA sign off the highway when I am travelling because I know I am going to get a good breakfast or lunch."

Good summation Kenny. This week will be the final week to win PANERA Gift Cards. Thanks to all who have submitted entries and good luck in the final week!

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RACHEL ALEXANDRA dueled with LIFE AT TEN for most of the Personal Ensign Stakes on Sunday at Saratoga...but it was longshot PERSISTENTLY that snuck up on the two in the stretch and passed to win. PERSISTENTLY has the champion filly PERSONAL ENSIGN in her bloodlines but was overlooked by the betting public. RACHEL ALEXANDRA finished second with a game try late to keep up with the flying winner...but it looks like a mile and a quarter just might be a little too far for Calvin Borel's mount to run...

An across the board wager on RACHEL ALEXANDRA didn't return quite what you wagered on it, but an exacta box wheel with RACHEL and all did double your investment money. With the loss, the owner and trainer of the 3 yr. old filly must now decide whether to place her in the shorter LADIES CLASSIC Friday in the Breeders Cup or try the tougher CLASSIC at 1-1/4 miles on Saturday. Here's guessing they opt for the LADIES CLASSIC... avoiding a tussle against ZENYATTA and some tough males that will go in the CLASSIC.

#13 Cardinal field hockey falls to #10 Duke

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Field hockey takes Duke to O.T.

-Volleyball today at the Arena

-Ironman Triathlon

-Success, Success!!

-PANERA contest wide open

-Sara Rising

The University of Louisville field hockey team took Duke to two overtimes before falling 3-2 yesterday in the Champions Challenge at Michigan State. (Thanks to Tony Viscardi Designs for this great rendering of field hockey and check out his merchandise over at CARDINAL DOMINANCE).

The Cards and Blue Devils battled to a scoreless first half..a defensive struggle where neither team was able to get a shot on goal or a penalty corner attempt.

The Dukies fired out strong in the second half and put the first point on the board with less than three minutes elapsed. Louisville countered with a Amber Thomas shot into the net and the Cards took a 2-1 lead a few minutes later when Tuli Lim sent a penalty corner pass from Rachel Hollenbach past the Duke goalie.

Duke came back to tie the game and the Cards had a golden opportunity to win in regulation but Karah Nall's shot from a penalty corner got blocked.

The team battled to a scoreless tie in the first overtime but Duke managed a winning goal in the second extra session to take the victory.

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Louisville Volleyball returns to action this afternoon with a 2 p.m. match against Ohio University. Leonard Yelin's team will try to stay undefeated in Cardinal Arena against a talented MAC opponent. It's a busy week for the Volley Cards...they travel to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday.

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Sara Hammond, Rockcastle County's talented senior girls basketball star has been upgraded to 12th in the nation in the latest ESPN national rankings. She's scheduled for a visit Sept. 4th to Louisville and also will visit UConn. Vandy and WKU have also offered scholarships. Hammond was previously 27th in the ESPN rankings. The only other Kentucky high school girl that made the top 100 was Calloway County's Averee Fields at 80th. Obviously, the crew at the four letter network's ranking panel needs to spend a little time in the Bluegrass state watching the ton of talent out there on the hardwood. Their East Coast bias is way too obvious...

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The Ford Ironman Louisville triathlon takes place today in and around town. Competitiors will start with a 2.4 mile swim in the Ohio River, proceed with a 11.2 mile bike ride and finish at 4th street LIVE after a 26.2 mile run. Last year's women's winner Nina Kraft returns to defend her title. Much admiration to those who can complete this course. I might be able to do the .4 mile swim, .2 mile bike ride and .2 mile run (or walk) in about the same time...

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SUCCESS, SUCCESS hit the wire first for our favorite trainer Paul McGee in the third race at Ellis Park Saturday. Corey Lanerie got the winning ride and roared past contenders in the stretch to win by 1- 1/2 lengths and pay $6.80 to win as the 2-1 favorite. Our pick in the Travers Stakes yesterday FIRST DUDE set the early pace and fractions but could not hold off AFLEET EXPRESS or FLY DOWN in the Saratoga stretch. The DUDE paid $4.60 to show, though and he has finished in the money in all 10 of his lifetime starts. Calvin Borel and SUPER SAVER finsihed a dismal 10th out of 11.

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It's your next to last chance to win $10 in PANERA BREAD gift cards. We're still accepting entries for this week and quite frankly...it's still wide open for a winner. Can you beat this (name withheld) entry that reads:

"I like Panera bcoz they got fresh bread and stuff."

Send those entries to: cardinalcouple@insightbb.com by midnight Sunday.

Atlanta falls to Washington in regular season final

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE COMMENTARY:

-Not a great DREAM

-Your weekly PANERA winner

-The MOLE report

Despite Angel McCoughtry's 18 points, the Atlanta Dream lost their regular season finale to visiting Washington 90-81. Believe me, it wasn't this close, though. The Dream stumbled out of the starting gates and trailed by 20+ from the second quarter till the fourth...when they managed to put on a belated rally and cut the final margin to less that double digits.

You have to wonder about the intensity and what is going on with the Dream internally since the All-Star break. The Dream has only won two games since then and dropped their final two at home. Losing to the Mystics handed them the Eastern Division title and set up a playoff scenario where Atlanta, who finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, will travel to Washington to begin their playoff quest against these same Mystics on Aug. 25th.

Atlanta is the best rebounding team in the WNBA...with DeSouza, Lyttle, McCoughtry and the rest creating nightmares forthe rest of the league...but shooting woes have created a situation where they look lost in a lot of offensive sets and if McCoughtry or Castro-Marquez are having an off night....the whole team plummets.

Here's hoping they can solve the quagmire and get it together to make a run in the post season.

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Congratulations to Andrea Maxwell, winner of the weekly PANERA BREAD gift card contest. Andrea is a big fan of the Dutchman's Lane location and writes:

"I love their specialty summer salads and that they have free wi-fi at their locations. I can spend my lunch hour eating, surfing the internet and keeping up with what is going on at the office. "

Two weeks remain in the contest.

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Our on-campus confidential reporter (we call him/her the MOLE) sends this info along:

"Back to school Monday. Been a great summer and have had some fun hanging out with a lot of the athletes who stayed on campus this summer working out. Unfortunately, there are a couple of them that aren't going to be able to pursue what they are here on scholarship for because of injuries that haven't gotten any better. It's depressing for them and one of them isn't going to remain in school because of it. On the bright side, though...fans of the women's basketball team will be glad to know that the girls who stayed on campus this summer and worked out are in great shape and there is a overpowering desire to make it back to the NCAA Tournament and also get a little revenge on the way the a certain school east of here laid it on them last winter."

We'll have reports from THE MOLE from time to time. WE can't reveal the identity of our source though because of the close nature the mole has to one of the sports.

Volleyball, Field Hockey pick up wins

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE :

-Field Hockey handles Kent State

-Volleyball defeats the alumnae

-Some potential 2011 Lady Card hoops recruits?

-Nothing but BLIND LUCK

The University of Louisville field hockey team handled Kent State yesterday at Trager Field 3-0. Rachel Hollenbach, pictured to the left, scored one of the Card goals against the Golden Flashes. The Cards looked good against the MAC opponent...playing them to a scoreless tie in the first half and then erupting in the final stanza.

Amber Thomas began the scoring for the 'Ville in the second half with a nice putback into the nets after Kent State blocked a shot on goal. Pam Bustin's squad increased the margin to 2-0 when senior Simone Attles slapped in a rebound shot off of a penalty corner a few minutes later.

Hollenbach finished the exhibition game scoring late in the match on a nice feed from Karen Nall.

The teams played a sudden death scrimmage and penalty shot contest after the game and Louisville won both of those events also.

Things get officially started for The Flock on Saturday, August 28th when they travel to Michigan State to face off against Duke in the Champion's Challenge.

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Leonard Yelin's Volleyball Cards swept the alumnae in exhibition matched yesterday in Cardinal Arena behind the solid spiking of sophomore Lola Arslankova. Yelin used the exhibition to experiment with several different lineup combinations and the Cards swept the former Cards 25-15, 25-20 and 28-26.

Lola had 10 kills in the matches and Lena Ustymenko, now playing professionally on the west coast beach circuit had nine for the alumnae. The season opens Friday night, August 17th against North Dakota State in Cardinal Arena.

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Louisville is going after some excellent recruits for the 2011 basketball season. Quaneisha McCurty, a 6'5" post for Dalton (GA) High School has already verballed to the Cards. Cierra Warren, a powerful 6'4" front liner is on campus after transferring from UNC. Rockcastle County (KY) forward and probable 2010 Miss Basketball Sara Hammond lists Louisville as her front runner and Cardinal fans who saw her play in the recent AAU tournament here in Louisville are absolutely in love with her game...as are the Cardinal coaches and current players.

Here's a few that are still out there on the radar for Louisville in 2011:

Raven Ferguson, a 5'11" small forward at Columbus (OH) Africentric High School lists Louisville along with Ohio State, Miami (FL), Michigan State and Xavier as possibles. She helped lead her team to a state title last year and is a certified scoring machine.

Sheila Boykin, a 6'2" power forward out of Long Beach (CA) Poly Tech is considering the Ville along with several west coast schools, Arizona and Arizona State. She's hard to handle in the paint and has the BIG EAST body size that would make her quite effective at Louisville.

Erika Johnson, a 6'1" power forward from Seattle (WA) has Louisville listed with UNC, Washington and California as her favorites. She's a contender for player of the year in Washington and scores well from all over the court.

All three of these potentials are ESPN Top 50 prospects and would give the Cards a wealth of front line participants to go with the ample and deep back court players already on campus.

Get 'em in here, Jeff! We all know Louisville in the place to be!

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Jerry Hollendorfer's BLIND LUCK came storming down the stretch in the $500,ooo Alabama Stakes at Saratoga to catch front runner ACTING HAPPY and win with Joel Rosario on board. Sent off as the 9-5 second favorite she hung back in the pack until they hit the stretch and then unleashed a powerful run to catch and pass the leader and hold off hard charging HAVRE DE GRACE by a neck to win. 3-5 favorite DEVIL MAY CARE finished fourth in the field of six.

Rider John Velazquez won five races yesterday on the Saratoga card and was aboard DEVIL MAY CARE in the feature...but finished three lengths behind third place runner ACTING HAPPY in the Alabama. The exacta was a good one paying $29.60 for a $2 wager but the trifecta was much more pleasing...putting $147 into the pockets of those who had the $2 combination of 4-6-1.

BLIND LUCK ran earlier in Kentucky this spring...winning the Kentucky Oaks. She's a legit three year old filly who has already earned over $1 million dollars in her young career.

Several upsets in other high profile races yesterday around the nation. DEBUSSY slipped by turf champion GIO PONTI in the Arlington Million and DUKE OF MISCHIEF knocked off I WANT REVENGE in the Iselin Stakes at Monmouth. Favorite PADDY O' PRADO captured the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington and Victor Espinoza guided top betting choice EVENING JEWEL

to an easy win at Del Mar in the Del Mar Oaks.

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Last day to get in your entries for this week's PANERA BREAD gift card giveaway. I had the opportunity to sit down with PANERA executive and managing partner Archie Karel earlier this week at one of his local restaurants and found a new favorite for breakfast...the tasty sausage, egg and cheese on toasted ciabatta bread. MMM..MMMM..GOOD!

Johnson shoots from the hip

What will the Lady Cards get out of senior guard LaToya Johnson this year? The answer to that question all depends on how her hip has recovered from last year's injury. Johnson is a shooter and if you've ever shot a basketball...you know how important the hips are in the squaring, jumping and balance of the jump shot.

We've only seen a brief bit of Johnson in a Cardinal uniform and can only go on her career at Jefferson Community College (MO) stats...but she has the potential to add depth and scoring punch to the Cards back court if her game is there for the 2010-11 season. Johnson played with Danielle Adams at Jefferson...a recruit the Cards wanted badly a couple of seasons ago. Adams ended up at Texas A&M...where she helped lead the Aggies to the conference tournament title...defeating Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game.

PROGNOSIS: LaToya could be a valuable contributor to Louisville's back court in 2010-11. She has experience, skills and has the benefit of being in Walz's system for a year. The packed Cardinal backcourt has no lack of talent and ability...Johnson's fate in it will ultimately depend on how well she has rehabbed and how she fares in the preseason practices. We can see her as a valuable contributor off the bench.

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We like the idea of the alumnae vs. roster preseason scrimmages that Pam Bustin's Louisville Field Hockey team holds each year. It got us to thinking if we could ever see a similar format for UofL women's basketball. How great would it be to see Angel, Candyce Bingham, Patrika Barlow, Sara Nord and Jazz Covington go up against Becky Burke, Monique Reid and the rest of the current crop of Lady Cards? Seeing Connie Neal take Shoni Schimmel off the dribble and bury a three? Seeing Tise Wright battle Keisha Hines under the boards? Kristen Mattox Cox head fake Antonita Slaughter and pull up for the mid range jumper?

We're not sure if the NCAA allows this type of event for hoops...but it's an idea that we'd love to see come to fruition. And, how exciting would it be to see a UConn alumnae vs. roster scrimmage? Half the WNBA would be on the court...and which squad would Geno coach?

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Congratulations to Amelia Newby for winning this week's PANERA gift cards. She shared with us that:

"I like the easy accessibility of the PANERA in Clarksville. I visit a elderly friend who lives near that location and I can drive up, order both of us a healthy meal and never leave my car. I wish they would make a few more drive-thru locations and put a store out where I live. I'd be their biggest customer."

Only three weeks left to win PANERA gift cards. Just drop us a line telling us why you go to PANERA. You can send your e-mail to us at:

cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

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A little off topic here....but over 7000 fans showed up for the Sunday Meet and Greet for the UofL football team at the Brown and Williamson Club in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Fans swarmed the autograph tables and were delighted by the view from the southside terrace deck.

Although CARDINAL COUPLE wasn't able to attend the event...our buddies over at CARDINAL DOMINANCE and UOFL CARD GAME were there in full force and they've got great articles and pics over at their respective sites. CARDINAL COUPLE reader Cary Davis was there also and told us in a e-mail:

"It is a great tribute to the fervor of the Cardinal fans. The so-called 'experts' aren't giving UofL much of a chance in football this season and look at how many turned out! Charlie Strong has re-energized the program. My son and I got a lot of autographs, got to talk to several of the coaches and marvelled at what a difference one year can make. GO CARDS!"

Couldn't agree more, Cary. Are you ready for some football?

Burton's 'hipness' a question for Lady Cards

MONDAY'S CARDINAL COUPLE PRESENTS:

-The rundown on Lady Card guard Nikki Burton
-Fern Creek Softball sweeps pool play
-Dream drops to 2nd place in WNBA
-Your weekly PANERA winner

For Nikki Burton (pictured to the right)..it's all about whether she's recovered from the hip surgery last month enough to be a factor for Jeff Walz's University of Louisville basketball team. Cardinal fans got to see just enough of her last season to realize that the talented combo guard can be a force and factor in the back court. Unfortunately, like several other of the ladies on last year's team, a season ending injury put her on the shelf. (We understand that her personality
'hipness' is just fine...she's very popular among her teammates.)

Burton played in 18 games for Louisville last year, drawing the starting assignment in 11 of them. She proved to be an aggressive, ball-hawking guard on defense and averaged 5.9 points per game for Louisville....good enough for sixth place in the Cardinals point per game average. Although we really didn't see much out of her from three point range, her game is more centered around transition and driving to the hoop...which fits in well with Jeff Walz's style of basketball.

The big question about her is how she'll come back from her surgeries on her hip. We saw Dez Byrd come back probably too early after her injuries and it basically cost her a season. We're hoping that the same thing doesn't happen with Burton. Fortunately, the UofL squad is deep in guards this year and Walz has the luxury of choosing from healthy players to fill the back court slots.

PROGNOSIS:
Burton has talent...scary good talent when she's able to motor. She can stop and burn opponents with the mid-range jumper and isn't afraid to take it the the hoop if the opportunity presents itself. The question is, when and how effectively will she be able to do this in 2010-11? If ready to go, she'll challenge for a "first off the bench" position and see plenty of court time in the KFC YUM center. Here's hoping she heals well and can show the flashes on a consistent basis that gave UofL fans promise and hope for her career last year.

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Fern Creek's 16 and under girls' softball team knocked off host Varina, VA in pool play yesterday to go 4-0 in pool competition and advance from the National Division to double elimination tournament play next week. They whitewashed Varina 2-0 yesterday, allowing just 3 hits. Fern Creek scored a run in the fifth and sixth to secure the victory.

By winning the division, they draw a first round bye in tournament competition and will play their next game next Monday.

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The Atlanta Dream fell 1/2 game behind Indiana by doing absolutely nothing. They had an off day Sunday but Indiana blew out Phoenix 104-82 to grab the Eastern Conference lead. It's a close race in the East...with New York only 1 game back and Washington 2 games behind Indy.

Things don't get any easier for Angel and the Dream (18-11). They face off against Western Division leader Seattle in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Seattle is a runaway leader in the Western Conference with a 24-4 record and 10 games ahead of Phoenix.

The question is...how can this NOT be the Tuesday ESPN 2 televised game? Instead, the 4 letter network will show Indiana at L.A....and that one doesn't tip off until 10 p.m. L.A. has the second worst record in the league at 10-18...suffering from the injury that sat down Candace Parker for the season. Guess we'll have time to watch both of the NCIS summer reruns Tuesday night before remoting in this one...and it could be a toss up between the WNBA and The Good Wife on CBS Tuesday.

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Congratulations to Barbara Hancock for winning the weekly PANERA gift card contest! WE had a lot of good entries last week but Barbara nailed down the prize with a short but sweet reason why she and her husband choose PANERA.

"We like PANERA BREAD because of the wide variety available there. I especially like the whole grain taste of their breads. It is satisfying."

Couldn't agree more, Barbara! You still have 3 chances to win PANERA gift cards...all you have to do is send us a short e-mail telling us why you choose PANERA. If the Yorkie drags your essay out of the pile that we've downloaded and spread out on the kitchen floor, you're a winner!
(Just kidding...we let an independent panel of judges read and select each week's winner. No, Paula Abdul and Simon aren't the judges.) Send those entries to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com