Cards WBB hosts Oklahoma tonight --WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 #11 SOONERS VS #24 CARDS IN SEC/ACC MATCHUP

Louisville WBB looks to go to 6-2 on the season when they bring Oklahoma to town for a Wednesday matchup in the  KFC YUM! Center. Note the early start time on the contest -- 5 p.m. -- alledgedly a "TV created tip-off time" to faciliate ESPN2, who is supposedly televising the game...we think.

ESPN2, however, lists they are showing a game with Vanderbilt v. Miami in their Wednesday listings at that time, but so is the ACC Network, so...I guess the TV viewers will find out which is where at game time. It is part of the ACC vs.SEC Challenge...it's still hard for me to remember the Sooners are SEC after being BIG 12 for eons. Who's on first stuff...

(How many of the above names are still revelant in college hoops ths season?) 

Maybe your best bet is just to attend the event live... it's gonna be a good one. or check the ESPN2 and ACC Network broadcast schedules tomorrow, if you can't attend. 

Oklahoma is 6-1 on the season, starting the season with six wins...over Southern U, Virginia, Western Carolina, Wichita St., UNLV and DePaul...before falling in overtime to Duke 109-99. The loss saw Oklahoma battle back from a 15 point deficit and force the o.t. on a Payton Verhulst buzzer beater three.  

So, who are these Sooners? One name Cardinals fans will recognize immediately is starter Payton Verhulst, she was...of course... with the Cardinals a couple off years until she transfered out to Oklahoma. Verhulst had a triple-double against #13 ranked Duke (29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) last time out. It was the fourth triple-double in the history of OU WBB, and she became one of two players of all time (Caitlin Clark being the other) since 1999 to post a 25 points-scored triple double against a top 25 team. She was named SEC Player of the Week for her performance. (Note: Cardinal Couple did attempt to arrange an interview with Verhulst about her return to Lousville, but our request was denied by the OU sports information staff.) We don't know if Verhulst blocked the request or the school did...but we got the answer Monday after a Sunday request.  

Oklahoma also usuallly starts Reagan Beers, Skylar Vann, Sahara William and Neveah Tot along with Verhulst. . Verhulst, Beers, Vann and Williams all average in double figures for a Sooner squad that averages 92 points a game. Louisville allows just 64 points a night, so it'll be interesting to see how the pace goes in this one and how many points the visitors actually score.  

Coach Jeanie Baranczyk

Head coach Jeanie Baranczyk is going into her fourth season as the head honcho for OU hoops, coming over from Drake, where she was the head coach for nine seasons. She has been very successful in her time at OU, winnng 25 games in 2021-22, 26 games in 2022-23 and 23 games in 2023-24. 

Jeff Walz met with Louisville media on Tuesday to preview the match. You can see that presser at the link below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnVn3FVXkCM

What must Louisville do to win this game?  i see five keys: 

1) Control the tempo. Louisville wants to avoid a runout against the Sooners. Oklahoma wins those, usually, by 20 points or more.The OU game against Duke may be the exception, but it was an overtime contest and at a neutral site. 

2) Go to the boards. OU is not a exceptionally tall squad, with Beers being the tallest starter at 6'4" The Cards won't see a "monster" center, like they did at UK or against UCLA. Cochran and Harris need to be invested in this one and rebound the basketball. Elif and Isla could also be key contributors in this one. 

3) No one's guarding you, make the shot. I speak of free throws, the Cards are only sinking 64% of those this season. Roberts and Cochran must do better at the charity stripe for a UofL win Wednesday.

4) Get that big second quarter run. It's been a staple of success this season for the Cards, they're out-scoring the opposition 143 to 78 in the 10 minutes before halftime. 

5) Be "Berry good" from beyond the three point arc. I use the pun because Imari Berry is showing alredy this season that she can go on three point runs that seem almost automatic. She's 52% (15-29) from the deep. And, not even a starter. She needs a few more than 18 minutes a game she's averaging, in my opinion. 

It should be a fun one tonight and, hopefully, a Cardinals win. 

paulie

Louisville Hosts SIUE -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Hosts SIUE

Looking to bounce back after a loss at Middle Tennessee State on Sunday, Louisville women's basketball hosts Southern Illinois University Evansville (SIUE). The Cards and Cougars will tip off at 7:00 p.m., and will be aired on ACCNX (Jeff Greer, play-by-play; Jessica Laemmle, analyst) or on radio at 93.9 FM (Nick Curran, play-by-play, Cortnee Walton, analyst). This is the first ever meeting between Louisville and SIUE.

Louisville enters the season with a 5-4 record following back-to-back blowout losses to Ohio State and MTSU. The Cards dropped out of the AP Poll for the first team in several years. With poor showings lately, it's hard to argue against getting booted out of the Top 25.

In an uncharacteristic manner, Louisville has struggled greatly on defense. Points off turnovers and missed assignments have been a thorn this year.

On the offensive end, things haven't seemed much better. The Cards average 16.4 turnovers per game and their shooting percentage in the last two games has been 43.5% and 27.7%, respectively. Three-point shooting in those games was 28.6% and 19.0%.

SIUE is winless on the year, sitting at 0-6. They went 13-18 last year. Samantha Quigley-Smith is in her second season as head coach.

Niya Danfort is the leading scorer for the Cougars and the only one in double-digits, averaging 11.7 points per game. Danfort is second on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game. Ajulu Thatha is first in that category at 6.5 per game. SIUE has been outrebounded this season 43.8 - 35.2. Their 52.5 points per game is 21.4 lower than Louisville's 73.9 points per game.

This will be the second game without Payton Verhulst, who Paulie mentioned yesterday has entered the transfer portal. The Kansas native is no longer on the roster and is presumed to finish up her time on campus once finals ends. She will have three years of eligibility remaining, but will have to sit out the remainder of this season wherever she goes.

PV is one of my all-time favorite Louisville athletes so seeing her leave sat heavy on me. Outside of women's basketball games, I had the opportunity to get to know her in the stands at several other Louisville sporting events. She had made big strides from her freshman year to her sophomore year and was transitioning into a leadership role. Her decision to leave falls on the coaching staff after Verhulst saw minimal playing time this season after Louisville brought in several transfers in the offseason. She was one of four Cardinals who had more assists than turnovers.

Although we have received little information regarding the situation, Louisville fans took to social media to express their frustration and have questioned how much effort was put into trying to keep her here.

Regardless of where Verhulst ends up, I think I speak for all of us when I wish her the absolute best and will continue to cheer her on. The conversatios we have had with her in the past have always been fun, positive and uplifting. I know Paulie considers her one of his favorite people to interview, so he;ll miss her. greatly

Paulie and Daryl will be on the court in the media seating covering the game tonight while you'll see me sitting on the court taking pictures.

Tonight's game is promoted as a Not-So-Ugly-Christmas Sweater Night. I'm not sure what constitutes a Christmas sweater as ugly or not, but I'll be participating in the festivities.

It's also the Holiday Toy Drive, so don't forget to bring a new toy still in toy packaging to the KFC YUM! Center tonight. 

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

On a more personal note, prayers and good vibes would be appreciated as we've run into quite a few health issues ranging from minor to extremely major across several members of my family, both those standing on their own two feet to the furry four-legged ones. The last week or so has been plagued by poor news so hopefully we see some good news arrive sooner than later.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards

Jared

Cards Romp in Home Return -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Crushes Longwood 100-37

I almost went all of November without a Saturday write, and it wasn't even because of deer hunting. After a wedding in Memphis the first weekend, a wedding in which I was in the party the second, and sleeping off a whirlwind work trip in which I went to Reno, NV and back in 32 hours for a 1.5 hour meeting last weekend, we're back on schedule.

And speaking of back on schedule, Louisville took care of business as expected against the Lancers of Longwood when they returned to the Yum! Center yesterday afternoon. After the surprising loss against Gonzaga, the rebound win against Texas, and then what may have been an even more surprising loss to South Dakota State, Louisville was in need of a game like yesterday's. In fairness, South Dakota State is 4-2 and has played four P5 teams and Creighton. They lost to the Jays 78-69 to open the season and fell to UCLA by 7 last Saturday but have beaten Mississippi State, Rutgers, and Lehigh in addition to Louisville. That isn't what we're here to talk about, though, so lets move on.

The major item of note before we get into the game was the absence of Hailey Van Lith. All that we know officially is that this was a scheduled rest day for HVL. After playing 124/130 minutes in the Bahamas, and with Ohio State on deck, Coach Jeff Walz and HVL decided this game against Longwood was one that she could afford to take a break on. While I'm mildly surprised that she wasn't dressed at all, especially with the amount of rest on either side of this game, it ultimately wasn't that big of a deal. We'll keep our ears to the ground to see if there might have been more to this story, but hopefully she's back in action against OSU and we won't have anything to speculate about.

In Van Lith's absence, some other players got the opportunity to shine. In fact, most of the team grabbed their chance to perform well, though you may expect that when a team scores nearly as many points in a single quarter as their opponent scores in the entire game. Louisville put up a 35 point first quarter and very nearly could have played defense only for the rest of the game. On the day, no Cardinal logged more than 26 minutes, an honor which went to Norika Konno, and everyone played at least 16. Every Card except for Mykasa Robinson scored and six players put it in double figures. Josie Williams got her first start and scored four to go along with six rebounds, an assist, and a block. Unfortunately, she was 0-4 from inside the arc and just 1-2 from the line, so there is plenty more there from her, and I'm sure we'll see it soon. 

The star of the day was Norika Konno. We've been longing to see her back on the court, and she did not disappoint in her return. Konno finished with 10 points and very nearly had a triple double. She snagged eight rebounds and dished out seven assists while also adding a steal and two blocks. On top of that, she did so extremely cleanly, as she turned the ball over just once and was the only Cardinal not to register a foul. As Paulie put it in our group chat yesterday, playing 3v3 was the best thing Konno could have done for her game other than grow six inches. 

You'll notice I eschewed a normal game recap, but that's because there isn't a lot to say. Louisville didn't play with their food. The Cards jumped out early with a three from Chrislyn Carr six seconds into the game. They were the first of her game high 17 points. After another score from Louisville, Longwood scored a layup on their second possession. They wouldn't score again for two and a half minutes, a period in which Louisville would add 13 points to their total to lead 18-2. The next few minutes were pretty even, with Louisville's lead hovering around 16 points until Longwood got to 10 points. After that it was like they hit some sort of invisible barrier, turning the ball over three times in the last two minutes to go along with three missed shots. Louisville, on the other hand, went about business as usual and scored another 11 to take a 25 point lead into the quarter break. 

The second and third quarters were near matches to one another, with Louisville scoring 19 points in each quarter and Longwood adding 19 between the two. Again, the Lancers couldn't score more than 10 in a quarter. The final quarter saw Louisville stretch their wings again to close the game out. The Cards started a bit clunkily, turning the ball over and fouling to prevent a runout. However, after a Payton Verhulst jumper (she finished with 16) and a three from Adriana Shipp, who led Longwood with 14, Louisville clamped down. They went on to win the fourth 27-8, hitting the 100 mark on a Merissah Russell three-pointer with a minute left. Walz didn't exactly call off the dogs, as Louisville couldn't run out the clock, but Longwood was happy to do so. After a Louisville turnover with 30 seconds remaining, the Lancers held for a final shot. The three ball to get them to 40 was off the mark and Louisville pulled down the deadball rebound as time expired to go to 5-2 overall.

Joining Carr, Verhulst, and Konno in double digits were Morgan Jones (15), Olivia Cochran (10), and Russell (11). Cochran led both teams with 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double. As you might expect from the final score, Louisville was significantly ahead in every category. Let's just have a look at the statistical reports.

The FRED Report

F - Free Throws: Louisville got to the line a fair amount, though more than half of their 15 total came in the first quarter. In that frame, they were 6-8, and they made six of their remaining seven attempts through the rest of the game. As it's the beginning of the name, a letter awarded is capital or there's no letter at all. 80% is greater than 70% (thanks, common core math) so that's a capital 'F'.

R - Rebounding: 57-23. Louisville cleaned up on the boards. They had 14 offensive rebounds, which led to 11 second chance points. On the other end, they held Longwood to just five offensive rebounds and didn't allow them to score after any of them. Capital 'R'.

E - Effort/Execution: After a couple of losses, Louisville needed to show their mettle, and they did. The Cards worked for the entire game, not allowing some lopsided fourth quarter in a blowout, and every player gave it their all in the minutes they played. Though they finished with 18 turnovers, they gave up just four points on the ensuing possessions. They also scored 100 without their team leader on the floor. Capital 'E'.

D - Defense: The Cards gave up no fast break points, just 14 points in the paint, and just 37 overall. They had ten steals, five blocks, and forced 20 turnovers. Longwood's best shooting percentage was 27%, which came in the quarter in which they scored their fewest points. A pretty solid defensive effort if you ask me. Capital 'D'.

Vince Vaughn plays Santa's brother, Fred Claus

The CASE Report

C - Care: Louisville turned the ball over a lot. 18 turnovers is not going to put you in a comfortable position in a lot of games. However, despite their 1-4 record, Longwood is turning teams over at a  respectable rate. Their average was 18 coming in, and Louisville hit that mark. On the other hand, we're looking for Louisville to outperform their opponent's defense. They'll get no credit for being under 60% of the opponent's average, but they did turn the ball over fewer times than Longwood, so it's a lowercase 'c'.

A - Assists: The Cards were spreading the ball around yesterday. While all but one player scored, all but two assisted. They finished with 23 assists on 38 made baskets, which exceeds the 50% assist rate we're looking for. As is typical, though, a high turnover game hurts here. Despite the 18 turnovers, Louisville was still positive in Assist-to-Turnover ratio, but their 1.28 ATO is shy of the 1.5 we're looking for. (Am I changing it from 2.0 this season? Yes, yes I am). Lowercase 'a'.

S - Steals: As you might expect with a solid defensive performance, this is a relatively easy one to award. Half of Longwood's turnovers were of the pocket-picking variety, as the Cards finished with 10 steals. That's more than 7.5 and more than the six that Longwood could muster. Capital 'S'.

E - Efficiency: Louisville shot 56% from the floor and 60% from three to go along with their 80% free throw rate. To make it even better, that 60% wasn't some measly 3-5. Louisville was lights out, hitting 12 threes in the game. While that means the field goal percentage was buoyed by the threes, they were still 54% from two point land and scored 48 points in the paint. Capital 'E'.

That gives final scores of F-R-E-D and c-a-S-E. It's hard to take away from a 63-point victory, but I'm sure there are some things Coach Walz will point out in practice for them to clean up. The Cards come away with what should be a full head of steam, and will hopefully disregard whatever number ends up by their name Monday. For the rest of the season, it shouldn't matter who is ranked what, only who comes to play on any given night. The next night for the Cards is Wednesday, as they close out November with Ohio State in the Big 10/ACC Challenge. The game will be on the primary ACC Network channel and tips off at 7:30 PM.

Post game Verhulst and Cochran:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-FJo3Pf780

Post game Walz:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-3qw-WB1Tk

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

What I imagine Paulie's setup would be
if he ran the show.

After a week off for various reasons (my sleeping past the podcast start time being one of them), we're back with another edition of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast this week. We'll have nearly a full house, as Jared is on the road to photograph the Battle of the Bluegrass. There's plenty to discuss, as Louisville WBB has played almost their whole season since the last show and volleyball clinched a share of the ACC title, so be sure to join us. As always, you can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

WBB Defeats Clemson -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

Happy Friday to all of our awesome Cardinal Couple readers! Hopefully everyone is staying safe as we deal with some pretty unpleasant weather and road conditions.

I'm typically not a fan of Louisville Women's Basketball playing on the road because I would rather be at games in person, but yesterday was one of the few times I'm glad it was a road game.

HVL Scores Career High in Win at Clemson

Well, Clemson was ready to go for this game, at least for a while. The Tigers kept things close for a good portion of the first half and tied the score early in the second half before Louisville was able to pull away for a 93-71 win.

Delicia Washington posted a strong showing with 28 points, but most of her damage was done in the first half with 18 points. The senior, who is not known for her three-point shooting, went 5-6 from beyond the arc. Amari Robinson went well over her season average with an 18-point performance. Eight of those points came from the charity stripe for the junior guard.

Clemson shot 40.0% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range, quite a bit higher than what the Cards' were allowing on the year. A healthy chunk of their scoring came from the free throw line, where Clemson shot 20-24.

Although Clemson shot well from the floor, Louisville shot better. The Cards shot 58.2% with a flat 50% mark from deep. The 25 assists on 39 made shots is an excellent mark and the 25-14 assist-turnover ratio is something to be proud of.

It was the Hailey Van Lith show in Littlejohn Coliseum, especially in the second half. The sophomore went off for a career-high 34 points and crushed her previous best of 24 points. HVL shot a perfect 6-6 from three-point range and her six long bombs match her career best. Even more impressive, she did it all in 33 minutes.

Liz Dixon had a strong showing off the bench with 12 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting. Emily Engstler was the only other Card in double figures with 10 points. The transfer from Syracuse also posted a team-high eight rebounds. Despite a poor shooting night, Kianna Smith flirted with a double-double with eight points and eight assists.

Q1: Louisville 25, Clemson 16

FG%

11-15 73.3% UofL

7-16 43.5% Clemson

3-pt%

2-4 50% UofL

2-8 25% Clemson

Rebounding

9-5 UofL

After a slow start, it was Kianna Smith and her six assists propelling the Cards forward. Washington was perfect from the floor with 10 points and was the only Clemson player doing much early.

Q2: Clemson 23, Louisville 19

FG%

8-21 38.1% UofL

6-11 54.5% Clemson

3-pt%

1-4 25% UofL

4-5 80% Clemson

Rebounding

12-7 Louisville

This was the only quarter that the Tigers won. Washington and Robinson combined for 17 points and Clemson was red hot from three-point range. With Engstler on the bench with foul trouble and K Smith going scoreless in the second quarter due to a shooting slump Clemson was able to claw back into the game.

Q3: Louisville 29, Clemson 15

FG%

12-16 75% UofL

4-16 25% Clemson

3-pt%

4-6 66.7% UofL

0-2 0.0% Clemson

Rebounding

9-8 Clemson

After Clemson tied the game early in the third quarter, HVL decided she had had enough and went off for 16 points in this quarter alone. The Tigers struggled to score and Louisville's defense had made halftime adjustments to try and slow Clemson's shooting threats.

Q4: Louisville 20, Clemson 17

8-15 53.3% UofL

5-12 41.7% Clemson

3-pt%

3-6 50% UofL

1-3 33.3% Clemson

Rebounding

10-6 Clemson

No starter for Louisville saw more than five minutes in the final quarter as the Cards found themselves up by as much as 26 late in the game. It was a great chance for some of the bench players to see some extra minutes including Sydni Schetnan scoring her first field goal of her young Louisville career. The Cards forced Clemson into as many turnovers as made shots this quarter.

FRED Report

The late Fred Wiche posing on a day we all wish was out there today

Free Throws- Despite the discrepancy in free throw attempts (Louisville 10, Clemson 24), the Cards did next to nothing with their opportunities from the line. They shot 5-10 on the night and 50% is well below our minimum standard. No letter.

Rebounding- The Cards won the rebounding battle 35-31 with each team recording 12 offensive boards. Louisville's individual rebounding numbers are skewed a tad as the box score credits the team with six rebounds. Eight Cardinals logged two or more rebounds. Capital R.

Effort/Execution- Hailey alone deserves a capital E+ based off her performance. UofL is in the midst of a pretty tight stretch with several games so we expected to see plenty of reserves see enhanced minutes. Liz Dixon and Payton Verhulst both had strong games off the bench and even Mykasa Robinson had a surprisingly good offensive game. The Cards halted the Clemson run and hit the gas and never let up. Capital E.

Defense- Yeah, giving up 71 points isn't good. Letting a player go off for 28 points also isn't good. Nor is allowing an opposing team to shoot 40%. But, UofL forced Clemson into 17 turnovers and was able to make halftime adjustments to quiet down Clemson's offense. The Tiger's top two scorers were only able to muster up a combined 15 points in the second half. Due to a strong second half, Louisville did enough to earn a lowercase d.

_-R-E-d isn't horrible but there is plenty of room for improvement.

Louisville improves to 20-2 on the year (yay, 20 wins!) and 10-1 in the ACC. The one loss keeps them in the running for the ACC regular season title. Meanwhile, Clemson drops to 7-15 on the year with a 1-10 conference mark.

The Cards stay on the road for one more game when they visit Syracuse this Sunday at noon. Earlier this season, Louisville defeated Syracuse 84-71 in a shootout.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

. #6 in AP preseason poll -- Plumb ACC FH Off. Player of the Week -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

CARDS #6 IN AP PRESEASON RANKINGS

We know women's basketball season is drawing closer when the AP releases their first poll of the season. Their first preseason poll was released yesterday and the University of Louisville's women's basketball squad was placed sixth by the voters. 

South Carolina was #1, followed by UConn at #2, Stanford getting #3, Maryland landing at #4 and North Carolina State ending up at #5. 

(What? You want ME to vote? Aw, heck no...) 

This poll has 29 ballots, and out of those...South Carolina received 14 first place votes, UConn 10 and Stanford 5. 

The Cards are one of five ACC teams voted into the top 25. Beside Louisville and NC State, FSU checks at #15, Georgia Tech at #17 and Virginia Tech at #24.

So, it's out there, now. What does it mean? Not a whole lot -- other than the opinion of certain sport-writers and broadcasters across the nation. No one from Cardinal Couple was invited to submit a ballot of their top 25, which is probably a good thing.-- since we probably would have thrown "the curve" off and had Louisville higher in our ballot and dropped Kentucky lower.

 Especially if Jared had been given the vote. 

(Is she expressing her displeasure over the poll?) 

Speaking of the Cats, they checked in at #13 for second-year coach Kyra Elzy. Yes, Rhyne Howard is still in Lexington. 

Obviously, it doesn't matter where you are in preseason -- the goal is to make the NCAA Tournament and do well. And, you do that by winning games, not gathering votes. Strength of scheduling being a arbitrary measuring device...you can play the "best of the best" and go 5-22. And, all that gets you is a participation trophy from someone. Winning is objective #1.  Yes, winning  games and gathering  votes can go hand -in-hand.  But,  gathering  votes doesn't  make you win. 

I've heard from several Cardinals fans since the poll was released and... all of them thought the Cards should have been a top five vote getter. As Jared Anderson says: "it's OK, we'll just sneak up on them." 

"

"Nobody voted for us? I can't believe it !!"

Looking at the top 25, Louisville has a few games against the "rare air" dwellers. Obviously, they'll face the ACC foes, which adds up to four. The Cards also will play #22 Arizona, #11 Michigan, #2 UConn and #13 Kentucky. The Arizona and UConn games are listed as being at neutral sites (tell me, though..is Uncasville, CT's Mohegan Sun Arena really a neutral site? Yeah didn't think so.) The Cards will host UK and Michigan, 

Here's the thing:  The polls change weekly once the season gets underway. All the jockeying for position is solely based on how well a team is doing against their opponents. An early NCAA Tournament projection (yes, those are already being circulated) has the Cards and NC State as #2 seeds, FSU as a #4 seed, Georgia Tech as a #5 seed, Virginia Tech as a #6 seed, Notre dame as a #7 seed and Duke as a #8 seed. 

Let's keep that on the back burner and see how that works out for everyone at the end of the season, shall we? . 

As far as conference alignments (as least for this week, those are always subject to change), The Pac 12 has five schools in the top 25, So does the ACC and Big 10. The SEC checks in with four, as does the Big 12. The Big East has one and the AAC one. 

Do I have a top five or top 10? 

 No. It's too early.

 If a squad needs a high ranking to promote bragging rights, just how confident are they in their own abilities and skills?  You play the games and prove it on the court. Quiet but as used confidence is probably  a much better  thing than bragging,  anyway.

Scoreboard doesn't lie. 

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

BREAKING NEWS

This just in...Hailey Van Lith has been named to the ALL-ACC pre-season team. And Payton Verhulst to the ACC Newcomer Watch List. 

You gotta love it. 

AIMEE PLUMB ACC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Louisville Field Hockey is #4 in latest DI poll, speaking of polls. The NFHCA is a coaches poll, and I tend to give a little more credence to those coach-oriented polls, instead of the sports hacks polls. What does a sports-writer in Oregon know about Boston College? A coach in Oregon may have to scout and take his team up against the Eagles, though. Trust in coach's opinions, y'all. 

Aimee Plumb, a sophomore out of Canterbury, Kent, England is this week's ACC Offensive Player of the Week. It's the first time she's earned the honor this season.

So, what did she do to receive such notoriety and a lofty recognition?  To start with, she had three goals and an assist in the Cards two wins last week. She got UofL's first goal against Boston College and fired the shot in overtime that was deflected and bounced in front of Erica Cooper , who provided the game-winner.  Against Northeastern, she scored twice in the Cards 7-0 rout on Sunday. 

Yep, that'll do it, as far as we're concerned. 

Plumb is a mid-fielder for the Cards and has been an integral part of the Cards building their 13-2 an 4-0 ACC record. Along with Katie Schneider, Cooper, Julie Kouijzer, Charlie van Oirschot and Mattie Tabor, Plumb leads the Cardinals offensive attack that is outscoring opponents this season 40-13. Plumb has five o those goals. 

I suppose you could use the colloquialism "plumb perfect" to describe her play. (Groan) 

Here's a fun fact on her...she can throw a javelin over 35 meters. Accurately. No wonder her nickname is "Aims". Beware, opposing players...

Have a Wonderful Wednesday 

paulie.