VOLLEY CARDS TO FACE BELMONT IN FIRST ROUND
In a pleasant Sunday night surprise, the #15 Louisville Volleyball team was selected to host first round action in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The Cards will serve it up against Belmont on Friday night at 7 p.m. and, if successful, would face the winner of the Southern Illinois vs. Illinois game on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The contests will be played on campus at Cardinal Arena. Because of basketball scheduled for the KFC YUM! Center on Saturday (the men play Grand Canyon at noon and the women face Valparaiso at 4 p.m.) the site where the Cards played the vast majority of their home games this season is unavailable...primarily because of practice concerns for the two advancing teams.
That also means tickets will be at a premium for the event. Cardinal Arena seats less than 900 and with three teams besides Louisville participating and media seating needed...fans would be advised to get tickets without delay.
If you have a MY CARDINALS ACCOUNT, and are a Louisville Volleyball season ticket holder, you can go to the website and request up to six. Reserved seating tickets are $20 per day. You know the routine...credit cards will be charged only if you are allocated tickets. If there are any remaining tickets, they will go on sale beginning at noon on Tuesday Dec. 1st. A limited number of standing room only tickets and any other reserved seats will be sold on game days.
Questions? Go to tickets@gocards.com or call a call to the Ticket Office at 502GOCARDS.
A nice surprise, this hosting. Our resident Volleyball guru Worldwide expressed doubt on our Saturday radio show that the Cards would get a chance to host after the Syracuse loss to end the season. The Duke win over UNC kept the Cards in sole possession of the ACC Conference title, though...and that may have been of benefit to Louisvville and hosting.
We'll have more on this as we get closer to the Tournament matches...
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WOMEN'S HOOPS START HOT, FALTER LATE IN 79-66 LOSS TO DAYTON
Louisville women's basketball got off to a great start Sunday against Dayton Sunday afternoon in the third place game of the Gulf Coast Showcase but could not sustain the momentum late...losing by 13 to the Flyers.
Louisville, who started Erin De Grate, Mariya Moore, Cortnee Walton, Taja Cole and Arica Carter, came out gangbusters early....rolling to a 9-0 lead over Dayton in the first 3:30. Myisha Hines-Allen knocked down a jumper to make it 14-2 Cards with 3:20 left in the first period. Due to a burst bursa sack in her knee suffered against Purdue Saturday...Briahanna Jackson wasn't expected to play but did enter the contest with 2:05 left in the first period.
The Flyers eventually started hitting some shots, though...and climbed back to nine at the end of the quarter at 18-9. Louisville started the second period on a good note and led 24-12 after a Walton free throw three minutes in...but the Flyers responded with a 14-0 run to take the lead on a Amber Deane three with 2:23 left until halftime.
The Cards were able to climb back into a 28-28 tie at the end of 20 minutes...thanks to a couple of Moore free throws and a Hines-Allen jumper with 21 ticks left on the clock.
Moore was impressive in the first half for the Cards with 16 points in 16 minutes...including 6-6 free throw shooting and two threes...but Louisville already had 15 turnovers and neither Carter or Cole were handling point-guard responsibilities very efficiently.
Dayton would go up by as many as four in the third period...but the Cards would rally back to tie the contest at 38 all when Moore hit a jumper with 2:30 left. A missed Cole three as time expired gave the Flyers a 46-43 lead after 30 minutes. Hines-Allen kept the Cards in the fray with seven third quarter points.
The Cards climbed back to within one at 48-47 after two Walton free-throws with 8:16 to play...but a 13-4 run by Dayton over the next four minutes had the Cards down by 10 at 61-51 after a Kelly Austria three. Louisville would trail by as many as 16 late in the game. A three by Hines-Allen with 12 seconds remaining set the final tally at 76-63.
Louisville comes home for a few days and then goes to East Lansing for a Thursday night tilt against #21 Michigan State. The game will be televised on ESPN 2 as part of the ACC-Big 10 Challenge.
WHAT WE LIKED
-- M&M crew back? Myisha (20) and Mariya (23) combined for 43 of the Cards points. The two leading scorers from last season were joined by Taja Cole's 11 points to put three Cards in double figures. 17 for 39 shooting between the three isn't bad...but the missed layups stood out like a sore thumb again for the Cards.
-- Gotta hit the free ones. The Cards were 24-36 from the free throw line for 66%. Although it isn't the 70% we'd like to see...backing out Sam Fuehring's 2-6 performance makes it look a little better.
WHAT NEEDS WORK
-- Killer instinct. The Cards could have buried the Flyers early but disappeared instead for a prolonged stretch in the second period. They fought back to within one early in the fourth quarter and then allowed the Flyers to go on a game-closing 31-19 run. Turnovers, poor decision making and missing easy shots continue to plague this squad. The defense died in the final eight minutes. Correctable things, of course but fatal on Sunday to Walz's charges.
-- To the point...Carter and Cole split point guard duties and had a combined nine turnovers and just six assists. That has to improve against Michigan State and Kentucky.
paulie
xxxxx
HINES-ALLEN WITH 16 IN PAINFUL LOSS
Ah...the complexities of a young team.
Louisville put on perhaps their best defensive effort of the young season but faltered late on the offensive front to take their third loss of the 2015-16 season to 5-0 Purdue 62-60 in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, FL.
Louisville led for 35 minutes of the contest and after a three by Briahanna Jackson with 6:45 left in the final period (or quarter...WorldWide and I differ on what to call these 10 minutes stretches) and a second technical on Purdue's bench that led to two Mariya Moore free-throws...the Cards had a 53-47 lead with less than six minutes to play.
That lead was still five at 56-51 when Sam Fuehring hit two free throw with 3:01 to play but the Cards went into an offensive funk after that and the defense that had gotten them there suddenly went dormant.
Purdue took a 59-58 lead with 30 seconds to play when Bridget Perry drove the lane to get an uncontested layup. Louisville had missed three out of their four previous shots and Walz got a timeout. Hines-Allen hit inside to put the Cards back up 60-59 with 25 seconds to go...but a questionable foul by Hines-Allen put Perry on the line and she calmly sank both charity attempts with 21 seconds remaining.
The Cards had a chance to retake the lead but Jackson drove into a crowd of Boilermakers and lost control of the ball. Louisville quickly fouled to send Louisville Manual's April Wilson to the line and she sank 1 of 2 to set the score at 62-60 with 10 ticks left on the clock. A final attempt to tie the contest resulted in Arica Carter driving into the lane and turning the ball over to Wilson as the game clock expired.
The Cards used an early 9-0 run to take the lead in the first period and led 11-9 after the first ten...Erin DeGrate getting a layup inside as the clock ran down. The defense was cooking early...forcing Purdue into eight turnovers.
Louisville led 24-20 with eight seconds left before halftime when Purdue head coach Sharon Versyp went ballistic after a Purdue foul on Cortnee Walton in the paint. Versyp was whistled for a technical foul and the Cards hit four free-throws in a row...two by Moore and two by Walton to take a 28-20 lead into the locker room for the intermission. The Cards were shutting down Wilson and looking pretty good...except for the shooting.
A Taja Cole three gave the Cards a 33-26 lead three minutes into third period action but a 6-0 Boilermaker run cut it to 33-32 with 4:26 left before Walton connected from two at the stripe. A Jackson three pushed the Cards back out to a 42-36 advantage and UofL held a 42-38 edge after thirty minutes.
Then, the fateful fourth quarter...
Louisville (1-3) has lost their three contests by a total of eight points. In this latest loss...the Cards simply failed on the execution end in their final two possessions and made an ill-advised foul with the lead late.
Louisville will play Dayton for third place in the tournament today at 5 p.m. You can can watch it on You Tube again (and we've been duly impressed with the camera work, coverage and commentary provided by the Cards broadcast team of Matt Andrews and Adrienne Johnson). Link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bON8fNwZiNQ
WHAT WE LIKED
-- MHA came to play. Another strong game from Myshia Hines-Allen..who went 7-14 from the floor, grabbed eight rebounds and hit both free throws for Louisville. She had ten of Louisville's first 17 points. We have to question the late foul...but overall, she's rounding into the form she ended the season with.
-- Satisfaction with Action Jackson. Despite some early shooting woes...a couple of key threes from the diminutive fireball resurged the Cards and she continues to be the best defender on the court for UofL. She competes so hard that a few miscues are almost inevitable...and her desire to win is unmatched on this squad.
WHAT NEEDS WORK
-- There's a rim up there, I see it...Louisville shot 20-60 for the game...which is 33% and unacceptable. When you take out Mariya Moore's 1-13 futility and Arica Carter's 1-7 air-ball fest...18 for 40 doesn't look real bad...but these clinkers can't continue for players that are getting 30 minutes a game.
-- Durr...no more from her? Asia Durr hasn't played in Florida. Word from the Cardinal camp is that the groin injury is still hampering her badly and they may go for the medical redshirt. (Someone said a 99% likelihood of it). There's a chance they'll try her at Michigan State and re-evaluate after that...but you won't see her against Dayton and probably for the rest of the season. To lose a shooter, playmaker like her is devastating. Injuries are a part of the game, though. You move on and hope for a full recovery.
-- Late game lapses. The final 25 seconds were rough to watch. The team concept basically went flying out the window and the youthfulness of this bunch showed. Two ill-advised offensive flounderings and an a "what-was-that-for?" foul. Things will get better. There is a ton of talent on this team. The maturity will eventually come together.
The only variable is time.
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NCAA PAIRINGS FOR VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPN 3 the VolleyCards will find out there fate on the NCAA Selection Show.
The Cards backed in to the sole possession of the ACC Title yesterday when Duke knocked off UNC in Durham yesterday 20-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-16.
Louisville probably won't be bestowed a chance to host the first and second rounds...we'll hold out a glimmer of hope for that, though...let's hope they get a short travel trip. Bowling Green, KY would be great...
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CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR
The Saturday broadcast of THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR is now available for listening on the Crescent Hill Soundcloud links.
Jeff and I were back in the studio together, at the same time, for the first time in four weeks. A great show at the link below:
CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO 11/28/15
paulie
xxxxx
TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE
-Boilermakers on a win streak as they face UofL
-Caralisa Connell named BIG EAST Softball pitcher of week.
Quentin Voigt with the preview of tonight's Louisville v Purdue NCAA Women's Tournament 2nd round game. GOOD SEATS IN THE END ZONES ARE AVAILABLE FOR JUST $5 FOR THIS GAME. COME TO THE YUM! and GET YOUR TICKETS AT THE BOX OFFICE. THIS IS THE NCAA, FOLKS!
The Purdue Boilermakers have won five in a row coming into tonight's game and six out of their last seven. They are purported to be a tough-nosed team. Purdue brings a 25-8 record into the contest. They were 10-6 in BIG TEN regular season games but came on strong to win the conference tournament.
Coach Sharon Versyp is in her seventh year as Boilermaker boss and her success has been note-worthy. She has had 17 All-BIG TEN performers, three players on the All-BIG TEN Freshman team, six BIG TEN All-Defensive team selections, 11 BIG TEN All-Tournament players (three of then MOP's) and three WNBA draft picks. Just as importantly, 32 of her players have been named Academic All-BIG TEN members, including Lauren Minton -- a Rhodes Scholar finalist.
The 2012-13 team is loaded with talent, including all five of their starters. Leading scorer is 5'6" guard Courtney Moore at 13.5 ppg. 6'2" paint specialist Drey Mingo averages 12.3 ppg and 5'6" guard K.M Houser adds 11.4 a game. 6'2" Sam Osterrella contributes 9.7 ppg and 6'2" Taylor Manual is good for 8.1 ppg. Osterella grabs 10 boards a game and Mingo adds 6 per contest.
Purdue averages 68 ppg, creates 16.1 assists and gets 8.1 steal a night. Losses of note -- UConn 91-57, Notre Dame 74-47, Iowa 62-46, Penn State 69-61, Michigan State 68-61. They also fell to lowly Indiana 62-61.
The Lady Cards chances are good...but they would certainly be boosted by a YUM! Center full of rowdy fans. Louisville needs to ride the momentum of the final 10 minutes against MTSU and play as a unit with the single-minded goal to win.
-Quentin Voigt
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The Purdue team I saw dismantle Liberty does a lot of things well. They crash the boards hard, block out well and Moore had a spectacular scoring performance against the over-matched Liberty Flames. With three 6'2" starters, it'll be interesting to see if Walz stays with his previous starting lineup of Shoni, Bria, Sara, Sherrone and Nita.
The three keys I see to a Cardinal win are another double-digit performance from the "Sho and Mo" show, Vails giving a solid 20 minutes and the Cards hitting 70% or better from the foul line. The Boilermakers should provide Louisville plenty of free throw chances. The Cards must capitalize.
Versyp will probably try to come up with a game plan to limit Shoni's effectiveness. If she does, it'll be up to Smith, Mo, Sara and Nita to step it up. If Nita can find that three-point efficiency she displayed prior to the BIG EAST Tournament...Purdue will have to drop the "stop Shoni" scenario.
I see the Cards advancing to the Sweet Sixteen with a hard-fought 69-63 win. Not that it matters, but a lot of Cards fans were surprised that Purdue got the #4 seed and Louisville the #5 in the region.
Time to start up the redemption train engine again.
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Congrats to Cardinal softball pitcher Caralisa Connell for being selected the BIG EAST Softball Pitcher of the week. She punished both Iowa and Oklahoma last week and held the batters she face to a meager .171 batting average.
Louisville entertains Syracuse this weekend at Ulmer. A Friday doubleheader that starts at 2 p.m. and single game Saturday at noon.
The Cards are #11 in the nation and 26-5 on the season.
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We'll update the CARDINAL COUPLE Pick 'Em challenge in Wednesday's column...after all the second round games have been completed. Like I care. I'm so far behind the leaders...I think I'm in the lead.
Paulie
That also means tickets will be at a premium for the event. Cardinal Arena seats less than 900 and with three teams besides Louisville participating and media seating needed...fans would be advised to get tickets without delay. 
The Cards climbed back to within one at 48-47 after two Walton free-throws with 8:16 to play...but a 13-4 run by Dayton over the next four minutes had the Cards down by 10 at 61-51 after a Kelly Austria three. Louisville would trail by as many as 16 late in the game. A three by Hines-Allen with 12 seconds remaining set the final tally at 76-63.
