Two Wins and a Loss -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

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Late Collapse Dooms Women's Soccer at Tennessee

As was the theme for Louisville's women's soccer team this season, Louisville once again scored early in a big game before yielding the lead and ultimately losing the game. In last night's match against Tennessee, Emina Ekic scored in the 20th minute of the match to give the Cards a lead they would hold for nearly 55 minutes. Unfortunately, this match was one in which Louisville's lead never really looked safe, and goals in the 75th and 86th minutes by Bunny Shaw saw Tennessee capitalize on their pressure. The Volunteers outshot the Cards 16-9 (9-3), earned 11 corners vs Louisville's 0, and drew 14 fouls compared to only 3 for the Cards. 

To their credit, Louisville's defense and Gabby Kouzelos held on for quite some time. Tennessee applied significant pressure throughout the game, and for the Cards to hold on for 74 minutes before conceding is admirable. The ball control exhibited by the Volunteers kept Louisville out of their preferred game plan. Through 90 minutes, Louisville's points leaders Maisie Whitsett and Brooklynn Rivers combined for one shot. Rivers did earn the assist for Ekic's early goal, but more productive offense could have resulted in a better result. Even against a good team, you have to get chances on goal in order to win. Louisville just didn't get enough of them last night. 

There isn't a lot else to say about this game. Louisville seemed to be outmatched in this one, with Tennessee using their advantage both as the home team and the higher seeded team to pummel Louisville into submission over time. It is a disappointing loss, particularly because it came about in nearly the same way every other big Louisville road game did this season, but it is still encouraging going forward. Next season Louisville will bring back ten of eleven starters. With experience comes fortitude, and Louisville should show a greater ability to close out games as time goes on. After a couple of disappointing seasons recently, appearances in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments are big steps for this program, even if both events resulted in early exits.

Hats off, though, to the Louisville defense and, particularly goalkeep Gabby Kouzelos, for not allowing more than two goals. UT kept the ball on Louisville's side of the pitch and in front of Kouzelos for most of the contest and she had some incredible saves that prevented scores.

Look out for a season wrap-up sometime in the future, as there is quite a bit to digest. Remember that only one team can finish as a winner at the end of every year and that every forward step is a positive for the program. I'm looking forward to next season already.

Coach KFD and Gaby Vincent talk about the game andnthe season at the link below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1061080621685108741

Volleyball Seeks to Get Back on Track at Boston College

After taking a loss against Florida State on Sunday, the Cards continued their pattern of winning every other game with a road, four set victory over Boston College. The Cards will look to break the pattern with a win over Wake Forest on Sunday at 1. Louisville got off to an extremely hot start before falling in a second set slump. The Cards would turn it around, though, pushing through the reduced role of Melanie McHenry to take the third and fourth games to win the match 3-1. There's no box score available at time of writing, but Claire Chaussee once again stepped up and led the team with 15 kills. She was joined in double digits by Amanda Green with 11. Louisville finished with 10 blocks and 4 aces. An all around positive performance as Louisville continues to fine tune their game as the end of the regular season draws nearer.

WBB (Eventually) Takes Care of UT Chattanooga 75-49

The Cards needed a huge third quarter to stretch their lead, but the 30-10 stanza was enough to propel Louisville to a 26 point victory over the Moccasins of UT Chattanooga. As is typical, Louisville was led offensively by Asia Durr, who finished with 24 points in 31 minutes. "Nite-Nite"  paced the Cards with 50% shooting from the floor and behind the arc with a 5-5 perfection from the charity stripe. For the second game in a row, the Cards were beaten in the turnover battle by a lesser team, an issue which will come to haunt if it continues against stronger teams. We've discussed Jeff Walz's opinion on turnovers at length in years past, so I'll let this point go, saying only that this is a problem that needs to be resolved sooner rather than later.

At the end of the day, one can argue that the only stat that matters at the end of the game is the number of points scored by each team. While this is technically true, it would be irresponsible for Louisville to allow ACC teams to rack up double digit offensive rebounds. It would also be in their best interest to not double up on their opponent's number of fouls. Louisville did both of those things last night, but managed to come away with the win thanks, in large part, to abysmal shooting by the Mocs. UTC shot only 32% from the field, 19% from three, and 60% (12-20) at the stripe. Louisville did finish with 4 blocks, which certainly contributed to the poor field goal efficiency, but at some point, the opponent is just missing shots. 

On the positive side, Louisville ultimately won comfortably while allowing the majority of the roster to get into the game. Walz got 11 players onto the floor, and every one recorded a stat of some kind. In fact, every player to see the floor recorded a foul, which could be expected when the team fouls 25 times. To round out the box score, the Cards finished with 35 rebounds, 11 steals, 21 assists (on 28 baskets) and 20 turnovers. Louisville shot 54.9% from the floor, 44.4% from the arc, and 78.6% from the free throw line. Exempting the turnovers, Louisville finished with a pretty respectable box score, and nearly every player contributed positively when given the opportunity.

It is becoming quickly apparent how badly this team will miss Myisha Hines-Allen, as Jazmine Jones led the team in rebounds last night with 7. I can't imagine that Jazmine Jones is the player that Jeff Walz would like to be pulling in 20% of the team's boards on any given night. Sam Fuerhing and Yacine Diop each had 4 boards apiece, which is the same number that Durr, a player definitely not known for her rebounding, finished with. That is not a knock on Asia. Her athleticism is fantastic. That said, Walz's play style with this team should not lend itself to allowing Asia Durr to grab significant numbers of rebounds. It will be nice to see the middles get their feet under them as this season progresses. 

Louisville gets a large break after last night's game, as they are out of action for a full ten days before meeting up with Boise State on the 19th. Boise State will likely be looking for a bit of revenge for the embarrassment that the Cards provided in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last season. Boise State won their opener on Thursday 74-63 over Cal State Northridge, and they'll play two more games before taking on Louisville. Here's hoping Coach Walz can get some of the issues ironed out prior to that matchup, as the games will only continue to get tougher from there.

First-year Chattanooga head women's basketball coach Katie Burrows post-game remarks:

Head Coach Katie Burrows
Opening statement
"Great start to the game. We did everything we were supposed to do defensively. Our rotations from the weak side were excellent; especially compared to Tuesday. It was one of the things we really hammered and focused on in practice. They say defense wins championships but if you can't put the ball in the hole then you're in trouble.


THE FRED REPORT

Song and dance man Fred Astaire 

F- Free Throws -- The Cards went 11-14 for 78.6% from the charity stripe and only three players got to the line. Asia was 5-5, Dana 4-4 and Bionca 2-5. Red roses for the first two and extra hours in the gym with Jess Laemmle for practicing them for Bionca. We'll dole out the capital "F" for the overall "over 70%" marksmanship.

R - Rebounding -- UofL won the battle of the boards 35-29 with J.J, as mentioned, leading the way.
with seven.  Five players had four grabs each and eight out of the 11 Cards that played had at least one. We'll award a letter here for team effort on the boards, but it'll be a small case "r".

E - Effort/Execution -- Louisville struggled early with the offense and committed way too many turnovers, but, got their act together in the third frame and looked to be more engaged, energized and efficient. 20 turnovers is way too many for the team. Just three second chance points is unacceptable, though. The Louisvillians did shoot almost 55% though, so we'll award another small case letter in a "e: here.

D - Defense -- Walz's Warriors did hold UTC to 32.7% shooting and just 3-16 from the deep. They also got 11 steals. The third quarter shutdown of the Mocs offense was impressive. Louisville held the foe to 49 points, another plus. It's a toss up for the letter here, but, I'll go with a 26-point win on the road to award a capital "D" here. 

FINAL FRED TALLY:  F-r-e-D


ON THE AIR

The Knuckleheads assemble today at 11 a.m. for another broadcast of The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour from the magnificent, majestic, media mansion on Mellwood. We'll be without "Queso" Case Hoskins, worn out from today's comprehensive and informative recap...he's off on a bit of relaxation. After all, the guy just got married...we'll cut him a bit of slack.

Jeff and Paulie encourage Jared to prognosticate.

In studio, we laud the return of "Worldwide" Jeff McAdams tinkering with the knobs, levels, Facebook Live and offering his thoughts. Jared escaped from counting nickles and rolling dimes and will be behind a microphone also. Paulie occupies the corner and should be sufficiently "caffeined up" to get through an hour.  We reached out to Paige Sherrard to fill the fourth chair and hope she'll brave the cold to join us. 

A lot to talk about, no doubt, and we hope you'll join us on WCHQ 100.9 FM, or on the WCHQ app, Facebook Live or maybe just stop by with warm stuff to eat and drink and hang out in the "green" room.   Here's the station link: www.wchqfm.com  You can find all you need there. Except Case. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

WBB faces Chattanooga, WSOC at Knoxville -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

DONATION MONTH

November is Donation Month for Cardinal Couple. If you would like to help us continue what we do here -- in 2019 -- please send whatever amount you want to. You can use Pay-Pal, but, if possible, we're prefer you to mail your donations to:



CARDINAL COUPLE
P.O. BOX 91521
LOUISVILLE, KY  40291

Thank you!  



CARDS TO FACE MOCS

A couple of Cardinal women's squads take Tennessee excursions today. Jeff Walz's WBB squad heads to Chattanooga to take on the Mocs. In honor of that, let's have a little music, maestro! From the late,great Glenn Miller below: 

CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO

I doubt that Coach and the team took a CSX freight train or hopped an Amtrak passenger locomotive to the city that offers Lookout Mountain or Rock City, but they'll gather on the McKenzie Arena floor at 7 p.m. tonight to try and build the season's record to 2-0 against a Chattanooga team that is 1-0 also. 

I'm thinking Louisville wont have much trouble is dispatching the [either] poisonous snakes, type of shoes or accusatory questioning ("You mocking me"?) tonight.  Most fans I've talked to want to see, in no particular order, another Asia assault on an adversary, better interior defense, Walz play 'em all again, continued excellent free throw shooting, Yacine Diop produce another double-double, Kylee, Bionca and Sam be board-warriors and/or Jess Laemmle get more playing time. 

And, chances are, you'll get most of the above. After tonight, the Cards do not return to action until Nov. 19th....and they do it out in Potato Land, taking on Boise State. 

So, what about these Mocs? They won against Lee University n the same night UofL was taking care of business against WKU. Katie Burrows is the new head coach at UTC, replacing one of my favorites (Jim Foster). Her debut 61-55 win over Lee actually counted as an exhibition for the DII Flames. No, I don't know why...

Head WBB Coach Katie Burrows -- UTC

Players to watch for the Choo Choo's? Let's start with 5'8" guard Lakelyn Bouldin. She amassed 13 points against Lee U. and hit seven out of her eight free throw attempts. If Louisville is foul-happy like they were against the Toppers, this might come into play. Next, there is Brooke Burns (no relation to UofL strength and conditioning coach Beth Burns that we know of). She had 10 vs. Lee and is a 5'10" sophomore guard. She grabbed seven rebounds as well, so whichever Cardinal guard that has the assignment on her might be mindful of that stat. And, then, there's Arianne Whitaker, a 6'2" redshirt junior forward who played her high school hoops in Cincinnati and spent time at Winthrop University before settling at Chattanooga. She had four blocked shots on Tuesday night. 

For the Cards, the opening statements will probably start with: play smart, pass the ball effectively, take the good shot, run when you can and rebound. UofL made a point of finding Durr early and often against WKU. We'll see if the cloaking device that made her invisible to the Tops works aganst the Mocs. 

No longer head coach of the Mocs -- Jim Foster

You can view this one on the SoCon Digital network. Here's the link: 

http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com/socon/game/louisville45-at-chattanooga-on-11092018

Another option is listening on glorious 790 WKRD AM's call with Nick Curran's play-by-play and Adrienne Johnson's commentary. I'll do that with no problem since I can't be in Chattanooga. The passing of a close friend has me here in Louisville instead of on the Georgia/Tennessee border. 

Any fans/readers that are making the trip, chime in via the comments section and share your thoughts and observations. We've heard about 100 of Sam Purcell's relatives, friends and such will be attending, since he was born and raised in nearby Dalton, GA -- CARPET CAPITAL OF THE WORLD (...and here I am with hardwood flooring...) 




WSOC STARTS NCAA TOURNAMENT PLAY AGAINST VOLS

A couple of hours earlier than hoops today and north of Chattanooga, #15 seed in the Palo Alto quadrant Louisville women's soccer squad will take the pitch against the #2 seeded Tennessee Volunteers. The Cards were (evidently) one of the last "at-large" squads to get in. This one slated for a 5 p.m. start time in Knoxville 

When we prognosticated earlier in the month about both Women's Soccer and Field Hockey's chances of making their respective "Big Dances", the consensus was that Field Hockey stood a better chance of getting in. 

Gee, we're horrible prognosticators. Ask Jared about the Minnie Mink saga story-line.

No doubt, the Kickin' Cards have their work cut out for themselves today at 5 p.m. It is a Louisville squad that prides itself on defense, however, and if they can manage to shut down the Orange attack, maybe Emina Ekic, Brooklyn Rivers, Maisie Whitsett or one of the other Louisville student-athletes can get loose for a score. 

We hope so. We're not ready for the Louisville WSOC season to end yet. 

This match can be viewed on the SEC Network + platform, part of the WATCHESPN network. Tune in at 5 p.m. for the action! Link below: 

http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3457404/louisville-vs-2-tennessee-first-round-ncaa-division-i-womens-soccer-championship

Go Cards! Take two today!! 


VOLLEYBALL AT B.C. Tonight

While WSOC and WBB go south, UofL Volleyball goes north to Boston to take on the Boston College Eagles. The VolleyCards are tied for third on the ACC and could use a dominating and three set win over this ACC foe. 

The outcome could depend on the current status of outside hitter Melanie McHenry. 

Mel's been out the last two games and left the court with assistance pre-game FSU. You'd like to have your kills leader out there, obviously, but if she can't go...it's "next player up" time.

We've heard that there is a possibility Mel  has a strained patella tendon and, if so, could be out for a week or so, and, since the tendon is SO important in jumping, maybe some back row duty after that. Once again, nothing official out of UofL. 

Claire Chaussee has staked a claim on the "next up" role.  We'll see how much court-time she gets. Piper Roe, Megan Sloane and other will most likely see increased time. 

No viewing options that I've seen on tonight's match, which is kinda strange since both are ACC schools and there is a ACC Network Extra out there...live stats are available for the  p.m. start at the link below: 

https://bceagles.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary


FINALLY

(As a side-line, congrats to Louisville MBB and Lou City FC for getting wins last night. "W" is good, the most likable letter in the alphabet...in terms of outcomes, I suppose.)

Chris Mack talks about the MBB win here:  MACK ON WIN

Good luck to Dorcas Wasike in NCAA Cross Country regionals today in South Carolina!

UPDATE: Dorcas wins! Her 19:42.1 time was 5.5 seconds better than the nearest competitor! #L1C4 !! 

And, ESPN2 will televise a football game tonight at 7:30. Syracuse is playing. What's left of UofL Football is expected to attend. 


paulie
xxxxx





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WBB faces WKU tonight -- WSOC in NCAA Tournament -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GOES TO BOWLING GREEN TONIGHT

It's here!

The 2018-19 Louisville women's basketball season gets underway this evening when the Cards travel to Bowling Green to face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers tonight at 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. Louisville time) in E.A. Diddle Arena. 

They'll face a team that was 24-9 last season and 11-1 in C-USA play (remember that conference, Cardinal fans?). It is a WKU team that has undergone some big changes, though.

Gone is former head coach (and former Jeff Walz assistant) Michelle Clark Heard. She's north of Louisville now, watching the Cincinnati Bearcats bounce basketballs. Gone are their top two scorers from last year...Tashia Brown and Ivy Brown...who accounted for almost 40 of the Hilltoppers 75 points per game last year. 

Greg Collins is the head coach up on "the Hill" these days. He's no stranger to Tops basketball, having served as an assistant on the staff for six years before being named head skipper. You might also remember Greg from his time at Louisville. He was former assistant to Tom Collen for the Cards and followed Collen to Arkansas when he took that head coaching gig. Collins basically held the program together during the transition time from Martin Clapp to Tom Collen back in 2003. 

WKU's Greg Collins

Western Kentucky does return some significant talent from last year's squad that won the CUSA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament...falling to Oregon State in the first round. Raneem Elgedany, a 6'4" forward, was the third-leading scorer for WKU last year. A couple of girls who competed in Kentucky High School basketball are back as well -- 5'8" guard Whitney Creech and 6'1" forward Dee Givens. 

For Louisville, the major question confronting Cardinal fans is who and how will Walz fill departed graduate Myisha Hines-Allen's minutes with?  We've heard conversation about a variety of players picking up and improving small pieces of their games to cover the gap. 

My guess, and it is purely a guess, is that Walz will go "big" to counter-attack the taller front line possibilities that WKU can employ...and have Durr, Carter, Fuehring, Shook and Jones out there on the hardwood for tipoff. And, that's purely a guess. I have no "inside scoop" or advance copy of the starters. Coach himself even said a few days ago that there were a whole roster-full of players that could start for this team. Or more importantly, who will be out there at crunch time?  

(Watch him counter with Durr, Diop, Dunham, Fuehring and Evans, right? This is the "three D's, an E and F" -- or Paulie's semester report card option.)

One thing you can count on. Jeff will play just about everyone who is eligible and not injured tonight. He has mentioned the freshmen might see first quarter action. This game is a chance to see who will step up and lay claim to minutes. We wonder how Sam's "stinger" on her neck is doing and will she be able to contribute significant minutes if needed? 

In any event, it should be fun and we'll have full CARDINAL COUPLE coverage on site with Paulie, Sonya and Jared on hand...plus rumors that Worldwide Jeff might come out of his map-building room of secrecy and Daryl Foust, frequent CARDINAL COUPLE radio guest, all bouncing into Bowling Green for basketball. 

Look for Louisville to try and force the pace early against WKU and possibly press after made baskets. Asia Durr will have the "green-light" to create and it'll be interesting to see how the Cards front line will do against a WKU squad that has a 6'4", two 6'3" and a 6'2" players available for action.  

Video coverage is allegedly on ESPN +...so you'll have to pay for that. You can do what Paulie does when the Cards are on the road and he can't get there. Tune into 790 WKRD AM -- Cards Radio -- for Nick and AJ's call. We'll have the recap of "Big Red" vs. "Louie" tomorrow in Jared Anderson's article. 

The start of what promises to be a very-exciting, challenging and enjoyable journey for this 2018-19 WBB squad gets underway this evening. Don't you miss it! 


WSOC SELECTED FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT

Karen Ferguson Dayes and the kickin' Cards are headed to the Big Dance! Louisville received a #15 seed in what looks to be the "west" or the Palo Alto region and will face #2 seed Tennessee in Knoxville at 5 p.m. Friday this weekend for first round action. 

The teams have met once before, when UT took a 6-0 win back in 1998. They played that one in Nashville, oddly enough. 

UT went 13-2-3 this year and was ranked in the top 25 most of the season, getting a #12 ranking in the last poll. Their RPI is #9. 

Louisville earns the bid after a 12-6 regular season, finishing tied for 5th. in the ACC and got an "at-large" bid. They would face the winner between Arizona and Denver if they vanquish the Vols. 

All told, ten ACC schools got selected for the 64-team tournament. Joining the Cards are  Clemson, Boston College, Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, FSU, Virginia Tech, NC State and North Carolina...who received a #2 seed in their region. 

A well-deserved honor for seniors Gabby Vincent and Kennadi Carbin.  Emina Ekic was named first team ALL-ACC and Vincent to the third-team. 

Always a tough task when a #15 faces a #2 seed but Louisville has employed a very strong and low-goals-allowed defense this season and has several scoring options when they are on the attack.

This is the fifth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance for the Cards in the history of the program...last visiting in 2013, when the Cards lost a first-round match against Illinois State in the old Cardinal Park 2-1, after the teams went from a 1-1 tie to a shootout-status that I.S.U won. Louisville finished 12-5-1 that season. 


Good luck to the Lynn Stadium Louisville girls in Knoxville on Friday! 


DONATION MONTH

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And, we do it daily.

For WBB and all women's sports at UofL, you know you can come here and find it. Plus, we are on the radio weekly with THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR on WCHQ 100.9 FM. Saturdays at 11 a.m.

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paulie
xxxxx



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