Cardinal Field Hockey ready to tame Huskies

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

#10 Louisville vs UConn

We devote the Friday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE to the Saturday matchup between #10 Louisville and #5 Connecticut that will take place Saturday at noon in Trager Stadium. We're fortunate enough to have three exclusive interviews with senior TEAM CARDINAL Field Hockey Players and head coach Pam Bustin. The ladies are ready to roll and if they show the determination of Nicole Youman (pictured here) they'll send the Huskies back to Storrs on the short end of the score.

JENNA AHERN

(On the Cards 2008 win over UConn at Trager Stadium)

" I did play in that win. It was the opening of the Marshall Center and a big home win for us. We're hoping to duplicate that again."

(On the rivarly with UConn)

'Definitely our arch rival in the conference. It was a heartbreaker losing to them last year. Maybe it was the theme of the season...heartbreaking, because we had so many overtime losses. WE came out strong but a couple of minutes can lose you a game, so we need to stay strong all the way."

(On scouting this year's UConn squad)

"We need to be ready. Especially on defense, they have skilled forwards..so were looking to skill them outside, delay as best we can on defense. We definitely don't want to give up a lot of corners because they've scored well on those this year."

(Her message to CARDINAL COUPLE readers)

'Come out and cheer us on. WE want your support."

NICOLE YOUMAN

(On the 2008 win over UConn)

"It was one that you don't forget, for sure. They were ranked fourth and we won."

(On getting open to score on UConn)

"It's really a team thing. It's all about all of us working together. About getting that open shot on the goal and if that happens to be me...yeah, that would be great."

(On having an advantage if the game goes to overtime)

"I think so. Because of our passion and determination right now. We've learned a lot from overtime this year and I'd be comfortable going in to it."

(On facing players from the last couple of UConn teams)

"There are a few back from the last couple of years. They have a lot of foreign players that are in and out every couple of years...so there will be a few new faces but there are a few girls that I'll remember from last year."

(A special message to the CARDINAL COUPLE readers)

"It great to have all the fans coming out. The support we've had on our Facebook page...yeah, please keep coming out and hopefully we'll put on a good game, get the win and make it worth their while."


TULI YIM

(On beating UConn in 2008)

"It was a very exciting game! It was an incredible thing...we just played so well together and it really showed. WE got the win and it was incredible.

(On what to expect out of UConn on Saturday)

"They are very skilled. They're the #5 team so it will be great competition. WE know their tendencies. WE really just want to move the ball around, I want to just get the ball to those who will score...trusting them and their abilities."

(Her message to CARDINAL COUPLE readers)

"It's going to be a phenomenal game, so come out and watch. It's going to be very exciting!"


PAM BUSTIN

( On the mood, tempo and tone of the players going in to the UConn game)

"Everyone is really excited. I think that our focus is the key to this match. Having a week to prepare and having it be Connecticut....who we always look forward to playing. It's going to be a balance of keeping the energy high and keeping them relaxed as possible. We've just been taking care of our own business here every day and getting into what we have to do to combat Connecticut."

(On Youman and scoring against the UConn defense)

"Nicole Youman is obviously a very good forward and field hockey player and I'm sure Connecticut has a plan to minimize her impact on the game...but for us we've been working on our entire attack unit, so..hopefully as Nic does what she can to open up other players and maybe distract some of the defenders...we'll be able to take advantage of some of the opportunities and score.


(Do we want to see this one go into overtime?)

"No! But if it has to, we'll do what we have to do to win. Despite what the record shows, we actually played really well in our first two overtime games this year. It's just a matter of us finishing the game. I'd rather win in regulation, but if we have to win in overtime...we'll do it."

(On her pregame talk to the team)

"I think inspiration may not be the issue here. Focus and relaxation...trying to get them ready to go. Balanced...getting them ready for what they have to do to get the result they want. We don't need to be too jacked up for this game. The desire..it's gonna be there."

(To the CARDINAL COUPLE readers)

"Come on out and support us! We've been playing some beautiful hockey this season. We're ranked tenth in the nation right now and we're not satisfied with that. We've been hitting a wall...trying to break thru that tenth ranking. Hopefully on Saturday, with good focus and good support and a good game...we'll be able to climb a little bit up that ladder there.'

What else can be said? Be there, be a part of it and come to know the excitement, dedication and drive that is TEAM CARDINAL.

It's gonna be a good one. Don't miss it. CARDINAL COUPLE will have a full report on the contest Sunday and on Saturday...Paul will have a piece on his visit to practice on Thursday.

Field Hockey looks to set record

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:


-Field hockey faces #5 Connecticut


-USA defeats Australia 83-75


-Women's Golf this weekend

-McCune makes a choice

UofL has a score to settle. The field hockey team hosts #5 Connecticut Saturday noon at Trager Stadium and is looking for their second win lifetime against the Huskies in nine meetings. TEAM CARDINAL last defeated UConn in 2008 at Trager, a 3-1 win over a Husky team that was ranked #4 in the nation. Last year, a heartbreaking 3-2 loss on the road to UConn in overtime. #10 Louisville is 6-3 on the season, with losses to Duke, Syracuse and Ohio State...all by one point and all three in overtime. The Duke and Ohio State games went to double overtime.


The game is designated as a "white out". UofL is looking to set a field hockey single game attendance record on Saturday. Admission is free to the match and free t-shirts will be given to the first 500 fans thru the gates. Louisville is averaging over 1600 for home contests this year.


CARDINAL COUPLE will have interviews with Cardinal head coach Pam Bustin and several of the Cardinal player in tomorrow's report. The Cards also play on Sunday against St. Louis.


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Team USA went to 6-0 in group play with a convincing win over Australia yesterday in the Czech Republic. USA finished atop the group standings in the World Championship and heads to a quarterfinal matchup with South Korea on Friday.


It was Diana Taurasi leading the way for USA with 24 points, including several key hoops in the fourth quarter when it looked like the Aussies might make a run. USA got out early against the "down under" bunch...leading by 24 in the second quarter and 15 at the start of the fourth quarter. "Big Syl" Sylvia Fowles added 15 points and Tina Charles put back 14 in the win for Geno Auriemma's squad. Louisville's Angel McCoughtry saw limited action in the matchup and finished with 2 points. 19 year old Australian sensation center Liz Cambage led the losers with 19 points. Liz is projected to be one of the first picks in the upcoming WNBA draft. Gotta be pretty special if you bump Lauren Jackson out to power forward...


I wonder if Jeff Walz could talk her into four years of college first ?


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The UofL women's golf team heads to South Bend this weekend to participate in the W.K Warren Invitational. The two day event is hosted by Notre Dame. Sara Maude-Juneau, Anna-Karin Ljungstrom, Laura Anderson and Candice Wiley lead the wood and iron crew. There's also a freshman on the squad named Katie Petrino.

I wonder if Dad will take the weekend off and serve as her caddie for the event? The daughter of Bobby Petrino has yet to see action in any Cardinal events yet...but she was one of the top high school girls' golfers in Arkansas last year. Reports are she beats Pop regularly on the links and participated in several women's TPC events this summer as an amateur.


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Congratulations to men's soccer! They defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 2-0 yesterday in .A big win for Ken Lolla's crew...they go to 7-0-1 and are atop the BIG EAST standings. Dylan Mares followed up on a missed goal shot and put it in the back of the net in the first half and Austin Berry headed one in during the second half for the Cardinal scores.

It's always good to beat UK in anything...

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Fern Creek center Teonia McCune has committed to Wright State's women's basketball program. The 6'5" senior averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds as a junior for the Tigers. McCune holds the Fern Creek records for rebounds (33 against Male), blocked shots (17 vs. Scott County), and is 4th in the state in career blocked shots.

McCune caught the eye of UofL head women's basketball coach Jeff Walz when he arrived at Louisville and she was a freshman playing with current Cardinal Monque Reid. She slipped off the Cards radar, though...and Walz has been aggressively pursuing other post players...getting a verbal commitment from 6'5" Georgia star Quaneisha McCurty and landing UNC transfer Cierra Warren for the 2011-12 season.

Good luck in Ohio, Teonia. Having seen her play a few times, I can tell you...you don't want to drive and try the paint against her.

USA goes to 5-0 in World Championships

WEDNESDAY @ THE COUPLE HEADLINES:

-USA rolls on in FIBA World Championships.

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-Rachel calls it a day.

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-Your Field Hockey reminder.

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-Another UofL vs. UK matchup.

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Kinda of a slow period for UofL women's sporting contests yesterday and today, so we'll catch up on a few items outside of the Lady Cards athletic endeavors.

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The USA squad went to 5-0 yesterday in the World Championships in the Czech Republic. Geno Auriemma's squad had no problems with Belarus in a 107-61 romp. "Big Syl" Sylvia Fowles led the way for the Americans with 15 points and 6 boards. A 37-11 first quarter advantage put this one out of reach early and USA led 58-28 at the half.

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Balanced scoring for Geno's squad on Tuesday. Diana Taurasi tallied 14 points in just fifteen minutes, Candice Dupree added 12, both Swin Cash and Maya Moore ended with 11 and Angel McCoughtry contributed nine points in 20 minutes of action.

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The big one is Wednesday against the Aussies. Seattle Storm center Lauren Jackson leads the "down under" squad into the contest with a perfect 5-0 record. Australia won the last edition of the World Championships in 2006...USA got the bronze.

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Glad to see that two of Angel's teammates on the Atlanta Dream are playing well in the worldwide competition. Sancho Lyttle (Spain) and Erika De Souza (Brazil) are in the top five scoring totals category. Atlanta Dream head coach Marynell Meadows is an assistant coach for the USA squad. All we need is the Miller twins to have a family reunion.

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2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra has hung up the saddle and retired to the breeding shed. The 4 year old filly will be bred to racing superstar Curlin. Although her 2010 races weren't always up to the standards we expected after her 2009 domination of the competition, the filly will forever have a place in my (and many others) heart for her breath-taking 20 length win in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. I'll put only one race in history above that effort...Secretariat's destruction of the 1973 Bemont Stakes field.

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Shame we'll never get the Zenyatta vs. Rachel Alexandra matchup that fans clamored for. Rachel owes horse racing nothing, though...and we wish her the best of luck as a mare.

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Men's soccer travels to Lexington for another chapter in the Cards vs. Cats rivalry. Ken Lolla takes the Cards (5-0-2) to face a UK team that has forced overtime in five out of their last six matches. The Cats (3-4-1) start six freshmen in UK coach Ian Collins youth movement. Louisville is ranked #6 in the nation by College Soccer News.

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Have you made your plans for the noon Saturday Field Hockey showdown between #9 Louisville and #5 Connecticut? It's less than 72 hours away and it's a "white out" event. UofL is trying to set a single game attendance for the contest...so get there early for a good seat.

We'll be doing interviews with UofL head Field Hockey coach Pam Bustin and several of the stick swinging Cards tomorrow and we'll post them in the Friday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. Thanks to women's athletic assistant S.I.D. Lori Korte for making the necessary arrangements and the UofL Field Hockey team for making themselves available.

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I wonder if I need to wear shin guards to the field?

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Mental note to me to see if I can find Sonja's old field hockey gear and load it up in the Villager just in case. Maybe they'll let me take a few shots on goal at Cardinal goalie Erin Conrad. Maybe I should pass if they do. No need to embarass myself anymore than I usually do...

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If you like what you see Saturday, c'mon back Sunday for another field hockey contest Team Cardinal faces the St. Louis Billikins at 1 p.m. at Trager Field.

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Nice job, Courier Journal. They list the Sunday game in their Seven-Day Planner in the sports section but make no mention of the Saturday game. I'm sure that's because they figured everyone knew about it already, right?

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Makes me wonder if some of our CARDINAL COUPLE chimps are moonlighting over there at the "One Great Newspaper"?

Women's Basketball Tipoff Luncheon set

CARDINAL COUPLE TUESDAY:

-Lady Cards basketball luncheon

-Two targets for Lady Cards hoops

-USA goes to 4-0

-It's not easy being us

The University of Louisville Women's Basketball luncheon is set for Tuesday, October 26th., at noon, in the Spirit Room of the KFC Yum! Center. Tickets for the event are $25 or you can reserve a table of 8 for $250. Seats can be purchased by calling the UofL Special Events office at 502.852.8872. For those who prefer to do it by fax, a downloadable form can be found at http://www.uoflsports.com/

Jeff Walz should have plenty to talk about at meal time. A very successful recruiting class is on campus and will challenge the staus quo of Louisville starters returning form last season. High profile target Sara Hammond verballed to the Cards a couple of weeks ago for the 2011 class...joining Quaneisha McCurty and transfer Cierra Warren.

These are fun affairs, so hurry and get your seats reserved...since they are first come, first served.

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Speaking of the class of 2011, add a couple more names to the list of players that Walz is interested in. Erika Johnson is a 6'1" wing out of Holy Names Academy High School in Seattle, Washington. She's ranked 21st overall by ESPN and 3rd at her position. Walz recently made a in-home visit with Johnson and she's considering Louisville, North Carolina, Washington and California last we checked.

Johnson is very athletic and has versatile skills. Likes to drive to the basket but can pull up and hit the mid-range jumper with accuracy. No problem with posting up smaller players and can pull off Angel-type moves when driving in the paint. She's extremely quick and creates her share of havoc on defense. She was selected to first team All State in 2010. Could use a little more work from three point range but runs the transition game very well

Markisha Wright, a 6'3" post out of Des Moines East High School in Iowa is a strong, dominating player in the paint who also had surprising speed for a "big". She's an excellent defender as well. Wright looks for the ball down low and is ranked #23 at her position. She needs to improve her shot range and struggles in the half court at times...but is improving quickly as she enters her senior season. She dominated the other centers over the summer in AAU ball. Jeff Walz has scheduled an in-home visit with her...she has not narrowed down a list of final suitors yet.

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Team USA goes to 4-0 in the FIBA World Championships with a romp of Canada on Monday 87-46. This one was never in question...USA roared out to a 47-25 lead and was up 66-38 after three. Head coach Geno Auriemma used a lot of different combinations in this one and none of the players reached double figures.

Belarus awaits USA on Tuesday and the long awaited matchup with Australia happens Wednesday. Daily viewing packages (good for 24 hours) can be purchased for on-line viewing at http://www.fiba.com/

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It all started out innocently enough. CARDINAL COUPLE was ready and willing to get the word out about the Saturday "white out" in Field Hockey against Notre Dame. WE were good kids and fed the information to our allies in the cold cruel world of non-corporate blogging...namely Cardinal Dominance and UofL Card Game. Articles appeared at both sites, as well as here at CARDINAL COUPLE...giving readers the "411" on the event. WE were glad to do it. WE'D like a big "white-out" turnout and hope the attendance record is broken that day. WE'VE ensured that CARDINAL COUPLE will have coverage of the heralded event...even though a couple of us will be unable to attend due to a prior commitment.

WE had a little concern over the fact that a certain, un-named entity was hyping the event to a source that does very little with women's sports and chose them to contact with a request to help promote...while ignoring us. There is a daily quest that WE have here at CARDINAL COUPLE... to provide our vast readership of the "who, what, where, why, when and how" of Cardinal Women's Athletics. Maybe WE'RE not schmoozing the right people...WE got the information second hand.

WE addressed it. Maybe WE shouldn't have. WE did anyway. Do you call a plumber when you're looking for electrical assistance?

What WE got was a mixed bag of goodies. WE were granted access to and the promise of interviews with Cardinal Field Hockey coaches and players on Thursday and WE will post them up in Friday's edition. WE'RE looking forward to that. What WE also got was a rather brusque communique of the procedures involved in obtaining such interviews and the dichotomy of being granted updates of women's sports at UofL. WE were also informed of our failure to follow guidelines in the procedures of being granted such information. Although the intent was well meant and appreciated...it also left us with the feeling that WE'd done something wrong.

WE appreciate the daily efforts of those who provide information and handle the marketing of athletic sports programs. Theirs can't be an easy job. WE realize that "CC" is just a small fish (but with a voracious appetite) when it comes to media coverage.... be it corporate or not...for or not for profit...and the like...concerning UofL women's athletics. WE are non-profit, always will be and WE try to design our coverage with the fan's viewpoint in mind.

WE'RE like you..WE work for a living. WE have budgets, bills and "X" amount of money to go around. WE'RE prudent and selective on where our entertainment dollar goes. Sometimes, WE fear WE are a dying breed out there...in terms of independent blogging, but WE carry on with it. It's a passion, not a salaried position. WE can't even afford a "stand-alone" .com or .net website that would probably increase our readership. WE are proud of the meteoric increase of our daily traffic each month, though. The seedling has grown into a viable tree in the forest of independent sports blogs and sites. Our popularity amongst readers, coaches, current and former athletes is truly humbling and something WE are a bit amazed and honored by.

When CARDINAL COUPLE first began to post to the internet, WE decided that official women's sports news releases might be a good way to keep us informed...so WE could keep you the reader informed. WE requested to be included on the list of people, organizations and media outlets who get these reports. It never happened. WE were told that we did not request such communications. Maybe the requests got chewed up in cyberspace. All we know is that WE did request. WE saved the sent e-mails to the various people in charge of doing it. Maybe they went to spam. It's happened before.

WE'RE trying to provide you, the reader...with information on ALL women's sports at UofL. WE don't cherry pick the most popular ones (although WE have an affinity for women's basketball) and WE certainly don't play favorites. WE'LL continue to do so...whether WE get "included in the loop" or not. WE'D like to provide you with the best coverage WE can. WE'RE encouraged that WE'LL be able to do so and the fact that WE might possibly start getting official updates is appreciated and can only help us inform you better. Fingers crossed. WE'VE received the utmost in courtesy and respect whenever WE'VE requested coverage clearance and media access to UofL women's sporting activities. This, WE appreciate. It helps us provide you with better coverage and information. WE'D attend anyway...WE'RE fans as well as observers.

Never thought that promoting something WE love to follow and support could be so darned tricky. WE'LL be here, though...and hope you will, too. And WE encourage you to support all women's athletics at UofL. Go to the matches and games. Cheer on the student athletes participating. Represent your University proudly. WE'LL fill in the blanks for you when you can't.

This isn't a rant and it's certainly not an attack of the top notch, excellent work done by those diligent staffers and administrators on college campuses. It is merely a observation on the irony of how sometimes those 'who would like...don't receive' and 'those who don't care...end up with the goods'. Although WE do like to have fun with fictitious departments, characters and scenarios here at CARDINAL COUPLE...our reporting is serious and updated daily.

WE thank you for reading.

Volleyball falls in 5 games vs. Seton Hall

MONDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Volleyball loses in 5 to the Pirates

-Women's Tennis @ Michigan State

-TEAM USA advances in World Championships Photo courtesy of ESPN

The University of Louisville Volleyball squad lost their first ever match to the Seton Hall Pirates Sunday in Cardinal Arena...falling 20-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 13-15. A slow start for Louisville in the final game proved to be the deciding factor. Louisville fell victim to a 6-0 Pirate run and despite tying the match 10 all...could not pass the Pirates in the final eight serves.

Anastasia Artemeva led the way for the VolleyCards with 16 kills and 4 blocks. They ran into hot hitting Pirate slammer Sarah Osmun, though, who had a game high 21 kills.

Emily Juhl and Lola Arsanbekova led the way for Louisville in the first game with a combined 11 kills but the Cards fell behind 6-1 and never led. In game two, Louisville managed to take a 20-19 lead late but surrendered six of the last eight points to Seton Hall.

The Cards came out slow after the break and didn't gain the advantage until midway thru the contest. Reserve Tanya Lukyanenko spured a Cardinal finish with three straight points and the Cards took game three by six points. Artemeva took over in game four for Louisville with four of her kills and the Cards looked ready to win the match in the fifth game.

Louisville (6-5) leaves the friendly confines of Cardinal Arena for their next two...visiting UConn on Friday and St John's on Sunday.

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Mark Beckham's UofL women's tennis team met with success in the Michigan State Invitational in East Lansing over the weekend. Sarah Miller and Becca Shine won the "B" flight doubles for the Cards...downing a team from Eastern Michigan 8-2. Freshman Julia Fellerhoff had a big tournament for the Cards..reaching the finals of "A" flight singles play before falling in three sets.

She and Mandy Brown teamed up for "A" flight doubles and reached the finals...losing to Akron 8-3 in the championship decider.

Amelia Harris performed well in "C" flight matches...reaching the finals before bowing out in three sets to BGSU's Nikki Chiricosta.

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Some catching up to do here on TEAM USA in the World Championships. They won their second game easily over Senegal 108-52 on Friday and outlasted France 81-60 on Saturday. USA was 3-0 in preliminary round action and faces Canada in the quarterfinals Monday.

The France game wasn't as easy as the score would indicate. Facing a tough France defense, USA managed only three points in the opening six minutes of the game. Six costly turnovers had the Americans reeling early but a Tina Charles jumper drew USA back to a 11-10 lead near the end of the first quarter. They never trailed after that but France stayed close in the first half...down only 36-29 at the intermission.

USA pulled away in the third quarter, helped by a 7-0 run featuring Angel McCoughtry and Candace Dupree and pushed the margin to 58-41. Diana Taurasi led the American scorers with 15 points.

Geno Auriemma discussed the difficulties of World Championship play after the US win:

"The difficult thing about this tournament is that you play three in a row early and the players are tired. You really can't practice very much because they're tired and they're not going to get much better because it's only a six game format."

Angel and company face up against 2006 winner Australia after facing Canada.

Syracuse tops TEAM CARDINAL in Field Hockey 4-3

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE COVERS:

-Orange ousts Cards in overtime

-Volley Cards spike Rutgers

-Softball Sweep over Bellarmine

- Walz gets in frequent flyer miles

Tough loss Saturday on the road for Pam Bustin's field hockey team Saturday against #9 Syracuse...falling to the Orange 4-3 in overtime. Louisville fell behind early at J.S. Coyne Stadium...surrendering a couple of goals in the first seven minutes of the game. Lindsay Conrad, sister of Louisville goalie Erin Conrad had two scores for the Orange...who improved to 6-3 and 2-0 in the BIG EAST.

After the shaky start, the battle turned defensive, but Louisville was able to get on the scoreboard near the end of the first half when Hayley turner negotiated the Syracuse defense and smacked home an unassisted goal to put the Cards down by one.

After the break, Louisville drew first blood when Jenna Ahern scored off of a Nicole Youman pass and tied up the contest. The Cards grabbed the lead three minutes later when a penalty corner shot from Youman found its way to Haley Jurich and she slapped it past Syracuse goalie Leann Silver. Louisville couldn't maintain the advantage, though...when Lindsay Conrad tallied off a penalty corner past her sister Erin to tie it.

Syracuse put in the game winner 11 minutes into the 15 minute overtime off a penalty corner. The loss drops TEAM CARDINAL to 6-3, 1-1.

The #10 Cards invite you out to Trager Field Saturday, Oct. 2nd when they host #5 Connecticut. It's been designated as a "white out" game and they're looking to set a regular season attendance record.

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Volleyball used a strong match out of Emily Juhl and Lola Arslanbekova to sweep Rutgers 25-17, 25-16, 25-23 in Cardinal Arena Saturday. Juhl delivered 13 kills and Lola added 12 as the Cards set a season high hitting percentage of .385 against the Scarlet Knights. Louisville led from the start in the first game and handled Rutgers...thanks to four kills by Juhl.

They fell behind early in the second game but rallied behind Juhl and Brooke Mattingly to go on a 9-2 run and down Rutgers by nine. Juhl contributed six kills in the win.

In the final game, the Cards struggled early but drew at 12-12 and got a big finish from Arslanbekova. Lola scored four out of the last five points in the match to give the Cards a two point victory.

Louisville (6-4, 1-0) hosts Seton Hall Sunday in the Arena.

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Sandy Pearsall's softball sluggers swept the Bellarmine Knights in fall softball yesterday 4-0, 1-0 at Ulmer Stadium. Impressive for Louisville was freshman Taner Fowler who had three hits on the afternoon...one of them a solo home run shot in the first game.

Louisville took and early 1-0 lead in the first game thanks to a triple from Jordan Trimble...who scored on Katelyn Mann's single. They added two more in the fourth inning when Fowler doubled, scored on a Chelsea Jordan single and got Jordan to the plate on a sacrifice fly for Tehsa Payton. Fowler ended the scoring in the sixth with her solo shot.

Tori Collins tossed the win, striking out six in just three innings of work and freshman Caralisa finished the final four innings...allowing just one hit.

The second game proved to be a defensive struggle...with a scoreless effort by both squads thru six innings. Louisville grabbed the victory in the bottom of the seventh when Fowler singled, gave way to pinch runner Jennifer Esteban and she scored on a Kristin Austin single.

Connell got the start for Louisville and struck out three in two innings. Collins came on and finished for the win, allowing just two hits and striking out seven over the final five innings.

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If it's Sunday, this must be Germany.

Jeff Walz is spanning the globe in his quest for talent for the Lady Cards basketball team. Walz recently shared with CARDINAL COUPLE that he had visited with Cardinal target Erika Johnson in Seattle while out on the coast attending the Hermiston Roundup. Johnson has listed the Cards, Washington, North Carolina and California as her four schools of interest. From there it was to Europe to have a in-home visit with a post player in Paris and a drive to Germany to in-home with a 6'4" post player who is down to UofL, Gonzaga and Oregon State.

He also has an official visit set up with big time front liner Markisha Wright in Iowa. We've got the feeling that if there were basketball on the Moon...Walz would have a line on a prospect there and head out on a space shuttle for a in-home.

The gunslinger keeps tracking them down. We approve.

Soccer defeats DePaul 2-1

YOUR SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE PRESENTS:

Soccer goes to 2-0 in Big East

Softball opens fall season

Louisville registered two second half goals to overtake DePaul in women's soccer yesterday in Chicago. Although arrangements could not be made to transport Bill the Goat (pictured right) to the contest, the Cards rallied behind freshman Julie Casselman and senior Shannon Leamy to notch their second BIG EAST win. The first half proved to be a defensive struggle and the teams went into the halftime break locked in a scoreless tie.

DePaul found the net first first fifteen minutes into the final half when Arianna Foster kicked one in past Cardinal goalie Taylor Vancil to give the Blue Demons a brief lead. Louisville tied the contest sixteen minutes later when Leamy controlled a missed Cardinal shot and sent the ball to the back of the net past DePaul goalie Claire Hanold.

Louisville wasted no time taking the lead when Cassleman connected on a shot past Hanold. Louisville (8-1) returns home to play #5 Notre Dame on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Fall softball this afternoon for Sandy Pearsall's BatCards. Chelsea Bemis leads Louisville against crosstown opponent Bellarmine for a doubleheader at Ulmer Stadium. CARDINAL COUPLE will provide a full report on the exhibition games tomorrow.

Packed weekend for Cardinal women's sports

YOUR FRIDAY CARDINAL

COUPLE PRESENTS:

-#10 Field Hockey @ Syracuse

-#18 Soccer @ DePaul

- Volleyball hosts two in Cardinal Arena

-TEAM USA wins over Greece

A busy weekend for women's sports for the ol' Universidad de Louisville. Let's "salto derecho en con dos pies...amigos! "

(That means we're jumping in with both feet).

Image above courtesy of Viscardi Designs. Check out the great renderings of Tony Viscardi by clicking on his link in our Sites We Recommend column.

Pam Bustin's field hockey squad test the Syracuse Orange Saturday in Syracuse. The Flock goes into the game ranked #10 in the nation against #9 Syracuse...who defeated Rutgers 5-1 in their last outing. They'll need big efforts out of Nicole Youman, who is the 2nd leading scorer in the nation and goalie Erin Conrad...second in the nation in goal stoppage.

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#18 Women's Soccer plays twice this weekend. Today they travel to Chicago for a match against the DePaul Blue Demons. DePaul (5-3-2) knocked off Loyola-Chicago last time out 2-0. The Blue Demons and Cards have played to a lifetime series record of 7-7 and DePaul defeated Louisville the last time they squared up...2-1 in Cardinal Park last year. The 4 p.m. game today happens at Wish Field in Cacciatore Stadium. Wonder what they got for sale in that concession stand? Louisville (7-1) enters the fray off a 3-1 loss at Illinois...which snapped the seven game win streak.

After the Blue Demons, the Cards return home for a Sunday tussle against Notre Dame. The Irish are ranked 5th in the nation and have an identical 7-1 record. You'll want to be at Cardinal Park Sunday 1 p.m. for this one. Definitely time for some payback by the Cards in this one...they trail 7-1 in the all-time series against Notre Dame.

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Volleyball contests a couple of BIG EAST opponents this weekend in Cardinal Arena....starting off against Rutgers at 2 p.m. Saturday. Louisville enters the contest off a tough loss at Illinois...(what is it with all these Fighting Illini teams beating the Cards?) and Rutgers comes to town fresh off a road win over New Hampshire.

Sunday sees the Cards host Seton Hall. Same game time and Pirates will be looking for revenge after Louisville swept them last year in Jersey. Seton Hall has faced a brutal non-conference schedule so far...including #1 Penn State and shows up in the Arena with a hard fought win over Fordham last time out.

Time for the "A" team to step it up (Amanda, Arslanbeckova and Artemeva). The Cards have never lost to either Seton Hall and Rutgers in volleyball. Guess they're busy with other things up there on the Jersey Shore...

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Team USA had a successful debut in the FIBA World Championships...downing Greece 99-73. Angel McCoughtry led a balanced USA attack...sharing game high point totals with Swin Cash at 16 points each. The Americans out rebounded Greece 44-19 and buried the Grecians early in this one.

Geno Auriemma made his coaching debut yesterday in the World Championships and told FIBA.com about the experience:

"This is difficult...coaching in the World Championships. First, you're not coaching UConn...where only the people of Connecticut care about how you do. It's the United States team...where the whole nation cares. I was probably more nervous before this game than I was before the National Championship game last year."

Maybe not Connecticut, Geno but the squad has a distinct Husky resemblance to it...with six of the twelve players either current of former UConn ballers. Just get the ball to Angel and sit back and enjoy the overseas experience.

The USA is favored to win the competiton and looks to avenge for a disappointing 3rd place finish four years ago to Brazil and Russia. Buenas suertes, senoritas! (Been working on my Spanish lately for my upcoming trip to Taco Bell...)

Walz not slowing down

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE PRESENTS:

-Settlement in the Banker suit vs. UofL

-Angel never rests...

-Neither does Jeff Walz

Jeff Walz has saddled up Ol' Paint and is out on the recruiting trail again..days after landing Rockcastle County star Sara Hammond. Walz, pictured right, knows that you can't rest on your laurels and is wisely using this time to make those contacts with the future stars of women's college basketball...before scheduled practices start for his Lady Cards.

Walz recently was in Oregon, getting in face time with talent in the area and also had time to attend the Hermiston Roundup rodeo while visiting. Hmmm...seems to me there's another Schimmel up in those parts. Jude Schimmel, talented point guard and younger sister of Cardinal freshman Shoni Schimmel begins her senior season of hoops for Portland Franklin High School soon and it's rumored that the siblings wouldn't mind playing a few years of college ball together.

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Angel just goes and goes...along with several of the Seattle Storm players. After completing the WNBA finals...McCoughtry packed her bags and headed to the Czech Republic to participate in the World Championships for Team USA. She flew over with USA assistant coach and head coach of the Atlanta Dream...Marynell Meadows. The Americans begin play today against Greece. Swin Cash and Sue Bird were a couple of others who did the pack the bags and go routine as well...after their Seattle team defeated the Dream in the WNBA finals. Those three are joining fellow teammates Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi, Asjha Jones, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Lindsay Whalen, Candace Dupree and Jayne Appel.

Geno Auriemma coaches...wonder if he can manage to get cooperation from the six former and current Connecticut Huskies on the squad? They picked the right jockey and horses for this race....Auriemma and the Huskies are winners and "Big Syl" is simply a beast on the boards. Angel isn't too shabby, either. Bring it back to the USA, girls.

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Former University assistant track and field coach Mary Banker has been awarded $371,875 by a Jefferson County (KY) jury...finding that she suffered retaliation after she alleged a hostile work environment. Banker claimed that she was treated differently because she was a woman and subsequently terminated from her job after complaining.

The University of Louisville is reviewing the civil-rights case's verdict and will make a decision on what to do next after the verdict is finalized. Banker was employed by UofL in September 2007 as a recruiting coordinator for both the men and women's track and field teams.

Banker had a meeting with senior associate athletic director/senior women's administrator Julie Hermann in February 2008 to discuss some issues and in April 2008 Hermann was informed by head track and field coach Ron Mann that he had decided not to renew Banker's contract. Mann told Banker in May 2008. She sued Cardinal athletic director Tom Jurich and the athletic department in August 2008. Jurich was dismissed as an individual defendant before the case went to jury...after a judge found insufficient evidence that he had personally retaliated against Banker.

Questions surfaced about her ability to do the job. Mann informed both Jurich and Banker that he was not satisfied with her job performance. Banker failed to sign a single scholarship athlete in her time on campus and Mann had to reassign most of the current athletes under her direction to other coaches.

It happens. Sometimes employees just don't work out. The sides differ on whether harassment and discrimination were a part of Banker's reason for poor job performance...but thanks to a jury of her peers...Banker won't have to worry about how well or poor she does anything for awhile. She has stated she'd like to get back into coaching eventually.

Good luck with that one...how many companies want to hire a sales person who can't sell and complains? Banker is currently employed as a waitress. She just got a huge tip, courtesy of the University of Louisville.

Looking at the Lady Cards basketball schedule

WEDNESDAY AT THE COUPLE:

-Lady Cards 2010-11 basketball schedule

-Field Hockey hits Top 10

-Thank you!

Becky Burke (pictured right) wants YOU to attend UofL women's basketball games. (And who can argue with Becky...besides Asia Taylor? Asia would like your presence as well...)

You've probably seen the upcoming schedule already. Let's take a little more in depth look at it today, shall we?

OCTOBER 30th Indiana Wesleyan. 28-6 last year. Out of the MCC and made it to the NAIA semifinals. Challenging exhibition for the Cards to start thing off in the YUM!

NOVEMBER 12th Tennessee. 32-3 last year. Out of the SEC and preseason ranked 10th. Beat the Cards rather badly last year and made it to the 3rd round NCAA, losing to Baylor. Yep, Pat's still there and she's loaded again.

NOVEMBER 14th at Ohio University. 8-22 last year. Plays in the MAC. No postseason play.

NOVEMBER 17th Houston Baptist. 3-25 last year. In the Great West Conference. New coach.

NOVEMBER 19th Southeast Missouri State. 7-21 last year. A part of the OVC.

NOVEMBER 23rd at Xavier. 30-4 last year. Part of the A-10. Made it to the 3rd round of the NCAA before Stanford sent them home. Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris still there. Uh-Oh...

NOVEMBER 26th at Old Dominion. 19-14 last year. In the CAA. Bowed out in the second round of the WNIT to Providence. I'm thinking road trip!

NOVEMBER 29th at IPFW. 13-17 last year. The Fort Wayne, IN. school plays in the Summit League. Cards beat them last year. No postseason.

DECEMBER 2nd Mississippi Valley State. 9-18 last year. In the SWAC. UK thumped them 93-48 last year.

DECEMBER 5th Kentucky. 28-8 last year. SEC team, one of two on the Cards schedule. They demolished Louisville last year in Memorial. I was there. Ouch... 4th round NCAA before falling to Oklahoma. Victoria Dunlap is back, along with Mathies and a lot of the same Kitty's.

DECEMBER 11th Dayton. 25-8 last year. 2nd A-10 opponent for Louisville. Beat the Cards last year. Made it to the 2nd round of the NCAA and lost to Tennessee.

DECEMBER 15th at Cincinnati. 12-18 last year. Split the two games against Louisville last year.

DECEMBER 18th DUAL IN THE DESERT. First one against Marist. 26-8 last year. Won the MAAC last year. Bowed out to Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA.

DECEMBER 19th DUAL IN THE DESERT. Next is Houston. 17-15 last year. C-USA school. 1st. round loser to Texas Tech in the WNIT.

DECEMBER 20th DUAL IN THE DESERT. Ends with Nebraska. 32-2 last year. BIG 12 champ. Kentucky took them out in the 3rd round of the NCAA.

DECEMBER 28th UT-Martin. 11-19 last year. Plays in the OVC. No postseason appearance.

JANUARY 4th St. John's. 25-7 in the BIG EAST last year and beat the Cards. Fell to Fla. State in the 2nd round of the NCAA.

JANUARY 9th Pittsburgh. 16-15. Louisville beat them twice last year. Took a dive in the 1st round of the WNIT to (Holy) Toledo!

JANUARY 12th at Notre Dame. 29-6. Handled the Cards pretty easily last year. Didn't handle Oklahoma so well in the 3rd round of the NCAA. Muffet McGraw and the leopard skin coaches.

JANUARY 15th at UConn. 39-0. 78 wins in a row. Yo, Geno! (do we have to go?) Whupped the Cards with ease last year. Whupped everyone with ease. Shouldn't they be in the WNBA?

JANUARY 22nd Cincinnati. The only BIG EAST team Louisville plays twice in the regular season. Thank God...it could have been UConn or Rutgers.

JANUARY 26th at Marquette. 17-16 last year. Got romped by the Cards in the Hall. Lost to Illinois in the 2nd round of the WNIT.

JANUARY 28th Rutgers. 19-15 last year. Schooled the Cards in the RAC. Surprising first round loss to Iowa in the NCAA. Always good to have C. Vivian Stringer in the house...except when Louisville has to actually play them. Would rather have her over for a social call instead.

FEBRUARY 1st Georgetown. 26-7 last year. Beat UofL in last year's game but the Cards won the pregame skirmish. Baylor sent them home in the 2nd round of the NCAA. No such nonsense this year, girls!!!

FEBRUARY 6th at Villanova. 14-16 last year and lost to Reid and company. No postseason.

FEBRUARY 13th West Virginia. 29-6 and ranked in the top 10 this year. Beat UofL. Got a raw deal against San Diego State in NCAA 2nd round action. Their mascot carries a gun. Beware.

FEBRUARY 16th at Syracuse. 25-11 for Quentin Hillsman's crew. Beat the Cards last year. Hillsman passed out during the game. Some people just don't do well in front of big crowds. Lost to Michigan in the 4th round of the WNIT last year. Michael still there. Get her, Asia!!!!

FEBRUARY 19th at USF. Da Bulls 15-16 last year. Beat the Cards...barely. Got gored in the 2nd round of the WNIT by Florida,

FEBRUARY 23rd. DePaul. 21-12 last year. Demonized Louisville last year. Tough draw in Vandy last year in the NCAA first round. Let's celebrate my birthday with a win. And cake. No gifts!

FEBRUARY 26th. Seton Hall. 9-21 last year. Lost to the Cards. Anne Donovan takes over the reigns this year. Was hoping for Annie Hall. Or Monty Hall. No postseason.

FEBRUARY 28th. at Providence. Cards end the regular season in the Dunkin' Donuts building . 19-15 for the Friars. Lost to Louisville. Went far in the WNIT with a 4th round loss to Miami.

CONGRATUALTIONS! You made it to the end. My fingers are tired.

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Congrats to Pam Bustin's UofL Field Hockey team for being ranked 10th. in the nation by the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association poll. Louisville (6-2) is fifth in the nation in goals scored per game (4.13). Nicole Youman is second in the nation with 12 goals and 30 points and Erin Conrad fifth in the nation in goal denial at 1.29 a game. Good thing they don't have to play each other!

Field Hockey goes to Syracuse Saturday to play the #9 Orange.

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A sincere and humble "thank you" to you...the reader. CARDINAL COUPLE recorded it's largest ever site visits yesterday. Maybe we should have Sara Hammond do a blog. Y'all come back now, y'hear? And, welcome to all our new readers that follow UConn. Next week, Rebecca Lobo naked. (Just kidding...)

The best is yet to come

Tuesday Afternoon Observations from senior writer and co-owner Paul Sykes on UofL signee Sara Hammond:

It has to be hard to say "no thanks" to arguably the best coach and definitely the best team in women's college basketball. ( I defer to the Tennessee Volunteer fans who would argue the case of their beloved Pat). They're the "one name" coaches. You say Geno...women's basketball aficionados know of whom you speak. Same with the Knoxville gal.

Sara Hammond said she dreamed of playing for the Huskies as a little girl. So, it had to be doubly difficult to go with the "L" word instead of a Husky cap. It came down to two things...being wanted and needed more by Louisville and the recruiting talents of one Jeff Walz.

You know Coach Walz. Maybe not ready to be elevated to the "one word" rule yet but showing that going into his fourth year at Louisville that a lot of other potential prospects, opposing coaches and high school talent evaluators know him well.

Sara Hammond has her senior season to play yet at Rockcastle County High School in Mt. Vernon, KY. She's just picked up about 10,000 fans for the program this year. Hammond has a mission to try and accomplish at Rockcastle before heading northwest to the city by the Ohio River.

A state championship.

Rockcastle County got close last year. Making it to the semifinals. Playing on Saturday morning. For Hammond, it's not enough. She's said it... and Cardinal fans will soon learn it...she doesn't like to lose. Standing in her way for the 2010-11 high school basketball season are some very good friends and UofL targets also. Those girls a few miles and county lines to the east. Marion County and Bre Edler, Kyvin Goodin-Rogers and Makalya Epps. The Louisville Manual Rams don't expect to go away quietly in the night either. Last year's champs...the Louisville Mercy Jaguars are eager to defend the title. There will be surprise contenders and stumbling favorites. There is a beauty to girls' high school basketball that goes far beyond the uniforms and ponytails. All things are equal. It is a game of fundamentals, discipline, hustle and desire. No slam dunks, smarting off or egos too big to get thru the gym doors.

For Sara, it's the end of one journey and the beginning of another. The recruiting process can be difficult, tiring and brain-straining...but a lot of fun. A wonderful weekend in Louisville with a group of hungry and humbled Lady Cards. A weekend in the presence of the king of women's college basketball and having him prepare dinner for you as well. Consecutive days of in-home visits as well...days before you announce your choice...from the final two suitors.

Then, finally. Decision day. The basketball fans of two programs heavy in team support and fan appreciation waiting for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

I'm guessing that Ms. Sara Hammond will sleep very well this evening. I'm sure that Geno Auriemma will warmly greet her and give her a warm embrace when the Cards and Huskies meet each year. And, the Huskies aren't gnashing their teeth over not getting her. Plenty of candidates to fill that scholarship and prove their worth.

And I know that Jeff Walz, grateful for the win against his friend and mentor, will put another notch on the gun belt, lower the hat over one eye and saunter out on a dusty Main Street...looking for his next target.

Welcome to the Cardinal Family, Sara. Enjoy your final year of high school and get ready for Walz Ball. You're gonna love it.

There's an old Frank Sinatra song out there called The Best Is Yet To Come that kept running thru my mind yesterday. You know how it is when you get a song stuck inside your head. I'm thinking of suggesting it to Cards pep band leader Al Greener to add to the playlist. Good times ahead for these Lady Cards...beginning this year.

HAMMOND PICKS LOUISVILLE

SARA HAMMOND CHOOSES LOUISVILLE OVER UCONN
by Sonja Sykes

Rockcastle senior girls' basketball star Sara Hammond has made it official. It's Louisville.

Hammond made the annoucement Tuesday Morning at a 10 a.m. press conference at Rockcastle County High School.

Welcome to the 'Ville, Sara and another excellent recruiting job, Jeff.

Also, much respect and admiration to Geno Auriemma and the Connecticut Husky women's basketball team. You are what Louisville would like to be someday and continue to set the standard the rest of us are trying to get to.

(Photo courtesy of ESPN)

Sara Hammond to announce Tuesday morning

WELCOME TO TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

(We're keeping this one up here until we know the decision)

SARA HAMMOND TO ANNOUNCE TUESDAY 10 A.M.

Prized basketball recruit Sara Hammond from Rockcastle County High School has announced that she'll announce her college choice

Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.

Hammond has narrowed down her college choices to the University of Louisville and the University of Connecticut. She has visited both campuses and received in-home visits from each school last week.

Hammond is considered the front runner for Miss Basketball in Kentucky for the 2010-11 season and was a top player this summer for Kentucky Premier 17U AAU Select team. She played on the team with other UofL targets Kyvin Goodin-Rogers and Makayla Epps.

Hammond is a versatile 6'2" front line player with excellent rebounding skill and has great outside shooting range. She led Rockcastle County to a final four appearance last year in the Ky. State Girls' High School tournament and has been ranked as high as the #12th best player nationwide in the class of 2011.

WE have been supremely confident for quite sometime that Hammond is headed to be a Cardinal and that confidence isn't waning as decision day draws near. We know that UConn has really turned up the juice in their recruiting effort over the last several months...but Hammond has been considered a Louisville lean for several years and we don't see that changing.

Louisville offers several things that she has stated in the past are important to her in her college choice.

-She wants to chose a school where her parents, family and friends can see her play.

Louisville is 2 hours away, Connecticut considerably further.

-She's looking for a school where she'll see playing time and eventually get a chance to start. Louisville has needs in the front court areas and Hammond is tailor-made to fill those.

-Connecticut has an all star list of players either on campus, as returnees or freshmen and several more candidates in the class 0f 2011.

-Hammond is looking for a college that she'll feel comfortable at. She described her Labor Day weekend visit to Louisville as "the best weekend of my life."

-Hammond also has a strong source of commitment to the Rockcastle County and Mt. Vernon, KY. area and it just makes sense that she'd pick a school where those friends and fans would be able to see her play in person. The UofL basketball program under Jeff Walz, in his fourth year as Cardinal skipper has also played Tennessee, Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay. These campus are also close to Mt. Vernon as another chance for her fan base to see her in action.

-Hammond wants to attend a college where she can get a degree in her field of study. We're not sure what that is...but Louisville has a medical school, dental school, law school, engineering school and business school...as well as an arts and sciences school. Covers about everything.

The lure and siren song of the UConn basketball is a strong one. To be considered by them is quite an honor. But, it doesn't always work out there. (Note: the comments previously here in the original article have been removed after editorial review and reader request.)

WE think it is an obvious choice. WE'LL update you when she announces. WE'RE confident that it will be an announcement that will make a lot of people in RED and BLACK happy. WE'RE calling it "Cardinal."

Cards field hockey rocks Radford 7-1

Monday Cardinal Couple covers:

- #12 Field Hockey rolls at home

-Women's soccer loses on the road

-Rowing competes in Lemonhead Regatta

-The Hammond question

A busy Sunday for women's sports at UofL. Let's get to the action and results...

Nicole Youman continued with the hot stick...scoring three goals and adding two assists at Trager Stadium against Radford. The Flock (7-1) used a big second half to defeat the Highlanders (6-1) by six in front of a nice crowd on the Belknap campus.

Radford hit the scoreboard first when Lara Canker popped back a blocked shot by Cards goalie Erin Conrad less than two minutes into the contest. Louisville countered near the 30 minute mark when Youman set up Simone Attles for a score on Jennifer Wisniewski. The score remained tied for the rest of the first session.

Louisville struck early and often in the final stanza. Youman got the scoring started with a penetrate and shot at the 1:24 mark to put the Cards ahead for good. A couple of minutes later, Youman added her second goal...recovering her blocked shot on Wisniewski and finding the net for a 3-1 Cardinal advantage. Youman picked up her second assist minutes later, finding Haley Jurich on the right side...who planted one deep in the net to make it 4-1.

The Cards continued the scoring fiesta when reserve Heather Stevens drove thru the circle and slapped one in for a 5-1 advantage. Youman picked up her third score less than a minute later, guiding the ball in at the 50:16 mark to put the Cards up by five. Freshman Elizabeth Vance recovered a missed Karah Nall attempt and closed out the scoring for the game.

Louisville out shot the Highlander 21-4 and returns to action at #8 Syracuse...who defeated Rutgers yesterday...Saturday, September 25th.

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Soccer lost their first game of the year in Champaign, Illnois...falling to the Illini 3-0. The Cards (7-1) were guilty of 11 whistles in the contest and #21 Illinois outshot Louisville 8-2 on shots on goal.

#16 Louisville hung tough most of the first half but surrendered the only tally of the half when Taylor Vancil just missed blocking a Megan Pawloski kick to the right corner.

Illinois (7-1-1) increased the margin in the final half thanks to a Julie Ewing feed to a wide open Shayla Mutz who took it past Conrad for a 2-0 lead. The Cards surrendered the final goal of the game late in the contest to Marissa Holden's boot past Conrad.

Karen Ferguson-Dayes brings the Cards back home for a Friday match against DePaul. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Cardinal Park.

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Cardinal Rowing opened the fall season in Bloomington in the Lemonhead Regata on Lake Lemon. (Wonder what color the water was?) The Cards fared well in the dual meet, gathering a win and a tie against the Hoosiers.

In the first race, the Cardinal "A" team defeated the IU "A" crew by three seconds over the three mile course. This one was for crews of four. IU's "B" squad nipped the Cardinal "B" bunch for third.

The Cards and Hoosiers "A" squads battled to a tie in the second event each hitting the line in 17:04 over the distance for crews of eight. Louisville's "B" squad finished third.

Louisville hosts the Red and Black Day next...at the Cardinal Boathouse off River Road on Saturday, October 16th.

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To answer the many e-mails we've gotten about Kentucky girls' basketball star Sara Hammond and her college choice...we can tell you that she's made no decision between UofL and UConn the last time we heard...around 8 a.m. Monday morning...but it's rumored she could announce as early as tomorrow.

We'll keep you posted on any breaking news we hear. Keep those fingers crossed.

Volleyball falls to Illinois

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Volleyball against the Illini

-Grieshaber finishes second

-Football Cards: Shoulda been...

Charlie Strong (pictured right) appears to be a bit disgruntled...maybe it was the pre-game meal? Stick with Panera Bread next time, coach.

We'll have some observations on the Cards 35-28 loss at Oregon State at the end of this column. Meanwhile, let's talk women's sports... (photo by H. Lindsey/Cardinal Sports.com)

The University of Louisville women's volleyball team gave a good effort yesterday against #5 Illinois but lost the match 22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-18. Louisville looked ready to pull the upset early on, winning the first game by three...thanks to the play of Emily Juhl. The freshman had five kills and the Cards finished strong in the opener with three of the final four points.

Illinois regrouped, though, and swept the remaining three games. Besides Juhl, Lola Arslanbeckova, Anastasia Artemeva and Amanda Simmons played well for the Cards. Arslanbeckova and Artemeva finished with 12 kills each. Louisville (5-4) placed Simmons on the All-Tournament team.

Tough competition on both Friday and Saturday that will undoubtedly help the Cards as they prepare for the BIG EAST schedule. Leonid Yelin's young team has shown flashes of being a top 25 caliber squad and will only get better with each game...learning and improving as they've gone thru a murderous pre-conference slate of matches.

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Kim Grieshaber finished second in the Navy Invitational cross country event in Annapolis Saturday. The UofL women finished fifth out of the nine teams participating in the meet. Louisville's men's team did very well...finishing second...just three point back of Navy.

Grieshaber was only seven seconds behind the winner and the Cards placed three runners in the top eleven. The Cards return to action in two weeks...hosting the Greater Louisville Classic at Sawyer Park in eastern Jefferson County.

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A big time comeback got Louisville within seven points of the Oregon State Beavers in football action Saturday but it was the start of the game that actually did the Cards in. Two blown scoring opportunities in the first quarter had Cardinal fans watching the game at Tailgaters Bar and Restaurant ready to tear their hair out yesterday. A yard short on a fourth and two run by Bilal Powell deep in Beaver territory and a wacky sequence a few minutes later when Louisville QB Adam Froman appeared to run one in for a touchdown but had the ball poked out of his grasp as he reached the end zone. Out of bounds, a touchback and Oregon State ball at the 20.

I'm not Charlie Strong...nor would I ever pretend that have better judgement than him...but you take the field goal and get the lead during that first drive....in my opinion.

The Cards rolled back from a 21 point deficit early in the third quarter and had a chance to tie it late but Froman threw one right into the paws of a Beaver defensive back.

This very well may have been the toughest opponent Louisville will face this year. These Cards will be just fine and this writer can see UofL winning the next four.

As for Charlie...enough can't be said. A Steve Kragthorpe team would have thrown in the towel and gone thru the motions down by 21. This team, with this leader, was moving late in the game to send it to overtime...shocking the 45,000 in attendance.

Tom Cahill, in attendance at Tailgaters to view the televised match, summed it up perfectly when he said:

"Nobody gave Louisville a chance before the game. They should have won this thing at least by three. Louisville may have lost the game...but they won the hearts and minds of every Cardinal fan out there tonight...including me."

Field Hockey dominates G'Town in BIG EAST OPENER

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Field Hockey hammers the Hoyas 6-1

-Volleyball falls to Purdue

-Where will Hammond go?

Led by Nicole Youman's four goals, the University of Louisville Field Hockey team successfully opened BIG EAST conference play with a 6-1 win over Georgetown University at Trager Stadium.

The Cards opened the scoring when Amber Thomas slapped home a pass from Tull Lim off a penalty corner for the first goal. The Cards added to the first half lead on another penalty corner play when Youman put one in the net...a follow up shot after a Lim attempt on goal was blocked.

The Cards took the 2-0 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Louisville came out firing in the second half. Same scenario as before...Youman refiring on a blocked Lim shot to make it 3-0. Youman went net again a few minutes later with a nice drive and advance ending with a stroke past G'Town goalie Briana Pereira.

Georgetown countered a couple of minutes later..Annie Wilson slipping one by Cards' goalie Erin Conrad but Louisville got one back when Erin Schneidtmiller chased down a Lim missed shot and tapped it in to make it 5-1.

Youman got her final goal late in the contest with another impressive advance thru several Georgetown defenders that ended up with her teeing off and banging one in from the top of the circle for the 6-1 final score.

Georgetown (4-2) remains here in town for a game vs. Radford Saturday afternoon. TEAM CARDINAL gets Radford on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Cards (5-2) out shot Georgetown 24-2.

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Volleyball fell in Cardinal Arena last night to Purdue in four sets 25-21, 15-25, 25-18, 25-18 in the BIG EAST/BIG TEN Challenge.

"As a young team, we are still learning how to believe in ourselves. We need to maintain our confidence as a team." head Volleyball coach Leonid Yelin related after the match.

Louisville got 11 kills from Lola Arslanbekova and nine kills and five blocks from Gwen Rucker.

The Cards difficulty seems to center a lot around unforced errors. They also tend to allow big runs by the opponents late in matches. Last night...Purdue used late runs of 5-2 to win the first set, 10-3 in the third game and 8-3 to take the fourth set and match.

The Cards have extreme front line talent in Rucker, Arslanbekovca, Amanda Simmons, Anatasia Artemeva and Emily Juhl but couldn't solve the attack of Purdue's Ariel Turner...who had 20 kills in the match.

Doesn't get any easier for the wide net crew...they host #5 Illinois in Cardinal Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday night.

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As we write this, Sara Hammond has received two in-home visits in the past two days. Jeff Walz spent the day with her Thursday and UConn associate coach Chris Dailey did up Mt. Sterling with her Friday. Now comes decision time. Hammond had indicated she'll make up her mindand announce where she'll be spending the next four years playing hoops this weekend. A facebook entry last night from Sara revealed that she wasn't sure which way she was leaning but she's be deciding soon. Keep your fingers crossed...Cardinal women's basketball fans. This decision just may be a lot closer that a lot of us speculated.

(Pictured above, UConn associate coach Chris Dailey...who has been at UConn with Geno Auriemma for 25 years. During that entire time, her hair hasn't moved once. Even in Hurricane Emily. Below her is Gertrude G. Goat, daughter of CARDINAL COUPLE information technology specialist Billy D. Goat. She would like to play basketball for UConn...but has no opposable thumbs.)