Basketball season is here!

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( Staff columnist Jenny O'Bryan drains one from long range today in her article on Cardinal WBB. Like all of us at CARDINAL COUPLE, her excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm for the 2012-13 Lady Cards season can't be contained by the press, referees or turnovers. She shoots, she scores with the Wednesday edition of "Da Couple"! )

- Hoops is almost here...are u ready?

- Central Cardinal Couple Holiday boutique a blast!

Basketball Fans!

We are less than a week away from the Women’s Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon.  Limited tickets are available for the event.   If you are a procrastinator, pick up your phone and call the ticketing office now @ 502-852-5151 before time runs out. 

In an email from the Louisville Athletic Ticketing Office I learned that season tickets are going in the mail this week!  Look for your tickets to be showing up in your mailbox shortly.  Parking passes, for those who have purchased them, will be arriving separately. 

A few words from the ticket office:

The exhibition game being held on Wednesday, October 31 @ 7:00 p.m. is FREE!   There will not be a ticket in your season package, it is free and a ticket is not needed to attend.  For all the families out there, take your kiddo out trick or treating early, then head down to the YUM! Center for another treat, the start of Louisville Women’s Basketball!! 

The last announcement from the ticketing office is that there is a time change for the EKU game at YUM! on November 28^th.   The actual time of the game is 7:30 p.m.  Your season tickets are going to say a different time on them.  7:30 p.m. is the changed, correct time of the game.

It was reported here in August that 2014 wing/forward Sydney Brackemyre was on an unofficial visit to the Louisville campus August 26.  It was brought to my attention that she was back on campus (presumably for another unofficial visit) this past weekend.  (Official visits can only happen during one's senior year, are paid for by the college being visited and a prospective student athlete (psa) can only take 5 official visits.  Unofficial visits are on the student/families dime and can be made at any time, and as often as wanted). 

This makes a second visit to Louisville for this rising star in the junior class, in less than two months!   We already know that Louisville is among her final 3 schools of choice (included are Dayton and Michigan) but with a second visit in less than two months WE think bodes well for our beloved Cardinals.    

Perhaps Ms. Brackemyre might just be our first commitment from the class of 2014?   It is a bit premature to speculate, but from where I'm sitting, I like our chances with this young lady.  I believe I attached the following link before, but, it bears another airing to our Cardinal faithful. 

Sydney B.

We are on the cusp of the season!  Next week I will bring you a report from the Tip Off Luncheon.  The week after that I will give you my thoughts/predictions for the out of conference (OOC) slate of the schedule.   

In the meantime we will keep you abreast of any recruiting news as it becomes available. 

A historic weekend for women’s basketball is fast upon us as the #1 recruit in the nation, Mercedes Russell, and #40 recruit Emmonnie Henderson will be on campus for their official visit October 26-28.   The early signing period begins November 14.  Keep it here, Card fans, to learn who will be suiting up as a Cardinal next season!  


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Carol Kidd and Chuck Horell were in attendance

A wonderful time had by all attending the Central Cardinal Club Holiday Boutique and Style Show held yesterday at the PNC Club in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Tons of silent auction items, many booths, delicious food and a great afternoon and evening of speakers and enertainment.

Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich spoke to the dinner crowd and was excellent as always. Swimming and Diving Coach Arthur Albiero also took the stage to speak to the attendees and Mickey Clark provided the musical entertainment.

Charlie Springer and his lovely wife Barbara

The style and fashion show was great as well, with several coaches, coaches wives and the incomprable Valerie Owens Combs, displaying some great outfits to the delight of the crowd.

Mickey Clark entertained attendees!

Thanks to all who stopped by the CARDINAL COUPLE table and purchased bracelets for the St. Martha Girls Volleyball team! We raised $110.00 for their worthy cause. Also, thanks for registering for the commemorative 1980 UofL Men's Basketball National Championship plaque and talking sports with us! We hope you enjoyed talking Cardinal Sports with Jeff McAdams, Donny Yaste, Sonja and Paulie and encourage you to make CARDINAL COUPLE a part of your daily Internet routine.

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The winning ticket number: 702211
Winner was: Al Parrish
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Thanks to Bill and Barbara Hancock, Chuck Horell, Debbie Zipperle and all the Central Cardinal Club members who made our participation an absolute joy and delight!
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Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Collins, Fowler named All-Americans

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Tori Collins, Taner Fowler named Softball All-Americans


-"My Favorite Cardinal Womens Sports Moments" -- Arthur Albiero


Congratulations to senior pitcher Tori Collins and sophomore designated player Taner Fowler on their selection to the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association All-American third team. 

A total of 54 players from 33 different schools have earned the honor of being selected to one of the three teams. The selections were made by NFCA member coaches from each region. 


Collins went 25-2 for Louisville this season and had a 1.30 ERA. She fanned 186 batters in 179.1 innings. She finished her career at Louisville third on the schools all-time list for strikeouts (590), wins (86) and saves (10). She also had 23 career shutouts, fourth best in Cardinal softball history.

Fowler batted .366 for the Cards in 60 games and led Louisville with 12 home runs and 52 RBI's. In addition to her designated hitter role, she also spent time at catcher for Sandy Pearsall's squad. 


Louisville finished the season with a 55-5 record, the most wins ever for a Cardinal softball team. They were also the BIG EAST regular season and tournament champions. 

Nevins and USF survived the
Super Regionals

Previous Cardinals selected for All-American honors are Lacy Wood (2006), Kristen Wadwell (2009) and Melissa Roth (2009-2010). 


Other BIG EAST players making the 2012 All-American Teams were Sara Nevins (USF), Amy Buntin (Notre Dame), Kirstin Verdun (DePaul) and Jenna Caira (Syracuse). 


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We are starting a feature called..."My Favorite Cardinal Womens Sports Moments." In it, we'll profile the favorite sports moments from coaches, ex-players, fans and other people connected to the University of Louisville sports programs. 

Arthur (right) with Ron Mann. Jeff Walz and Jan Karzan

We kick this feature off with Arthur Albiero, the head Men's and Women's Swimming Coach at UofL.  Arthur is in his ninth year as the head coach of UofL swimming. The Cards won both men's and women's BIG EAST Championship titles in the 2010-11 season and the women repeated again in 2011-12. 


Here's his favorite Cardinal Womens Sports moment:

"Sophomore swimmer Gisselle Kohoyda (Midland, MI) finishes fourth in the 200 yard breaststroke at the Women's NCAA Championships !!...leads team to NCAA top 25, along with two-peat BIG EAST Championship team title." 


More on her outstanding feat can be found at the link below.


Gisselle gets fourth


Thanks to Arthur for sharing this moment in UofL Womens Sports history!


If you'd like to share your favorite Cardinal Womens Sports Moment with us, e-mail us at:


cardinalcouple@insightbb.com




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Cards making waves in womens' swimmng

Lindsey LaPorte, from the Scottsdale Aquatic Club (AZ), is one of several reasons why BIG EAST Coach of the Year Arthur Albiero is strolling around the UofL campus walking on water these days. The Water Cards have been ranked as high as #12 with their incoming class and LaPorte, a freestyle specialist is one of the main reasons.



LaPorte joins local aquatic aces Krissie Brandenburg and Mary Mittel in the newcomer ranks and Breann McDowell. Brandenburg was the 2009 Kentucky Girls' Swimmer of the Year and Mittel is the third of her siblings to swim for the Cards.

Emily Conway, Nicole Glazer, Gisselle Kohoyda, BreAnn McDowell and Brittany Walsh complete the ten freshmen on Albiero's squad and the Cards also gain transfer Lindsey Rogers from Florida.

The Cards finished second in the BIG EAST last year and sent the most ever participants to the NCAA qualifying events. They were ranked #13 nationally.

"We are looking forward to welcoming these young ladies. This was a hand-picked class." commented Albiero. "They are talented student-athletes and they are also great young ladies with lofty goals. We are fully committed to help them continue to develop at athletics, as students and as women with extremely bright futures. They understand we have much work to do in front of us and we look forward to forming a great partnership with each one of them."

Splash on, Lady Pool Cards. Albiero continues to bring the best and brightest to the corner of Floyd and Warnock.

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USA Basketball blitzed the WNBA All-Stars 99-72 yesterday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. Geno Auriemma loaded the USA lineup with six former and current UConn players and had two big additions as well. Angel McCoughtry and Sylvia Fowles.

Big Syl went off on the WNBA team for 23 points and 8 boards. Angel tossed in eleven and Maya Moore added 12 for USA Hoops.

Fowles won the MVP award and was pretty excited about the victory and her teammates.

"They're on this team for a reason. They're great players. They play together well. They have that chemistry. They know what they want and how to win. Me just being a part of this crew...makes me feel good." Fowles relayed.

Real good, it seems. There's just something about Angel playing with Maya Moore and Coach Geno that still just doesn't seem right...what's next...Kobe and Shaq getting together for a few laughs or Bobby Knight and Digger agreeing on...anything?

Cardinal women's swimming making a big splash

Don't look now, but the University of Louisville women's swimming team is ranked #14th in the country. The pool Cards are coming off a win on the road (water?) at Notre Dame, who is traditionally the best in the Big East in this sport. Louisville is the highest ranked of all the Big East women's swimming teams and 14th is the highest ranking to date for them.


They have also defeated Tennessee, WVU, Pitt and Miami in meets this year. They finished second to Florida in the SMU Invitational and swam to a second place finish in the Purdue Invitaational.

Head coach Arthur Albiero, who coaches both the men and women's teams noted the ranking as proof ofthe hard work and dedication put forth by the squad. The men's swimming team is currently ranked 16th in the polls.

The Ralph Wright Natatorium on campus is a state of the art facility constructed in 2003. In addition to all University of Louisville swim meets, the pool is used for many KHSAA swimming events. Another example of Tom Jurich and the University providing the best available to Cardinal athletes.

Guess they probably wouldn't let me in with my inner tube, floating cooler, snorkel and floatation tube...

Best of luck to another Cardinal team proving that they have what it takes to be "the beast of the Big East".


Written by Sonja 1/21/10