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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Volleyball triumphs over Belmont -- awaits NCAA pairing and assignment.

-Women's Basketball 6-0 and facing a tough week ahead.

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As expected, the UofL volleyball team will play their first and second rounds games in the KFC YUM! Center on Thursday and Friday. First round opponent is Belmont University...who the Cards defeated last Friday. The other two teams that will play in the YUM! are Tennessee and Michigan. The winners will face off Friday night.

Louisville is in the Berkeley (CA) region, which means they'd travel there if they are successful in winning two on their home court. We'll have more on this tomorrow....including times, hopefully.

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The University of Louisville Volleyball team disposed of OVC Tournament Champion Belmont Friday afternoon in Cardinal Arena and now awaits their fate in the NCAA Tournament. The Cards took the straight set sweep 26-24, 25-21, 25-14 to improve to 29-3 on the season and Gwen Rucker slammed home another impressive game with 15 kills. Lola Arslanbekova added 14. Seniors Tanya Lukyanenko and Kaitlynn James contributed to the victory as well...with eight and seven kills respectively.

It's now a matter of "wait and see" as the team awaits the NCAA Volleyball Selection Show, which will be aired on ESPNU Sunday @ 4:00 p.m. Anne Kordes and the squad will be throwing a selection watch party at Bearno's By The Bridge (near the KFC YUM! Center) at 3:30 p.m.

Lasagna with Lola. Rigatoni with Rucker. Meatballs with Mattingly. Sounds like a great time. We're huge Bearno's fans here at Cardinal Couple and recommend the Mama Bearno's pizza if you go...

It's no secret that the Cards have bid to host 1st. and 2nd. round matches at the KFC YUM! Center, beginning Thursday, November 29th. and ending Friday, November 30th. They're going to get that request, in our opinion...so here's the skinny on tickets.

All-session for adults are $20. Seniors and youth get in for $10. Bring a chimp and get in free.(Not really, but wouldn't that be fun!). Single-session are $12 for adults, $7 for seniors and youth and $5 for college students. Get a group of 10 more for the single session and it's $5 each as well.

All-session tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Monday and can be purchased at the Louisville Athletic Ticket Office at (502) 852-5151, online at GoCards.com or in person at the Student Activities Center ticket office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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Jeff Walz's WBB squad is 6-0 and preparing for a road trip to UT-Martin after winning three games in three days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in the Hardwood For Hope Tournament. Three games for the Cards in a seven day stretch...they host EKU on Wednesday and arch-rival UK on Sunday.

We'll have more on UT-Martin in the Monday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE, but they're not an opponent to be taken lightly. Three starters back from a squad that went 23-9 last season and made the NCAA Tournament. This year, the Skyhawks are 1-4...but the losses have come against quality opponents like the defending national champs Baylor (82-67), Stanford --who beat Baylor last week -- (92-68), Big 10 Northwestern (79-69) and Hawaii (73-69).

You can guarantee that Skyhawk fans will pack SkyHawk Arena, on the UT-Martin campus for this one. A great early season test for Walz's squad in a hostile on-the-road environment awaits.

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FROM THE "TELL YOUR STATISTICS TO SHUT-UP" DEPARTMENT


Here's how the numbers stack up so far for the Lady Cards this season.

Points per game - Shoni Schimmel 13.0
Rebounds per game - Sara Hammond 8.7
Steals - Bria Smith 11
Assists - Shoni Schimmel 20
Three-Point Shooting % - Nita Slaughter .421 (8-19)
Overall Shooting % - Sherrone Vails .650 (13-20)
Free Throws % - Nita Slaughter 1.000 (2-2)
Minutes played - Shoni 171 (28.5 per game)
High point total (game) - Sara Hammond 20 (vs. Texas A&M)

The Cards have out-scored their opponnents 442 (73.7 per game) to 303 (50.5 per game). They're also out-rebounding foes 245-193. They've forced a total of 132 turnovers. In two home games, Louisville is averaging 8660 per game. On the road and in neutral sites...uh, well....hmmm, we seem to have lost those figures.  

TV will be available for the Monday night matchup against UT-Martin on the OVC Network. We recommend you turn down the sound and listen to Matt Andrews and Adrienne Johnson's call on WKRD 790 AM, if possible. Depending on where the two are set up...you can hear Jeff Walz join the broadcast (he doesn't even need a microphone!) with his instructions, teaching points and observations from the sidelines...along with his award-winning post game show with Matt.

OVC Network link below:

Louisville vs. UTM

Tipoff is 8:00 p.m. E.S.T.

Have a great Sunday, everybody and GO CARDS!
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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Cards win Hardwood of Hope Tournament with 61-43 triumph over Oregon State

Louisville got 17 points from Sara Hammond and 15 from Shoni Schimmel in a 18 point win over the Oregon State Beavers Thanksgiving night in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico. Louisville used a 16-2 run over a five minute stretch in the second half to put OSU away.

Starters for Louisville were the same they've been all season -- Hammond, Shoni, Smith, Dyer and Deines. The teams played evenly for the first four minutes and were tied at 5-5 before a Shoni three gave the Cards the lead. A Nita Slaughter three put UofL put 11-7 and a Shoni three made it 14-9 Louisville with 12 minutes to go.

It was 17-14 Cards with 9:02 to go. Louisville took off on a 8-0 run, though...over the next five minutes. A Jude Schimmel layup started the run, Slaughter connected on a jumper and Sara Hammond had back-to-back scores and Louisville led 25-14.

OSU would record three three-point plays in the next three minutes and close it to 27-23, but a Hammond putback and free throw with 1:25 left gave Louisville a seven point lead at 30-23 and the first half ended that way. Hammond led Louisville with 11 points, Slaughter added eight, Shoni with six, Dyer and Jude with two each and Bria Smith one. All eleven Cards played...Hammond had Louisville's last nine points. 

The Cards got a basket from Shawnta Dyer to start the second half and after two Slaughter free throws...led 35-28 with 15:10 to go. A Hammond jumper made it 37-28 but two OSU scores had it 37-32 with 13 minutes left. The Cards were having trouble putting the Beavers away, but that was about to change.

Hammond hit two free throws to give the Cards a seven-point advantage. Monique Reid finally got on the scoreboard with two free throws at the 11:43 mark and it was 41-32 Louisville. Shoni drained back-to-back threes and a Hammond jumper gave Louisville a 49-34 advantage. Smith's layup with 8:54 left put the Cards up by 17 and Reid's layup made it 53-34. The Cards had gone a 16-2 run over the past five minutes and for all intents and purposes...this one was over.

Smith's jumper gave UofL a 55-37 advantage at the six minute mark. Shoni scored her final three of the night with 4:29 to go and Shelby Harper closed out the Cards scoring...hitting a deep three with 37 seconds left for the final 61-43 score.

Hammond's 17 points led all scorers and Shoni finished with 15...all from beyond the three-point arc. Slaughter was also a double figure scorer with 10. Smith and Dyer added five each, Reid with four, Harper three and Jude two. Deines, Vails and Walton played but did not score.

THINGS WE LIKED

1) Jammin' Hammond. Strong effort by sophomore Sara Hammond tonight with 17 points and seven rebounds. She is becoming a major force on the boards for Louisville and her 11 first-half points included a Sara 9 - Oregon State 9 end to the first half.

2) Let "Threedom" rain!. Cards hit 8 out of 18 trifectas tonight for 44%. Shoni and Nita with seven of them. Despite a 0 for game shooting performance from Deines, the Cards look to have three legitimate threats from the deep this year.

3) Building With Boards. Despite having a smaller front line, UofL out-rebounded OSU 41-30. Blocking out and positioning works...

4) Assistance provided. Birthday girl Jude Schimmel with seven of the 15 Louisville assists for the night. She also had several steals and is proving to be a strong asset to the Cards in her sophomore year.

5) Defense! Defense! Louisville closing the lid to the opponent's basket tonight with another sub-50 point opponent effort and allowing OSU just 20 points in the final 20 minutes. Offense grabs headlines...but defense wins games and the Cards are now 6-0.

THINGS TO WORK ON

1) Stick it in the cylinder. Louisville shot 37% for the game (22-60) which may not win a lot of contests in BIG EAST play. Reid just couldn't seem to find the basket tonight and neither could Deines...after big games against Gonzaga the night before.

2) Zoned Out. OSU had success with the 2-3 zone they employed for the entire game. Even though Louisville hit eight threes, recognition and passing need to improve...several times the shot clock whittled down to zero without the Cards getting a good look.

3) Free Throws. We'll harp on this one until the Cards shoot over 70% from the line. They were 9-16 tonight for 56%, although they did go 7-9 in the second half. Can't leave money on the table when no one's guarding you.

With the win, Louisville goes to 6-0 on the season. They'll leave early Friday morning to return to the states and go up against Tennessee-Martin on the road next on Monday. OVC-TV will show it live. Game time is 8 p.m.

A good win against a Oregon State team that could give opponents in PAC-12 conference fits this year. A taller team than Louisville but a squad that couldn't shoot very well (36% for the game and 5-18 from deep).

Mission accomplish in Mexico. Shoni and Sara named to the All-Tournament team. Shoni the MVP of the tournament. Guacamole and Margaritas finished, it's time for these Birds to fly back north and continue to fly past opponents.

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Junior wing Sydney Brackemyre (Clinton-Massie, OH) is considering the University of Louisville as one of her final three choices for college. She's a pretty incredible young lady, as the article below points out. Louisville, Michigan and Dayton are in the running for her services.

She'd be a great addition to the Louisville squad. Her drive, desire and dedication to hard work is a remarkable thing. Link below:

Sydney Brackemyre


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Happy Thanksgiving!

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

We wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all our CARDINAL COUPLE readers!

CARDS DOWN GONZAGA, ADVANCE TO FINALS

Shoni Schimmel and Megan Deines led the Cards to a Thanksgiving eve 55-42 win over Gonzaga Wednesday night in the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Louisville got seven of their first eleven points from the freshman wing Deines...part of her 16, which tied her with Shoni for game high for the Cards.

Louisville took a 29-21 lead into the locker room at the half, but saw the Zags narrow the margin to 44-40 with eight minutes remaining. That's when the Cards defense went to work and allowed only one Zags score the rest of the way...the Cards going on a 11-2 run to finish the game.

It was a far departure from the past three Cardinal games...where Louisville registered 90+ points...but defense got it done and Louisville advances to the finals of the Hardwood for Hope Tournament to face Oregon State. With the win, Louisville goes to 5-0 on the season, the best start for the Cards since the 2006-07 season...when they won their first fifteen games.  

 A great job on the defense. The Cards deserve their turkey tomorrow and we're thankful for the win!!

Have a great Thanksgiving, CARDINAL COUPLE readers!

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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Lady Cards roll past UCF

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Balanced attack leads Louisville to 94-73 win

(Cardinal Couple staff columnist Jenny O'Bryan on the Cardinal victory...)

Louisville Women’s Basketball took to the court in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in the inaugural Hardwood Tournament of Hope Tuesday evening against future Big East opponent University of Central Florida.  The Cardinals started out of the gate with the lead and never looked back.   The Cardinals won easily with a final score of 94-73.  

The team is off to a 4-0 start and looks to go 5-0 tomorrow when they take on Gonzaga University...who defeated Missouri State 80-68 in the game following the Cardinals' win.

The Cardinals also scored 90+ points for the 3^rd consecutive game for only the second time in school history!  The record is four consecutive games with 90+ points and that was during the 1991 season.   The Cards will look to tie that record tomorrow evening at 9:30 E.S.T. 

Coach Walz started the same five for this game that he has all season long...S. Schimmel, Dyer, Deines, Smith and Hammond.  Reid was first off the bench.  Walz subbed liberally during the first half.   The Cardinals gave up 33 first half points and ran an up-tempo game scoring in transition and pushing the ball in to the paint.   Post players were running the court well and were the beneficiaries of several long outlet passes for easy transition buckets. 

The second half was started with the same five, though most of the second half saw a combination of Vails, Slaughter, J. Schimmel, Harper and Walton, with Deines and Hammond also in on that combination.  All Cardinals played and all scored.  With the commanding lead Coach Walz was able to give his starting 5 plenty of rest presumably to save their legs for the upcoming next two games.    

What I liked:

<    -- Offense, offense and offense!  The Cardinals had balanced scoring with 5 Cardinals in double figures, led by Sara Hammond with 15 points.  Every Cardinal scored!

<    -- Post players running the floor and getting transition buckets.   The post players were fast and active, UCF could not keep up with them.  With deep reserves at each position, Coach Walz was able to run, while keeping his team rested.

<    --  Assists!  Cardinals are getting better at making the extra pass to set up the assist!  Coach Walz has been harping on this for 2 years (at least I have been hearing it for the last 2 years in post game interviews)  and it seems to be sinking in.  24 assists on 37 made baskets.

Areas to improve:

<    -- Cardinals continue to have woes at the free throw line.  Cardinals went 14-24.  Big games are decided down the stretch and at the line.  Cardinals need to continue to improve this stat.

<    -- Turnovers!  20 turnovers.  This stat will kill us in the Big East.  The Cardinals will make a great play to get a steal, only to throw it away on an errant pass.  Every possession needs to be valued. 

<    -- The biggest problem of the evening was terrible defense on the dribble penetration.  As good as the offense was the half court defense was bad.  Cardinals seemed to have no answer for the dribble penetration.  I could not see the game, but what I heard was not pleasant.  Coach Walz mentioned this as well in his post game interview.  Expect the Cards to improve mightily in this area. 

Overall, the Cardinals won easily and were able to rest the starters for most of the second half.  Rested players going in to Wednesday’s game is important as the Zags will be a very tough opponent. At least this one isn't in Spokane. 

Good luck to our Ladies tonight as they take on Gonzaga in the Hardwood Tournament of Hope at 9:30 E.S.T.  Cardinal fans can listen in on 790 WKRD radio in the Louisville area or at CARDS TV for a fee.  

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In other first round games in Puerto Vallarta, Oregon State won a close one against UC Santa Barbara 49-46 and Winthrop pulled off the upset by downing Mississippi State 61-59. Beside the Louisville vs. Gonzaga matchup, the other Wednesday games feature:

-UCF vs. Missouri State
-Mississippi State vs. UC Santa Barbara
-Oregon State vs Winthrop

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(Editor's Note...While we still lament the fact that these aren't available on television or the internet for viewing, it's always a pleasure to listen to the radio call of the broadcast from Matt Andrews and A.J. One thing I like to do when I listen to a radio play-by-play is close my eyes once in a while and see if I can visualize the action in my mind. With Andrews' call, it's an easy thing to do...I can see Bria charging with the ball into the paint and dishing it off to Shawnta or Monique for an easy score. Or Nita Slaughter clearing the boards and getting the rock out to Shoni for the transition fast-break. It's said a picture is worth a thousand words...the accurate descriptions from A.J. on a sequence that leads to a score (or turnover) help create that picture mentally when no view is available...

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It's been all the buzz on other sites and the sports radio...so we'll address it briefly here. Is Louisville headed to the ACC or Big 12?

With the exit of Rutgers to the BIG 10, the BIG EAST continues to take hit after hit in football. And, make no mistake...these conference re-aligments are about two, and two things only:

Football and money.

We're a UofL womens' sports site here. It's what we do. We're going to side with Jeff Walz and his opinion on all this conference stuff. WE don't care...as long as the Lady Cards basketball team and the other Cardinal womens' sports squad can suit up and play games. Whether the opponents are UConn and Rutgers..Duke or UNC..Oklahoma or Baylor.. it is out of the hands of women's sports and we're just going to let the football guys, networks and bank accounts fight it out while continue to concentrate on what we do here....providing you with daily updates on UofL womens' sports and keeping a watchful eye on Timmy the Intern.

It's what's for dinner... it is what it is and it's probably going to change way more than once....so, carry on boys and call us when you're done...
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