Tuesday Cardinal Couple -- Running, Running, Running!

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Staff columnist Sandy Walker brings us her weekly jaunt through Cardinal womens' athletics and more! Adjust your seatbelt, put your tray in the upright position and prepare for take off!)

This week Sandy will spend her time exchanging dirty laundry for clean clothes during brief stops home between attending matches and games.

Fans will need to put their running shoes on as

Wednesday

is basketball with Eastern KY,

Thursday and Friday are the opening rounds of the NCAA Volleyball Championship

and Sunday is the UK basketball game.

BASKETBALL – TENNESSEE MARTIN GAME

The now 7-0 Louisville women again did not trail during the course of their game and for 25 minutes looked to be unbeatable by anyone but then they also again managed to spend some time with a lost focus, while becoming sloppy and allowing too many unforced turnovers which opened the door for Tennessee Martin to reduce a Louisville 26 point lead to 11 with only 4:56 left.  They managed to keep it together for a 79-61 win but went for a period of time where the broadcaster said they appeared at times to be brain dead.                                          

In his post game interview Coach Walz said that they just were not mentally tough and it seemed Coach Walz was extremely upset at everyone including UofL play-by-play announcer Matt Andrews but did praise the team for a good job of guarding. 

(Editor's Note): The thing about Coach is that he can parody and feign anger, indifference and rage with the skill of a Shakesperian actor. It made for the best 10 minutes of radio of the evening...including Walz staying on to read the post-game UofL stats over the air and delivering a flawless recap of them...including a brief synopsis of each player's acheivements. The bottom line is that Coach was probably as upset over the Cards losing a 26 point lead with 15:16 to go as we were at home...listening to the game. And, he has a lot more vested in the outcome than we the fans do.

               

Fortunately the women were able to come away with the win with Bria Smith (16), Sara Hammond (14), Megan Deines (15) , Shoni Schimmel (16) and Monique Reid (10) all shooting double figures.  Deines appears to improve with each outing.  Her 3 pointer will soon not only match but exceed Becky’s Big Shot threat.  Tonight was a break out game of sorts for Bria Smith who added a game high 7 rebounds to her status.  It appears that over the summer Bria has added an outside shot to her lay-up arsenal and it is paying off.  Also note that this was Sara’s 4^th game of the season with double shooting figures while last year she only had 4 games which showed double figures.   Shows what an intensive and dedicated summer can do.  In addition, Louisville out rebounded UTM 40-22.

Looking forward to a solid 40 minutes of play this Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky as a primer for UK on Sunday.

Again I want to give a shout-out to the OVC network which allowed Louisville fans to watch the game while listening to Matt and A.J.’s radio broadcast.

Louisville outrebounded the SkyHawks 40-22 and shot a sizzling 55.4% for the game (31-56). They also sank 6-20 from 3-point range. Shoni had four of them and Megan Deines two. 19 turnovers for the Lady Cards, compared to 17 for UTM. Hats off for the free throw shooting! 11-13, which is the best outing of the year at the charity stripe.

We mentioned Monday that Newsome and Butler would be ones to watch and they were, indeed. They made 14 of the 25 baskets UTM scored and had 33 of the 61 points.

*************************************************************************************

VOLLEYBALL

The Louisville YUM! CENTER and our 10^th ranked Volleycards have been awarded the first and second rounds of the 64 team Division I national championship tournament.   

This is the 15^th consecutive year for the Volleycards to gain an NCAA bid and is a testament to the strength of the program.  Louisville’s match on Thursday is with OVC winner Belmont.  Wins on both nights will send them to Berkley for regionals before a return to the championships.  The marketing department has been promoting that the road to the championship begins and ends in Louisville.

Tickets for both the first and second opening rounds and the Championship can be obtained by contacting the Louisville Ticket Office during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.) by phone (502-852-5863) or e-mail (ticketoffice@louisville.edu).  Opening rounds are scheduled for this Thursday and Friday and both nights can be seen for a total of $20 by adults and $10  for students and children.   The Championships are set for December 13th and 15^th   with ticket prices subject to age and arena location.

VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKETS

 

****************************************************************************** 

BASKETBALL SCHEDULE CHANGES

Wednesday’s game against Eastern KY has been changed to 7:30 from 7:00.

Sunday’s game against UK has been changed to 6:00.

*****************************************************************************

“NELL ON WHEELS” WITH NELL FORTNER COMING TO LOUISVILLE

Nell Fortner will be in Louisville for the UK game with her road show.  Information about the new show can be found at  http://www.fullcourt.com/ncaa/22157/nell-fortner-takes-road-game-day-show but more importantly everyone on Sunday needs to be at the YUM! CENTER a full one hour early before the start of the UK game.  Nell’s RV road show will move indoors to the lobby where her show will be taped for later distribution.  UK fans are arriving by bus and plan to arrive in time for her show which will feature open discussion with fans of both teams and perhaps featured guests which she will later select.  Those present should feel free to be a part of the video – otherwise the UK folks will appear to out-number us at our own arena.   Remember: SUNDAY -- BE AT THE ARENA LOBBY ONE HOUR BEFORE TIP OFF AND JOIN IN THE PRODUCTION.

**************************************************************************

LOUISVILLE CARDS MOBILE APP

Today I learned that the Louisville Cards Mobile App also has available a live game day audio and video premium option.  My excitement is that I now have the ability to listen to the live game broadcast while at the game.  Readers who know of other options to do the same please share it with our readers through the comment section.

*************************************************************************************

WOMEN’S GAMES ON TV THIS WEEK

There are a large number of games being publically broadcast this week.

Note: The schedule above lists the Louisville/KEntucky game at 2 p.m. Just a reminder...it is at 6 p.m.

 

*************************************************************************************

BASKETBALL WOMEN WINS HARDWOOD TOURNMENT

The women beat Oregon on Thursday to win the Hardwood Tournament which was played at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  High scorers were Shoni Schimmel with 15 and Sara Hammond with 17.  The team ended the tournament at 6-0 for the season.

***************************************************************************************

TOP 100 PROGRAMS

SBN has the full list of Top 100 programs in women's NCAA Division I basketball.  It can be found at http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/11/3/3596590/top-100-programs-womens-ncaa-division-i-basketball-full-list with Louisville coming in at # 10.

****************************************************************************************

ATTENDANCE

 SBN also has compiled a great article which came from the study of NCAA Division I attendance figures for men’s and women’s basketball.   One of the revelations for me is that due to our above average attendance at Louisville for both the men and women’s teams that we are unaware of most of the rest of the team situations. The average men's college basketball attendance for home games in NCAA Division I is 4,994. The average women's basketball attendance for home games is 1,583.   Not 14,000 vs  1500 but 4,994 vs 1,583.  This averages to 3 fans attending men’s team games per 1 fan attending a women’s game.  My second revelation is that there are actually schools where the women’s teams outdraw those attending the men’s game.   Baylor and Notre Dame are among those schools with higher attendance at the women’s basketball games than those who attend the men’s game.   Surprised/shocked -- yea  -- me too!  My remaining question is how much longer is it going to be before Louisville is added to this list as their team play is organized and exciting to watch?

Just for the record

                                     MEN              WOMEN                   RATIO

           

Louisville	21,503	10,670	2.02
Kentucky	23,721	6,282	3.78

The complete article can be found at http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/11/21/3659730/ncaa-womens-basketball-attendance-mens .

Sandy W.
 

RED OUT Clothes Must Be Laundered Separately

.
TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Staff columnist Sandy Walker brings us the Election Day edition of CARDINAL COUPLE this Tuesday. Basketball, Volleyball and Soccer are the items today. Thanks to Sandy for the updates and for donating her leftover Halloween candy to Bill the Goat out on Hwy 22...campaigning for Loquacious Gadfly! )

Sandy is running late today and has washer loads backed up waiting for the dryer to finish her red out outfit for this Friday’s basketball game.   For now, here are the moments highlights but feel free to promote current news in the comments.

BASKETBALL

It’s here! – the week we have all waited for since our earlier than desired 2012 NCAA tournament exit.   The women’s long awaited return to the court provides two opportunities this weekend.

TEXAS A & M

 This season’s opening game is Friday November 9, 2012.  Just in case you have been so involved with so many  of our schools other successful teams and have not noticed, this Friday’s game is against the 2011 NCAA National Champion Texas A & M.  Tip off is  at the YUM! Center at 7:00 pm.  This is our opportunity to shown A & M all of Louisville’s team and what they can do as last year’s game at Texas found us to be understaffed for the match.  Word is that we can look forward to seeing Mo back on the court, at least for part of the game, as she returns from last season’s injury with Tia soon to follow. 

Friday’s match is a RED OUT where everyone should show up wearing their brightest U of L Red attire.   Kroger is making it easier for us to pack the house by making $2.00 admission tickets be available to anyone who presents a Kroger Plus card at any U of L Ticket office location.  Information can be obtained by calling the U of L  ticket office at (502) 852-5151.

Texas claims everything is larger in their state, but compared to Louisville, attendance at their women’s basketball is not one of them.   Do your part to keep that fact in fact as this year the women strive to become the #1 ranking in women’s basketball attendance.   This has to be the best entertainment value in town.  Coach Walz has encouraged everyone to bring a first time fan to one game then let the team convert them into a full time fan.

The fan that we anticipate is traveling the farthest to see Friday’s game is Oregon native and Cards Fan Philip Van Der Weele.  Philip contacted Cardinal Couple owner Paul Sykes this fall and indicated his intent to attend Louisville’s opening game against Texas A & M and I hear that he already has his 1^st and 2^nd round NCAA Louisville regional tickets purchased.  This is just another example of Louisville’s athletic team influence which is truly coast to coast.   Other long distance visitors are welcome to contact us through the comments or Paul’s e-mail to let us know of your travels.

PORTLAND

Not to worry, basketball fans, we also have something to occupy us on Sunday.  Portland will be in town on Sunday to challenge U of L beginning at noon.   The game, as is normal with our women’s team, will also be at the YUM! Center.    We all need to get our game fix this weekend as the next home game is not until November 28 against Eastern Kentucky which is followed by Kentucky – at our home this year.

TICKETS

Single game tickets went on Sale Monday.   Corner arena and baseline season tickets are still available.  http://www.uoflsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/102912aaa.html 

Contact the ticket office at 502-852-5151. Also, don’t forget – U of L is pleased to be hosting the first and second rounds of the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament in the KFC Yum Center!. Tickets are currently on sale.  Coach Walz had indicated the need to pre-sale at least 8,000 tickets at this year’s award of the openings rounds is hoped to be the beginning of what some day will culminate in the hosting of the Final 4 Championships.  Selection to the 64 team NCAA tournament team will insure that U of L will play in the first round in their regular season home.  A win would give them home court advantage also in the 2^nd round which is also being played in Louisville.   U of L has not enjoyed the tournament home court advantage in recent years, if ever.  I would advise you to get your tickets now before the tournament teams are announced and you find yourself competing with fans from other teams for premium seats.

RECRUITS

We at Cardinal Couple again want congratulate Emmonnie Henderson, Janelle Cannon and Alexis Montgomery for their great choice to become Louisville Cardinals.

L1C4

Are there other top recruits waiting in the wings to announce Louisville as their new home (such as maybe Imani Wright who is reported to be favoring staying in her home state) and join Louisville to be a part of the future in women’s basketball or will Coach Walz save those scholarships for the next season of young stars?  No matter which way it goes we are confident in our Coach’s proven ability to develop the players who want to be here into stars which surpass all of our and the national recruiting sites projected expectations.

100 BEST PROGRAMS IN DIVISION 1

Last week I included information about rankings created by James Bowman of SB Nation / Swish Appeal has again created what it considers to be the best 100 women’s basketball  Division I programs.  I am happy to update that information with Louisville women being named at # 10 in their poll.   The link below includes the Louisville information printed in the poll along with the 1^st through 9^th ranked teams.

These were their rankings of the 100 best programs in Division I. This is not the same thing as the 100 best teams in Division I for the 2012-13 season.  Considerations were Wins and quality of competition, Attendance, Recruiting, and Hitting benchmarks.  Benchmarks are Postseason play, win totals, Conference titles and tournament victories, All Americans and WNBA high draft picks.  Excluded were Faraway glory, Coaching records and longevity and Academics.  http://www.swishappeal.com/2012/11/2/3524410/ncaa-womens-basketball-top-100-programs-recruiting-infractions

TIA GIBBS ARTICLE

The Courier Journal published a great interview article with Tia Gibbs.  It can be found at http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20121105/SPORTS02/311050143/Q-Louisville-basketball-player-Tia-Gibbs?nclick_check=1 . 

She is anxious to get back onto the court and has indicated that what she best plans to bring with her is Energy, Leadership and most of all DEFENSE.

******************************************************************************************* 

VOLLEYBALL

Friday is a great opportunity to fill your evening with Louisville women’s sports.  Our 23 -3 Volleyball team plays at Cardinal Arena against Marquette at 4:30.  This leaves plenty of time to watch our Volleycards then head downtown to park then off to a quick dinner before the 7:00 basketball game tip off.   I can’t think of a better way to start your weekend.  This is their next to last match before the Big East Championship begins.   Your final regular season opportunity to see this team in their race to win the Big East Championship is this Sunday November 11 at 12:00.  This match will also be at Cardinal Arena so get your tickets early as a sell out for both matches is anticipated.

Cardinal Volleyball in Cardinal Arena is a loud, rowdy and fun couple of hours spent. It's also intimidating for opponents.

  ******************************************************************************************* 

SOCCER

Charlyn Corral was selected as the 2012 BIG EAST Conference Midfielder of the Year. 

Corral, of the Louisville women’s soccer team was selected as the 2012 BIG EAST Conference Midfielder of the Year while three other Cardinals earned All-BIG EAST honors during Thursday night’s awards banquet at the Hartford Downtown Marriott.   Charlyn was also a First Team All-BIG East selection.   Other recognized players were Angelika Uremovich who was named to the Second Team All-BIG EAST team while Chloe Kiefer and Christine Exeter were both named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team.   Complete details can be found at http://www.whas11.com/sports/university-of-louisville-sports/Louisvilles-Corral-named-BIG-EAST-Womens-Soccer-Midfielder-of-the-Year-176888711.html .  

SKILLS CAMP

On February 3, 2013 the women’s soccer program will host a Winter Skills Camp which will be held at the Trager Center at the U of L Campus.   The camp is open to all female soccer players ages 10-14.  Details are at U of L ‘s official website under women’s soccer news.

       

Sandy W.

( Our thanks to Sandy for the updates on our Louisville womens' athletic endeavors!)

Finally, a bit of sad news to pass on. Louisville women's basketball's assistant sports information director Kim Pemberton lost her mother to cancer Monday. It had been a long battle for Barbara and a tough struggle for Kim and the family as well...but the pain is gone now and she is watching over her loved ones now in Heaven.

Kim does a wonderful job keeping us updated and informed on Cardinal Womens' Basketball and our thoughts and prayers are with her during this tough period.

"We are only here for a brief time in the scheme of things. We never are really gone, though. As long as the memories and thoughts continue about those who have gone on to their great reward, they'll live with us forever."
.
..
...

Sandy is Searching For The Spray Starch

.

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Sandy Walker takes us on her weekly sprint through UofL women's sports and more. If you've missed anything over the last week or so, chances are great that you get can an update or a reminder/recap here. And.....they're off! )

Sandy is Busy Pressing her Sunday Clothes 

Major Guests are Coming to Visit

BREAKING MEDICAL UPDATE!!!

Tia Gibbs has reported that she has been medically cleared to play.  Give a shout out to her at @TGibbs25 that you have heard the great news!  One by one we soon again have a healthy squad who are ready to conquer all who come. 

*********************************************************************************

SOCCER STAR NAMED HOMECOMING QUEEN

Angelika Uremovich of the Louisville women’s soccer team is the new 2012 University of Louisville Homecoming Queen.  She has been a starter for all 3 years of her career and has 18 career goals.   This marks the 3^rd consecutive year that a UL athlete has been crowned as Homecoming King or Queen.  UL Flying Cardinal video of the ceremony can be found at http://ptch.com/ptch/508321778d4f9830de9f227b.

***********************************************************************************************

WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP

Monday night found the defending champion Minnesota Lynx playing game 3 of the WNBA championship against the Indiana Fever at Indianapolis.   Minnesota found a unique way to get the ball into the hands of Seimone Augustus.  Indiana’s focus on Augustus came to no purpose when the Lynx players decided to employ the strategy of simply handing off the ball rather than continuing to fail while trying to pass the ball to her.  This year and championship has been extremely physical and fast paced. 

This appears to be a glimpse into the type of play to be expected of future WNBA draftees which should well suit U of L players after experiencing the Jeff Walz fast paced and exciting system of play.  Congratulations to the Indiana Fever on their first  WNBA championship and to the MVP Tamika Catchings!!!

 *************************************************************************************************

2012-2013 BASKETBALL RULES UPDATE

The 2012 Spring was a non-rules change year for women’s NCAA basketball.  Instead of new rules, the focus (outside of allowable safety issue changes) is on game rules management.  Rick Nixon of NCAA.com has written an article http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2012-10-12/2012-13-women-s-basketball-officials-closely-monitor-pace-poutlining indicating that officials are to better manage the pace of play and to closely monitor but not necessarily tighten specific items.  They include the following areas: 

·         Incidental Elbow Contact

·         Traveling

·         Freedom of Movement

·         Pace of Play

·         Restricted Area Rule

·         Legal Guarding

·         Contact On/By the Ball Handler

·         Free-Throw Violations

·         Sportsmanship

·         Coaching box

·         Fighting

·         Basketball court-surface – which is an actual rule change due to a safety issue

I would suggest a complete read of this article in order to better enjoy the upcoming season.

*************************************************************************************************

BASKETBALL RECRUITS – SATURDAY SCRIMMAGE

This weekend Coach Walz was notified by Janelle Cannon of her verbal commitment to attend U of L next year.  The 5’ 9” Wheeling, Illinois point guard is one of the top junior college players in the country.   Last year she averaged 18.6 points, 6.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game at SW Illinois.  Hopefully she is the first of many more to come. 

This coming weekend is perhaps the most important recruiting weekend for UL women’s basketball and is an absolute huge event.  We will have visits from four of the nation’s most highly recruited 2013 players.  It can be presumed that among other events they will be attending Friday night's ESPN broadcast of our 15^th nationally ranked football team match against Cincinnati and Saturday’s 2:00 pm Red/White men’s scrimmage.  The YUM Center! Event will feature the women’s team participating in pre-scrimmage activities. 

We have room for and want them all to join junior college point guard Janelle Cannon as a 2013 commitment.  Between club and recruiting travel these ladies have been major road warriors.   

                                                                     

***********************************************************************************************

SOCCER

Congratulations to the soccer team as they defeated Cinncinnati 2-1 on Friday’s Senior Night The double overtime win was lead by goals from Charlyn Corral and Casey Whitfield while goalie Chloe Kiefer was credited with 7 saves. Louisville had an 37-10 advantage in shots on goal and a 10-1 advantage in corner kicks.  The 37 shots broke a 13 year record. Seniors honored were Chloe Kiefer, Courtney Holz and Emily Cardell.

The win positioned UofL as the No. 3 seed from their division and gained them a first round bye in the 2012 BIG EAST Conference Championship. The (10-4-3, 5-3-3 BIG EAST)  Cardinals will open the tournament against American Division No. 2 seed USF in a quarterfinal match on Sunday, Oct. 28 in Tampa, Fla.

**********************************************************************************************

“MOVING ON UP TO THE BIG TIME”

Volleyball:        Lola Arslanbekova Named BIG EAST Player of the Week

Soccer:              Charlyn Corral Named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week

Field Hockey:   Alyssa Voelmle Named BIG EAST Field Hockey Player of Week

Tennis:              Julia Fellerhoff and Rebecca Shine Have Best-Ever Finishes at ITA  Ohio

Swimming:       Women's Swimming Finishes Fifth at SMU Classic

Basketball:       Pre-Season Ranking of Sixth in the Nation

******************************************************************************************

FIELD HOCKEY

Field Hockey Upsets No. 21 Ohio State 4-3 in Overtime.  An overtime goal by Senior Amber Thomas gave the University of Louisville a 4-3 win Monday at Trager Stadium. The Cards improve to 11-7 on the season while Ohio State drops to 9-8.

To make the BIG EAST Tournament, the Cards must defeat Providence in the final game of the year...Saturday at Providence. The tournament will be held at Trager Stadium this year. 

************************************************************************************************

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball knocks off the last unbeaten team in the league, Marquette 3-1.  Emily Juhl contributed 13 kills to lead the volleycards to a 20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19 win over previously unbeaten conference leader Marquette. The Volleycards now have 25 seasons with 20 or more victories, including 12 of the last 13 seasons.

************************************************************************************************

BASKETBALL TIP OFF LUNCHEON

With today’s luncheon and this weekend’s women’s pre-red/white men’s scrimmage exhibition, the basketball season is finally and officially upon us.  We have reason to believe that a telephone call this morning to the U of L special events office ( 502-852-0706) could possibly still obtain for you a ticket to today’s women’s basketball tip-off luncheon.   Jeff Walz will be the featured speaker and the doors open at 11:15.  For those of you who make it to the event, take the time to stop by the Media Table for a chat with Paul of Cardinal Couple. You can move on to seeing Jenny at table 54 and between lunch and dessert, you can catch me at table 43.  For those of you who can’t make it to the event, Jenny will be reporting on the event in tomorrow’s issue.

********************************************************************************************

LACROSSE

The Lacrosse team spent a busy weekend which began by hosting their annual alumnae game on Saturday.  At their annual banquet on Friday the Cardinals distributed last season’s awards for the most valuable player, the most improved player, the unsung hero, rookie of the year, and coach's award.  Sunday’s events included a golf scramble which was held in conjunction with the field hockey team.

Hats off to the lacrosse team for their strong showing at last Tuesday's Central Cardinal Club outing, also.


*************************************************************************************************************


                                                                         NEXT?

The final matchup in the Sweet Sixteen of Choose Your Favorite Cardinal Womens' Athlete features basketball's Monique Reid against golf's Katie Petrino.

Reid enters her final year of basketball at UofL after a year off because of a knee injury. The Fern Creek, KY native will tell you "I'm a scorer, that's what I do." and a look at her career at UofL makes that evident.

Her uncanny ability to score under the basket makes her a threat anytime she steps on the court and also creates opportunities for other Cardinals because of the defensive priorities assigned to stop her. WE say..."Go, Mo, Go!"

Petrino enters her second season on the links for the Cards with the 3rd lowest average score so far this season. We think her tee-to-fairway game is the best out of the Cardinal women's golfers and she also dabbled in a little softball pitching for the Cards in the 2010-11 season.

From Fayetteville, Arkansas now...Katie also spent time in Louisville when her father Bobby was the head coach of the UofL Football team.

You can vote for your favorite on the infamous "left side of the site."

Congratulations to soccer's Chloe Kiefer, who defeated field hockey's Erin Conrad and advances to the round of eight!

.

..

...