Fields a possible 2012 recruit...Volleyball sweeps Marquette...Soccer falls to WVU

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Jenny reports on Nirra Fields

-Volleyball sweeps Golden Eagles

-Women's soccer drops 2-0 decision to WVU

(Cardinal Couple's Jenny O' Bryan fills us in on Nirra Fields)

As a fan who follows recruiting news, sure...I have heard of her. Hoopgurlz ranked her 11th in the country in the class of 2012 and third at guard. She is a 5-star guard, who hails from Quebec. She has international experience playing for the Canadian U16, U17 and U19 teams.

Most recently, she was noted as the "hottest recruit out of Ohio", when she was playing at South Euclid Regina High School in the Cleveland suburbs. The school recently shut down and Nirra found herself moving across the country with her guardian and LA Lakers coach Mike Brown to California and Mater Dei High School. Mater Dei is in Santa Ana, California...where 2011 top recruit and UConn Husky Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis attended school and 2012 #6 recruit Jordan Adams (committed-USC) is a senior. Mater Dei has won the girl's national championship title the past two years. Some big time ballers come out of Mater Dei.

Definitely heard of Nirra Fields. 

I have not, though, heard her name mentioned in the same sentence as UofL women's basketball until this past week. That's right! Louisville is one of her top five schools. She, at some point this fall, might make an official visit to Louisville. An official visit is paid for by the school and can only be taken in the fall of an athlete's senior year. An athlete can take as many as five official visits. An official visit obviously means there is interest by both the school and the athlete.

Fields a Bria Smith clone?

I am very pleasantly surprised by the recent revelation that Louisville is in the running for this superb athlete. Surprised...not because Coach Walz is attracting the attention of top caliber athletes...but surprised because I thought 2012 recruiting was over for Louisville.

Google Nirra Fields. You'll find a wealth of information.

Nirra is defined by Hoopgurlz as an explosive, first step player. Great on-the-ball defender. Penetrates and attacks the basket. Sound familiar? (A Bria Smith likeness is what I am thinking.) Her quickness allows her to get by any defender and she has the bounce to elevate over long defenders. It is noted her areas to work on are staying on defense when who she's guarding doesn't have the ball and increasing the range of her shot. She is a dribble drive, penetrating type of shooter. Think (again) Bria Smith. Charmaine Tay. Sounds exactly like the kind of kid that fits into a Jeff Walz system.

Nirra is deciding between Louisville, Oklahoma, Kentucky, UCLA and Miami (FLA). With the early signing period starting on Nov. 9th. and ending on Nov. 16th....and Nirra stating she will sign in the early period, looks like it won't be long until we know about her future plans.


(Great report by Jenny! Get this one on campus and in the jersey, Coach Walz! )


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Cardinal Volleyball got 18 kills from Lola Arslanbekova yesterday in the KFC YUM! Center...leading Louisville to a 25-22, 25-19, 25-18 of previously conference unbeaten Marquette. Also credit the hard work of Taylor Brauneis with 33 assists and 13 digs for the Cards.

"I know it doesn't show up on the stats so much but Taylor Brauneis' defense helped us tremendously. We worked so hard this week and it was great to see her execute. She had at least two momentum changers when they were closing in on us." -Anne Kordes, UofL head volleyball coach.

Brauneis steps up big for Cards!

The Cards jumped out early in game one and led 5-1. That became 11-7 and eventually 21-15 before Marquette rallied to make it 22-19. The Cards got big kills from Brooke Mattingly and Lola to finish off the Golden Eagles and win the first by three.

Louisville once again jumped out to the early lead in game two but Marquette rallied to lead 8-7. Louisville re-focused and ran off the next eight points to put it out of reach, though. The Cards led 20-13 before taking the second game by six points.

After the break, Louisville roared out to a 10-4 early advantage and the Golden Eagles never seriously challenged after that...the Cards winning by seven.

With the win, Louisville goes to the top of the BIG EAST standings at 11-1 and 19-7 overall. Marquette is now 10-2. The Cards take to the road for the final two games of the regular season...needing one to clinch the regular season title. They face Villanova Friday and Georgetown Sunday.

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WVU holds Exeter scoreless

Tough match on the pitch for Louisville women's soccer yesterday, losing to the WVU Mountaineers in the final game of the BIG EAST Tournament 2-0. Cards had several chances to net points, especially late in the second half, but couldn't penetrate the strong goal play of WVU's defense. Blake Miller and Frances Silva scored for the Eers...who get the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. It's the third year in a row WVU has taken the title.

Key to the WVU win was shutting down BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year...Louisville's Christine Exeter.  

The field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament will be announced Monday at 4:30 p.m. Most figure Louisville should make the tournament easily...with a strong showing in the BIG EAST regular season and by advancing to the finals of the conference tournament.

Congratulations to Christine Exeter, Katie McDonald, Jennifer Jones and Chelsea Hunter....named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team. Exeter and Hunter are sophomores...McDonald and Jones seniors. Looks like Karen Ferguson-Dayes has plenty coming back for next year and don't count the Cards out in the NCAA Tournament.
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waxingnebulouswhiledancingmadlybackwardonaseaofair.

Volleyball defeats Syracuse...Football Cards upset WVU...Reid named to Lowe's Senior Class watch list...Breeder's Cup Results...

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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

- Volleyball downs Orange 3-1

- Football shocks Mountaineers 38-35 in Morgantown

-Mo makes Lowe's list

-Saturday Breeders Cup recap. $$$$$$ !!!!

The Volleyball Cards handled visiting Syracuse Saturday in the KFC YUM! Center with a 12-25, 25-21, 25-11, 25-18 win. Louisville was led by Lola Arslanbekova's 16 kills and 14 from Brooke Mattingly.

The Cards started the match slowly and watched as Syracuse jumped out to an early lead. The Orange had the Cards in the hole 18-10 and went on the take seven of the final nine points to down Louisville by 13.

Lola with 16 kills Saturday
night.

Louisville regrouped and came out strong in the second game. Anne Kordes' team held a 17-11 advantage and seemingly looked in control..but a late 'Cuse rally made it 18-17 Cards. Louisville got it back together in time, though..and took seven of the next eleven points to win by four.

Louisville left no doubt who was the better team in the third game...blasting by Syracuse to lead 17-6 and taking the 14 point win with relative ease. Brooke Mattingly had a team high five kills in the third game.

Louisville battled back and forth with Syracuse in the final game...but broke loose from a 15-15 tie to go on a 6-1 run and take a 21-16 lead. The Cards held off the Orange the rest of the way to take the final by seven points.

The Cards hosts league leading Marquette Sunday in the KFC YUM! Center. The Golden Eagles are 10-1 in conference play like Louisville...after losing to Cincinnati on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m.

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

Touchdown Teddy gets better
each week...

Congratulations to the Cardinal football team who beat WVU in Morgantown yesterday 38-35. With the win, Louisville moves to 5-4 on the season. It was the first win for Louisville in Morgantown since 1990.

Teddy Bridgewater led a Cardinal squad that jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the first half. The Mountaineers rallied back with two scores to take a 21-14 lead before Teddy took the Cards down the field to tie it at 21-21 just before halftime. 

Louisville blocked a field goal attempt by WVU and returned in for a touchdown to go up by ten at 38-28 in the fourth quarter...but had to weather a late WVU drive that cut it to three and then an onside kick which Dominique Brown recovered to secure the game for the Cards. 
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Can't be too many happy in Morgantown tonight with the loss to the Cards. Gutty effort by Charlie Strong's guys Saturday. 

Got a e-mail from Dan Turner who was at the game yesterday. His report:

"First of all it's been a great weekend up here. With Soccer's win yesterday and Football's win today, the Cards are flying high. Have run into some really nice people -many who seem determined to erase the image of West Virginia fans being bad. No major incidents at the football game today, a few shouts, slurs and middle finger displays, but that's about it. Some old pony-tailed hippie dude was really giving us the business early on - but you could tell the people he was there with were pretty embarrased about his behavior and he eventually shut up.  About a 100 Louisville fans were here.  The cheerleaders made it and so did Louie the Cardinal Bird. Charlie Strong was very active and emotional on the sidelines today. Chest bumping and high fiving the players. We'll head over to watch the final soccer game today at noon against WVU and then bring it home. We weren't lynched, mugged or beat up. Even had a group invite us over to tailgate with them as we walked in. The sentiment is that WVU is glad to be leaving the BIG EAST and hope that Louisville can join them eventually in the BIG 12. Thanks to Ken, John, Ralphie and Don who shared their hospitality, beer, burgers and insights with us - they said they were going to check out the blog, Paul.  "


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

Monique Reid has been named to the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior Class Award list. 30 WBB seniors are selected for the list. Mo joins BIG EAST players Da'Shena Stevens (St. John) Natalie Novosel (Notre Dame) and Keisha Hampton (DePaul) on the list. 

Reid has been a steady performer for the Cards over the past three years and was Louisville's leading scorer last season. Her hamstring injury prior to the start of the Gonzaga game last year probably prevented the Cards from going to the Elite Eight...but Mo has come back healthy and looked good in the exhibition game last week against Lindsey Wilson.

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

Wow! What a Saturday Breeders Cup Day for us. WE gave you our selections for the nine Breeders Cup races at Churchill Downs and we decided to change our strategy up a little for wagering. It paid huge dividends. We decided to take our top three selections and bet a $1 exacta and trifecta box on them for each race. Total layout was $12 a race...for a total of $108 wagered.

Here's how we did:

Paul hit the 9th race (Juvenile) exacta with Hansen and Union Rags. Hansen was also his "best bet" of the day. His big score was in the the 11th race (Classic), where he had the exacta of Drosselmeyer and Game on Dude. A great score there. He cashed tickets for $247...for a profit of $139 on the day.

Hansen was Paul's best bet of the day
and returned $16.20 to win. 

Here's what hurts. HE had (and gave you) the "pick 3" for Races 9,10,11 but didn't make a wager on it. It paid $5,136 on a $1 ticket. It would have cost him just $27 to bet it. Woulda, coulda, shoulda...I guess.

Sonja retains the title for another year, though, with one huge score. It was the only exacta and trifecta she hit all day...but it was a nice one in the 6th race (Turf Sprint) where she hooked up Regally Ready, Country Day and Perfect Officer for a score of $89.60 on the exacta and $771.00 on the trifecta.
Her tickets cashed out for $860...a profit of $752 for the afternoon.   

On the day, we selected 27 horses each.

Paul  3 winners, 4 places and 4 shows

Sonja 2 winners, 4 places and 3 shows

We're glad we changed up the wagering strategy....we wish we'd played the last two pick threes of the day, ...because Paul also picked Buckleupbuttercup in the final - non-stakes - race of the day and he won.

The final pick three of Court Vision, Drosselmeyer and Buckleupbuttercup paid $9130 on a $1 wager. Wouldn't have been a bad payoff for a $27 bet...
Not a bad day..

Finally, this e-mail from Dan T. (last name held by request) from Long Island:

-Paul, just want to say Thank You! for your and Sonja's picks. I played them Friday and did OK but Saturday you made me a rich man. I went to Aqueduct Race Course to watch the horses and the simulcast of the Breeders Cup. I printed out your picks again and took them with me. You guys didn't get off to a great start but in the Turf Sprint Race, Sonja's selections made me $188.20 on a $2 exacta and $1592.00 on her $2 trifecta. Then, in the Juvenile, I bet $10 across the board on your Best Bet of the Day Hansen and got back $114.00. I also had your exacta for $2 and it paid $46.20.

Then the bombshell. In the Classic, the $2 exacta paid $444.80 and the $2 pick three an unbelievable $20,544.40. I had to go to a special room at Aqueduct to fill out the tax form and get the payout. I estimate that I spent around $1000 betting your picks and got back a total of $22,800 ! I also had a pretty good day with my selections at Aqueduct and added another $400 profit.

Called the wife and she met me in Manhattan for a great night on the town and dinner. Thanks, again! You guys are the best! If you and Sonja get up this way for any football or hoops - we are St. John's and New York Jets fans - let me know and the night is on me.

Dan T.

(Good work, Dan! We were nervous early, too...but came on strong late.)

Thanks for bearing with us on our Breeders Cup reports.
We won't bother you with horse racing again until Derby Week in May.
nochoiceisachoice

Soccer beats Irish in semis...Field Hockey falls to UConn...Saturday Breeders Cup picks

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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Women's Soccer reaches finals with win over Notre Dame

-Field Hockey gives UConn a battle but loses

-Saturday Breeders Cup Picks

The University of Louisville women's soccer team will play for the BIG EAST Tournament title Sunday. A huge win yesterday over rival Notre Dame...the Cards taking down the Irish 2-1.

The Cards opened the scoring when Christine Exeter took a pass from Jordan Pawlik and drove one into the net after just three minutes of play in the first half. Louisville would strike again just eight minutes later...Kaitie McDonald using her head - literally - to knock in a kick from Jennifer Jones.

Kiefer had seven saves
against Notre Dame

That 2-0 lead held for the first half and the Cards defense proved up to the task in the second half...holding the Irish to just one goal and getting the win.

Chloe Kiefer performed well in the net for UofL...getting seven saves. The Irish outshot Louisville 19-11 and held an 11-3 advantage in corner kicks. Louisville led in the category that mattered most, though...with two goals.

The Cards advance to the championship game and will play West Virginia at noon Sunday. The Mountaineers drubbed Georgetown 5-1 in the other semifinal game yesterday. It'll be the first meeting of the year for the two. Louisville lost to WVU in 2010 in Morgantown 2-1. The Cards are 0-4-1 all-time against West Virginia. Louisville is on a eight game win streak currently and will give the Mountaineers all they want Sunday.

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

Field Hockey jumped out to a early 2-0 lead against Connecticut yesterday in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championships but couldn't make it stand...losing 3-2 to the Huskies in Syracuse. The Cards fired early against UConn...Hayley Turner taking a Mallory Mason pass to the net just 2 minutes into the contest. UofL would find pay dirt again just eight minutes later when Erin Schneidtmiller fed Elizabeth Vance by the left post...Vance scoring and giving the Cards a surprising two goal advantage over the #4 Huskies.

Erin Conrad will be
back next year to
tend goal for UofL

UConn regrouped, though, and came back quickly to cut it to 2-1 just two minutes later. That's the way they went into the half...Erin Conrad making several key saves as the clock neared zero.

The Huskies tied it up seven minutes into the second half and the game evolved into a defensive struggle until Cara Silverman smacked home the game winner for Connecticut with just ten minutes left in the action. Louisville was outshot 14-2 in the game...Conrad with nine saves for the Cards. 

Louisville ends the regular season with a 10-9 record and will now wait to see if they receive an at-large bid to participate in the NCAA Tournament.

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

We had an excellent day with the six Breeders Cup races at Churchill Downs...having winners in five of the races. Sonja correctly predicted that PERFECT SHIRL would shock the field and she did...at 27-1 odds. Perhaps the most impressive race of the day was MY MISS AUERLIA just destroying the field when the Juvenile Fillies hit the stretch. Look out for her as a 3 year old...the Oaks or even the Kentucky Derby not out of reach for this Steve Asmussen trained gal. OK, enough bragging...there are nine Breeders Cup races for this Saturday and we're going to try and give you some good winners.

Remember, our selections are for entertainment purposes only. If you followed along with Sonja yesterday...you were massively entertained. We put $2 across the board on all three of our picks per race yesterday. $18 a race wagered and for the six races, we each bet a total of $108 for the day. Here's how we did:

Sonja...four winners and total money returned $134 Profit: $26
Paul.....four winners and total money returned $89   Loss: $19

Paul: "Don't wear the crown too tightly, girl...because I'm gonna snatch it right off your head on Saturday."

Sonja: "It's lonely here at the top...prom wave to poor, pitiful Paul below."

Here's today's offerings:

BREEDERS CUP MARATHON

Paul                                                   Sonja

Baryshnikov                                        Bird Run
Bird Run                                             Giant Oak
Au Miner                                             Cease

JUVENILE TURF

Paul                                                   Sonja

Majestic City                                       Finale
Casper Nets                                        Majestic City
Finale                                                Lucky Chappy

SPRINT

Paul                                                   Sonja

Big Drama                                           Big Drama
Aikenite                                              Giant Ryan
Jackson Bend                                       Force Freeze

TURF SPRINT

Paul                                                   Sonja

Caracortado                                         Regally Ready
Chamberlain Bridge                               Country Day
Hoofit                                                 Perfect Officer

DIRT MILE

Paul                                                    Sonja

Shackelford                                           Trappe Shot (best bet of the day)
Trappe Shot                                          Wilburn
Wilburn                                                Caleb's Posse

TURF

Paul                                                    Sonja

Sarafina                                               Sarafina
Stately Victor                                        Await the Dawn
Await the Dawn                                     Sea Moon

JUVENILE

Paul                                                     Sonja

Hansen (best bet of the day)                   Union Rags
Union Rags                                            Hansen
Dullahan                                               Drill

MILE

Paul                                                     Sonja

Goldikova                                              Gio Ponti
Court Vision                                           Goldikova
Gio Ponti                                               Courageous Cat

CLASSIC

Paul                                                     Sonja

Uncle Mo                                               Ice Box
Drosselmeyer                                         Harve de Grace 
Game on Dude                                       Uncle Mo


(For what it's worth, we both also like Buckleupbuttercup, Freedom Star and May Day Rose in the 12th. and final race of the day...the Chiulkki Stakes.)   

Good luck everybody!!

nochoiceisachoice

                   

Exeter, Ferguson Dayes and Yenney receive soccer honors...Turner gets field hockey award...Cheerleaders now to WVU?

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Soccer picks up four BIG EAST awards

-Field Hockey gathers five awards

-Should they stay or should they go?

Christine Exeter, a sophomore forward for the University of Louisville women's soccer team, has been named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. She was one of four on the UofL women's soccer team to receive awards at the Thursday night awards banquet in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Karen Ferguson-Dayes was selected as the league's Coach of the Year.

Yenney is just a freshman

Also getting recognition...freshman mid-fielder Erin Yenney...named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team and Jennifer Jones, who made the Third Team All BIG EAST.

"I've said this since day one and I'll keep on saying it. she (Exeter) is special. Most, if not all her goals have come in key games and are very significant for us. I'm thrilled for her, but she's so focused and humble that she won't let this honor define her. She will continue to do what she's good at and that's being a great teammate and being a great goal scorer." -Ferguson-Dayes commenting of Exeter's selection.

The Cards face Notre Dame Friday 3 p.m. in Morgantown in the BIG EAST Women's Soccer Tournament semifinals. If victorious, the Cards will play the winner of the Georgetown vs. West Virginia game for the title Sunday.

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Hayley Turner was one of five Cardinals to pick up awards at the BIG EAST Conference Field Hockey Banquet last night in Syracuse, NY. The honors:

Turner leads the
Cards in scoring

-Hayley Turner - senior midfielder - BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year and All-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM.



Collins is First Team BIG EAST
Way to go Caitlin



-Caitlin Collins - senior midfielder - ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM



-Erin Conrad - junior goalkeeper - ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

-Dominique Pasqualichio -freshman defender -ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

-Alyssa Voelmle - freshman defender- ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

The Cards are in the BIG EAST semifinals and will face top-seeded and #4 Connecticut Friday at 12:30 p.m.

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Something about the BIG EAST just seems to create controversy and wild speculation. We reported, as many other news outlets and internet blogs did, that UofL was leaving their Cheer and Dance squads behind when the football and women's soccer teams travelled to Morgantown this weekend to play.

Looks like the rumor now is that the Cheerleaders might be making the trip. 

Stay tuned, or as we might also suggest, tune in the noon kickoff and see if they are on the sidelines.  

WE love the UofL Cheerleaders. Along with the Dance Squad, they manage to block our view at UofL women's basketball games. Could be worse...

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In case you missed it, the CARDINAL COUPLE Friday Breeders Cup Picks were posted last night. Should be good for a few laughs...

nochoiceisachoice

Breeders Cup Selections for Friday

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Cardinal Couple Special: Friday Breeders Cup Picks

Aruna will have Julian Leparoux on board for the Filly & Mare Turf Race

We're pleased to bring you our Friday Breeders Cup's picks for the six races this Friday at Churchill Downs. Remember, these are for entertainment purposes only.

$500,000 JUVENILE SPRINT  4:30 post time

Sonja

I'm going with (6) Secret Circle here to win. Bejarno & Baffert are hard to beat. (1) Seeker should be good enough to beat the rest and (4) Trinniberg will take the show.

Paul

Like (6) Secret Circle also on top, followed by (2) Sum of the Parts and (3) Blacky the Bull to surprise for third.

$1 MILLION JUVENILE FILLIES TURF 4:50 post time

Sonja

(14) Somali Lemonade should win here with Alex Solis on board. (10) Elusive Kate will make it interesting and (2) Dayatthespa follows these two home.

Paul

I'll take (10) Elusive Kate for the win. (13) Customer Base with Leparoux will contend it and (5) Stephanie's Kitten has done little wrong in four races.

$1 MILLION FILLY AND MARE SPRINT 5:30 post time

Sonja

(3) Turbulent Descent is heads over the rest of these and wins easily. (6) Switch will handle the rest and (12) Pomeroy's Pistol hangs on for third.

Paul

I'll agree with (3) Turbulent Descent on top. I like (7) Tar Heel Mom to grab second and (1) Irish Gyspy to run third for Baffert.

$2 MILLION JUVENILE FILLIES  6:10 post time

Sonja

(6) Self Preservation scores the upset win. (11) Weemissfrankie narrowly misses to finish second and (9) My Miss Aurelia takes third

Paul

(9) My Miss Auerlia is 3 for impressive 3 and slops by these (2) Candrea will make it interesting and (3) Rocket Twentyone surprises for third

$2 MILLION FILLY AND MARE TURF  6:50 post time

Sonja

(8) Perfect Shirl shocks them all at a huge price (7) Aruna is good for second here and (6) Announce gets the show.

Paul

They won't get to Frankie Dettori and (5) Nahrain today. (7) Aruna will fall just short for second and (2) Stacelita bests the rest for third.

$2 MILLION LADIES CLASSIC  7:30 post time

Sonja

(6) Royal Delta does Billy Mott proud. (8) Plum Pretty just misses and (1) Miss Match comes in third.

Paul

(8) Plum Pretty by as much as she wants to win by. (3) It's Tricky completes the exacta and (6) Royal Delta rounds out the trifecta.

Good luck if you go or are watching on TV (ESPN 2 & ESPN3.com) and we'll have the 10 Saturday Breeders Cup selections for you early Saturday morning.

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

Cards fall to UT 3-0 in Volleyball...Women's Soccer to face Notre Dame...

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thursday CARDINAL COUPLE

-Volleyball falls to Tennessee in KFC YUM! Center

-Women's Soccer to face Notre Dame in Morgantown


Tough outing last night in the KFC YUM! Center for Anne Kordes' volleyballers. The fell
to #16 Tennessee 25-23, 25-21, 25-19 before a crowd of 2000.

"They had ten more digs than us and that was the difference in the match because we
outblocked them. We need to be more consistent and aggressive on defense. UT is a heck of a team and by far the biggest team we have played so far. Lola had a great game, with 14 kills and 5 blocks." -Anne Kordes, UofL Volleyball head coach.

The Cards kept it interesting in game one. Tied at 15-15, the Cards gave up two straight points, necessitating a Kordes time out. Louisville rallied to get the next two points, remained
tied at 23-23, but gave up the final two points of the game to narrowly lose.

Lola's 14 kills not enough Weds.

Louisville started out strong in game two and led at 13-10...but UT used a couple of 5-1 runs to push past the Cards and gain a second victory at 25-21.

In game three, the Vols jumped out to an early 8-4 lead and increased it during the rest of the contest to sweep the Cards with a 25-19 triumph. Tennessee goes to 21-3 on the season, while the Cards fall to 17-7.

No rest for the Cardinal squad, they host Syracuse Saturday and BIG EAST undefeated Marquette on Sunday in the YUM!

Louisville is one game behind Marquette in the BIG EAST standings and a sweep this weekend of the Orange and Golden Eagles would propel the Cards into first place in the conference. Both this weekend's games are at 2 p.m. Get out and support your Volley Cards! 

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

Women's Soccer heads to Morgantown this weekend to face Notre Dame in BIG EAST Women's Soccer semi-final action.  The Cards defeated the Irish 1-0 in regular season play in South Bend and are the #1 seed in the National Division of the BIG EAST. 

Jennifer Jones on the move

You can catch this one on CBS College Sports Friday. Game time is 3 p.m. The Cards will the 1-2 scoring punch of Christine Exeter and Jennifer Jones to knock off Notre Dame (10-6-3). 

The Irish pulled off an upset in the quarterfinals, travelling to and knocking off #1 American Division seed Marquette last Sunday 1-0. 

The Irish hold a 8-2 lifetime record against the Cards...but the two have never met in BIG EAST tournament play. If the Cards advance, they'd play again on Sunday. Wazoo Sports Network would show the noon match here in Louisville. 

The Cards have exceeded expectations this season, compiling a 11-5-3 record after a slow start to the season. Christine Exeter closed the regular season as the BIG EAST scoring champ with 11 goals in conference play and 13 goals overall. Her 20 goals in two seasons at UofL are on pace to make the sophomore the all-time leading scorer for Cardinal Women's Soccer.

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

Volleyball vs. Tennessee tonight in KFC YUM!...Collins, Turner in Senior All-Star game...Two Cards teams travel to West Virginia this weekend

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Tennessee first of three in YUM! Center for Volleyball

-Collins, Turner selected for NFHCA Senior All-Star game

-I-64 East this weekend for football and women's soccer

The University of Louisville Volleyball team begins a three match home stand
this evening with a 7 p.m. match against Tennessee in the KFC YUM! Center.

Emily Juhl will be
killing it this weekend

The Volley Cards (17-9, 9-1) look to get back on the winning track at home after losing to Pittsburgh in the KFC YUM! back on Oct. 23rd. Tennessee won't be an easy match for Anne Kordes' crew...the #16 Vols are 20-3 on the season and 13-1 in the SEC. The game tonight is a "red out" game...so don the Cardinal Red if you venture downtown tonight.

Lola leads the Cards in
kills this season.

The Cards will return to BIG EAST action on Saturday and Sunday. Syracuse (17-9, 6-4) visits Saturday and the promotion is Youth Day. Sunday brings Marquette to town...the Golden Eagles are a perfect 10-0 in BIG EAST games this year and 20-6 overall. The Sunday game is a Girl Scout Day promotion. Wear a Girl Scout to the game and....never mind.

Can't make the matches? You should check out CardsTV. For a small monthly fee you can follow the action on your computer. For more details, go to http://www.uoflsports.com/ and click on the Multimedia banner.


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Field Hockey's Caitlin Collins and Hayley Turner have been picked for the 2011 NFHCA Division I Senior game which will be held Saturday, Nov 19th. at 3 p.m. at Trager Stadium.  

Caitlin Collins is one of the
dynamic duo at midfield

Collins is a four year starter for the Cards at mid-field and a team co-captain. She was selected for the 2009 All-BIG EAST team and has a career-high three goals this year.



 Turner, also a midfielder, is the Cards leading scorer with 10 goals this year. She's also a four year starter at Louisville and has been selected twice for the All-BIG EAST team. She's in the top five at UofL for career goals (38), career assists (32) and points (108).


Turner leads the Cards in goals.



Louisville (10-8, 3-3) has earned a #4 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament and will face top seeded and #4 in the nation Connecticut in semifinal action Friday, Nov. 4th. at 12:30 p.m. at Syracuse.

Syracuse and Connecticut have dominated BIG EAST field hockey over the past few years and played for the title in 2010. Connecticut went 6-0 in BIG EAST play this
year and 16-1 overall. The Orange finished 5-1 in the
BIG EAST and have a 16-3 record. Louisville was the only other team to post an above .500 record.

 

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With both Louisville women's soccer and football travelling to Morgantown, WVa. this weekend for games, it's an opportunity for Cardinal sports fans to see Cardinal athletics back to back on the road. Many people we have talked to, though, have serious concerns and doubts about going to West Virginia to watch sporting events Louisville is involved in because of safety issues. We talked to Dan Turner, a long-time Cardinal fan, who we usually run into at away Cardinal athletic events. He is going to watch both the events (soccer Friday and football Saturday)..but with proper caution.

Mountaineers host UofL this weekend.

"I don't wear my red gear in any public venues, like restaurants or gas stations. I'll pack a red shirt in my seat cushion and put it on once I get into the football stadium. I'll remove it before I leave the stadium. I'm 64 years old, got a bad leg and I don't think I could handle myself very well if a few West Virginia fans wanted to pick a fight with me. Never been to a women's soccer game on the road...so I don't know how rowdy West Virginia women's soccer fans get. I've travelled to see the Cards in football and basketball since the early 70's. Some of the Memphis games were pretty rowdy back in the early days and UK fans can get a little loud and critical if they see you in red, but neither school can match the Mountaineers in insults, nastiness and rude behavior. My wife hasn't attended a football game in Morgantown since 2005...that post-game mob scene was enough to scare her off for good. I'll make the drive with a couple of guys that sit near me at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. One is a ex-Marine and the other has a brown belt in karate. And, they're younger than me. Still, I just want to see two good sporting events this weekend and no pre or post game drama or fights. I hope I get my wish."

I would feel safe travelling to Morgantown
with these guys. Fagettaboutit...

The University of Louisville has concerns...electing not to take the Cheer or Dance teams to Morgantown this weekend.

Check out Charlie Springer's UofL Card Game for an excellent article and some wild comments by Mountaineer fans about the two schools and the dislike for each other. www.uoflcardgame.com

We know there are plenty of hospitable and friendly fans that support and cheer for the Mountaineers. We have met them when they come to Louisville and tailgate at the Parrish House. Unfortunately, the West Virginia "bad apples" really stick out and we are amazed at the lack of effort by the administration and police at WVU to curtail their bad behavior.

God forbid Louisville actually "sweep" this weekend and win both the football and women's soccer games. The Cardinal casualty count could reach the 100's...
.
nochoiceisachoice