Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Softball win, Big Sports weekend!

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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Connell blanks Kent State in Cardinal Classic

-Lacrosse hosts Old Dominion today

-Oh, yeah...it's on!


The University of Louisville Softball team is glad to be home and playing softball after two straight weekends on the road playing in tournaments in Las Vegas and Jacksonville. Probably no one more happier than junior pitcher Caralisa Connell...who blanked Kent State Friday in softball action at Ulmer Stadium. "Carl" allowed one hit in the win, picking up her second shutout of the year in a 5-0 win over the Golden Flashes.

How much is enough? Coach Pearsall waxed philosophical about the win:

"Caralisa pitched a very good game. Defensively, I thought we did what we needed to do. Even though we scored five runs, as an offensive coach, I'm always thinking we can improve and make better decisions. Overall, I was pleased with the win."

( Awwww...Coach P, we love ya and don't find anything at all offensive about ya. Unless you let your dogs do their business in the outfield berm..)

Louisville broke open a scoreless battle in the second inning, using hits by Jordy Trimble ( my favorite player!) and Whitney Arion...plus a couple of Kent State defensive errors to go up 2-0. Louisville added three more runs in the fifth, Arion getting a triple and scoring on Katelyn Mann's single and Katie Keller driving home two more.

Connell (2012 CARDINAL COUPLE reader-selected Favorite UofL women's athlete) retired the final 10 batters she faced. What she's doing pitching to people getting ready to retire...we have no clue...but I hope their financially ready for the "golden years".

#18 Louisville (9-2) plays again tomorrow at Ulmer. Get out there and cheer them on. They face Buffalo at 12:30 p.m.

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Lacrosse attempts to go 3-0 against Old Dominion at 1 p.m. in the Lacrosse Stadium today. Been to a lacrosse game yet? It's a shame that softball and lacrosse are within a half-hour of each other...gotta choose Cardinal fans...but Kellie Young has a heckuva team and they are a lot of fun to watch.

Go see one or the other, Cardinal fans. You'll have a big time at either.

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And, yes...it's true! CARDINAL COUPLE will be going on the radio with a weekly show beginning next Saturday (March 2nd.) on Crescent Hill Radio

http://www.crescenthillradio.com

We report on the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports here. It's what we do. We're going to do the same on the air. We've got our favorite Robbie Bartlett for the intro and exit song, the staff chimps have been bathed and dressed for the occasion and Bill the Goat will be out front nibbling on the hedges and chasing people down Frankfort Avenue.

A guaranteed good time for all...




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Friday Cardinal Couple

Softball, Soccer Stadium, Signing, Sticks and Soundchecks

Softball Schedule and Honors

Anyone have a synonym for "honors" that begins with "s"?
 

Softball is off to a good start to their season, with ten games under their belts already, and only two losses.  Today is the home opener for softball, against Kent State, with a first pitch scheduled for 2:30pm.  Kent State plays an earlier game, starting at noon, against Buffalo.  While we were worried about sleet, ice, and other wintery weather last night, game time is expected to be mostly sunny at 53 degrees, which for the end of February, isn't too shabby of a forecast to go watch a Softball game.  I may play hooky for the afternoon and head out to Ulmer Stadium to catch at least a few innings. 

Softball continues play in the Cardinal Classic at 12:30pm on Saturday in a game with Buffalo.  Buffalo starts off the play Saturday at 10am against Eastern Illinois, and there will be a late game at 3pm between Kent State and Eastern Illinois.  The Cardinal Classic finishes off on Sunday with a 10am first pitch between Eastern Illinois and Buffalo.  UofL will play the last two games at 12:30pm versus Kent State, and 3pm against Eastern Illinois.

Sandy Pearsall's squad is sitting at number 18 in both softball polls and has already shown that they're going to be putting a lot of shots over the fences this season.  If you sit out on the berm, keep alert when the Cards are at bat.

In addition to the team ranking, Hannah Kiyohara picked up a Big East Player of the Week award, and Rachel Lecoq was named to the league honor roll.

I saw several games last year and was mightily impressed by the intelligence of the play of this team.  I saw very few mental errors in their play...occasional bobbles and mishandled balls, which just comes from being human...but almost never mental mistakes.  This is the type of play that I really love to see as a spectator.  Many people get excited about athletic prowess, like who can run the fastest and jump the highest...and that can certainly be exciting...but I find there's a sublime pleasure in watching a well executed play, regardless of the sport, and even if it doesn't require amazing jumping ability or speed.

( How about salutations, Jeff?  --Paulie)

Soccer Stadium Announced

Hard to miss the coverage yesterday of the new soccer stadium that Tom Jurich is building for Louisville Soccer.  Both the men's and women's squads will play in the new home for Louisville Soccer which will be basically across the street from the Yum! Center on Floyd street on campus.

The soccer teams have been playing in the infield of the track and field stadium...not bad digs, to be sure...but will have their own dedicated facility with all the features that you would expect of a world class facility, as well as all the features that you would expect of a UofL athletics facility...but I repeat myself.

The plan to build a soccer stadium has been anything but secret around the UofL Athletic Department, but the official announcement of the plan was being held until the initial funding was in place.  A more than generous gift from Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn has gotten the effort to that point.  The Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium is expected to be ready for the 2014 season to start off UofL's tenure in the ACC.

Signing News Continue

Justine Sowry continues to ration the National Letter of Intent signing news for Field Hockey.  This week, announcing the signing of Stephanie Byrne.  Also out of Eastern Regional High School in New Jersey, she'll be joining her teammate from that school, Gianna Peronne, who's signing was announced on signing day two weeks ago.

There are three more Field Hockey signings to be announced, so I expect I'll have another three weeks to run the singing vs signing joke well and truly into the ground.  Will there be more Eastern Regional teammates joining Gianna and Stephanie?  Stay tuned and we'll be sure to let you know.

Lacrosse Sticks in Action Saturday

Lacrosse is in action against Saturday against Old Dominion at 1pm in the Lacrosse Stadium. Lacrosse is off to a perfect start in early season play at 2-0.  The Lacrosse team is coming off of a huge upset win over Ohio State last weekend.  It may be a bit chilly, but Lacrosse appears to be a team on the rise, so let's support them in what looks like it might be a break-out season.

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TESTING, TESTING...

Look what we've done now, Ma.

CARDINAL COUPLE is taking to the radio. Beginning Saturday, March 2nd., CARDINAL COUPLE will have an hour-long show on Crescent Hill Radio from 11 a.m. to noon.

http://www.crescenthillradio.com

Just when you thought it was safe to return to the Internet and this happens...

Crescent Hill Radio (for now) is an internet-only station. That, in itself, though is pretty cool. Tibetian Monks, huddled around a laptop...listening intently to Paulie discuss the Villanova game. Day-traders in Hong Kong grimacing as Jenny describes the horrid refereeing in the USF contest. Ranchers in Montana on their smartphones reacting to the BIG EAST Standings report. The possibilities are endless!

This site is about the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. That's what the radio show will be about also.

We will look at Louisville women's sports for an hour each week. You just might never be the same.



Join us, won't you?

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Bulls avenge January loss, Cards fall

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Jenny O'Bryan with the post-game report on Louisville WBB loss to USF Wednesday Night in the KFC YUM! Center.)

Cards give a home win away in a tough defensive battle.
 

To hear Coach Walz talk in the post game interview with Matt Andrews, the Cards did not follow the scouting report tonight.  While that may have been true, even following the scouting report on a night with such poor shooting, it was going to be hard to win this battle. 

The Cards started the game sloppy.  The first 5 drives down the court there were missed shots or turnovers.  It looked like it was going to be a long night, and it was.  The first 6-8 minutes of the half was tough basketball to watch.  The Cards looked slow and uninspired.   

With 7:41 seconds left to play in the first half, the score was 22-12, USF.  The remainder of the half, the Cards held the Bulls to just 2 points with a strong defensive effort sparked by a Bria Smith steal and a coast to coast easy lay in.  Hammond took a charge next defensive set down court, and the Cards mounted what would turn out to be the best 8 minutes of basketball for the night.  The Cards took a 2 point deficit into halftime, down 24-22.  Hard to believe with the offensive woes and the slow start, the Cards were down just two at the half. 

The second half started much as the first, with the Cards just seemingly not present.  USF started the half on a 6-0 run and the Cards were never really in it the remainder of the way.  Sure, there were stretches of the game that the Cards looked good defensively, but it was not consistent. 

It was a brutal, physical game.  Had to be a tough game to play, physically.  The Cards had little offensive firepower tonight, shooting a season low 30% on the night.  They did shoot well from the free throw line, going 82% from the line.  It kept this from being a blowout.  It was still a big loss, in conference play, at home.  Those are especially hard losses. 

Andrea Smith, for the Bulls, could not be contained this evening.  Matching her career high of 35 points.  Unfortunately, it was not in the Cards tonight, in more ways than one. 

The Cards are playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament.  These last games of the season matter.   It could be the difference between a 3 seed and a 6-7 seed. 

As a parent of a high school athlete, who also plays club volleyball, I find myself continuously amazed at the lack of consistency from the team (and individual players), from game to game.  I found myself thinking that tonight, except with these college kids.  How does a team play such great ball this past Sunday, and then not today?  It takes a greater mind than mine to figure that out.   Good luck with that, coaching staff...

I commend this team for all of the success it has had this year, despite all the injuries.  Losses like these are hard, because they could have been won.  21-6 is not a bad record, especially when you look at the personnel issues.  It is just hard to see such a tough loss on one’s home court. 

(Editor's Note: A flat effort from a team with so much to gain with a win tonight. Discretion being the better part of valor, I'm not going to editorialize on this very disappointing loss. Expected much more out of this Louisville squad this evening.)

Post game Walz below

COACH DISCUSSES LOSS TO USF
  

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One of the most intriguing things on the night was the newest player on the bench tonight!  Not sure how many of the Cardinal faithful caught this, but freshman volleyball middle blocker 6-3 Davionna Holmes was suited up and sat the bench tonight.   Her bio on the University of Louisville website indicates she was a dual sport athlete in high school and an “excellent basketball player”.  LINK BELOW:
 

Davionna Holmes

Not sure what we will see of Holmes on the hardwood the rest of the season.  Coach Walz had another middle blocker volleyball player on his team before, and we all know how well that worked out.  Gwen Rucker, while she opted to just focus on volleyball after her sophomore year, is stated to be one of the highest IQ basketball players Coach Walz has ever coached. 

I look forward to seeing what Holmes brings to the hardwood.  We all know that another body banging in the paint or shooting the long ball (which she is said to have led her high school conference in) can only be a good thing.    Welcome to Walz’s world, Ms. Holmes.  We hope you like it, and get the chance to contribute.
 

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It was asked earlier in the week what recruits were at the game this past weekend vs. DePaul.  Please keep in mind, just because a recruit was there is no indication of how hard they are, or are not, being recruited by the Coaching staff.  Any recruit can call the Athletic office and indicate they would like to attend the game.   With that caveat, the recruits that were known to be at the game were:

Janelle Cannon- 2013 signee

Sydney Brackemyre- Verbally committed in the class of 2014

Ashanti Thomas, 2015 out of Lexington, has been to several games this season and I believe was at Walz’s summer camp last year.

Dominique McBryde, 2015, out of Bedford, Indiana.

Celina King, 2016 out of Cincinnati, OH.  This kid was intriguing to me because she has her own youtube channel(or whatever you call it) and her own website!!  She has 22 videos posted.    

Tyuana Robinson, 2016

There is plenty of information on these kids if you google their names “and basketball”.  Until, or if, we know how hard the kids are being recruited, I will not bore you with lots of websites.  Google those you want to know more about, and we will keep you abreast of accomplishments of specific players as we know the extent they are being recruited. 
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Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- USF visits Lady Cards tonight

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Game report...Louisville loses to USF 73-62. Cards down by two at half after a horrible start, but could get no closer. Jenny will have the full report in the Thursday Edition of CARDINAL COUPLE)


-South Florida 'Bulls' their way into KFC YUM! Center

(Quentin Voigt with the pregame look at Louisville WBB opponent tonight -- the South Florida Bulls.  Paulie follows with some garbled non-sequiters and nebulous rambling.)

Layin' a "Bullish" beat down

The South Florida Bulls (17-7, 6-5) are visiting the KFC YUM! Center on Wednesday, Feb 20th. at 7 p.m. with one thing on their mind. How do they manage four more points or allow Louisville four fewer points than were put up the last time they met. The score January 20th. in Tampa at the Sun Dome was 78-75 in favor of the Cards.

USF hit nearly half of their shots that night, including long range attempts, and 12 out of 13 freebies. When they went ahead by nine points in the second half, thanks to some timely scoring by freshman Alisa Jenkins, I'm sure their collective confidence began to soar. The tide seemed to be turning against the visiting Cardinals.

Coach Walz got a timeout. A 30-second variety..where he spoke animatedly to his squad. What he said, I can't tell you, but determination was what I read on those faces as they resume the frey.

The margin began to dissipate...seven points...down to four points...another two-pointer dropped in...then another. The score was finally tied. The intensity scaled upward, bodies were flying to the ball, trying to secure positions on the floor to block the progress of an opponent or take a charge. At the final buzzer, all of the Sun Dome crowd exhaled at once as they seemed to release the pent-up tension.

The players in the drama remain for the re-engagement. For the Bulls are twins Andrea and Andrell Smith. The 5'8" seniors average 16.3 and 14.5 ppg, 5.2 and 5.0 boards and are fast, lithe and athletic. Inga Orekhova, the 6'2" 'Soviet assassin' from Sevastopol in the Crimea, brings her special skill set and accuracy with the three-ball. Coach Jose Fernandez also brings a collection of role players...6'1" Jenkins, 5'8" Courtney Williams, 6'4" Akila McDonald and 6'4" Caitlin Rowe. All are good rebounders, good free-throws shooters and are quick on their feet.

Both teams have shown their mettle and their desire to win. Who will prevail?

At home, I think the Lady Cards do...and are good for an additional four points. Make it 79-72 UofL. Go Cards!

-Quentin Voigt


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The thing that strikes me most about this deep, talented and aggressive USF is their record. Put this squad in any other conference in college basketball and they are already at 20+ wins and have only one or two conference losses. 

Yet, they toil in the BIG EAST and are part of the zombie apocalypse mid pack clawing at the top four above them...Louisville, Cuse, UConn and Notre Dame.

The Smiths are game-changers. The Russian Rocket Inga could stand on the Second Street Bridge and drain threes into the rims on Denny Crum Court. All mentioned above in Quentin's scout above are capable of throwing double-digits at an opponent.

They'll give the Cards a tussle tonight. Road wins in the BIG EAST are as difficult to find, though...as a honest politician on Capitol Hill...and the Cards prevail here.

If...

Bria Smith's new found, endless love with the free-throw line and driving the lane (and actually scoring) continues. You're a year older now, Bria dear...show some responsibility.

If...

If you look closely, you can see Sonja's head
where the "I" is on the Louisville table front.!

Sara Hammond's decision to become "Hammer...Queen of the Boards" continues. 13 grabs against DePaul is impressive. 12 grabs against the Bulls should get her an Oscar for Best Supporting Paint Player in a Conference Game.

If..

Der Schimmel can create an offensive attack similar to Patton's march through the Rhineland in WW II. Attack and score, Shoni. The fans love it when you do. I'll take a 50% shooting night anytime from the juggernaut junior.

(I don't ask for much, do I?)

Toss in a little Nita consistency...a few minutes of Vails paint presence...Mo going strong for 15 and the bench contributing....simmer slightly till ready and serve piping hot to 10,000+ patrons.

Cards by 13. More if Louisville can hit 70% or better from the stripe.

Need this one to keep pace with third-place Syracuse who defended their turf with a 58-45 win over hard-luck Rutgers last night. C-Viv still stuck on 899 career wins. Won't be any easier for her Saturday...going against St. John's in Queens, NY.

The Bulls won't make it easy. As of 2/16/13, they were the leading rebounding team in the BIG EAST with an average of 45.6 secures a game. They hold a +6.2 advantage over opponents in rebounds a game. Louisville needs a hot shooting night to limit the number of grabs available for USF.

Be the ball, Danny....be the ball...


-Paulie


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Sandy Is Back To Her Laundry

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


( Staff Columnist Sandy Walker brings us her weekly Laundry list of UofL women's sports today. Voted 'most likely to spin and rinse' by her high school classmates...Sandy is a fixture at Cardinal Womens' athletic events and likes to sit in the visiting team's section...where she hands out detergent samples, discount coupons and maps to the UofL coaches' houses. Folded up and in the hamper, we bring you Sandy.)


Thanks to a back up repair call for Sandy's washing machine she is again showing off various team issues but it seems that she is getting off to a slow start.

ALL THINGS SOFTBALL



Hannah Kiyohara

Louisville junior Hannah Kiyohara was named as BIG EAST Softball Player of the Week.  She is hitting .462 with a .588 on-base percentage and went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI to give Louisville an 8-0 win against Stony Brook. 



Also recognized was junior Rachel LeCoq who was named to the Big East honor roll. 

She had two wins and did not allow an earned run in 22.0 innings. In 3 complete games she pitched two shutouts, struck out five and only giving up one walk.

Rachel LeCoq

This years complete team roster can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/lou-w-softbl-mtt.html

PROMOTIONS

The team has released their 2013 promotional schedule which includes fan friendly giveaways, special events and season long promotions.   The first fans specials are set for March 12 v Western KY and March 20 against IU where fans can enjoy dollar hot dogs and beer.  Bring your blankets and lawn chairs for the outfield or take advantage of comfortable chair seats in the stadium.

With most home games at Ulmer Stadium have no admission the school is still offering a “2013 season ticket” which includes additional promotions, team schedule and the right to enter ticket stubs for special season long give-aways.  The list of current season promotions can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/021813aaa.html.

SCHEDULE

The next game is at home for the 8-2 Cards against Kent State in the Cardinal Classic this Friday at 2:30.  The complete season schedule is shown at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-softbl/sched/lou-w-softbl-sched.html.

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BASKETBALL

Congratulations to the basketball women as they completed their return defeat of DePaul.  In case you want more on this match or the game recap, stats and notes can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/021713aad.html.

Be sure and mark your calendar for tomorrow night’s 7:00 KFC YUM! CENTER game against the University of South Florida who is displaying a deceptive season record of 17-7 and BIG EAST 6-5.  This will be the Lady Cards next-to-last regular season home game and has not been announced as televised by any national stations. Come downtown and put your bucket in the seats so your support for the team can be shown.  We were fortunate to defeat them earlier in the season while in Florida and it is a definite that they would love to return the favor.  The 21-5 Louisville Women have struggled all season with major injuries which have required new people to step up to each task as needed.  Although it is reported that Mo is healthy and can play this Wednesday  the injury report as a whole is no different and they need the fans to act as their 6^th player.
 

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LACROSSE
 

It is not the time to let the ladies of Louisville Lacrosse down now.   They have risen to their own expectations and plan to continue to cause others to take notice.  The 2-0 Cardinals next meet Old Dominion at the UL Lacrosse Stadium this Saturday at 1:00.   Dress warm and bring the hot chocolate.  It appears that this season will be worth the effort as their upset win over number 13 Ohio State shows.

DOUBLE AWARDS FOR BOLTJA!

Nikki Boltja

Nikki Boltja was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and also WomensLax.com Player of the Week.  She totaled 4 goals, an assist, a ground ball and a caused turnover in the 12-11 upset victory over the Buckeys.  Her complete bio can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/mtt/nikki_boltja_733695.html.

LACROSSE RULE OF THE WEEK
 

“When a whistle blows, all players must stop in place. When a ball is ruled out of play, the player closest to the ball gets possession when play is resumed. Loss of possession may occur if a player deliberately runs or throws the ball out of play. “  Complete rules can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/spec-rel/081506aab.html

Kellie Young’s complete team roster can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/mtt/lou-w-lacros-mtt.html.  This is an extremely young team with four starting freshmen so come out and show them what Cardinal Support is all about.

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Monday Cardinal Couple: Game Reports -- WBB strong second half downs DePaul....

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


********GAME REPORTS*******

-Smith's 21 leads Louisville WBB in 81-55 win.

-Softball shuts out Stony Brook in final day at Jacksonville

The University of Louisville women's basketball squad broke open a close game at halftime by starting the second half on a 10-3 run in the first three minutes and cruised to a 26-point crushing of DePaul Sunday afternoon in the KFC YUM! Center in front of 10,906 fans.

Sara Hammond had 13 of her 17 points in the final 20 minutes and Bria Smith went 13-15 from the free throw line as Louisville improves to 21-5 and 9-3 in the BIG EAST.

Louisville got off to a hot start and led 10-2 after the first six minutes of the game. The Cards had pushed the advantage to 19-7 with 9:44 remaining on a Monique Reid free throw...Reid making her appearance to the court at the 10:30 mark to a roaring approval from the crowd. Smith had ten of Louisville's first 19 points and was making free-throws, to the delight of her coach and the crowd.

Louisville took their biggest first half lead at 23-9 after two more Smith free throws with 7:36 on the clock. DePaul, though, wasn't throwing in the towel and responded with a seven-minute 14-4 run that pulled them within four at 27-23 after two Megan Podkowa free throws. The Cards got a layup from Hammond with two seconds left in the half to take a 29-23 lead to the locker room.

Ref Al Titus always likes making cameos in my pics...

Smith had 14 points, six rebounds and was 8-9 from the charity stripe in her best twenty minutes of the season. Sherrone Vails was a perfect 3-3 from the field for six points and Hammond had four points and six rebounds in 12 minutes. Nita Slaughter and Shoni Schimmel contributed two each and Mo made a free throw. All but Shelby Harper played. The Cards were 0-9 from three-point range, shot 31.3% in the first half but had held DePaul to 6-32 shooting (18.8%) and was 1-14 from beyond the arc.

Walz called a specific play to get Shoni untracked at the start of the second half and she responded with a three only 13 seconds into the final stanza. The Cards pushed the nine-point lead to 46-31 after a Reid layup at the 15:45 mark...and the rout was on.

A Hammond layup made it 57-38 with 9:45 to go. Hammond canned a jumper to stretch the Louisville lead to 68-42 with 6:11 on the scoreboard and the Cards led by 30 after a Vails layup with 2:43 showing to push the score to 77-47. Vails and Cortnee Walton added layups the rest of the way and the Cards won going away 81-55.

Smith's 21 led all scorers. Hammond finished with 17 and 13 boards for a double-double. Vails also reached double digits in scoring with ten points. It was good to see Mo back in action...finishing with eight points. She left the game at the 12:37 mark after hitting a layup and noticeably limping...but she was fine, according to Coach Walz in the post-game presser. Slaughter added nine points, Shoni eight and Walton four. Harper and Jude had two each. Megan Deines played six minutes but did not score.

Louisville finished 29-67 (43.3%) but was 1-17 from trifecta-land. They out-rebounded the Blue Demons 50-45 and won the points-in-the-paint battle convincingly 50-10. They forced 13 DePaul turnovers and had seven steals.

DePaul was led by freshman guard Chanise Jenkins' 16 and Megan Podkowa, another freshman added 14. Senior standout Katherine Harry had eight points, all in the first half and 13 boards. Doug Bruno was without the services of leading scorer Anna Martin (knee).

WHAT WE LIKED

1) Free throws! Cards were 22-28 for 78.6%. Bria's 13-15 was impressive (we like this Bria Smith). Only Reid had less than stellar line appearance with 3-5.

2) Points in the paint. 50-10. We thought it was a mis-print at first...but the Cards were getting Smith and Hammond plenty of great looks inside and Mo was connecting, also, before she left.

3) Assists to turnovers. The Cards dished out 18 assists (Shoni seven) and made only 9 turnovers. Coach Walz is happy when the assists out-number the turnovers. We like Coach Walz happy...

4) Doug Bruno. Despite losing by 26, Coach came to the post game presser and gave excellent answers to numerous questions for over 17 minutes.

(Cliff notes here....He misses Anna Martin daily and isn't sure when she'll be back. It's day-to-day with the knee. He thinks Bria Smith and Mo are great, he's thankful to have been a part of the BIG EAST for eight years and trusts in the university leaders and administration to chart a successful course for DePaul Athletics in the future. He loves the YUM! Center. He thinks the BIG EAST is the best conference in women's basketball and he wondered if anyone saw THE WHO Saturday Night in the KFC YUM! Center.)

Great guy, that Doug is...funny at times but also very passionate about his team, his profession and women's basketball. One of the good guys in WBB.

WHAT NEEDS IMPROVING

1) Threes. Shoni was 1-7. Four other players combined for 0-10. Neither team was impressive from deep...DePaul was 4-29. It wasn't all attributable to defense, either. Maybe THE WHO'S appearance in the YUM! Saturday night messed up the atmosphere or air patterns in the arena...

2) Second chance points. Louisville lost this category 16 to 11. Louisville could use a Katherine Harry inside. The Cards do go up strong with follow-up shots, but they aren't very accurate most of the time. Trailing DePaul guards were getting easy put-backs.

3) First-half lag. Louisville led by 14 in the first half with 7:36 to go. They were lucky to lead by six at the half. Not a factor in the whole scheme of things today...Louisville won big...but something to work on.

SUMMATION


The Cards took care of business at home and in a large way. A big difference from this one and the six-point loss in Chi-Town in January. Getting Mo back seemed to boost the crowd and the team's spirit. Seeing Bria have a big game against a quality opponent is refreshing.

I was surprised they handled DePaul the way they did in the second half. Bruno misses the fire in Anna Martin immensely. As a fan mentioned to me before the game...it's good to see ten players out there again for UofL. Especially Mo. She's been through it lately and she was back to having a good time today.

Cards hosts USF Wednesday night. 7 p.m tip.

Coach Walz post-game comments below. You can find Bria Smith, Sara Hammond and Doug Bruno's abbreviated post-game remarks at courier-journal.com 


POST GAME WALZ



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The University of Louisville softball team shut out Stony Brook 5-0 to improve to 8-2 Sunday in the Jacksonville University Softball Tournament. A big day for senior Jordy Trimble, going 2 for 3 with three runs. Rachel LeCoq drew the starting assignment and picks up her second shutout of the season.

The Cards plated their first run in the second inning when Trimble, who attended Louisville Manual High School, got to first safely on a Stony Brook error and scored when Hannah Kiyohara (Sonja's favorite player) singled her home.

Louisville tacked on two runs in the fourth. Trimble and Kayla Soles started the inning with singles and Kiyohara drew a base on balls to load the bags with Cardinals. A walk to Jennifer Esteban plated Trimble and, with two outs, Kiyohara scored on a Stony Brook wild pitch.

UofL made it 5-0 in the fifth...Trimble smashing a double to left-center and Soles delivering her first home run of the season. Soles had a big game as well for Sandy Pearsall...2 for 3 with RBI's and a run scored.

Le Coq allowed only five SeaWolf hits and did not walk anyone.

The Cards return home and face Kent State at 2:30 p.m. Friday.



-Paulie

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Thriller at Lacrosse -- Cards down OSU 12-11

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SUNDAY CARINAL COUPLE

- Lacrosse pulls huge upset over OSU 12-11

- Softball splits in second day of J'Ville Tournament

- Cards WBB faces DePaul in YUM!


It was huge. It was totally awesome.

Simply said, it was the biggest win in the history of Louisville Lacrosse.

On a bitterly cold day in the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium, Louisville overcame a 10-8 deficit with 14:16 to go in the second half and defeated #13 Ohio State University 12-11 Saturday afternoon.

It was originally 13-11. What we don't understand about Lacrosse is how a referee can take a point away because of a stick/net inspection. Kay Morissette scored a seemingly brilliant gola with 6:46 left in the game to put the Cards up 13-11. Then, as the teams line up for the face-off after the "goal", a referee inspects Morissette's stick and net and decides there is something wrong with it. Two point Cardinal advantage gone. Kay's score erased.

 Seriously?

Whatever. These refs were biased against Louisville for the majority of the game, so...it wasn't surprising. Good teams find a way to win, though and Louisville did.

Louisville held on to the 1-point advantage and goes to 2-0 on the season with the win.

The Cards overcame a 5-4 halftime deficit to take a 6-5 lead shortly after the second stanza started.

No...wait...the refs take another goal away from Louisville. Back to 5-5. Maybe Nikki Boltja was chewing gum in class. Maybe they didn't say "Mother, may I.." after scoring.

Whatever. I don't understand Lacrosse rules yet. Maybe I will someday. The refs seem to make stuff up as they go.

Anyway, fast forward to the second half. Cards down 10-8 after OSU's best player (Jackie Cifarelli) gets her first score of the game. That's how well the Louisville defense was playing. 14:16 to go. Colleen O'Malley gets Louisville within one. Nikki Boltja ties it 90 seconds later. After OSU goes back ahead 11-10...the clock stops for some reason, the refs catch that...but it them becomes B.S.T.

Boltja Standard Time.

Nikki scores to tie it with 9:17 (maybe) left. Nikki puts Louisville ahead 12-11 with 7:31 left.

Nikki, I think I love you...

See Cardinal fans go nuts. See Louisville shut out OSU the rest of the way. See the team and fans go nuts as the final seconds tick off and celebrate. See the squad rush over to thank the students, parents and fans in the bleachers.

This was beautiful. 

I talked with Julie Hermann minutes after the upset.
Beaming, incredulous and thrilled after the win, she told me about the dedication. Three seniors coming into her office early in the spring and telling her that Lacrosse was going to thrive. Pleading with her to not give up on the program. Asking her not to give up on them. They were changing the attitude, the meaning of Louisville Lacrosse.

I've never seen Julie Hermann cry. She looked pretty close to it today. A look of happiness. Full of pride. Happy Julie.

One proud mama.

Walking the field after the win. Pride. Joy. Reflection.

Kelly Young looked pretty close to tears,too. A signature win. A team she so strongly believes in. Her pride in Boltja, O'Malley, Oliverio, the freshmen. Everyone. 

Her girls, her brood. A renewed dedication to team, to the Louisville Lacrosse brand. A satisified and happy coach.

I've seen coaches thrilled over wins. Young's look of rapture and excitement will stay with me a long time. I recorded her comments on the sidelines. They don't do justice to the gleam I saw in her eyes. I won't forget that for a very long time. Sometimes, words just don't express what vision can. Picture worth a thousand words stuff.

I saw a masterpiece today.

Job well done, ladies. Louisville Lacrosse has arrived. Get on board, Cardinal fans. The CSX tracks run right behind the Lacrosse Stadium. It's doubtful either of the trains that rolled by Saturday afternoon during the game could have matched the power and steam of the Cardinals.

Boltja had four goals for the Cards, O'Malley four, Cortnee Daley two and Faye Brust and Monica Negron one each.


-Paulie

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Softball splits in the the second day of the Jacksonville Classic. A tough 1-0 loss to OSU in eight innings...the Cardinal bats falling silent after 16 runs the day before.

Transfer Rachel LeCoq pitching her Cajun heart out...giving up a run in the top of eight...tiebreaker rules in effect. The Cards fall short...runners on the corners and one out. Can't score. Bats...funny how they come and go.

Bats woke up in the second game against Jacksonville. A 9-0 fun-fest. Three hitter for Caralisa Connell, the same amount of hits LeCoq gave up.

Louisville finishes the Jacksonville stay tomorrow...facing Stony Brook for the second time... at 7:30 p.m.


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Quentin Voigt's preview of Lady Cards WBB against DePaul tomorrow at 1:30 in the YUM! below:

RING, RING, RING, Riiiiiiiiinnnnnggggg !!!

Time to attack! No quarter surrendered, no quarter asked!

Doug Bruno, head coach of DePaul has probably been worried about this game since he was miraculously able to vanquish UofL in Chi-Town on January 5th. The loss he should have accepted then - would have not built the fervor apparently building within CardNation for the beat-down of epic (EPIC, I repeat) proportions, destined to be visited on the Blue Demons. Sunday. 1:30 p.m. The place: One Arena Plaza (the KFC YUM! Center) , Louisville, KY.

Herr Bruno's squad features 5'8" Brittany Hrynko, a sophomore who's getting 15.6 ppg, dished out 129 assists this season and grabs 4.8 rebounds a game. She went for 21 points, 7 assists and 4 steals last time against the Cards. Will Anna Martin be a factor? We'll see if the knee will let her play. She had 22 against Louisville in the previous meeting.

Jasmine Perry is a talented forward for Dougie. He says:

"Jasmine Perry is one of the best players in the state of Indiana. Jasmine will bring great athleticism to campus and is a excellent rebounder, defender and shooter. Jasmine is also the total package in that she is an honor student that will help carry on DePaul's tradition of striving for success  --both on the court and in the classroom."

A just bit of praise for the young lady that adds 14.1 a game for DePaul's offense. She was 6 for 6 against Louisville earlier this year and hit 3 for 4 from the charity stripe.

And then there's Katherine. The leading rebounder in the BIG EAST. Katherine Harry gets the boards. She defends well, too...holding UofL's posts to 1 for 3 from the field last time out.

I believe in SPEED! Speed kills, in time. Ask Muhammad Ali, he proved it time and time again. The Lady Cards have the speed to beat DePaul today. Witness UK stepping on the accelerator earlier this year and demolishing DePaul by 32 in Rupp.

Running with purpose, shooting with the cold eye of an assassin, owning every rebound, valuing the ball. Attack them, attack them....and attack them! Go Cards. Give them "L"

- Quentin Voigt

I do think the Cards can win today. A lot of it will depend on the heart and effort that they display. It's an emotional game today. Monique Reid's grandmother passed away a couple of days ago. A grandmother to the team. To Mo, who might play today. To all who were fortunate enough to know her. A beautiful lady.

Will UofL use that emotion? Will last year's scenario play out...Louisville loses in Chicago, wins the second match-up in Louisville. The only game this year where Louisville outrebounded an opponent and lost.

"Why is it, Coach...that I must play when
the women are playing also. Please explain
this to me. I am not happy, sir. Not at all."

Who will show up for this one? The men's team plays at 1:00 on ESPN. Walz wants 12-13,000 there. We'd like to see that, too. Anything over 9,000 is a big boost to Louisville's WBB chances today. In case you're out-of-town and can't attend, the WBB game is on ESPNU.

It's 'go' time for Walz and the Cards. Five games left before the Hartford Invitational.

As I said in an earlier column this week...

Whatcha got left, Cards?

(Today's game is a "wear Pink" in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Pink 'em up! See you there! We'll have post-game coverage later today. Go Cards!)

-Paulie


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