In a year where things change daily, the University of Louisville athletic department still has a lot to celebrate. Let’s do a quick run-through of all things happening around campus right now.
Swimming and Diving – Head coach Arthur Albiero has another great team on his hands. The week of February 2nd, the Cardinals swept honors in the ACC. Alena Kraus and Nicolas Albiero were named men and women’s swimmer of the week, respectively. The 19th-ranked Cards head into ACC Championships this week.
Volleyball – Isn’t it weird to be talking about volleyball in February? If you didn’t know, volleyball split the season into a fall and spring season this year. UofL went 5-2 in the fall with their two losses coming to Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. The weird schedule hasn’t slowed down the Cards though, as they are currently ranked 14th in the AVCA poll. They start their spring schedule on February 20th at Lipscomb.
Men’s Tennis – The men’s tennis team has started off the spring strong and is currently 4-1 after a hard-fought match against the team up the road on Valentine’s Day. They begin ACC play on February 19th at NC State.
Women’s Tennis – The women’s tennis team has been hit hard by COVID (and weather) cancellations so far, but they are still fighting hard and are 3-2 on the season. Their next match opens up ACC competition here at home on February 19th against Syracuse.
Men’s Golf – Over Valentine’s Day weekend, the Cards had their best day of the season when they finished 3rd on Sunday in the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. The second day teed off this morning with hopes of moving up on the scoreboard. We’re also a *little* jealous of the warm(er) weather they are playing in!
Women’s Golf – The spring season teed off yesterday by hosting the Moon Golf Invitational. Hana Ryskova is leading for the Cards, as she shot a 69 yesterday and is in 6th place. The Cards are in 8th place and shot 2 over par as a team on Sunday. They will tee off again tomorrow morning.
Soccer – Like volleyball, soccer divided the season into a fall and spring slate due to the pandemic. The men’s team opens their ACC only, spring schedule on March 4th at NC State and the women open the season at Dayton on March 6th.
Lacrosse – The lax team opened the 2021 season on Friday, with a 7-4 loss to Florida. They look to bounce back this Friday, February 18th against Colorado. You can catch this game at 3:00 PM on the ACC Network Extra.
Softball – The weather has not been kind to the softball team thus far, as they have had 3 games canceled so far. They were finally able to open up the season yesterday against Alabama (games that were moved to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday), but came up short in both games. The ACC Pod Weekend in Raleigh will begin on February 18th, where the Cards take on Virginia.
Baseball – The Cardinal 9 are set to begin their 2021 campaign with an opening weekend game against Bellarmine this Friday at Jim Patterson. You can keep up to date with all things baseball on Cardinal Sports Zone’s “Around the Bases.”
Women’s Basketball – Jeff Walz has the team focused, and it shows as they are currently 19-1 and are in 1st place in the ACC. Dana Evans is also making a strong push for Player of the Year (she has my non-existent vote), and UofL is helping her. Visit https://spark.adobe.com/page/wLw41vbap5bbr/ for a look at the Dana Evans Docuseries (have kleenexes on standby), and be prepared to root even harder for this kid from Gary. The team is currently on a COVID pause, and we are hoping for a full and quick recovery for everyone affected.
Men’s Basketball – After a few ups and downs, the Cards looked sharp against Georgia Tech on February 1st and left a weird, midday, Monday game, with a huge win. After that, COVID has struck again and Coach Mack, amongst others, has tested positive. We continue to send our support and hope for a full recovery for all those battling the nasty virus.
See, things aren’t all bad right now. We have lots to celebrate!
Stay healthy, stay warm, and stay safe!
Love, KG.
