COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - After playing the first three games of the season in the state of Texas, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team will return a little closer to home on Sunday as the Golden Eagles take on No. 23 Louisville at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.
Tech has started the season 1-2, with its win coming against Air Force in its second game of the Islander Tip-Off Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Golden Eagles fell to Alabama to begin the season and also lost to No. 4/8 Baylor last Tuesday in Waco, Texas.
Evening their record at 2-2 will be no easy task for the young Golden Eagles who boast one of the youngest rosters in the nation comprised entirely of underclassmen. Louisville (1-1) is Tech's second consecutive Top 25 opponent and is coming off of a 2008-09 season in which the Cardinals made it to the NCAA Championship game before falling to Connecticut.
The Golden Eagles are 1-2 all-time against Louisville, and most recently, the Cardinals defeated Tech last season at Eblen Center.
Leading Tech into Sunday's game will be sophomores Tacarra Hayes and Krystal Stirrup. Hayes, who was named OVC Player of the Week following her performance at the Islander Tip-Off Tournament, leads the Golden Eagles in scoring (16.7 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg) and assists (4.0 ppg). Stirrup has come off the Golden Eagle bench to provide a spark both of Tech's last two games. She knocked down three 3-pointers against Air Force and led the team with a career-high 19 points against Baylor.
Following Sunday's game, Tech will continue its challenging road schedule to begin the season as the Golden Eagles will play No. 24 Middle Tennessee on November 28.
Live stats against Louisville will be available through the Cardinals Web site, www.uoflsports.com.
