Louisville Cards host Bellarmine to open 2026 women's basketball season

The University of Louisville women's basketball team opens its 2026 regular season at home against the Bellarmine Knights.

The contest will take place at the KFC YUM! Center in a double header alongside the men's team. This matchup marks the start of regular season play for the Cardinals, who are currently ranked No. 7 in the preseason rankings.

The roster features three new players from the transfer portal. Fifth-year transfer Amiya Joyner joins the team from LSU. Last season with the Tigers, Joyner recorded 254 rebounds in 34 games. Prior to her time in Baton Rouge, Joyner played for East Carolina, where she earned eight AAC Freshman of the Week honors during her freshman year. That performance placed her in the top 40 nationally in rebounds, offensive rebounds, double-doubles, and blocks.

Senior Carys Baker arrives from Virginia Tech. Baker played for the Hokies for three years and finished her junior season ranked in the top 20 in the ACC in 12 statistical categories. In four of those categories, she ranked in the top 10. Last year, Baker averaged 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Sophomore Deniya Prawl joins the squad from Tennessee. Prawl appeared in 29 games for the Volunteers last season, starting seven of them. In limited minutes, she averaged 4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. The Cardinals plan to further develop Prawl's talent on the court this season.

The Cardinals will face their first ranked opponent on November 15 when they host the University of Connecticut at home. UConn is ranked No. 2 overall in the preseason rankings, trailing only South Carolina. The Huskies finished the 2025 season with a 38-1 record. Their only loss came in the Final Four against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Bellarmine Knights enter the season following a 2-30 campaign last year. During that season, opponents outscored Bellarmine by an average of more than 32 points per game.