Louisville women's basketball players looking forward to competitive season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- UofL Women's Basketball team is set to play its first game of the regular season on Monday.

Senior guard Merissah Russell and senior forward Olivia Cochran joined WDRB Mornings Thursday for a preview of the season.

Both women said they're excited to experience a season with eight new girls, and that personalities are meshing and bonding well this year.

"This year's team is just so different because our personalities match so well," Cochran said.

"I'm excited for them to experience the city, the fans, Russell said. "I'm excited to start playing -- practicing is fun but it's always great to kind of inflict that pain on other people now."

Both Russell and Cochran said they've found a home at Louisville. Russell said Coach Jeff Walz "holds us to a very high standard. We love him, and he's a great coach. And he cares about us women, not just as basketball players. And like I mentioned before, we have the best fans in the country. It's great to play in front of them, they give us an extra boost."

The Cards' opening game is Monday against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. You can watch the action on ESPN Plus.

Here's a link to the schedule for the Louisville women's basketball team.