Gov. Timothy Kaine issued an executive spending reduction plan yesterday to compensate for the projected $973.6 million 2009 fiscal year shortfall, and the University will feel the effect of any approved budget cuts across the board, University officials said. A significant portion of the cuts, however, will not be implemented unless approved by the commonwealth’s General Assembly when that body reconvenes in January.
The announced cuts add to the previous reduction of $1.7 billion in the commonwealth budget since last October. Kaine stated in the executive report that the new plan seeks to reduce costs by making government operations more efficient while protecting important state services such as K-12 education. Kaine plans to balance the budget by reducing state spending by $348 million, withdrawing $400 million from the Revenue Stabilization Fund and reducing agency spending by $323 million, among other things. Changes will also include about 570 state job layoffs, the elimination of 800 unfilled positions, and a freeze on new hiring, according to the report.
The University, meanwhile, will see a 7-percent reduction of general funds, which amounts to about $10.6 million, according to the executive report. Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the University has been anticipating these cuts for several months and previously was asked to prepare for budget cuts ranging from five 15 percent.
The budget cuts will be “felt across the institution,” said Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget.
Sandridge noted, though, that any budget cuts within the University as a result of the reduced state funding will be made responsibly. He added that departments and schools within the University have already been looking into ways to cut spending without disrupting instructional services. Overall, he said, most students will likely not see any changes or losses because of the reduction plan.
In addition to the budget cuts, the previously proposed 2.4-percent raise for state employees will not occur, Sheehy said, noting, however, that Kaine will likely reevaluate the salary increase in the future. University Board of Visitors members deferred salary increase discussions last week in anticipation of this decision.
Sandridge, meanwhile, acknowledged that the cuts will be disruptive to management teams and employees at the University, since “two-thirds of the budget is people.” There are no plans for layoffs, he said, but existing vacancies will not be filled.
To cope with the cuts, the University will also reduce expenditures on equipment and defer costs to the future, Sheehy said. Changes within each department and school will vary across the University.
Because of the current condition of the economy, Sandridge said he expects additional cuts in the future, and added that the current ones are permanent.
“Even moving some of those 2009 reductions forward, we are looking at [a] shortfall of more than a billion dollars in 2010,” Kaine spokesperson Gordon Hickey said.
Hickey added that Kaine will begin evaluating the 2010 fiscal year shortfall immediately. The recommendations for 2010 fiscal year will be released in mid-December, Hickey added.
University spokesperson Carol Wood said she does not know exactly what is in store for the University in terms of any 2010 fiscal year budget cuts. Those decisions, she said, would be dependent on Kaine’s budget.
“Everyone expects that there will be additional cuts,” Wood said.

With a number of ongoing and planned construction projects, the University has improved its communication with local government, its agencies and community residents, Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris said, specifically noting the success of community-University relations concerning the South Lawn Project construction and unified emergency services.
Whenever the University has a development project, it works with Charlottesville City Council to make sure the project does not adversely affect the city, Norris said, noting that the University often seeks city input even when approval is not necessary.
The University has “been very good in recent years in notifying the city — and not just the city government but the neighborhoods and citizens,” Norris said, citing pre-development information as well as frequent updates for local residents. Though the city does not always agree with decisions made by the University and vice versa, there is always discussion between the two entities, he added.
University Architect David Neuman said the University holds community forums when it has development plans that will affect neighborhoods around the proposed project. For example, almost 300 community members attended a September forum about the South Lawn Project, he said, to learn more about the project and voice their concerns.
“There is a lot of good will, but [the relationship] requires a lot of listening because each [group] has a strong opinion about what they’re doing and why it’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s in conflict with what other people think,” Neuman said.
He added that the purpose of clear and frequent communication between the University and neighborhoods is to resolve any issues that may arise before they become significant or controversial.
City Manager Gary O’Connell said the city has been involved in many projects that the University has undertaken, such as the South Lawn Project. He noted that the University has been very careful about its development plans and making sure it recognizes city concerns.
“It’s pretty amazing that with the level of development going on that things have gone as smoothly as they have,” O’Connell said. “I think it’s a testament to the University being open … about their plans … I don’t think many universities do that.”
David Slutzky, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors member, said most of the University is within Albemarle County’s jurisdiction, not the City of Charlottesville’s and is therefore subject to the county’s zoning regulations.
“We’ve had a very constructive dialogue between the county and University, which has involved the city when appropriate,” Slutzky said. He noted that the University is always reasonable when it approaches the county to petition for permission to change the zoning of its property.
Slutzky noted that the University initially played a key role in getting city and county representatives to sit down together to discuss other issues of mutual interest. The City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University signed the Three-Party Agreement in 1986, said Leonard Sandridge, University executive vice president and chief operating officer. The agreement, which outlines the relationship between the three parties, is “somewhat unique” among higher education institutions, he said.
O’Connell said the intent of the agreement was to provide a forum for regular and formal discussion between the three institutions.
A major feature of the Three-Party Agreement is the Planning & Coordination Council, which brings executives from the three groups together quarterly to discuss topics of mutual interest, University Community Relations Director Ida Lee Wootten said. PACC members include the city manager, two City Council members, the county executive, two members of the County Board of Supervisors, the University president and University chief operating officer, Sandridge said.
Neuman said the three parties try to be proactive in their approach to common problems and concerns by sharing information with one another in advance. He also noted that the University has a seat on the planning committees for both the city and the county, while the city and county have seats on the University’s planning committee.
“PACC is a real recognition that we share all the basic environmental and structural concerns,” Neuman stated. He also noted that PACC helps the city, county and University to coordinate essential services to the community. Some of the topics covered by these committees include construction projects, sustainability, transportation, storm water, sewage, infrastructure, and quality of life issues, Sandridge said.
Norris said “there is a joint interest in keeping this a safe, healthy, and prosperous community, so we tend to work well where there are opportunities for collaboration.”
One key area of collaboration is in providing unified emergency services, Sandridge said. Marjorie Sidebottom, University director of emergency preparedness, said the city, county and University have been working together for 20 years to create a joint emergency operations plan, which is now regarded as a national model.
“In terms of emergency preparation, there aren’t really any distinctions or lines” between the parties, she said, adding that “there are very few places that have … a single plan” in the event of an emergency.
Some of the emergency provisions include a joint 911 center that is funded and run by all three entities, Sidebottom said.
In addition to committee meetings that cover topics such as emergency preparedness, many officials said they regularly meet one-on-one with other leaders to discuss common concerns. The University also seeks to plays a central role in the community, Norris said. He noted that the University has been involved in training local teachers and providing University student volunteers as tutors. Sandridge said the University tries to be a good neighbor, citing its voluntary payment of real estate taxes. As a state agency, the University is not required to pay real estate taxes, he said, but the University chooses to do so in order to foster good relations and make an investment in the city, adding that this has been well-received by the municipal governments.
The University also volunteers its services when the City or County needs help dealing with a certain issue with which the University has expertise; likewise the city and county help the University in similar situations, Sandridge said. Neuman also pointed out that the entities do not get overly involved in issues that do not concern them.
“There are certain issues that [city and county officials] feel are theirs and they want the University to respect that and likewise [for the University],” he said. “Each makes up its own mind, but with a good sense of consultation and collaboration. [The City and County] are respectful of our opinions, and [we are of theirs].”
Although the relationship between the three parties is strong, Norris said there are “any number of issues where there’s room for continued and expanded collaboration.”
Norris also noted that there recently has been more dialogue between the city government and the University’s Student Council recently about how to work together to address mutual concerns.
“We really do need to have a very close working relationship with the City of Charlottesville,” Student Council President Matt Schrimper said, noting this is the first year that Student Council has had a student liaison position on the City Council.
Schrimper said he hopes Student Council can work with the city government to address off-Grounds safety and off-Grounds housing in order to improve student life.
Colin Hood, Student Council’s liaison to the City Council, meanwhile, said there though there might have been a lack of communication between the organizations in the past, he hopes to improve the relationship.
O’Connell, though, emphasized that the relationship between the three primary parties is well-grounded. He said in the 22 years since the three-way agreement was signed, there has been a “pretty dramatic shift” in the relationship between the three entities, crediting the University’s willingness to change its approach to the relationship as instrumental in the shift and citing the transparency of the University in sharing its plans with the government and community as a major factor in that change.
“I’ve talked to a lot of city managers in university towns across the country, and I think our [relationship] is one of the best,” O’Connell said.

Last August, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., announced that he will retire, sparking a contest this election season between Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore. The upcoming election of one of these former commonwealth governors will end John Warner’s 30-year Senate career.
Cordel Faulk, director of communications at the University’s Center for Politics, said Warner’s moderate stance has defined his career.
“He’s long been very, very popular,” Faulk said. “He’s got such a wide following because his voting record is so moderate. It’s made him almost unbeatable.”
Nevertheless, Warner’s career has faced its share of criticism. Several of his own Republican party members opposed his campaign for re-election in the 1996 Senate race, and his voting decisions at times clashed with the majority of his party’s votes. A Republican who has a history of supporting gun control laws, Warner voted in favor of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and a more recent amendment proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Cal., that sought a 10-year extension of the Assault Weapons Ban. In both cases, he voted largely against his party.
Warner’s willingness to oppose his party was most recently evident in his vocal support of the Wall Street bailout. Media outlets reported Warner expressed his disappointment with Gilmore’s opposition to the bailout package and might decline to endorse him. Warner, the reports stated, might even consider supporting Democratic challenger Mark Warner, who is not related to the senator, even though that would mean crossing party lines.
Warner’s colleague Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., meanwhile, honored Warner’s work in late September with a statement to the Senate.
“He has always put the interests of the people of Virginia and the people in this country ahead of political party,” Webb said. “This is an individual who has served this body with great wisdom and a deeply ingrained sense of fairness — someone who has the temperament and the moral courage of a great leader.”  
Webb praised Warner for being the first Virginia senator to support an African-American and a woman’s candidacy for federal judge positions and for his work as a “positive force” for the military.
“He’s been very good for Virginia’s national security installations and he’s been fantastic for the nation on national security,” Faulk said. “He has done a lot to keep his country safe.”
Warner, who earned his law degree at the University, announced his retirement on Grounds in August 2007. At the time, he quoted Thomas Jefferson, stating his retirement would give others “the right to advance.”
Webb told Senate colleagues that although Warner will be leaving office next January, his legacy in the commonwealth will live on.
“This institution will miss John Warner, his kindness, his humility, his wisdom and his dedicated service, and I know we in Virginia will continue to benefit from his advice and his counsel for many years to come,” Webb said.

The University’s Inter-Sorority Council recently reported increased participation in its informal fall recruitment process. Rising interest in both fall and spring recruitment has led ISC officials to consider the initial stages of a potential two- or three-year expansion process.
Vice President for Recruitment Ashleigh Carson said 86 women registered for informal fall recruitment via the organization’s Web site this year. Seven of 15 sororities contacted girls this year, she said, noting that this was an increase over previous years featuring a fall rush. The eight sororities that did not register any fall rush participants already had met their quotas, Carson said, explaining that as of this year, ISC sets limits on house membership.
“The total number [of allowed pledges per sorority] is decided each spring, so the coming fall [the new membership limit] decides whether houses will have the opportunity to take new members,” Carson said, adding that sororities not meeting the spring limit have the opportunity to offer membership in the fall to meet their houses’ quota.
“We did [fall rush] to make sure all the houses had around the same number of people,” Carson said, noting that the ISC would prefer to see membership increase across the board, not just at specific sororities.
ISC President Stuart Berkeley noted that fall recruitment efforts thus far are indicative of an overall increase in sorority involvement seen in recent years as well as heightened interest in Greek life.
“I think that people are generally realizing that ISC is a great benefit to their time and experience at the University,” Berkeley said.
Carson noted that in 2007, 755 women participated in spring rush, while 829 participated this past spring.
Carson and Berkeley both said a number of factors could be contributing to the recent increase in fall rush participation. Carson noted that the online registration process is a new feature implemented to manage the overall trend of increased interest in sorority membership and may have beneficial consequences.
“It helped girls who are new to the school or unfamiliar with the registration process know where the houses are,” Carson said, also noting that it helped upperclassmen identify houses they might not have known about otherwise.
Carson also noted the more intimate nature of the informal recruitment process used during the fall, saying it is a potentially more valuable opportunity for upperclassmen to become acclimated to the Greek system than the more traditional system employed during the spring. That informal recruitment process might have played a role in increasing the participation, she said. Moreover, she noted, the fall recruitment process, which required a significantly lower budget commitment than formal spring recruitment, also received positive feedback from the houses recruiting members.
“Houses were just able to contact the girls individually and invite them to rush events that weren’t so regulated and weren’t so costly [as compared to spring recruitment], such as going to Arch’s [Frozen Yogurt] or hanging out at the sorority house and getting to talk to the people informally,” Carson said. “I think they really appreciated that.”
One side effect of the increased interest, Carson and Berkeley said, is that the ISC must now consider the possibility of expansion through the addition of another sorority house.
“We’re in the midst of looking into a two- or three-year expansion process,” Berkeley said, noting that adding another house might be required to keep sororities at a manageable size. Berkeley also said, though, that “at this point we are just in the initial stages.”

Which would a college student rather do without: beer or wireless Internet access?
That question is one of many asked in a recently released survey of college students, organized by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a global non-profit organization representing the wireless Internet industry, and conducted by Wakefield Research. According to the survey, which interviewed 501 students in September from a variety of schools, wireless access has impacted the world of higher education to such a degree that Wi-Fi is now recognized as a selling point for restaurants and universities, not to mention as a tool both in and out of the classroom.
Mike McPherson, University associate vice president and deputy chief information officer, said wireless Internet access is widely available on Grounds and is “very popular with the University’s student body.” He also added that his office firmly believes that this type of access to the Internet has strong educational value.
Just how popular is Wi-Fi, though, among undergraduate students across the United States? According to the Wi-Fi Alliance survey, nine of 10 college students said wireless access is as “essential to education as classrooms and computers.” Moreover, three in five students said they wouldn’t go to a college that did not offer free wireless access, more than half said Wi-Fi availability influences their choice of coffee shop and 79 percent of those surveyed indicated that without wireless access, “college would be a lot harder.”
“I wouldn’t say you couldn’t do without it, but it does make life a lot easier,” first-year College student Akshat Khaitan said of the service.
The survey’s statistics largely can be attributed to a growing affinity for Wi-Fi services by the general public, and increased use of wireless Internet in residences across the country, a Wi-Fi Alliance representative said.
“Wi-Fi has become a universal expectation among college students, and their attitudes towards technology are a good indicator of broad changes underway in how we as a society learn, work and communicate,” Wi-Fi Alliance Executive Director Edgar Figueroa stated in a Wi-Fi Alliance press release.
The survey supports the notion that the popularity of Wi-Fi has had a significant impact on student habits. According to the report, 55 percent of undergraduate students go online in coffee shops and/or restaurants, 47 percent do so in parks and 24 percent log on in their cars. Not all students, of course, do so — fourth-year College student Matthew Marcus said he rarely brings his laptop out of his room and frequently uses an Ethernet port connection to surf the Internet — but the survey reports that Wi-Fi use has become dominant on American campuses.
Not only is Wi-Fi use widespread on campuses in general, it has affected students’ behavior in class. According to the survey, 44 percent of students use Wi-Fi to start assignments early, and more than half of respondents check either Facebook or MySpace and their personal e-mail accounts.
“We put [Wi-Fi] in for educational purposes,” McPherson said, noting, though, that he is aware that students regularly check and send e-mails during class. He added that some faculty members have concerns about the use of computers in the classroom for this reason. The University considers such an issue to fall under the domain of classroom management, he said, leaving choices about whether to ban or accept laptop use in class to the discretion of each professor.
And as for alcoholic beverages and wireless access? According to the report, if forced to choose, 48 percent of respondents would give up beer before giving up Wi-Fi.
“Drinking beer is not going to do … anything great [for you], but Wi-Fi is really helpful, so it’s an issue of convenience, really,” Khaitan said, noting that he would give up his dining plan to keep Wi-Fi if faced with a possible choice to save one or the other.
—Dalia Mortada and Prateek Vasireddy contributed to this article.

Thursday’s news article “U.Va. groups host race discussion“ stated that Amanda Perez is president of La Alianza. She is actually the organization’s secretary. The Cavalier Daily regrets the error.

After defeating a Maryland team that was 4-1 before last Saturday, the Cavalier football team is poised to take on non-conference foe East Carolina at home this weekend. The matchup could offer a better picture of just how much Virginia has developed as a team; while Maryland is a team characterized by sudden collapses, East Carolina is a talented squad in the midst of a midseason slide, having lost its last two games. Both Virginia (2-3, 1-1 ACC) and East Carolina (3-2, 1-1 Conference USA) have something to prove in Scott Stadium Saturday.
The season began with stark differences in the two teams’ play. Southern California wiped the floor with Virginia, and East Carolina shocked more than a few people by upsetting Virginia Tech. East Carolina went on to another impressive win with a defeat of West Virginia while the Cavaliers scraped by in a win against Richmond in the next week of the season. After week two, both teams had some trouble; ECU, No. 14 at the time, barely beat unranked Tulane and then lost to unranked N.C. State and Houston, while Virginia broke Duke’s 25-game ACC losing streak. The Cavaliers finally found some life last week against Maryland, but what can Virginia expect from the Pirates this week?
Virginia Tech and West Virginia “are the teams [East Carolina] beat and played their very best against, so we take our reading off of their performance against those two best teams as to what East Carolina is capable of,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “We can see what the benchmark is as to their performance, and we have to aim at and above that benchmark to be competitive in the game.”
Two areas in which Virginia saw a vast improvement last week were the offensive line and quarterback play. Sophomore quarterback Marc Verica was able to succeed with the help of the time provided by his offensive line, including junior tackle Will Barker.
“It’s not just some of the younger players we’ve been waiting to come on,” Groh said. “It’s some of the veteran players we’ve [been] waiting to come on. [Barker] was one of them, and hopefully, that’s a sign there.”
Against Maryland, Verica atoned for his poor performance against Duke a week earlier.  Verica threw four interceptions in the Duke contest, but against the Terps, he was more efficient, completing 25 of 34 passes for 226 yards for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Maryland’s pass defense, however, is currently ranked 98th in the country. And though East Carolina’s is not much better at 74th. the Cavaliers will have to contend with the speed of the Pirates’ defense.
“They’re definitely very fast, very athletic,” Verica said, “probably one of the more athletic defenses we’ve played along with USC, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
The young defense, led by veteran stalwarts such as senior linebackers Clint Sintim and Jon Copper,  also has its work cut out for it, with speed being a major part of East Carolina’s offensive arsenal as well.
“It’s been really apparent when the young guys are out there, senior safety Byron Glaspy said. “First of all, in practice, there’s a lot more coaching that needs to be done, just to make sure they understand the fundamentals and all that stuff.
“I think it’s just translated so well for us, that just seeing them out there you can see the type of athleticism and speed that we have. There’s a lot of young talent on this team.”
Virginia proved last weekend that it have the ability and the personnel to get the job done and hopes to demonstrate that ability again this weekend.
“In our buildup for ECU, we’ll keep in mind that we can make big plays, we can get first downs, we can put up points,” Verica said.

While many students travel home for Fall Break today, Virginia’s men’s soccer team will be gearing up to take on in-conference rival Clemson tonight at home.
Virginia (7-3, 3-0 ACC) is currently on a hot streak with five straight wins and with junior goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo recording four shutouts. Giallombardo is one shutout away from tying his mark from last year. Currently, he is ranked first in the ACC for shutouts per game (0.8) and second for overall shutouts.
Despite a rough start, the Cavaliers have managed to climb back into the national rankings, currently tied at No. 21 with Charlotte. The Cavaliers are currently second in the ACC behind undefeated Wake Forest.
Clemson (3-4-2, 2-1-1 ACC) is fourth in the ACC. Tuesday, senior forward Michael Brooks was named ACC Player of the Week, Soccer America’s National Player of the Week and National Player of the Week by College Soccer News. In last Friday’s game against No. 10 Maryland, he scored four of the team’s five goals to lead Clemson to a 5-3 victory. This was the first time since 1999 that a Clemson player had managed to score four goals in one game.  Virginia will need to be watchful of the senior forward.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” freshman defender Howard Turk said. “Our defense is going to need to make plays.  If [Clemson] can put up five against Maryland, then they can do it against us.”
Virginia has split with the Tigers during the last two years, losing to Clemson 2-1 in 2007 and winning 1-0 in 2006. Clemson will come into the game also on a winning streak, having won its past three games, two of which were at home.
“They’ve been on a little bit of a roll,” coach George Gelnovatch said. “In their last three games they have played really well. They’re feeling pretty good about themselves.  They’ll be up for [the game] and we’ll be up for it.”
On offense, Virginia will look to freshman midfielder Tony Tchani, who is tied for first place in the ACC for goals scored, with nine on the books. He is also third for total points with 20. Tchani played a key role in the game against North Carolina when he got the ball past the goalie on a penalty kick.
Along with Tchani, the team will look to junior forward Matt Mitchell for leadership, experience and offense. Mitchell has had a strong presence on the field, currently ranking fourth for the most goals on the team, a total of three. He made the biggest impact during the game against Virginia Tech, scoring both Cavalier goals to defeat the Hokies.
Freshman defender Hunter Jumper could be the Cavalier feeding Tchani and Mitchell goals, as he currently leads the team in assists with four.
With a win tonight, Virginia would extend its winning streak to six games, keep up with ACC-leading Wake Forest and maintain at least a one-game lead on third-place Duke.
Tonight’s game is set for 7 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium. The Cavaliers will then have a week to prepare to play Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass..

The Virginia field hockey team will hit the road this weekend, traveling to University Park, Pa. to take on Iowa and Penn State.
These non-conference foes will be a change of pace for the Cavaliers (10-3, 1-1 ACC) as they make their second road trip to battle ranked opponents. The Cavaliers will miss the contributions of freshman midfielder Paige Selenski, who is currently competing with the Junior National Team in the Pan American Junior Championship tournament in Mexico City. She was named National Rookie of the Week Monday by womensfieldhockey.com for her performances against Richmond and Maryland last week. Selenski’s team-high 13 goals this season are good enough to tie her for third in the ACC, usually considered the best conference in the country. Virginia coach Michele Madison noted, though, that the team has other players that are likely to make strong contributions this weekend.
“Paige is improving every day,” coach Michele Madison said, but “it’s not just Paige; it’s [junior forward] Traci [Ragukas], [junior forward] Lauren Elstein and [sophomore forward] Kaitlyn [Hiltz].”
The Cavaliers will have to rely on their experience and depth to carry them through the weekend since they do not have Selenski’s aid. Nine Cavaliers other than Selinski have scored this season, and Ragukas and senior midfielder Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn are tied for second on the team with seven goals apiece.
The Cavaliers will first battle No. 5 Iowa  (10-2, 2-0 Big Ten) tomorrow in a competitive matchup. Iowa’s only two losses this season have come at the hands of Wake Forest and Duke, both of whom play in the ACC. Virginia will clash with both of these schools later this season.
The two teams share several coaching links. Madison served as an assistant coach at Iowa from 1982-89; the Hawkeyes advanced to four NCAA semifinals during her time with the team and won their first national title in 1986. Iowa assistant coach Meridith Thorpe, meanwhile, had a successful field hockey career at Virginia from 1995-98. Thorpe, a four-time All-American, became the seventh player in the history of Division I intercollegiate field hockey to achieve the 100-goal mark and is still the all-time leader in goals and points at Virginia and in the ACC. Additionally, Thorpe led the team to its only two national semifinal appearances in 1997 and 1998, was named Virginia’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1997 and was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Team in 2002. She served as an assistant coach for six years at Virginia.
Though Thorpe is widely considered the best player in Virginia field hockey history, tomorrow she will stand on the opposite sideline with the Hawkeyes, whom the Cavaliers defeated 1-0 in the 2006 NCAA Tournament in the teams’ last meeting.
Virginia will wrap up the weekend playing No. 13 Penn State (7-4, 1-0 Big Ten) Sunday. The Nittany Lions not only beat the Cavaliers in the first game of the 2007 season but also ended their season with a 3-2 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers, however, are not intimidated by top-ranked opponents, having already faced many ranked opponents this season. Virginia is 1-1 outside of the commonwealth this season.
“We get prepared for every single game the way we get prepared for every game,” redshirt freshman midfielder Pien Hulsebosch said. “It’s not a difference between away and here. We are going to play our own game. I am pretty confident about it. We have a good team.”

Through early conference losses, Virginia volleyball players and coaches said while the losses were disappointing, they were not going to dwell on them but would instead focus on improving. Now that the Cavaliers have won two games in a row, they are building confidence as they continue through their schedule in the tumultuous ACC.
“I think [beating Boston College and Maryland] is huge, just getting some confidence,” junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson said. “Going into the rest of the ACC season, it’s important to know you can beat the competition, so I think it was great to know that you can win on the road especially.”
Dickson, along with freshman Simone Asque, is part of Virginia’s unit of outside hitters that was very productive last weekend.
“It’s better to have a marked improvement on paper,” Asque said, noting the team’s improved win percentage and statistical averages after last weekend. The team will look to continue this improvement as it travels south of the border this weekend for the second consecutive set of conference matches on the road.
Tonight, the Cavaliers (10-7, 2-3 ACC) face off against North Carolina (9-7, 3-2 ACC) in Chapel Hill, N.C. Tomorrow, Virginia takes on N.C. State (8-11, 2-2 ACC) in Raleigh, N.C. N.C. State also plays Virginia Tech tonight, so its record will have changed by gametime tomorrow.
With the conference as balanced as it is — only Virginia Tech remains undefeated in conference play — each match is pivotal for gaining footing in the conference standings.
“It’s been a wild and crazy conference, every weekend seems like everybody is beating each other,” coach Lee Maes said. “I think everybody in the conference knows it’s going to be extremely competitive each night and they have to bring their A-game.”
Asque, who has received a lot of playing time as a freshman and has started several matches, noted an unexpected balance in conference opponents so far.
“I thought, especially looking at what happened last year, it would be more ‘These are the teams to beat’ and ‘This is everybody else,’” Asque said. “Right now, it’s very topsy-turvy and everyone’s playing each other and grueling it out. It’s really exciting, it almost feels like anyone can win.”
Asque gradually has seen more playing time because of her impressive performances on the court, including two double-doubles.
“It’s pretty cool to represent my school and be able to play for my team and be the one that’s out on the floor contributing,” Asque said.
Dickson and Asque are two of the five members on the roster who make up Virginia’s deep outside hitter position.
“Even though I’m maybe starting and playing, I’m also competing with other outsides on the team,” Asque said.
The outside hitters, who see many of the spikes on the court, will be key in determining the Cavaliers’ success against the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack.
“North Carolina has been up and down,” Maes said. “They had a really, really good preseason non-conference win against a highly-ranked Minnesota team, so that gave them a lot of confidence. They have a pretty fast offensive system that I think will put some stress on us defensively.”
N.C. State has struggled in ACC play in recent years, but has held its own so far this year.
“We know that they’re much improved, and we know they’re going to play hard,” Maes said. “We won’t really know their level of performance until we get to play them.”
The Cavaliers will look to excel again this weekend, despite the hostile territory and cheers of an unfriendly crowd in their ears. In the matches tonight and tomorrow, just like in the season as a whole, the team will look to succeed not by worrying about what is brought to them but what they can take to the court.
“I’ve found that when I’m playing, I always tune out the crowd,” Asque said. “I always try to focus on the coaches and what they’re saying.”