Virginia Coach Al Groh will seek redemption Saturday for his string of defeats against in-state rival Virginia Tech. Photo by Bennett Sorbo.

During his nine-year tenure as Virginia’s head coach, Al Groh has defeated Virginia Tech only once. With “grohing” uncertainty surrounding his job security, Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium may be his last chance to beat the Hokies.

For Virginia fans, it has been downhill since the two teams’ 2003 meeting, when Wali Lundy, Alvin Pearman, Matt Schaub and company knocked off the Hokies 35-21. That game was Schaub’s last as a Cavalier.

In their own final collegiate game Saturday, seniors Jameel Sewell, Vic Hall, Chris Cook, Nate Collins, Rashawn Jackson, Denzel Burrell and Aaron Clark, among others, would like nothing more than to walk off the field with the same satisfaction.

“I don’t think you could give me any amount of money to trade [for] beating Tech,” fifth-year linebacker Clark said.

No one on the current Virginia squad has tasted victory against its biggest rival. Not even the heroics of Hall — who ran for two touchdowns in his first career start at quarterback against the Hokies last season — could stave off the sting of last year’s 17-14 loss in Blacksburg.

The image of former Cavalier Tom Santi’s long face after his final game against the Hokies in Virginia’s 33-21 loss two years ago is well-ingrained in Clark’s memory.

“It’s a dagger in the heart,” Clark said.

To end the team members’ collective drought against the Hokies, though, Clark and the rest of the Virginia defense will have to contain the most efficient passer in the ACC, Tyrod Taylor. The junior quarterback poses a dual threat to opposing defenses: Taylor has not only passed for 1,917 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, but has also rushed for 310 yards and four touchdowns.

“It’s like playing against 12 players,” Groh said. “The threat [Taylor] poses as a runner or just as a passer out of the pocket, sometimes it’s more challenging when he’s just out of the pocket, and it doesn’t show up in passing statistics. But that’s what distorts the structure of coverages, when the quarterback is out and moving.”

When Taylor doesn’t have the ball, redshirt freshman tailback Ryan Williams most likely will. Williams has rushed for more yards — 123.2 per game — than anyone else in the ACC, even in a conference that features dynamic upperclassmen running backs such as 2008 ACC Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer and the all-time leader in all-purpose yards, C.J. Spiller.

Stopping Williams will be no easy task for a Virginia team that ranks 10th in the ACC in rushing defense and has allowed an average of 185.3 rushing yards per game in its last three contests.

Still, if anything can inspire a stronger defensive performance against the Hokies, it may be that very sense of urgency brought by stepping onto the field for the last time. Indeed, a win would be a fitting conclusion to the careers of two players who have battled injuries, uncertainty and numerous tough losses to stand where they are today.

It seems like academic ineligibility is the only thing that has kept quarterback Jameel Sewell off the playing field during his time at Virginia. Forced to miss the 2008-09 season, Sewell came back this year to a team full of question marks about who would start at linebacker, wide receiver and — most importantly — his position. Though set back by three demoralizing losses at the beginning of the season, Sewell led the Cavaliers to three straight victories in October while fighting a recurring ankle injury and shoulder problems.

“One of the most valuable things a player can bring to a team is to be a great teammate,” Groh said. “The more of those guys you have, the more they feed off each other.”

Another such player is Hall. This man of few words has filled in wherever and whenever Groh has asked him. From cornerback to quarterback, wide receiver to punt returner, the senior has proven to be a football player in every sense of the term.

“He’s one of those kind of players — one of those kind of associations that make this a very fortunate profession to be able to be in,” Groh said. “I just think about how many people my age get a chance to have this type of relationship with people that age.”

Hall has dealt with a lingering hip injury all season, but has continued to play despite the physical pain and the mounting losses.

“It’s a mentality,” Hall said. “How can you not play if you can walk?”

Hall, like the Cavaliers’ other senior players, will walk onto the field for one more game. He’ll play for his team, his pride and his coach.

“I wouldn’t want it to be my last game,” Hall said, “and I don’t want it to be his last game.”

This year, it seems like every football loss is a slap in the face to Virginia’s school pride. That’s one reason Sunday’s game between the Virginia and Tennessee women’s basketball teams was refreshing; it reminded me what it’s like to lose with dignity.

Certainly there’s some disappointment in the loss. It was hard not to get your hopes up at least a little bit: Virginia had edged the Lady Volunteers last year, and the big crowd this year promised an electric, upset-hungry atmosphere.

Yet even with a 77-63 final score in favor of Tennessee, the dominant emotion was celebratory for all who were present. Fans seemed more eager to celebrate having All-American guard senior Monica Wright, 700-win coach Debbie Ryan and a top-15 program than they were to lament the loss.

“By the end of the season, we will be winning championships,” Ryan announced to the record-breaking crowd of 11,895.

That might be a little bit optimistic, but after Virginia played as well as it did against Tennessee, high hopes are pretty reasonable right now.

Wright went 8-for-21, which seems far from a great shooting percentage until you consider that almost the entirety of the Vols’ defensive plan was to key on the All-American, who torched Tennessee for 35 last year.

It’s a testament to Wright’s dominance that Tennessee coach Pat Summitt and multiple Tennessee players expressed satisfaction at how they held Wright to “only” 21 points.

But the true revelation of Sunday’s bout was just how well the non-stars can play. For example, freshman center Simone Egwu’s 10 points and six rebounds were crucial in keeping the team alive.

Egwu’s impressive play thus far this year is no fluke. She has a slight case of gameday nerves, but plays with toughness after she settles in.

Her attitude is even better than her game. After taking on the monstrous, six-block Kelley Cain for a pretty impressive 34 minutes, she deflected comments that her performance was a big deal. She does whatever the team needs, and it was just another day at the office.

I expect Egwu to be one of the best players on the team for the next four years and an All-ACC stud her junior and senior year. She might even be the early favorite for ACC Rookie of the Year after a few weeks of play.

Another player who really impressed on Sunday was junior guard Paulisha Kellum. She played only 21 minutes but scored courtesy of some mind-boggling moves. I expect some “Air Kellum” signs to appear in JPJ before season’s end.

Ryan, however, said Kellum is only 75 percent recovered from the season-ending injury she suffered last year. If what we saw Sunday was only three-quarters of Kellum, I can’t wait until we get the whole thing. With a 1-2 punch of Wright and a fully recovered Kellum, Virginia might have the two best guards in the conference.

Speaking of incredible guards, sophomore Ariana Moorer made another leap forward Sunday. She overcame a few costly decisions — such as three turnovers and jump shots she took too early — to make some incredible, flashy steals along with And1-worthy moves to the basket.

So, don’t feel too bad about that last loss on Hot Dog Day. A win would have been nice, but the affirmation Virginia received about the quality of its team and program means even more than a tally in the win column ever could.

My favorite parts of the afternoon came after the game. I loved seeing every Cavalier and Volunteer circle up and say a quick communal prayer. I loved hearing Pat Summitt’s kind words about Debbie Ryan — “she does it the right way” — and Ryan’s kind words for Summitt — “I’m a better person for knowing her.”

But most of all, I loved seeing almost every one of the 11,895 stay until the final buzzer to give the losing Cavaliers a standing ovation for continued excellence and tremendous character. That, and the free hot dog was nice, too.

The Cavaliers defeated Oral Roberts 76-55 at home Saturday in the second game of the Cancun Challenge. They will take on Stanford tomorrow in game three, then face the winner of a Kentucky-Cleveland State matchup on Wednesday. Photo by Bennett Sorbo.

Virginia will travel to Cancun during Thanksgiving Break to play its final two games of the Cancun Challenge. After having defeated Rider and Oral Roberts at John Paul Jones Arena last week, the Cavaliers will face Stanford tomorrow and then either Cleveland State or Kentucky on Wednesday.

Which team Virginia will face later in the week is dependent on which of the four teams emerge with wins tomorrow. The winner of the Virginia-Stanford game will play the winner of the Kentucky-Cleveland State game, while the losers of those two games will meet in a final match Wednesday.

The Cardinal are coming off a 99-69 rout of Florida A&M and will look to improve their current .500 record with a win against Virginia (3-1, 0-0).

“We are going to watch film on them and see what they are all about,” sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski said. “We are going to go in there and keep playing the way we’ve been playing defensively and try to compete.”

If the Cavaliers wish to continue their success at the Cancun Challenge, they must contain sophomore guard Jeremy Green, who scored a season-high 21 points while grabbing eight boards and going four-for-seven from beyond the arc in the Cardinal’s victory against Florida A&M.

Against Oral Roberts last week, the Cavaliers had trouble containing the three and allowed the Golden Eagles to shoot 7-for-11 from long distance in the first half. In the second period, though, Virginia clamped down and held its opponent to 0-for-6 on three-point attempts — a change partially effected by the addition of sophomore center Assane Sene to the lineup.

“That’s where I thought [Sene] helped us, is where we didn’t have to trap the post,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “We could play a little more one on one in the post and stay at home on shooter.”

Sene, who was suspended the first three games of the season for conduct detrimental to the team, saw limited playing time as a result of both a sprained ankle suffered in practice and foul trouble. Nevertheless, in only 13 minutes he posted seven rebounds and a career-high eight points, while bolstering the Cavaliers’ defense in the paint.

Against Stanford, Sene must try to avoid his seemingly persistent foul trouble, so that Virginia’s frontcourt can do its best to contain senior forward Landry Fields. Fields, who posted his sixth career double-double in Stanford’s game against Florida A&M, will try to capitalize on his overall athleticism and versatility off the dribble against the Cavaliers.

“They’ve got a very fine player in Landry Fields,” Bennett said. “He’s terrific. I watched the Stanford game — they were off in the game that I watched them. They are capable. They sometimes use four guards. They’ll be solid. Hopefully, we’ll play a solid brand of basketball.”

After its game against Stanford, Virginia will play the winner of the Kentucky-Cleveland State game the very next day.

“I almost feel like an NBA team [having] as many games as we are playing with not a lot of rest,” Bennett said. “So we will hopefully be energized.”

A lack of downtime, though, might seem like only a slight obstacle in comparison should Virginia face Kentucky. The No. 5 Wildcats possess a level of all-around talent and quickness that the Cavaliers have yet to encounter this season, and are expected to easily make their way past Cleveland State.

“They’re definitely going to be the best team we’ve played so far,” sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg said. “What we’ve been doing is great, but for a team like Kentucky, we’re definitely going to have to step it up another level.”

Kentucky is not only the best team Virginia would play thus far, but also currently the highest ranked team on the squad’s entire schedule. With the Cavaliers’ ACC schedule still weeks away, a showdown with the Wildcats could be an early opportunity for the Cavaliers to gauge where they stand in relation to the nation’s most recognizable teams.

Senior libero Brittani Rendina will try to support Virginia’s defense against the Hokies in Blacksburg on Wednesday. Photo by Albin Oh.

After a pair of weekend road losses against Georgia Tech and Clemson, the Virginia volleyball team will travel Wednesday to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech in its final regular season test. Coach Lee Maes’ squad will not only play for bragging rights against Virginia’s in-state rival but also will look to regain its composure following three straight conference defeats.

If the Cavaliers can improve upon their less than stellar ACC performances, they will score a regular-season sweep against the Hokies, whom they defeated 3-1 in the teams’ first meeting of the season. This time around, though, Virginia Tech will hold home-court advantage at Cassell Coliseum and also will be celebrating senior night, which could energize the Hokies’ most veteran players.

“We did a lot of good things the first time,” Maes said. “Now it’s just [a question of] can we do it again.”

In the rivals’ first matchup, sophomore outside hitter Simone Asque, senior outside hitter Lauren Dickson, and freshman middle hitter Tobi Farrar combined for 41 kills. Junior defensive specialist A.J. Cushman stifled the Hokies’ attack with 19 digs, while Asque and middle blocker Jessica O’Shoney blocked four shots apiece.

More recently, though, Virginia has faltered. Georgia Tech routed the Cavaliers on Friday (25-18, 25-20, 25-15), and Clemson overcame a one-set deficit the next day to hand Virginia a 3-1 loss.

Though Asque and other players contributed during the weekend’s slate of conference games — Dickson became the 14th Cavalier to reach 1,000 career kills — the Cavaliers were held back by a series of key mental mistakes.

“Our biggest opponent was ourselves,” Maes said. “The scores were a direct reflection.”

An inability to take full advantage of certain situations on both sides of the ball also could have contributed greatly to Virginia’s lopsided losses.

“Our team responded well to the [Georgia Tech] performance by coming out and playing with more intention on each point [against Clemson],” Maes said. Nevertheless, “it was one of those matches we let get away.”

Even if Virginia performs up to Maes’ expectations against Virginia Tech, it will still be facing a team that boasts a strong 11-3 record in Blacksburg. The Hokies’ raucous home atmosphere could be an edge against a Virginia squad reeling from losing ground in a competitive conference.

“I feel like its one of those things that could go either way,” O’Shoney said. “We’ll be at their place, they’ll have the crowd, they’ll have the fans.”

Regardless of which team’s fans pack the house Wednesday, however, the Cavaliers know they still have plenty of motivation to overcome their biggest rival.

“We want to beat them so bad,” O’Shoney said.

Students are encouraged to embrace the concept of self-governance from the moment they arrive on Grounds. It is an ideal that is purportedly at the heart of the University’s mission. Although the institution’s administration is composed of adults, it is the students — particularly undergraduates — who are supposed to be the underlying force for change. In essence, students, not administrators, are meant to guide the University’s path.

For all the lip service given to this principle, the current condition of student self-governance is not especially robust. University administrators should do whatever is possible to foster the ideal, but the ultimate burden to sustain this tradition falls upon students. And though tradition is a word that makes some of the University’s more progressive students cringe, the true nature of student governance requires leaders that are in fact forward-thinking, perceptive and independent.

History demonstrates the potential for student leadership to accomplish impressive feats. In the early 1970s, for example, the University’s growing student population was causing a shortage of study space on Grounds. One morning in 1973, an adept Student Council president named Larry Sabato arranged a tour of Alderman Library for several members of Virginia’s General Assembly to witness the overcrowding firsthand. What the legislators did not know, however, was that Sabato also had convinced a large number of students to crowd the library that same day. The tour persuaded legislators of the need for a new library on Grounds, and construction began on Clemons Library several years later.

Naturally, applying this principle of bold student governance to contemporary efforts on Grounds proves more challenging. For instance, Council this year had to commence the difficult groundwork of building a more stable relationship with the student body. Speak Up UVA, an online forum devised by Council’s Chief Technology Officer William Reynolds, is a promising tool for this task, creating a closer-knit community between students and their leaders. The significance of such an accomplishment should not be overlooked; if Council maintains its responsiveness to student concerns via that forum, it can galvanize its own ranks and the student body in general to take on a greater role in shaping the University’s future.

Of course, the burden of student self-governance does not fall solely upon Council’s shoulders. Many organizations, including the Honor Committee, the University Judiciary Committee and Greek organizations are expected to develop insightful student leaders. Students involved in such groups form something of a prominent culture on Grounds because of their visible roles in the University community. There is, however, a difference between those who take the charge of student leadership seriously, who seek to rise above the rest in their energy and power to make the University a thriving institution, and those who simply desire the social distinction that comes with reputable offices and organizations. Only one of these two types of people fits the mold of a leader.

This empowerment of student self-governance does not mean a rift should form between student leaders and administrators. The two should see themselves as partners working toward the University’s long-term goals and ambitions. That relationship has become too one-sided, however, and student leaders must protect their autonomy if they wish to contribute meaningfully to this institution’s future.

Tasks like passing commemorative resolutions and adjusting by-laws are not without merit, but they do not invoke the full force of self-governance. Students will generally admire one of their peers for leading a prominent organization on Grounds, but those accolades are fleeting. In time, only truly exceptional effort and nerve will be remembered.