Freshman guard Tristan Spurlock served up an and-one in the game’s final minute. Photo by Scott Miles.

After dropping their fourth straight game Wednesday night against Florida State, the Cavaliers look to regain some sort of traction in the ACC tomorrow at Clemson.

“We’re going through a rough stretch right now,” senior forward Jerome Meyinsse said. “We have to refocus and bounce back because we have another game Saturday.”

Clemson (18-7, 6-5 ACC) enters Saturday’s matchup after two straight wins against Miami and Florida State. Senior guard Trevor Booker, who averages 15.4 points per game, leads the Tiger offense. Junior guard Demontez Stitt also has seen significant playing time, contributing 10.8 points per game in addition to 3.3 assists. Overall, the team has averaged 74.2 points this season — about six more points than Virginia’s 68.

A key for the Cavaliers (14-10, 5-6 ACC) will be reestablishing Sylven Landesberg’s scoring presence, as the sophomore guard scored a paltry four points against the Seminoles Wednesday — the first time this season the Virginia standout has been held to single digits. The squad also must see contributions from junior forward Mike Scott, the team’s second leading scorer, and junior guard Jeff Jones. But with the disheartening loss to Florida State still fresh in their minds, the Cavaliers face a tall order.

“We looked like a physically and mentally tired team out there,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “I thought we yielded on the physical and mental end against a physical team.”

Against the Seminoles, Virginia put in a lethargic effort, scoring the fewest points the team has ever racked up at John Paul Jones Arena. Bennett toyed with the team’s starting lineup before the game, turning to the offensive touch of Jones in favor of freshman guard Jontel Evans. He also benched sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski, choosing the experienced senior guard Calvin Baker instead. But although Jones led all scorers with 13 points against the Seminoles, Baker remained virtually silent, contributing five points without dishing out a single assist.

“You just have to learn from the bad, look at the film and move forward,” Jones said. “You’ve got to have a short memory.”

Junior midfielder Shamel Bratton enters this season as a first-team All-American after scoring 31 goals last season.

After falling just short of the national championship game last season, the Virginia men’s lacrosse team starts its spring campaign ranked third in preseason polling and set to face off against a Drexel team it defeated 13-7 last season and has dominated 5-1 during the last decade.

Last season’s strong showing against Drexel kicked off a 12-game winning streak, which included victories at then-No.1 Syracuse and a seven-overtime thriller against conference rival Maryland.
That Virginia team started the season ranked second in the country and, after the win at Syracuse, spent eight straight weeks as top dog nationally before two losses to Duke. Another loss to Cornell during the NCAA semifinals derailed an otherwise outstanding season.

This year’s team travels to Philadelphia, Pa., with a similar bull’s-eye on its back, courtesy of its preseason ranking and its breadth of talent across the board. But plenty of question marks surround the youthful squad, especially with regard to leadership. The graduation of veteran stars Danny Glading and Garrett Billings means unranked upstarts like Drexel will be gunning hard for an early-season upset.

The Cavaliers will look to shake off the preseason rust, especially in the wake of last weekend’s scrappy scrimmage against Georgetown. Against the Hoyas, Virginia coach Dom Starsia used the three 15-minute scrimmage periods to allow his starters to get a taste of the action before the long season ahead. The end result was far from a perfect showing.

“We are getting close to the first game,” Starsia said. “I wish we had been a little more alert. I think there were some good moments but I think there were too many little things that trapped us throughout the day.”

Moreover, the youthful Cavaliers will need to step into the shoes of last year’s seniors. As Virginia’s top returning offensive weapon, sophomore attackman Steele Stanwick anchors the attack-line alongside sophomore Chris Bocklet and freshman Connor English.

Not surprisingly, with the unit so heavy with underclassmen, Starsia hopes the line will develop and polish its form heading into this season.

“I thought the young guys made some mistakes, but they also did some good things at the same time,” Starsia said. “It was good work for us. Georgetown is a quality team. We are just going to have to be sharper as we move to our first game.”

With 36 goals and 22 assists during his stellar freshman campaign, Stanwick hopes to find similar success with his new line-mates but acknowledged the team still has plenty of room for improvement.

“I think it was a good effort overall [against Georgetown], but I think we definitely could have been sharper on the offensive end.” Stanwick said. “We weren’t as sharp as we wanted to be. A little sloppy on some exchanges, shooting wasn’t great — we just weren’t making the plays that we usually make. It is a scrimmage and it’s all about getting ready for Drexel, but at the same time, you always want to come out and do your best.”

Stanwick will lead the extra-man offense for Virginia, an area of the game that the team will be keen to improve after converting a less-than-stellar 30 percent in 2009. With the Cavaliers looking to orchestrate a balanced offense, the attackmen may take on additional responsibilities.

“I think each game, we get a little more comfortable,” Stanwick said. “I think the midfielders — as good as they are — they are going to need us to carry the ball and do a lot.”

Apart from departing seniors, injuries also have cost the team veteran leadership during the preseason. Senior Brian Carroll is day-to-day, but Starsia said last week after the game against Georgetown he hopes the veteran will return for the game against Drexel.

But if Carroll cannot take the field, sophomore midfielder Colin Briggs will take his place on the first line.

Junior defender Matt Lovejoy, who himself suffered an injury during the 2009 season, will join senior defenseman Ryan Nizolek and 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award candidate Ken Clausen on a defense that hopes to sturdy itself after allowing 8.36 goals on 30.4 shots per game last season.

“Our defense, the past couple of years, people have taken a lot of shots at us,” Lovejoy said. “We are kind of taking it a little personally this year.”

Virginia’s not-so-secret weapon, star junior midfielder Shamel Bratton, returns to improve on his outstanding sophomore effort, during which he tallied 42 points on 31 goals and 11 assists. Shamel quarterbacks a midfield line that includes his twin brother, junior Rhamel Bratton, as well as senior Brian Carroll.

Even with such high expectations and goals, Virginia will look to overcome last year’s disappointment at the NCAAs and develop its young talent into a prominent force deserving of the team’s No. 3 national ranking.

“We had a great [offseason] as a team,” Stanwick said. “We worked extremely hard and hit the ground running as a team when we came back from Christmas break. Everyone is hungry … and we’re ready to get after it this weekend against Drexel. We’ll just have to continue to get better in practice every day and see what happens.”

The No. 10 Virginia women’s lacrosse team begins its spring campaign Saturday at home against Loyola (Md.).

The Cavaliers take the field this season without many of the stars who carried the 2009 squad, which lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Blair Weymouth and Ashley McCulloch both graduated, as did senior leaders Jenny Hauser and Jen Holden. At the same time, however, Virginia returns its third, fourth and fifth leading scorers in seniors Kaitlin Duff, Whitaker Hagerman and Brittany Kalkstein.

“We are young and experienced,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said. “We have some returning players that have been in the program for a couple of years.”

Guiding this young team to success in the ACC will be a challenge for Myers, as 14 of the Cavaliers’ 25 players are underclassmen, including eight freshmen.

“We have a couple of first-years that are going be in our starting lineup,” Myers said. “We are going to have some older kids who aren’t playing where some younger kids are.”

One of these freshmen is goalkeeper Kim Kolarik who will get her first career start against Loyola. Kolarik stepped in for the Cavaliers last fall while junior Lauren Benner spent time rehabbing a shoulder surgery.

“I think because there are so many new players in the rotation, we as coaches have to take a step back and say this is a team that I think could be great,” Myers said.

Myers faces a Loyola team which recently fell to No. 18 Penn State 9-8 during its season-opener. The Greyhounds were picked to finish fourth in the Big East behind Syracuse, Georgetown and Notre Dame, all of which are ranked ahead of Virginia. The Cavaliers will have to contend with attack Grace Gavin who led the squad with 54 goals and 74 points last season.

The young and talented Virginia squad will look to rebound from the loss of its departing seniors and develop its underclassmen to fill the void.

“I don’t think anything is out of reach for this team,” Myers said. “Depending on how we handle our early steps and preparation is going to determine if we are fighting for an ACC Championship.”

The Cavalier matmen square off against Maryland tomorrow during Senior Night in their final match before postseason play.

They face a menacing Terrapin squad ranked first in the ACC and led by senior Hudson Taylor, who ranks first in the NCAA with 22 pins on the season, including one during the Terrapins’ last match against Hofstra.

Maryland (18-4, 3-0 ACC), currently ninth in the nation, is one of the highest ranked opponents that No. 23 Virginia (16-5, 3-1 ACC) has faced this season.

“Anytime you wrestle a team of that caliber, obviously your guys get pumped up for it,” Virginia coach Steve Garland said. “We hope that it’s going to be the most intense duel of the year.”

Virginia has lost three straight matches to Maryland, with its last victory coming at home during the program’s 2005-06 campaign. The squad will face a steep challenge against this Maryland team, which has what many consider to be its best ever senior class. The first-place Terrapins went undefeated at home this season on their way to setting a school record for victories.

“We look to see high programs like that and beat them and that puts us in the top rankings,” senior Beau Fisher said.

Maryland returned three All-Americans from last year, including senior Hudson Taylor, who leads the NCAA in pins this season with 22.

Freshman Matt Snyder has played a key role for this year’s team, earning ACC Wrestler of the Week honors Tuesday. It marked the fourth time a Cavalier wrestler earned the distinction this season.
Snyder’s stepping into a leading role on the team will help Virginia when it graduates six seniors at the conclusion of the season, as Garland will look to underclassmen to carry the team through the coming years.

“Those seven minutes [on the mat] are like what we’ve been through our whole four years,” Fisher said. “We’re all just going to go out there and work our best and hold nothing back.”

The Virginia baseball team is ranked fourth in preseason polling and looks to return to the College World Series after reaching the tournament last season. Photo by Jason O. Watson.

The Virginia baseball team opens its season with the first set of a three-game series this afternoon against No. 11 East Carolina.

The squad’s preparations during the months leading up to this point have differed from years past. They have yet to play on a real diamond.

“It’s crazy, haven’t been able to get on the field at all, really — we’ve been down to the turf fields,” junior outfielder Jarrett Parker said. “It’s definitely something pretty weird that hasn’t happened since I’ve been here.”

And though the change of venue — brought on by a thick layer of snow that still covers the team’s field — has not affected what the Cavaliers do in practice, it still presents the first challenge the team will face.

“We will meet adversity a number of times this year, and this is the first time we’re being challenged,” coach Brian O’Connor said. “But again, it’s a pretty veteran group. They’ve handled it real well and stayed very, very positive. We’ll see how they respond.”

East Carolina, which is ranked in the top 20 in six different national polls, is led by designated hitter Kyle Roller — one of the nation’s best hitters — and outfielder Dustin Harris, who was drafted in the eighth round by the Orioles.

“They’re a great squad,” Parker said. “It’s going to be a tough series for us. We’re going to have to be on the ball right off the bat.”

On the mound for the Cavaliers this weekend will be last year’s ACC Freshman of the Year Danny Hultzen, junior right-hander Robert Morey and junior right-hander Cody Winarski.

O’Connor’s decision to start Winarski, a transfer from Madison Area Technical College, however, came as a surprise to many. Tyler Wilson was widely believed to be first in line to get the nod after putting together an outstanding season out of the bullpen last year, boasting a 2.97 ERA while holding hitters to a .237 average at the plate. But Winarksi wowed coaches throughout the preseason.
“He’s a big, physical kid that just really knows how to pitch,” O’Connor said. “He pitches in the upper 80s, 90, 91 miles an hour. He’s got a couple of good breaking balls — he’s just a competitor who knows how to pitch. That wins in college baseball.”

Virginia’s lineup has not been set yet, but O’Connor already has said Phil Gosselin will replace Jarret Parker at the lead-off spot, while Parker will move to the middle of the lineup.

After this weekend, Virginia will play the next 11 games at home. And even though East Carolina remains an important early test for the team, the Cavaliers still know they have a long season ahead if they want to return to Omaha this summer.

“There’s going to be players that are going to have great weekends this weekend,” O’Connor said. “And there’s going to be guys that are going to struggle, and they’re going to need to continue to progress and move forward.”