Kayla
Second-year
Nursing  student

What are activities are you involved with at the University?
Member of Kappa Delta sorority, president of the class of 2013 at the Nursing School and president of the Student Nurses Association of Virginia. I also work in admissions at the School of Nursing and previously played for the club softball team.
What else do you like to do? Hobbies?
I love to read fiction books, especially if they are going to be a movie. I also will play in just about any athletic pick-up game (football, basketball, baseball/softball, volleyball, etc.)
What’s your type?
Physically and personality-wise: Usually athletic build, tall, humorous and genuinely a nice person.
If you could date any celebrity, who would it be and why?
Gerard Butler. End of story. He is so attractive and he can take me salsa dancing on our date. Who wouldn’t want to do that with him?
What’s a typical weekend like for you? Do you party? Drink? Smoke?
I love to go out to just about any party with my friends. But there are some weekend nights when I like to take it easy and just go and see a movie with a group of people. I don’t drink or smoke — it’s just a personal decision, but I don’t pass any judgment on those who do.
Do you work out or play sports? Would you date someone who doesn’t work out if you do, vice versa?
I love to work out, it puts me in a better mood all around. I love sports. I usually like athletic guys, so ideally they would work out or play a sport, but if not, that isn’t a deal breaker.
What are your favorite TV shows?
I love “True Blood,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives and “Bones.”
What are your favorite movies/actors? Favorite movie quote?
I’m usually not picky about movie genres, I love comedy, action and chick flicks. A couple of my favorites are the “The Ugly Truth” and “The Hangover.”
What music do you listen to?
All types of music. Never ask me the artist or the name of the song — I can never remember, but I will remember the lyrics to the song. I mainly listen to most popular songs and alternative/pop.
Describe the best five minutes of your life.
Skinny dipping with a stranger. It was the most exhilarating, spontaneous and free moment of my life so far.
Sell yourself. What makes you a good catch?
I’m a down-to-earth person, easy-going, funny, loyal and outgoing kind of girl. I’m not a wallflower so I love to be in social situations. Being that I love sports, I don’t mind breaking a nail to go toss around a ball. I’m pretty easy on the eyes, so all around, I think I’m a pretty good catch.
What would your theme song be? Why?
“Always Where I Need To Be” by The Kooks. I’m always where I need to be not just in my love life, but also in every aspect of my life. Plus the beat just puts a pep in my step.
What are the deal breakers? (smoker, age difference, etc.?)
I can’t stand consistent smoking. There’s gotta be an age limit. I don’t want to go to jail for taking the bait and late 20s would be pushing the older barrier for my age. Also they can’t show any kind of disrespect to a person because I can’t stand that.
Describe your ideal situation in 15 years.
I will be 34 in 15 years, so ideally I would at least like to be in a committed relationship if not married. As of now, I would only want children if I could support them financially and have a husband that won’t just stand there and watch.
Describe yourself in one sentence:
I’m down-to-earth and usually laughing.

Ari
Third-year
Engineering student

What activities are you involved with at the University?
Mainly varsity soccer, StudCo and Third Year Council.
What else do you like to do?
Hanging with friends, sports and exploring Charlottesville.
What’s your type (physically and personality-wise)?
I’m on the smaller side, so I tend to go for shorter girls, but as long as we click, we’re good.
If you could date any celebrity, who would it be and why?
P!nk… I’m in love with her.
What’s a typical weekend like for you? Do you party? Drink? Smoke?
Don’t drink or smoke. Typical weekend is lots of hanging out with friends, out at night and library on Sundays.
Do you work out or play sports? Would you date someone who doesn’t work out if you do, vice versa?
Yes to both.
What are your favorite TV shows?
“Entourage”
What are your favorite movies/actors? Favorite movie quote?
Jack Nicholson and “Seven Pounds.” “Give them nothing, but take from them everything,” from “300.”
What music do you listen to?
Generally rap and whatever is popular at the moment.
Favorite books/authors?
John Grisham and Dave Barry
Describe the best five minutes of your life.
Dec. 13, 2009. U.Va just won the national championship in soccer. There was mayhem on the field as I jumped and ran around crazily with my teammates. Rushing into the stands toward my family, lifting the trophy, hugs and cheers everywhere … amazing.
Sell yourself. What makes you a good catch?
I’m adventurous, optimistic and love a good laugh. Talk to me!
Tell a joke. What’s your idea of funny?
Generally, I love goofy humor … stupid, in the moment, situational things. But as long as I’m laughing, it’s funny.
What are the deal breakers? (smoker, age difference, etc.?)
Smoking
If there’s one thing you could change about yourself, what would it be? Why?
Probably my height. A couple more inches would definitely be helpful in soccer and in life.
If you lived in “Mean Girls” world, what high school clique would you have belonged to (the Plastics, the sexually active band geeks, etc.)?
Never seen it, but I’m a pretty average guy (unless having not seen it precludes me from being average.)
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Find a job and enjoy life.
Describe your ideal situation in 15 years. Married? Kids? How many?
Hopefully married with a couple kids, and living well.
What’s your favorite part about the University? Least favorite?
The people — students, faculty, townies, everyone — make U.Va. truly unique. I can’t stand when dining halls put sloppy Joe meat on spaghetti and call it meat sauce. Like, really?!
How would your best friend describe you?
Chill and laid-back.
If you could time travel to any period, when would it be and why?
Renaissance Italy, to experience the cultural and artistic rebirth first-hand.
Describe yourself in one sentence.
I know where I’m going, but I like to keep things interesting.

Ari: I always thought that I should do Love Connection someday, but I never actually considered it seriously or filled out the survey. So, when I got asked to do it, I thought it was a golden opportunity and got pretty excited.

Kayla: I figured [Love Connection] would be a good experience even if it didn’t go well or if we didn’t end up dating, because at least I would meet a new person at school. My friends were excited, and kind of jealous because they wanted to go out as well.

Ari: We planned to meet at the Rotunda at 8, but I had a game that night and so I ended up a little bit late. I felt so bad; I was sprinting from GrandMarc to the Rotunda, so when I showed up, I was all sweaty and gross. It was not a good start. She was waiting patiently and was very gracious, and I thought she was definitely pretty and attractive.

Kayla: I showed up like five minutes early because we were supposed to meet at 8, but he showed up at 8:10 because of his soccer game. I texted [the Love Connection writer] to make sure of the plans and ask where he was just in case, but when he explained why he was late, it was easily understandable and totally forgiven.

Ari: We started walking for the Corner without a solid plan, and through conversation we would be like, “Okay, so have you been here?” and settled on Lemongrass since she said she really liked it and I had never been there. In the beginning there were pauses, I guess, but once we started talking and once conversation started to flow it was good. We transitioned aimlessly from topic to topic and the conversation itself went really well.

Kayla: The conversation was very easy right away. There weren’t really any dull moments or awkward pauses. We got to know each other through basic stuff, like majors and classes. One of the things we discussed the most was the [Love Connection] survey and what answers we put for which questions.

Ari: We talked about her hometown, which is Las Vegas, so I thought that was really cool. Then we talked about where I’m from as a starting point. It didn’t really get to much deeper conversation, and I would say there was never really an attraction. It was a friendly date getting to know each other, but I never got the romantic impression.

Kayla: We were just eager to get to know each other, so it seemed like a good date. There wasn’t an attraction, I don’t think, but as far as friendliness goes, it was not a bad experience at all. He’s kind of short too, like an inch shorter than me, but that wasn’t a deal breaker because he was such a cool guy. There just wasn’t that spark.

Ari: After we left Lemongrass she was going to walk back to meet her friend to get picked up, but I had my car at GrandMarc so I offered to take her home.

Kayla: He drove me home and that was very sweet, and before he dropped me off he asked for my last name for Facebook, so now we’re friends on Facebook. That’s it so far.

Ari: I would say [a relationship with her] is not something I’ll pursue — we’re one-time date friends. It went as smoothly as it could have, but it wasn’t romantic and we weren’t really interested in that way.

Kayla: [Out of 10] I’d give the date an eight. I got along well with him. It was just platonic, and if there were to be anything after, I’d have to spend more time with him, just to get to know him more below surface level conversation. You don’t really like someone without knowing him.

Ari: I’d have to give the date an eight because it went well, but it just wasn’t romantic. It was as much as I could have asked for just getting to know someone I probably wouldn’t have otherwise met, but that’s about it. If I saw her around, I would just act according to whatever the situation called for, but I won’t pursue anything else.

After the date, Ari and Kayla have become Facebook friends but do not see any future together as soulmates.

Hello, old friends! I hope you all had great vacations with plenty of hot summer romances — preferably with tall Europeans and Amazonian babes with foreign accents and rippling muscles. I’m eager to get back to writing this dating column filled with a bit too much of my personal life and embarrassing stories about everyone I know — or anyone who has ever made the mistake of sharing a small anecdote from their love life with me.

But before I dive right back into all of that, I thought I’d do something a little simpler and share some of my favorite back-to-school and end-of-summer date spots. Whether you’re a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed first-year who wants to forget a disappointing prom night as soon as possible by going on too many college dates, or you’re an experienced, old fourth-year who finally wants to ask out a lab partner you’ve been crushing on since 2007, hopefully these ideas will help. The perfect end-of-summer date spot for me is somewhere that takes advantage of the last of the warm weather before autumn comes and features something special about Charlottesville, one of my all-time favorite cities. Plus, I’m all about bringing back the classic “date” and getting rid of the college “hook-up culture.” And so, here are my suggestions for some great places to go:

1. Peach picking and apple picking at Carter’s Mountain Orchard
This is one of my favorite date spots. The orchard is tucked away in the mountains but is still really close by. You can chat with your date as you walk around the trees and check out their butt when they climb the ladder to pick the fruit. The scenery and beautiful views of the hillside just inspire romance. It’s extra fun to go on a hayride and maybe brush against each other during the bumpy parts. Bonus: If everything goes well during the date, you can take all of your freshly-picked produce home and spend the evening together in the kitchen cooking peach or apple pies and cobblers. A sweet end to a sweet date.

2. Hiking Blue Hole
Blue Hole is a popular swimming hole out by Sugar Hollow and a great spot to bring a date. Ladies, put on a pair of your many Nike running shorts, and guys, slap on your Croakies and drive out Barracks Road to this hiking spot. Apart from being a nice hiking trail and a fun, active date, there’s a great rope swing and swimming hole for more fun during the date. Be careful if you or your date don’t have a lot of upper body strength because — speaking as someone with not a lot of upper body strength — if you can’t hold onto the rope long enough, you’ll fall perilously close to the rocky ledge. Luckily, no accidents tarnished my Blue Hole date, and although we hiked a few feet apart on the way up, after a day flirting in the sun, when there was room on the way down, we walked hand-in-hand. Bonus: Pack some sandwiches and drinks in a backpack before you leave, and you can share a charming picnic while sitting on top of the rocks.

3. Concerts at the Charlottesville Pavilion
If you’ve never been to a concert at the Charlottesville Pavilion, you should definitely take advantage of this while the weather is still nice. You can get dinner somewhere on the Downtown Mall beforehand or yummy snacks and drinks from all sorts of vendors at the venue. There, you can sit in seats or spread a blanket on the lawn area. There are some great acts coming up, but you can also get a great deal at Fridays after Five until Sept. 10, when local bands and singers perform for free.

Bonus: The floor of the Pavilion usually opens up for dancing, so you can grab your partner and show off your moves if the music — and your date — so inspire you.

Jordan’s column runs biweekly Mondays. She can be reached at j.hart@cavalierdaily.com.

During spring 2008, Physics Prof. Blaine Norum received an e-mail from a student about an in-class cheating incident during the final exam period for his Physics 142E class. The student overheard a group of his peers discussing an incident in which someone used a smart phone to access the web solutions to a midterm posted on Collab during the final exam, which included questions identical to ones on the midterm.

In an e-mail exchange with the informant, Norum inquired whether he knew the suspect. The student said he did not.

This left Norum with little proof that the incident even occurred. Hence, he turned to the University’s Information Technology and Communication department for an Internet paper trail of the events.

Eventually, the University Counsel­ — the University’s team of legal advisors — approved Norum’s request for information, and ITC provided him with the name of one student who accessed the solutions page during the exam. This student also was correctly identified by the anonymous tipster in a photo line-up of other randomly-selected students in the class.

But Norum opted not to bring charges against him.

And although Norum said he “knew exactly who had done it,” without a time stamp on the turned-in finals or willing testimony from the anonymous tipster, he did not believe he had enough evidence to take the case to the Honor Committee. The student could argue, for example, that he accessed the page after he turned in the exam.

In addition to issues with honor code compliance, the incident spotlights the University’s information technology capabilities, which can track student activity online. It also brings into question the ethics of the situation: Was the University authorized, via ITC, to grant Norum’s request to identify the cheating student?

Students often forget about the Student Handbook for Responsible Computing distributed by ITC. According to the handbook, “the University owns the University network — all the wires, wireless hubs, cables, and routers that connect the central computers, computer labs, microcomputer sites, and perhaps your personal computer to each other and, beyond the Grounds, to the Internet.”

Rules of engagement
When asked about student privacy within the University’s Internet policy, Susan Davis, assistant vice president for student affairs, said all requests for student IT data must comply with particular specifications before her office will grant them.

“If you’re looking for [evidence of] cheating in an in-class exam, we would want the date, we would want the time, we would want to know and hear directly from the professor, ‘Why do you believe the basis for this request?’ ‘Why did you find the anonymous student that [is] reporting credible?’” she said.

Requests can be made for log information, such as when the individual accessed an account and content information, including items both produced and received.

“If the request is for content information, then those privacy interests are even more in play — we’re required by policy to get General Counsel approval,” Davis said.

Additionally, Davis said there are times when the office will grant access to much less than what the request initially wanted.

“What I’m looking at while we’re reviewing it to be approved here is, ‘Have you asked for the least amount of information that you truly need?’” she said. If that first request is granted, then additional requests for information can be made.

Even so, third-year College student Ben Wilkes finds this bit-by-bit approach to accessing student information unsettling.

“I feel like that’s a slippery slope,” he said. “Where do you draw the line? What’s a small detail and what’s invading privacy?”

Nevertheless, Davis insists that the Office of Student Affairs and ITC submit narrowly tailored requests to minimize intrusions.

“We try hard not to make it feel or seem like an invasion of privacy. What we’re really after is credible, factual, objective information — evidence. And I have to believe that most students get that or would understand it if they found themselves in a particular situation,” she said, explaining that if a student were falsely accused, he “would want information to come forward so they could credibly prove” their innocence.

False leads, however, could result in the unwarranted search of a student’s information. It is up to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs to determine whether leads are credible, Davis said.

Honor, UJC and ITC
During the course of an approved University Judiciary Committee or honor investigation, Davis said her office will sometimes disclose additional information not requested initially that her office thinks might become relevant to the case. She believes that such digital records could provide the purest evidence both for convicting those guilty of honor and disciplinary cases and proving suspected persons innocent.

“If [IT information] were presented in trial and there was substantial evidence that a violation of the Standards of Conduct had occurred, then we would likely take that into consideration,” UJC Chair Will Bane said.

He also noted that if student juries think IT requests are an unwarranted invasion of student privacy, then they may factor that into their decision.

“The UJC is a student-run organization, and judges who are determining guilt and sanction are going to be peers of these other students,” Bane said. “So I’ll tell you that they certainly will be sharing any concerns that the student body is sharing at the time.”

Honor Committee Chair Charles Harris said he believes that in the age of advanced technology, requests for student information to support charges for honor offenses is fighting fire with fire.
“When we operate under those systems, we kind of do it under the assumption that U.Va. can access some of what we do and that they’ll allow the [honor system] to use it since it’s there,” Harris said.

He suggested that false accusations leading to fruitless searches of student Internet information could be prevented by the same processes the Committee uses to punish those who make malicious honor accusations. But Harris added that ethical questions are out of the domain of the Honor Committee.

“The privacy questions [and] all the questions that stem from ‘Is this fair?’, ‘Is this right?’ are questions that the University gets to answer,” he said. “If the University allows for these tools to be employed, by the Honor Committee and the investigative [and reporters], I think that’s fine.”

Harris added that students should operate under the assumption that information exchanged via University servers could be accessed by the University.

If there is not already suspicion that a student committed a violation, though, Davis noted that requests for information would not be granted.

“I’m not going to approve a request on behalf of this office if we’re starting from ground zero and there’s no threshold inquiry or basis to believe this is relevant,” she said.

Security and precautions
Although the University can access stored student information, few people within ITC have permission to access those databases at any given time, said Shirley Payne, assistant vice president for information security, policy and records.

“If you have a direct need to have access to that data — a legitimate business need — then you can have access,” Payne said. “But if you don’t, you don’t. So for example, I don’t have access to the Student Information System — I don’t need it and I wouldn’t ask for it — but if I did, there’s a whole approval process that I would have to go through to get that access.”

Payne also noted that this approval process is carefully documented at every step.

Additionally, IT professionals are reminded of the Standards of Conduct tied to their inquiries each time they are granted access to such information.

“They have to abide by the policy by the University that deals with things like not using another person’s password to get at their information,” Payne said. “That’s a clear violation of our employee Standards of Conduct.”

Davis and Payne repeatedly emphasized that an investigation will always precede a request for student information.

“We’re not just going to open up somebody’s e-mail and begin digging in review,” Davis said. “That’s a phishing expedition and we just don’t [do that].”

Widespread phishing is not only inconsistent with their policy, Davis said; it also is logistically impractical.

“We don’t have unlimited time to conduct record review for unlimited periods of time,” she said.

Finding a “balance”
Third-year College student Matt Jibilian said he felt IT record-checking was an “aggressive” measure in the Norum case but still expressed faith in the University’s safe handling of sensitive student information.

“The ability to see or access any website that you’ve visited while on the University server? It’s just like everything, you give and take,” he said.

Third-year College student Eman Niazi was “very surprised” to learn that ITC was involved with cases like Norum’s.

“The only way I thought ITC was used was for security,” he said. “I don’t think it’s concerning since I don’t think people at ITC normally go through student files. Obviously they can’t functionally do that, but still, I’m shocked.”

Graduate Nursing School student Kate McCrady supports electronic searches to uphold the tradition of honor at the University.

“I think it’s important that that is upheld … even in context of an electronic [search],” she said.

In terms of transparency, Payne believes these computing policies are widely available to students to see.

“I think we do our best to get that information across,” she said. “The Responsible Computing Handbook is out there. And a lot of this information is put, not just on the IT web pages, but also appears in the Student Record and different places.”

Still, Bane believes the line denoting the breach of privacy should be more clearly defined.

“The University is going to have to find a sort of balance between ensuring to protect student privacy and also ensuring that these violations are not necessarily occurring, and I don’t know necessarily know where that middle balance is,” Bane said. “But I’m sure that as these cases, if they’re filed, continue, as the University administration deals with these new levels of technology, that they will eventually strike some kind of balance in between there.”

Marc Verica is hoping the third time’s a charm.

First the Virginia senior quarterback witnessed former offensive coordinator Mike Groh get the boot from his old man after he turned a bad offense into a terrible one. Then Gregg Brandon brought the celebrated spread offense to Charlottesville and guided a unit that finished the 2009 season ranked 118 out of 120 FBS teams in total offense.

Now enter Bill Lazor, the former Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach who hopes to give Verica and the rest of the Cavalier offense a more productive formula for success.
“I kind of know what [the numbers] were but I don’t have them memorized because it’s not that important,” Lazor said. “What’s important is what we do everyday. We set [things] incrementally … If we had come into a place with a top-10 offense in the country, I don’t think our offensive staff would work any differently.”

Virginia players worked tirelessly during the 2009 offseason in an attempt to master Brandon’s radical new scheme, only to see it completely scrapped after their demoralizing home losses to William & Mary and TCU. A year later, the team once again is adjusting to a new offense, although these changes bear more resemblance to George Welsh’s old run first, pass second Virginia teams than to the modern gun-slinging offenses seen at many schools these days.

Thanks to new coach Mike London, the offensive playbook now provides the makeup of a pro-style offense. Along with the 4-3 defense, London confidently preaches the benefits of this more traditional type of attack, which among other things features a consistent running game to complement play-action passes and an emphasis on the tight end position. Aspects of Brandon’s spread offense — no huddle, lining up in the shotgun, five-receiver sets and a running quarterback — will be minimized, if not eradicated.

Confusion at the line of scrimmage particularly plagued last season’s offense, which had to rely on the improvisation of the quarterback and coaches’ signals from the sideline to call the right play. Wide receivers were forced to read the frantic hand gestures of several coaches so that they knew which routes to run.

“We’re much more comfortable [this year],” sophomore wide receiver Tim Smith said. “Last year, we had a hard time just getting into our own routes, let alone getting open. We had the hand gestures and everything coming in from the sideline, and we were running trying to get lined up and looking back trying to get the play in. It was very confusing — too much thinking going on.”

The personnel of this year’s receiving corps remains basically the same as last year’s unit, with junior Kris Burd leading the way. Burd — who led the team with 31 receptions for 413 yards last season — has looked very sharp in practice this year and has excelled at route-running in particular. The speedy sophomore Smith and senior Dontrelle Inman are looking to rise above their meager numbers from a year ago and help improve a Virginia passing attack that ranked only ahead of run-happy Georgia Tech last year in the ACC. Moreover, 6-foot-5, 205-pound redshirt freshman Bobby Smith has a chance to make a name for himself this season, and juniors Jared Green, Matt Snyder and Ray Keys also could make an impact.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s ‘Tight End U’ moniker looks poised to regain relevancy this season, as tight ends will be called upon to do more than block this year. Senior tight end Joe Torchia — who recovered from a shoulder injury during the offseason — will be the focal point of a group that also includes sophomore Colter Phillips and promising freshman Zachary Swanson.

“Personally, I’m excited that the tight end has come back, and I know as a tight end group, we’re all pretty excited,” Torchia said. “It was tough in the spread for the tight ends to produce because the style of offense wasn’t catered for the tight ends. Going back to the pro-style offense, we’re pretty happy with running two-tight-end sets and getting back to what we were recruited here to do.”
The real centerpiece of this offense, however, lies in the backfield, where the Cavaliers have a slew of diverse running backs at their disposal. With their top four rushers from last season all gone, several new faces will be saddled with responsibility this year. The shifty 5-foot-8, 185-pound sophomore Perry Jones — who tallied just nine yards on nine carries last season — remains the frontrunner for the starting job. Bringing a different wrinkle to the fold will be powerful 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior Keith Payne, who quit the team at the end of training camp in 2009 but is back with a newfound commitment to be a good teammate. Redshirt freshman Dominique Wallace also appears ready to make a difference, and true freshman Kevin Parks — who rushed for more than 10,000 yards in high school — also should see plenty of playing time. Senior tailback Raynard Horne — a special-teams specialist — will compete for carries as well.

Running backs coach Mike Faragalli said the team has six or seven quality running backs who have the ability to help carry the offense in a variety of different situations. Whether it be running downfield, sweeping it to the outside, picking up short yardage or pass protecting, Faragalli insists he has running backs ready for anything. Three of them, he said, will play regularly. Emphasis on the ground game is welcome news for a program that has not produced a 1,000-yard rusher since Alvin Pearman in 2004.

Under center will be Verica, the only quarterback on the roster with any game experience. Although seeing little playing time last year, Verica had a relatively productive year in 2008, completing 226 of 354 passes for a 63.8 percentage. But he tossed only eight touchdowns and threw 16 picks. Minimizing mistakes will be his main focus this season.

“With Marc, first, he’s worked very hard,” Lazor said. “And second, he’s shown that he can pick up things … The quarterback gets so much information thrown at him … and the only thing that matters is that on the next play, does it make a difference on how he plays? So far he’s demonstrated the ability to do that. It hasn’t been live bullets, but I feel real optimistic about it, and time will tell.”

Junior offensive lineman Austin Pasztor and senior lineman B.J. Cabbell will anchor an offensive front that will strive to improve on last year’s effort, when they surrendered more sacks than any team in the conference. The addition of 6-foot-6, 350-pound freshman behemoth Morgan Moses — who was rated the No. 5 offensive tackle in the class of 2009 by Rivals.com — should go a long way in protecting Verica.

All in all, Virginia has plenty of room for improvement on the offensive side of the ball, but the squad’s relative lack of firepower might make it difficult.

“I know it’s not gonna be easy,” Lazor said. “But it’s never been easy anywhere I’ve been.”

The Virginia women’s soccer team had a mixed bag of results this weekend, as the Cavaliers tied No. 11 Penn State 1-1 and defeated Connecticut 1-0 in double overtime.

During the Cavaliers’ first game of the weekend, the Nittany Lions took a one-goal lead at the beginning of the second half, but the Cavaliers rallied back after junior forward Lauren Alwine’s goal in the 87th minute to force overtime. Despite multiple chances to win for either side, including Alwine’s breakaway during the second overtime, Virginia settled for a draw.

During the team’s second game, the Cavaliers got off to a lackluster start, scoring no goals in all of regulation. It was not until the second overtime that the team began to make headway when senior forward Meghan Lenczyk scored on a penalty kick in the 106th minute for the win.

The crowd for the game against Penn State was 3,912, the largest in Penn State women’s soccer history, and the largest crowd to ever see a Virginia women’s soccer regular season game.
But despite what the schedule may classify the game as, the Cavaliers are still in training mode.

“We’ve still got some games coming up, and you just don’t have enough time ­— you’re really going through preseason, even though you’re two weeks into the season,” coach Steve Swanson said in an interview last week.

It was that lack of time to work out the kinks that coaches cited as among the many reasons that the team did not have as successful a regular season last year as anyone wanted.

“We had a young team last year and we had a lot of inexperience at the back,” Swanson said. “It’s always hard to bring teams together in such a short period of time before the regular season.”

Nevertheless, Swanson lauded players’ efforts to get in shape during the offseason.

“Our fitness level is quite good at the beginning of the preseason, so I think our players deserve credit for putting in a lot of work during the offseason to make sure they came back fit, and I think that’s helped us a great deal,” Swanson said. “I think there’s certain areas that we have to certainly get better at, but I think we’re deeper this year than we were last year, and we’re playing at a higher level.”

The squad boasts a strong freshman class that will look to contribute significantly to the team’s results this season.

“We’ve returned almost our entire starting lineup but we also have a really strong freshman class that came in,” Lenczyk said. “I feel like we kind of just carried over from the spring — we kept that attitude and that mentality.”

Virginia remained undefeated in its preseason Saturday night as it came from behind on the road to beat George Mason 2-1 for its third straight victory.

The Patriots went up 1-0 on a Parker Walton goal in the 29th minute. Virginia retained its composure and answered with a goal from Ari Dimas in the 59th. The sophomore midfielder has now scored in each match of the preseason.

Dimas also earned an assist when his long cross found sophomore forward Will Bates, who headed the ball into the top left corner in the 73rd minute to give the Cavaliers the lead and the eventual win.

For the first time in the preseason, Virginia was outshot, 17-15, forcing senior goalkeeper Diego Restrepo to make seven saves.

The match marks the end of Virginia’s preseason competition. The Cavaliers kick off the regular season this Friday at Klöckner Stadium at 8 p.m. against UAB.

—compiled by Matt Conover

The third-ranked Virginia field hockey team kicked off its season with a 4-0 win against St. Joseph’s Saturday and a 3-0 win against No. 18 Penn State Sunday.

Virginia won big against St. Joseph’s, taking nearly four times as many shots as the Hawks — going 34-9 — and earning a 13-5 advantage on penalty corners. Of these shots, junior preseason All-ACC midfielder Paige Selenski was able to find the back of the cage twice for the Cavaliers. Selenski scored her first goal just 2 minutes and 19 seconds into the match for the early lead and was followed by freshmen forward Elly Buckley and midfielder Liza Blue for their first career goals.

Virginia was just as convincing against Penn State, roaring to a 2-0 lead during the first 23 minutes with goals by Buckley and junior preseason All-ACC midfielder Michelle Vittese in the 23rd and 13th minutes, respectively. The Cavaliers again dominated on shots, taking 12 to the Nittany Lions’ three, while earning a 6-1 advantage on penalty corners during the first half. Selenski added one more goal in the 36th minute to seal the victory for Virginia and rack up three scores for the weekend.

Virginia opens up its home schedule with Old Dominion next Sunday at 1 p.m.

—compiled by Allen Kha

The Virginia volleyball team opened its season with a 3-0 sweep at the Temple Invitational in Philadelphia this past weekend.

Friday, the Cavaliers beat Valparaiso 3-1 to start the weekend. Junior outside hitter and preseason All-ACC honoree Simone Asque led the offense with a career-high 30 kills, tying two former players for the seventh-most kills in program history.

The victory to start the weekend was followed by another 3-1 win against Delaware early Saturday afternoon. Asque gave yet another impressive performance, notching her first double-double of the season with 16 kills and a career-high 22 digs.

Virginia closed the weekend with a five-set finale against Temple Saturday night. With scores of 19-25, 26-24, 25-19 and 21-25, the Cavaliers took the fifth set 15-11. Asque had her second consecutive double-double of the season with 21 kills and 12 digs. Freshman libero Emily Rottman tallied her first collegiate double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs in the match, while senior defensive specialist A.J. Cushman recorded the first 30-dig game of her career. Asque and sophomore middle hitter Jessica O’Shoney were named to the all-tournament team. Asque combined for 67 kills and 42 digs on the weekend as O’Shoney knocked down 30 kills and had 12 blocks.

The Cavaliers return home to host the Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup at Memorial Gymnasium next weekend.