The No. 9 Virginia women's lacrosse team's 15-6 road win over 12th-ranked James Madison on Wednesday cemented Cavalier senior midfielder Mills Hook's status as one of the nation's top offensive players.
The historically competitive in-state rivalry between the Dukes and Virginia (7-4, 0-2 ACC) turned into a blowout because Hook decided to dominate in the offensive zone. She almost single-handedly beat the Dukes by contributing to seven goals with five goals and two assists.
"It's great to have [Hook] on the field," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "She was key."
Wednesday's game merely highlighted how indispensable Hook has been to the Cavaliers this season. Not only does the senior captain provide important veteran leadership, but she also possesses the offensive ability to break any game open with a flick of her wrist.
When the Cavaliers traveled to Syracuse on March 3, Hook scored four goals and had three assists in the Cavaliers' 12-10 win. She scored two of the Cavs' final three goals and assisted on the third to lead Virginia to the come-from-behind victory. The win was Virginia's crucial first win of the season and helped erase some of the sting from the Cavaliers' season-opening 13-10 upset loss to No. 10 William & Mary on Feb. 28.
For the season, the fast attacking Hook has scored 19 goals, dished out 11 assists and scooped up 17 ground balls.
Hook already is awaiting intensely the arrival of No. 4 Duke (7-2, 1-1) on Saturday.
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"We were fired up during practice this week," Hook said. "These are the crucial last four games before" the ACC Tournament.
The Cavaliers hope that Hook's big game performances will continue this against Duke. If so, the Cavaliers definitely have a good chance of riding a wave of success into the ACC Tournament on April 20.
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