Not all of the blowouts this fall are happening on the football field. The women's rugby team is turning in some dominating results of its own, most recently in a 60-10 home win over Tennessee on Saturday.
Performances like that have been typical of the No. 2 Cavaliers. Their fall season has included a 63-0 drubbing of Virginia Tech and two victories over their traditional rival, James Madison University, by a combined 114-21 margin. The team has only lost once, a close 12-0 game against North Carolina on Oct. 3.
This year's team looks to continue a proud tradition of rugby success at U.Va. The squad has made the National Division I Final Four twice in the last four years, including last spring. They also have advanced to the Division I Elite Eight four times since 1999. Now, this year's team is busy writing the next chapter, beginning with the state tournament next week.
"States is really important because it sets up the brackets for the spring season," team president Alicia Evangelista said. "The better your ranking at states, the easier a time you will have getting to nationals."
Virginia won the state championship last year in an overtime thriller with JMU, kicking off its successful run to the Final Four in the spring.
The team's closeness, on and off the field, has had a tremendous impact on its success.
"Our team has a very special bond going for it," Evangelista said. "We are like a family, and that closeness transfers onto the field."
Despite only having three practices weekly, players work out together on off-days and are often inseparable off the field.
The team's togetherness and dedication is evident in its great triumphs in past seasons.
"Our success is contingent on all of our players really buying into our team goals of success at the national level," said captain Rachael Warden, who also has played on the U-19 National Team. "We are dedicated as a whole to putting in the effort to consistently improve."
The team has been very successful in finding talented players to continue its tradition. Former player Jaime Burke was named as the top female collegiate rugby player in the country. Current players Fiona Foxon, Lauren Baker and Warden were all named to the All-American team last year.
Of course, with so many players coming from different sports, many of whom have never played rugby, coaching is an important part of that success. Unlike most club sports at Virginia, the women's rugby team has two coaches, Nancy Kechner and Julie Comer, who oversee practices and teach rugby skills such as tackling and scrumming.
"Our coaches are like surrogate rugby parents," Evangelista said. "They work with us when we're having tough times, they entertain us, and best of all, they make us dinner regularly. It's like having a little family here."
After coming so close to the title the last few years, the team's goal this year is nothing short of a national championship.
"Last year we came in third place after an extremely close match against Princeton," Warden said. "We hope to win the national championship this season."
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