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(04/10/09 5:33am)
In an attempt to add some wins to its conference competition tally this year, the Virginia women’s tennis team has altered its doubles lineup. Though Virginia’s six-game losing streak continues, the modified lineup has been promising at times.Trying to find a way to recuperate from a blowout loss to Duke last weekend, Virginia (10-8,3-6 ACC) changed the doubles lineup against North Carolina Sunday. Though the match also ended in a loss, the Cavaliers were able to secure the doubles point, boosting the team’s confidence.“Generally speaking in college tennis, the doubles point is a big point,” Virginia assistant coach Troy Porco said. “If you can get that point, it’s a big difference between winning three singles and four singles matches just because usually the opponents are very well balanced, just like with us, it’s very evenly matched.” Although considerable changes were made to the order last weekend, the team is still working to find ideal doubles pairs.“You try to see as many combinations as possible to see who kind of works well with who and then you try to keep them together and keep the different teams together,” Porco said. “Then if you feel like some aren’t working that well after some time, you maybe try to switch it up some more or maybe some of it’s just kind of working through some things and improving, finding ways to improve.”Apart from the different physical requirements for athletes between singles and doubles, play also is different because it forces players on the same side to interact with each other.“There is such a thing as chemistry,” senior Maggie Yahner said. “You have to work well and mesh well with each other ... You can’t be two singles players out there. You have to play together as a team and that’s when really the whole team aspect comes into play on the doubles court.”In addition to experimenting with doubles teams, the Virginia women will work on some specific mechanics of play such as keeping the ball low from the baseline, using volley-overhead combinations, expanding range from the net and continuing to improve serves and returns — when they play Wake Forest (12-9, 3-6 ACC) Saturday and N.C. State (4-15, 1-8 ACC) Sunday.While the Cavaliers enter Saturday’s matchup hoping to snap a six-match losing streak, the Demon Deacons will be looking to put an end to a rocky stretch of their own. The squad has managed to win only two points in its last five matches, with its most recent loss coming at the hands of No. 5 Duke in a 7-0 sweep. While Virginia boasts only two ranked singles players, Wake Forest only possesses one — junior Sasha Kulikova, currently ranked No. 55. The Cavaliers will face N.C. State Sunday in the team’s regular season finale. The Wolfpack appear to be an even weaker opponent than the Demon Deacons on paper, as the visitors enter the matchup having won only one conference match all season — a 5-2 victory against Boston College at the end of March. Against No. 17 Florida State last weekend, the Wolfpack managed only one point, as senior Neils Barringer upset No. 98 Federica Suess at the No. 4 slot.“Wake Forest has certainly been a team that’s right around us right now, they’re right in our general area in terms of the ranking, they have a very strong program,” Porco said. “North Carolina State has historically been very strong. I think they’ve suffered some injuries and stuff this year, but still can be very dangerous especially at the top of their lineup.”The Cavaliers take on the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack at the Snyder Tennis Center this weekend in their final two regular season matches of the 2008-09 season.
(03/31/09 5:34am)
The Virginia women’s tennis team suffered two losses against conference foes Florida State and Miami this weekend. The defeats mark the third and fourth consecutive conference losses for the Cavaliers.Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau called Friday’s match against Florida State “heartbreaking,” as the Seminoles (10-6, 3-4 ACC) notched a tight 4-3 victory and served the Cavaliers (10-6, 3-4 ACC) their first home loss this season.The doubles pair of freshman Emily Fraser and junior Jennifer Stevens squeezed out a 9-8 win against Florida State’s No. 1 doubles team for the first point of the match. Senior Amanda Rales then teamed up with sophomore Neela Vaez, winning 8-5 at No. 2 against Florida State junior Jessica Sucupira and sophomore Federica Suess.The Seminoles stayed strong, though: Their No. 2 singles player, freshman Noemie Scharle, defeated Stevens 6-1, 6-2. Virginia kept the battle alive as Rales upset Suess in a 6-2, 6-2 duel at the No. 4 position.The tides turned again at No. 6. Vaez fell to Sucupira, losing 6-4, 6-3. But Fraser followed immediately with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 come-from-behind win against sophomore Katie Rybakova to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 edge.The narrow lead did not last long, however, as the Seminoles secured the final two singles matches in a row — at the No. 3 and No. 5 positions — for the victory.There were far fewer lead changes Sunday, as Miami (18-3, 7-1 ACC) handed the Cavaliers a 6-1 home loss. Virginia struggled to finish sets against the Hurricanes, and that fact contributed to the lopsided match score.Freshman Karoline Steiro was the only Virginia athlete to come away with a victory Sunday, forcing junior Claudia Wasilewski to three sets and securing a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win at the No. 6 singles spot.Even though Steiro’s score was the only final score that favored the Cavaliers, Guilbeau found the Cavaliers’ play impressive.“In a general picture, I call [Fraser’s match] an even match,” Guilbeau said. “The way she turned that around and almost got it to a third set, I think that’s an incredible positive for Emily.”Fraser lost her first set to top-ranked sophomore Julia Cohen 6-0 but managed to win four games in the second set. By playing long points at the baseline, Fraser held her own against the No. 6 player in the country.“It was a matter of being consistent,” Guilbeau said. “[Fraser] changed her backhand into a sharp slice backhand which was really effective against [Cohen]. And also, [she] used some high, heavy-topspin balls as well that helped to kind of neutralize [Cohen]. She did everything she needed to do and didn’t force it quite as much.”Much of Cohen’s success this season has been attributed to her being a backboard player, meaning that she simply returns any shot that comes at her instead of charging the net to end points early. This strategy forces Cohen’s opponents to do more work than usual.“There was a period in there when I went for too much and was just making absurd mistakes that I don’t even make in regular matches, which I guess that’s what can happen against a player like that,” Fraser said. “You just have to put aside the fact that she’s really good at battling out there, and you’re just going to battle, too, and she’s probably just as tired as you are.”Rales also put up a fight Sunday, as the Cavaliers’ No. 4 singles player forced Miami sophomore Michaela Kissell into a second set tiebreaker before falling 3-6, 7-6(1), 10-5.Leading up to the match, Rales focused on her volleys and forward movement to the net. She also worked on implementing a flat first serve.“Amanda is the best on our team in terms of implementing what we ask as coaches in terms of strategy, “ Guilbeau said. “So there’s complete and total trust there, and there’s a really strong feeling to know that she’s going to do number one — what she knows works — and number two — that she’ll work with you as a coach.”The Virginia senior said her match’s outcome would have been even more in favor of her opponent had she not focused on improving specific aspects of her game.“If I didn’t raise my game to a degree, maybe I wouldn’t even have gotten a set,” Rales said. Other matches Sunday were not as competitive for Virginia. Stevens suffered a 6-1, 6-1 defeat at No. 2, and freshman Lindsey Hardenbergh lost 6-4, 6-1.“There are some areas that we’ve got to work on big time,” Guilbeau said. “We’re going to address that right now, and I’m excited to work on it.”Virginia will next play Duke and North Carolina on the road this weekend.
(03/26/09 5:39am)
After two consecutive losses, it is hard for a team not to be disheartened, especially with two tough in-conference matches looming.Although the No. 22 Virginia women’s tennis team is in this situation following ACC losses to Georgia Tech and Clemson last weekend, “disheartened” is not how the squad would describe itself.Instead, the team (10-4, 3-2 ACC) has attempted to use the losses as fuel, focusing on building team strength as it heads into matchups with No. 5 Miami and No. 25 Florida State in Charlottesville this weekend.Strengthened individual skills and an ability to implement specific in-game mechanics will prove critical if the Cavaliers wish to reverse their recent conference record against Florida State (8-6, 1-4 ACC) Friday and ACC-leader Miami (16-3, 5-1 ACC) Sunday.The Seminoles will approach Friday’s match with confidence after taking down No. 18 North Carolina in a 5-2 upset last weekend. Virginia barely triumphed against Florida State last year, winning 4-3.Virginia also must be wary of Miami sophomore Julia Cohen, who was recently tabbed ACC Player of the Week for the second time this year. On the doubles side, the Cavaliers will keep tabs on the Hurricane duo of sophomore Michaela Kissell and junior Laura Vallverdu. Ranked No. 24 in the country, the pair contributed to the team’s 5-2 win against Duke last weekend.To deal with these challenges, team leader freshman Emily Fraser recently suggested implementing a new system that forces the team to work on specific areas of its game each day.“I thought it [would] be a good idea for each of us to submit three to five things that we all know that we need to work on the next three days because we don’t have very much time leading up to next weekend,” Fraser said. “I felt like if we had a definite list written out of what everyone wanted, we could all be aware of what was on that list for each person and we could really push each other to do those things.”Fraser will work on forward movement and extra slice in her volleys, her serve and the follow-through movement to her backhand, while junior Jennifer Stevens will commit her attention to her forehand, clearing her right elbow on her backhand and mixing in trickier moves.The coaching staff is impressed with the team’s, specifically Fraser’s, initiative, noting that the lists the players make themselves are much more significant than lists that coaches make.“It’s very impressive, especially for an underclass kid, to step up and lead that way,” coach Mark Guilbeau said. “And that’s what coaches are searching for so desperately is to find kids and teams that will take ownership and take accountability for what they’re doing out there.”In fact, the coaches have tried to give the team less guidance.“We’ve actually tried to scale back how much we’ve been delivering to them,” Guilbeau said. “What we’re trying to do is have them coach themselves a little bit more at this stage of the season. They’ve heard a lot from us and now maybe they can take that, take their own, and maybe put it together and lead themselves a little bit more.”After the Clemson match last weekend, one of the mechanical aspects Guilbeau thinks could benefit the players’ games is the drop shot.A skill that requires placing the ball directly past the net with a lot of backspin or slice, a good drop shot is nearly impossible for most opponents to reach because the ball bounces so low and near the net. To set up a successful drop shot, a player needs to hit the ball deep, approach the net to push his or her opponent back and then attack at the net.“If we can be in a position where the drop shot can be used effectively,” Guilbeau said. “I think it’ll be a great sign that we’re doing the other things that we really need to do first and foremost.”But the team is not simply counting on the drop shot to win against Miami and Florida. The Cavaliers hope their individual preparation will pay off during both matches.“I think for each team we play, it’s a different matchup and the matches play out differently,” Guilbeau said. “But to get it real clear, both of these teams are great teams.”
(03/25/09 7:05am)
Swimming is a sport of strategy. Races can come down to tenths of seconds, which can change any race’s outcome. Because of the sport’s nuanced nature, Virginia coach Mark Bernardino constantly emphasizes attention to detail.Detail and strategy will play integral roles for the Virginia men’s swimming and diving team when it competes in the NCAA Championships at Texas A&M’s Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station tomorrow through Sunday. The men’s team travels to Texas with hopes of performing at or above the level that its female counterpart reached last week when it finished 12th overall at the women’s NCAA Championships. Before the season started, the men’s team set a goal of finishing in the top 10 at NCAAs before the season started, Bernardino said.“I wouldn’t hesitate a second to tell you that the women’s team set the bar very high for the men’s team,” Bernardino said. “The women have done a wonderful job of performing exceptionally well prior to the men all year long. Because we’re such a close-knit group it has helped motivate and set a standard for the men to aggressively go after and to try to match or [do] better.”Some men qualified automatically because of their exceptional times and plan to focus on specific events to earn points for the team.“There’s an incredibly different time standard that maybe five to seven swimmers can accomplish in the year prior to going into the meet, but that vast majority of athletes qualify on the provisional standard,” Bernardino said. “There’s a set number of athletes that can go so all numbers are irrelevant ... but if you make an A-standard, which is so hard to do, you automatically make the meet.”Virginia sophomore Matt McLean clocked in at 4:10.00 in the 500 freestyle, and 14:35.12 in the 1650 freestyle, earning himself an automatic entry and top seed in both events. Sophomore Taylor Smith’s performance in the 500 and 1650 freestyle events also met the A-standard.Though McLean’s times in the 500 and 1650 are the fastest in the nation this season, this week’s 1650 will only be McLean’s third collegiate mile. The sophomore, however, is not nervous. “I don’t base my confidence on experience,” McClean said. “Usually I try and base it on my training and how fit I know I am. I’ve gotten stronger this year and I’ve always been more of an aerobic guy and I’ve just utilized that capacity more this year in my events.”McLean is also part of two relays that automatically qualified to compete this weekend after meeting the A-standard at the ACC Championships last month. Junior John Azar, freshman Peter Geissinger, sophomore Scot Robison and McClean will compete in the 400 free relay. The 800 free relay team is comprised of Azar, McClean, Robison and freshman David Karasek.Senior Ryan Hurley, senior Lee Robertson, junior Eric Olesen and Geissinger will race in the 200 medley relay, and Hurley, Robertson, Oleson and Robison will swim the 400 medley relay, in which they will have the chance to earn double-points for the Cavaliers. “For the last three years probably, [relays] have been a major focus on how we could improve our team,” Bernardino said. “The team has really bought into it and understands the psychology behind it and understands the importance of the relays. There’s a real thrill in being selected to be a part of a relay. They realize that that’s a special honor.”Swimmers who are unable to automatically qualify in a relay or individual event use a different strategy to maximize the opportunity to win points. To save their energy for certain races, swimmers who are not seeded in high positions in one event often will be scratched from races they were originally scheduled to swim. “It’s a strategical game that coaches will play,” Bernardino said. “If an athlete is the 40th seed in the 100 free, but part of the 400 free relay, the coach might scratch him out of the freestyle so he’ll be fresh for the relay. That happens all the time.”Robertson potentially finds himself in this situation. Determined to perform to his maximum potential in the relays he qualified for, he said he may opt to take the 50 free out of his line-up.“The first day, I’ll probably end up scratching the 50 free because there are two relays on the first day, which are a lot more important than not scoring in an individual event,” Robertson said.
(03/20/09 6:29am)
The Virginia women’s tennis team is preparing to enter one of the toughest parts of its season, as it looks to survive against conference and outdoor competition. “Most teams don’t get too far ahead and you always take it one team at a time,” Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau said. “But we’ve talked a lot about this next stage of the season, and I think that gives us an edge that we’ve addressed this and we’re ready for this new challenge that’s going to come with these top teams.”Of the remaining eight opponents on Virginia’s regular season schedule, only N.C. State currently is unranked in the national polls. Three teams hold a spot in the top 10 — Georgia Tech at No. 6, Duke at No. 7 and Miami at No. 8.“We’ve had to beat some teams to get to where we are now,” Guilbeau said. “We’re going to have to go out there and beat some more teams but if we play our best ... I think if we really keep making progress and go one more notch, we are capable of playing with and maybe beating any of the teams left on our schedule.”Virginia (10-2, 2-0 ACC) will face two top-15 teams this weekend on the road when it visits Georgia Tech Saturday and Clemson Sunday.2008 NCAA singles champion junior Amanda McDowell leads Georgia Tech (8-4, 2-1 ACC). Despite her exceptional performance at championships last year, however, McDowell does not hold a permanent spot on the top of Georgia Tech’s roster.“The standard that [a player like McDowell] sets within a program is the big thing,” Guilbeau said. “Georgia Teach is a team that’s really been led by some top players. McDowell is an NCAA champion who has recently played No. 3 for their team, so that gives you an idea of how strong they are.”No. 18 McDowell ranks behind fellow teammate freshman Irina Falconi, who is ranked No. 7 nationally.Clemson junior Ani Mijacika, meanwhile, is helping the Tigers (10-5, 2-1 ACC) maintain their No. 13 national ranking and has earned the No. 1 spot in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles ranking. Virginia freshman Emily Fraser, who will be playing against Mijacika at the No. 1 position, sits far behind at No. 81. The Cavaliers as a team, though, jumped to No. 1 in the ACC after recent wins against Virginia Tech and Boston College. At the same time, Georgia Tech and Clemson fell to No. 4 and No. 6, respectively.Virginia’s superior standing can be partly attributed to its depth and adaptability in its 7-0 sweeps against Virginia Tech and Richmond and its 6-1 triumphs against William and Mary, Boston College and Maryland this season.“We look at every single result throughout the whole year and we also do a lot of scouting – very specific notes on players’ strengths and weaknesses,” Guilbeau said. “There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in getting ready for matches, and then you really try to fine-tune that and give the kids the very, very precise information that they need to be able to match up as best they can.”The team focuses on matching the ability of its opponents and taking advantage of challenges. “I know a lot of girls on [Clemson and Georgia Tech], and there are going to be great opportunities,” freshman Claire Bartlett said. “They’re going to be tougher matches but I think if we can all keep rising up and play our hardest we’ll do really well.”Guilbeau said he believes Clemson and Georgia Tech will challenge the Cavaliers.“They’ve got two of the top 10 players in the country at the top of their lineup, so they’re very strong and again, present some great opportunities for us,” Guilbeau said. “I don’t know if they’re quite as deep as Georgia Tech, but they’re certainly a very good team.”Guilbeau emphasized that the Cavaliers need to adapt to the different strategies used by Georgia Tech and Clemson.“We’re not going to win this match with only half of the team playing their best,” Guilbeau said. “We’re going to need everyone on the team playing their absolute best.”The Cavaliers will make their first stop of the weekend in Atlanta, where play begins at noon Saturday.
(03/16/09 6:03am)
The weekend’s rainy weather failed to stop the Virginia women’s tennis team from extending its recent win streak as the No. 18 Cavaliers beat No. 45 Virginia Tech 7-0 Sunday in Charlottesville. The match against the Hokies was Virginia’s (10-2) sixth consecutive victory and marks the first time in program history the squad has started conference play 3-0.Originally scheduled to be played at the Snyder Tennis Center, the match was moved to the Boyd Tinsley Tennis Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Because of the fast nature of the indoor play, the Cavaliers had to reevaluate their playing strategy. The team proved itself capable of handling tougher challenges as it swept the in-state rival Hokies, but the Cavaliers’ dominance was not evident until after the doubles matches. “Virginia Tech really came out with more intensity than we did to start the match,” Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau said. “The doubles was quite impressive from their end. Sometimes you have to ask your kids for a little more, and they responded well. I think they see the positives and all the benefits that come from really taking care of the details, being intense, and giving their best effort.”The team’s response led to three close doubles matches that all ended in the Cavaliers’ favor. The No. 1 Virginia doubles team of junior Jennifer Stevens and freshman Emily Fraser took down Virginia Tech senior Jessica Brouwer and sophomore Holly Johnson 9-7 while the Cavaliers’ No. 2 pair of sophomore Neela Vaez and senior Amanda Rales held on through a tiebreaker to put away freshman Martha Blakely and senior Inga Beermann 9-8 (3). At the No. 3 spot, Virginia freshman Claire Bartlett teamed up with senior Maggie Yahner to defeat Hokie sophomore Yasmin Hamza and senior Abbey Walker 8-4 to secure the doubles point for the host team.In the singles competition, Fraser guarded her spot at No. 1 on Virginia’s ladder by producing a 6-3, 6-4 win against Virginia Tech’s Beermann. Fraser has continued to show that her minimal amount of college play compared to other players on the squad does not reflect her level of ability.“I don’t really think about the age or the year of any of the players I’m playing against,” Fraser said. “I try to put all the little details aside and bring everything I have, and hopefully I’ll do well.”Performing well at the No. 1 position usually is no easy feat for an athlete new to the collegiate world, but Fraser’s persistent attention to detail has aided in the transition. The freshman has been working with the Virginia coaching staff to strengthen every aspect of her game, focusing most on her serve.“Coming into school, I struggled a lot with my serve,” Fraser said. “Under [Guilbeau’s and assistant coach Troy Porco]’s coaching, it’s really starting to come together more and I’ve been working on it a lot on my own.”Another freshman who got a taste of victory against the Hokies was Bartlett, who topped her singles opponent Johnson 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 5 slot. Despite her success, Bartlett’s spring season has been a bit more challenging than her teammates’, after only competing in a limited number of matches this fall. Bartlett “has been everything we were hoping for her to be,” Guilbeau said. “It’s tough because she has to come in here quickly not having quite as much preparation but she’s been unbelievable. What a lot of folks don’t know that aren’t directly involved in the program is the extra work that she’s doing outside of our day-to-day practice.”In addition to Bartlett and Fraser, Stevens, Hardenbergh, Rales and Vaez all defeated their Virginia Tech opponents in singles competition.The Cavaliers’ conference schedule continues next weekend as the team faces Georgia Tech and Clemson on the road.
(02/25/09 6:42am)
The Virginia men’s swimming and diving team heads to College Park, Md. today for the ACC Championships, at which the team will fight to achieve the same success the women’s team saw last week when it claimed a conference title.The men, who hold an unblemished 5-0 conference record, will attempt to replicate their own scores from last season in addition to replicating the women’s scores from last week.At last year’s championships, the men’s team won its 11th ACC title and its ninth in the last 10 years, finishing 273 points ahead of runner-up North Carolina. A championship for the men this season would mark the second time in the program’s history that both the men and women repeated as ACC champions in consecutive years. The two teams also claimed back-to-back conference titles in 2003 and 2004.Potentially helping Virginia reach its goal is sophomore Matt McLean, who has produced impressive times in his two years and who was recognized with the Most Valuable Swimmer Award at last year’s ACC Championship meet in Florida. His consistent performance this season — McLean owns one of Virginia’s top two times in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 meter freestyle events — will make him “a real leader in the pool” during the championship, Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said.Even as young swimmers like McLean take a leadership position on the team, however, Virginia still looks to its veterans to set the standard.“The team always calls on their fourth- and fifth-years to really step up and lead by example,” senior Ryan Hurley said. “It’s definitely expected of me, and I feel the pressure to swim very well. I’ve been taught by so many great older swimmers that this is what you do and it’s kind of become routine.”Hurley will compete in the 100 breast, the 200 breast and the 200 IM, as well as two relays in which he will swim the breaststroke legs. Relays “are critically important towards team momentum,” Bernardino said. “There’s the opportunity there to get off to a great start and see a lot of people swim, and for the team to gain confidence based on the performances of the athletes in the relays.”Virginia’s chief competitors this weekend likely will be North Carolina and Florida State, both of which possess swimmers with proven ability and experience. Florida State’s 2007 championship is the only non-Virginia title on the men’s side since 1996, which was North Carolina’s last conference-winning season during a six-title streak. This season, both squads only have one conference loss — courtesy of the Cavaliers.Judging from Virginia’s history and its perfect conference record this season, it would not be surprising if the men were to repeat as ACC champions. Bernardino, though, said he will not allow the team to become too confident.“They’ve done a good job at not letting their egos and their heads get in the way of the success of the team,” Bernardino said. “I think they’ve really done a nice job at keeping team and team performance as the focus versus individual performance. I think they understand the better they perform as individuals the more it means to the team, so that’s how we’ve tried to approach that.”If the team needs any motivation, it only needs to look to its runner-up finish at the 2007 ACC Championships, which broke a streak of eight consecutive conference titles.“Every time we start getting away from our goal a little bit, Mark reminds us of what happened in 2007,” Hurley said. “I don’t need more than to hear that year to get me back on track because it was not a good experience, and I know we’re so much better than we were that year. We’re more focused and more driven.”For Virginia, anything less than its strongest performance at the ACC Championships will be unacceptable.“The bottom line is you can’t make excuses for your performance once you’re on the blocks,” Bernardino said. “As I’m very fond of telling them ‘It don’t matter how you feel, it’s time to perform’, and I don’t care how they feel on game day or race day. The bottom line is, if you’re going to race, it doesn’t matter how you feel. You feel great — that’s the only thing you need to tell me.”
(02/24/09 6:43am)
The Virginia women’s tennis team expected a tough battle going into its double header against Marshall and Richmond Saturday but came out with two big wins instead.Virginia (6-2) started the day off against Marshall (5-5), defeating the Thundering Herd 5-2. The win helped set a victorious tone for the remainder of the weekend contest, as the Cavaliers won all three doubles matches as well.“The doubles are a strong point,” Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau said. “They’ve been a very positive part of our season so far. Last year we didn’t have so much success in the doubles points but this year we’re doing a lot better.”Freshman Emily Fraser and junior Jennifer Stevens have excelled at No. 1 and won their match 8-1 against Marshall’s top-seeded team. In the No. 2 doubles spot, Virginia sophomore Neela Vaez and senior Amanda Rales beat Marshall’s historically successful pair of Kellie Schmitt and Isabell Raich, and freshman Lindsey Hardenbergh and senior Maggie Yahner also saw success at No. 3 doubles.“We’ve had some good options at No. 3, so now we’re trying to determine what the best pairing down there is at three,” Guilbeau said. “So we not only have done well but have an opportunity to do even better.”Fraser also made good on her debut at the top of the singles ladder when she played against Schmitt — a noteworthy achievement for Virginia, as the team has struggled against Schmitt in the past.“[Emily] hit the ball extremely well, and it seems she overpowered Kellie Schmitt, which is a great result,” Guilbeau said. “We’ve never beaten her during the four years that we’ve played against her. She’s been ranked as high as top 15 in the country so that was a great step for Emily.”It was a hard-fought match on both sides, but with a sweep in the third set, Fraser pushed the final score to 6-4, 2-6, 6-0.“It was [Emily’s] first opportunity at No. 1 singles and that’s something that the team definitely needs, is leadership up there,” Guilbeau said. “It’s a lot to ask from first-years but it’s something that they should expect and be ready to do, and she’s showing that.”Rales and Stevens also carried their energy to the singles competition, as both players scored wins against their opponents in their No. 3 and No. 4 positions. And, in the No. 6 singles spot, Vaez battled Marshall’s Catherine Kellner in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 skirmish.“That match was very up and down,” Guilbeau said. “Neela [Vaez] does continue to give a good effort and work through things, but there’s a lot of points where it’s not quite as efficient or focused as it could be. Neela had defeated Kellner from Marshall very easy in the fall, and it looked like at the very start of the match that it would be the same situation.”Vaez also seemed to have a problem making the most of her opportunities in Virginia’s second match of the day against Richmond, but Guilbeau said the performance was not entirely negative.“Our players should have the opportunity to win [three-set matches] because of the training that they do,” Guilbeau said. “Hopefully they’re going to be as strong physically or stronger than their opponent, and three-setters to me are the ultimate test of who really will make adjustments and basically do what tennis is so special about doing and that is being intelligent and making smart decisions. All of that said, I think three-setters are very positive, and we should have an expectation to be the team that comes through and wins most of those.”Hardenbergh also faced a three-set dual against her Richmond opponent, but the Cavaliers commanded the other five matches and prevented the Spiders from winning a single match. Defeating Richmond 7-0 in the afternoon, the Virginia women did not allow fatigue to get the best of them.“There are going to be days when you’re playing one dual match against a top, top team in the country, and you’re going to need that same amount of effort that we put into both matches yesterday,” Guilbeau said. “You’re going to need all of that at one time; so that’s a perspective that they need to be aware of. We’ve got to be ready for that kind of effort on a consistent basis.”One other player who shined for the Cavaliers during Saturday’s matches was freshman Claire Bartlett, who made her season debut against Richmond. At No. 3 doubles, Bartlett and Hardenbergh achieved an 8-2 victory, and at the No. 6 singles spot against Richmond, Bartlett hammered a 6-4, 6-0 victory to add to the Cavaliers’ sweep.Virginia begins its ACC season next weekend when the team travels to Maryland Friday. During her last season, Rales said she plans to take advantage of every remaining match, especially during conference competition.“We have to be ready for battle and we hope to be pleasantly surprised,” Rales said. “If we’re doing the right things, it could be easier than we might have thought.”
(02/19/09 6:58am)
It’s championship season in the world of NCAA swimming and diving, and the Virginia women’s team is heading to College Park, Md. for the ACC Championships in what is perhaps its most pivotal meet of the season.The women will compete Wednesday through Saturday, and the men will follow Feb. 25 to 28. The teams will race in a range of both distance and sprint events in the Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium at the University of Maryland.Performances at the ACC Championships carry a good deal of weight because they determine which swimmers make it to the NCAA Championships. The fastest 20 to 22 athletes are selected from each event for the championship meet.“You can’t get to one without the other,” Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. “If you don’t go super fast at ACC Championships, your team can win the championship, but then you don’t get invited to the NCAA, so one plays right into the other, so we have to be great — really great — twice a year.”The Virginia women have performed well regularly in recent years and have an impressive track record to show for it, including six ACC titles. At the ACCs last year, the squad made waves in the competition, defeating rival UNC with a score of 800 to the Tar Heels’ second place score of 572.Despite impressive past achievements, the Cavalier women aim at modesty and try to fight with a continued level of hunger each year. “Never be intimidated and always be humble” is the motto Bernardino insists both his men’s and women’s teams put into practice throughout the season, regardless of standing.Especially anxious for a conference title this year are Virginia seniors, who are hoping to maintain the team’s No. 1 ranking and end on a high note. The ACCs and NCAAs are the last meets they will participate in as collegiate competitors, and the women will do their best to defend their 2008 ACC Title.Senior Megan Evo — who swims the 200 fly, the 100 fly, the 200 IM and the relays — has three years experience at the ACC Championships and said she knows how to handle the pressure.“I think we’re really good about staying grounded,” Evo said. “Each year is a new year, and you never know what’s going to happen. So after last year, we just kind of started over again. We don’t really have any bragging rights at this point yet.”The Cavalier women aim to continue their close attention to detail and will have to swim their best to beat out a tough crop of ACC competitors.“[Virginia Tech] has some really good sprint relays, so they’ll definitely be competitive in those,” Evo said. “Each team has a couple really, really great girls, so we’re competitive with all the teams, but as a whole I think our biggest rival is UNC.”North Carolina has been a consistent contender against both the men and women from Virginia, so Bernardino said the women’s team is hoping to gain an early lead by stepping up in the meet’s relays that began Wednesday.“There are 21 events, and they’re all scored the same way — but relay points are doubled,” Bernardino said. “So relays can really help tip the scale in a team’s favor if they’re able to place in the top one or two consistently. And that’s our goal; we would like to be first or second in every single relay on both teams.”To make this goal a reality, the team will look toward certain members that have performed especially well this season. Junior Mei Christensen has had a record-setting season, setting new conference marks in the 100 and 200 backstroke. She was honored with the ACC Performer of the Week award twice this season and also earned the title of National Swimmer of the Week. Furthermore, Bernardino is expecting sophomore Claire Crippen to perform at “a very high level” after she set a pool record in the 400 IM at the team’s meet against Pittsburgh.The typical top performers may have set a high bar this season, but Bernardino does not believe they are the only women capable of surpassing it.“I’m sure there will be some surprises,” Bernardino said. “There always are, and I can’t predict who is going to be the ‘surpriser,’ but there will be some people that step up to a much higher level than they’ve shown us so far. If we do things right, it’ll happen.”The Virginia women have proven to be one of the best teams in the ACC this season, but Bernardino insists that teams come to the ACCs with a clean slate, for better and worse.“The score is 0-0,” Bernardino said. “It’s a whole new season; anybody can win.”The women’s championships continue through Saturday, when a conference champion will be crowned.
(01/30/09 9:00am)
Due to a sprint-heavy format, the Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will have to bring an extra dose of vigor to Pennsylvania this weekend when they race Pittsburgh on Sunday.The Virginia men’s and women’s teams found perhaps their most triumphant success last weekend, proving superior to two ACC foes hailing from North Carolina: UNC and Duke. North Carolina in particular is considered one of the biggest ACC threats to the Virginia team, but thanks to a strong 400-meter freestyle relay performance by Virginia junior John Azar, freshman Peter Geissinger, sophomore Scot Robison and sophomore Matt McLean, the men clinched a 156-144 victory.Repeating last weekend’s performance, however, may not do the trick at this weekend’s meet, considering the unconventional design.In other dual meets, races range from 100 meters to 1,750 meters, catering to both sprinters and distance swimmers. Pittsburgh, however, made the decision to make Sunday’s meet a sprint meet, and while a meet of sprints alone is ideal for some, it strays from the format swimmers have been seeing since competition began in October.“We’re going to be doing 100s of all the strokes, and short relays, we’re doing 200s of each relay,” Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. “That will be interesting because I’m not sure we’re as prepared to sprint this week as we will be three or four weeks from now, but it will be a good test for us.”The test Bernardino refers to is one that will allow the team to estimate where it stands before ACC Championships in February. It will also be a test to see whether the Virginia athletes will be able to out-swim the historically gifted Pittsburgh team that has taken home many Big East titles over the years. This season, however, has certainly not been the Panthers’ best. “Historically, Pittsburgh has always been a good matchup for us,” Bernardino said. “I think they’re probably in a little bit more of a rebuilding mode with the young team this year, but nonetheless, they’re a good team with good swimmers, and because of the change in format, we have to be prepared to race different races than we have been the past two months.”Throwing this sort of wild card into the mix could toy with any team’s training program; however, with the postseason approaching, now is a good time to work on getting out of the blocks quickly.“I hope some of the swimmers get some personal bests,” Bernardino said. “But we haven’t swum some of these events fresh for a little bit of time now, so it’s my hope that we see some speed, or even just out-speed in the races, even if we don’t come back quite as well as I would like. Just to see some of their initial speed in the races would be good.”Should the Cavaliers pass this test, they would bolster their already-powerful reputation going into the end of the season. The men and women are both holding their ground at the top spot of the ACC standings; the men boast a 5-0 record in the ACC, and an 8-2 record overall. The Cavalier women are also undefeated in the ACC with a 5-0 record and have only lost one meet, giving them an impressive 8-1 mark.The Virginia swimmers have proven they are an elite group. This weekend in Pittsburgh, the Cavaliers will be tested in more ways than one.
(01/22/09 7:03am)
From the outside looking in, it is hard to gauge how much animosity truly lies between siblings. A sibling rivalry can be cutthroat in any family, but when sports are added to the mix, the competition is taken to a whole new level — or is it?Virginia swimmers David and Garrett Wren have shared a lot as they have grown up — parents, friends, a home, pickup basketball and football games and now, the same collegiate swim team. While one might assume family tensions could eventually run high, the Wren brothers have helped each other thrive.In his freshman year at the University, David is a newcomer to the team, whereas Garrett, a junior, has had two and a half years to settle into college life. Garrett, who specializes in freestyle events for the Cavaliers, has noticed his brother making a smooth transition into a collegiate atmosphere.“It’s been great so far,” Garrett Wren said. “[David] has gotten adjusted very well, he’s swimming well, doing well in school. I get to see him every day, and our parents get to go to the same meets.”The quick adjustment could be attributed in part to David’s high school experience. Primarily a backstroker and IMer, he qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 100 and the 200 back.Qualifying for the Olympic Trials was “awesome,” he said. “I had worked for several years with that as my goal and I had missed it several times by just a little bit so I finally got it and it was really exciting. It was definitely one of the best moments in my swimming career.”An ungracious older brother would not be able to give his sibling the praise he deserved, but Garrett has had no trouble cheering on his little brother.“Garrett was real proud of me,” David Wren said. “He and I don’t have any animosity towards each other or anything, if one of us succeeds at something and one of us doesn’t. Whenever one of us succeeds in anything we’re always really proud of the other one.”The Wrens’ coach, Virginia’s Mark Bernardino, can vouch for the brothers’ model relationship on and off the pool deck.“There’s absolutely no competition between the two of them whatsoever,” Bernardino said. ”They are the idyllic family. They’re proud of one another, they really like one another, they’re close friends ... They’re both a couple of really, really classy men, and they’re both really good leaders to our team members.”The Wren brothers do not waste time being envious of each other or creating unnecessary competition; they know it is not bad if one provides better results than the other, because a good performance will benefit their team, regardless of whose name appears on the scoreboard.“We’ve both been very supportive of each other’s accomplishments, and now we’re on the same team so we’re working towards the same goal,” Garrett Wren said. “I think we both are doing our part to work towards that ... it’s all about the team goal.”The team goal has been important for quite some time to Garrett, David and three other Virginia swimmers. The brothers, as well as sophomores Ian Vogt, Anne Summer Myers and Elizabeth Shaw all attended Mills E. Godwin High School in Richmond, where they were able to develop an early bond and collective passion for the sport.This passion, however, did not begin in high school. The combination of years of club swimming, summer league and a family legacy led the Wrens to the starting block.Garrett and David are not the first Wrens to dive headfirst into Virginia swimming. The boys’ uncles, Matt and Andy, began the Wren tradition when they both swam for Bernardino during the 1980s.Andy Wren found his strength in butterfly events and has honors to show for it; he was named the ACC Swimmer of the Year and a meet MVP, both in 1983.These days, Matt Wren focuses on the biology of swimming and has used his knowledge of both swimming and physical therapy to create a program that works to prevent swimming-related injury.Garrett and David have noticed humorous “underlying themes” as they exchange stories with their uncles about Bernardino. But one thing remains consistently clear: Any Wren is more than welcome in Bernardino’s pool.When Garrett came to the University for his first visit, Bernardino eagerly discussed the previous ties he has had with the Wren family. “We talked about that when I came on my visit,” Garrett Wren said. “[Bernardino] said ‘I know your family well, I know your grandfather, I know your grandmother, I know your parents; I get a great feeling from your family. I would love for you to come be the third Wren.’ That’s what he told me when we had our first sit-down with him.”The “great feeling” Bernardino referred to continued for at least three additional years, as David was added to the roster for the 2008-09 season.Other than having different academic interests — Garrett is a chemistry major while David plans to study commerce — “they’re cut from the same cloth,” Bernardino said. “They work hard — they work to the bone ... They’re just absolute gentlemen. You wish they were your own kids, they’re so nice.”Such personalities combined with strong athletic abilities make Garrett and David Wren a pair that others can only strive to match.
(12/04/08 7:04am)
The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have not had a meet in several weeks, but that doesn’t mean they have been resting — quite the opposite, in fact. The teams have been preparing at a high-intensity level for the U.Va. Invitational, which will be held at the Aquatic and Fitness Center today through Saturday.Virginia will take on swimmers from West Chester and Yale in the three-day meet beginning today at 11 a.m. Though the visiting teams do not hold as competitive of a reputation as the Cavaliers, the practices leading up to the meet have been the hardest the Virginia teams have seen all season.“Given our training regimen, there is no excuse for any athlete not to be in peak physical shape,” coach Mark Bernardino stated in an e-mail. “We have continued a very rigorous schedule of training since our last meets. We have tried to sharpen our speed skills to a larger degree.”Senior Ryan Hurley is hoping that the intense practices will be effective in terms of bolstering his team’s spot ahead of the pack.“For me, personally, it’s always good to put in a couple days of hard work in order to get that little something extra that others might not have,” Hurley said.Junior Mei Christensen and sophomore Scot Robison hope to meet standards they set for themselves at meets earlier this season. Stellar performances at the Cavaliers’ meet against Penn State and Florida State in mid-November earned Robison and Christensen ACC Performer of the Week titles. Christensen was also selected as the National Swimmer of the Week Nov. 19 for her strong performances, including a pool record in the 200 backstroke.“After the PSU and FSU meet, the whole team knew it was time to get to work and put in some hard practices,” Hurley said. “We knew we didn’t have a meet for another three weeks, which was sort of a change in mindset after having so many meets in a row. It was good to get back to straight training — now everyone’s mind is clear, and we’re ready to race hard again.”Racing as hard as possible is key for the Cavaliers during the U.Va. Invitational because of the meet’s format.With three consecutive days of competition, the meet will give the teams a preview of the layout they will see at championships in the spring. It is especially important for the 17 freshmen swimmers to get an early glimpse of the contests they will have to prepare themselves for in February and March.“It is great for the first-years to see and experience the championship format,” Bernardino stated. “The meet will be run exactly as a NCAA Championship meet is conducted. The first-years will have the opportunity to experience what the normal rest breaks are between the races; they will learn how to compose themselves between the preliminary and finals races, they will learn how to mentally prepare and most importantly how to make the appropriate adjustments to race strategies between the preliminaries and finals. There are many positives that can be gained from a meet like this.”One of the biggest positives is the opportunity that the longer meet provides. Each swimmer will have three days to produce his or her best performance, which is Virginia’s ultimate goal.Today’s events are scheduled to include the 200 free relay, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and 400 medley relay. Swimmers will compete in the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back and 800 free relay tomorrow. Finally, Saturday’s competition will start off with the 1650 free, followed by shorter events such as the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and 400 free relay.With an assortment of distances and strokes each day, the Virginia swimming and diving teams have a good chance of finding their time to shine as they host their last meet of 2008.
(11/21/08 6:05am)
Relentless. With the way the Virginia volleyball team has been performing lately, the description seems applicable. The Cavaliers turned their season around Nov. 8 when they dominated N.C. State, giving the squad the momentum it needed going into its last matches of the regular season.As the Cavaliers (16-13, 8-9 ACC) hit the road to face fellow ACC teams Wake Forest (17-12, 8-9 ACC) tonight and Duke (21-8, 12-5 ACC) tomorrow, they hope to maintain the competitive level that led to the team’s success against conference rivals N.C. State, Maryland and Boston College in November.Earlier this season, Duke defeated Virginia in a close 3-2 (28-30, 25-22, 23-25, 28-26, 12-15) match. Virginia held its own, sending the match into a five-game contest. The team, however, was unable to overcome the Blue Devils.After the heartbreaking loss to Duke, the team hoped to fix the mistakes that led to its defeat. That same weekend, Virginia emerged victorious against Wake Forest in a 3-1 (14-25, 25-21, 25-16, 27-25) match.“Previously this year, we split with them,” sophomore setter Kelly Irvin said. “We had beaten Wake and lost to Duke, so it will be really important for us to come out and win these matches not only for standings but for our students, so we can finish strong.”The defense must be especially strong this weekend, as Duke and Wake Forest share a similar aggressive offensive style that demands great attention if an opponent hopes to come out on top.“For both teams, it’s going to be really important for us to defend their slide attack,” coach Lee Maes said. “It’s something that was really effective for them the first time they played us. It’s the bread and butter of both teams.”Maes explained that a slide attack is a 1-foot jump spike approach by either the middle or the right-side hitters that allows the offense to place the ball anywhere in the zone along the net. The offensive tool looks similar to a one-footed lay-up in basketball, Maes noted, but it is a much bigger threat than the basic basketball skill.“It’s very difficult to stop because you don’t know at what point they’re going to hit the set,” Maes said. “So the block has a really difficult time setting up against the slide, so that’s why it’s really effective.”In addition to the offensive competition Virginia will face, today and tomorrow mark the senior nights for both Wake Forest and Duke, respectively. It is bound to be an emotional occasion for the Demon Deacon and Blue Devil players, but it could also evoke positive energy for Virginia’s players.“I think in those situations, you can kind of use the energy that might be coming from the crowd or from their team to motivate you,” junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson said. “It’s not just the electric atmosphere for them; we can use that atmosphere for us too.”It will not be long until Virginia gets the chance to celebrate its own seniors at home next weekend as the team closes out the regular season against Virginia Tech. During this contest, middle blocker Shannon Davis, setter Marlow Bruneau and outside hitter Beth Shelton will be recognized as Cavalier seniors.“That last match, first and foremost, is an opportunity for us to finish the season on a winning note,” Maes said. “It’s also going to be an opportunity to celebrate the three seniors that we have and their contribution to Virginia volleyball. They’ve been wonderful examples of someone who’s put a lot of investment, commitment [and] sacrifice to help get the program where it is now and certainly to lay a foundation for others to follow.”Although the three seniors are looking forward to the matchup against Tech, they will be sure not to overlook today and Saturday’s games. The Cavaliers will concentrate on the ultimate goal of “finishing strong” — the team’s motto from the start of the season.“We talk about [finishing strong] every day,” Maes said. “We ask them to define what ‘finish strong’ means, each player. What we’ve done at the beginning of each practice is read each player’s definition of what finish strong means and how it’s going to impact them the rest of the season.”
(11/13/08 6:09am)
After getting the weekend off while only part of the team competed at the Cavalier Open, the men’s and women’s cross country teams are well-rested and ready to race at the NCAA Regional Championships this weekend in Winston-Salem, N.C. The last time the varsity runners hit the course was at the ACC Championships in Chapel Hill, N.C. Nov. 1. The No. 13 men took home first place and the women tied for fourth. Virginia senior Ryan Foster earned the team’s first-ever individual title at the ACC Championships, leading the men’s team to win its second consecutive ACC title. Sophomore Ryan Collins led the 8K race most of the way and finished sixth as Foster took control in the final lengths.Foster’s successful efforts at the ACC Championships were rewarded when he was named the ACC Men’s Performer of the Week last week, the first time he has been given that award in his career. He follows teammates junior Trey Miller and senior Lauretta Dezubay as runners who have previously received the honor.The Cavaliers were not as impressive, however, in the Pre-NCAA Meet — which is a prelude to the NCAA Regional Championships — two weeks before the ACC Championships. The men’s team placed sixth at the Pre-NCAA meet Oct. 18, while the women fell back to 23rd.Virginia coach Mark Vigilante, however, has nothing but confidence that his team has grown since October.“We are a competitive bunch,” Vigilante said. “We are not going into this meet to get second place. I know the men that we have on our team hate to lose. To behave any other way than trying our best to win is uncharacteristic of us. We are going to show up and compete.”Though the women have been upholding Vigilante’s standards by giving it their all, their results have not reached as high as the men’s team this season. The women’s team tied Duke at the ACC Championships, finishing fourth overall.Vigilante said he thinks this weekend is an opportunity to prove to both teams just how capable they are.“My hope is that when we finish the race on Saturday that we understand we are better than what we have been giving ourselves credit for,” Vigilante said. “Our bunch is very talented, tremendously fit and really ready to go. The only ingredient missing for us to have a successful outcome is for the ladies to really know we are good enough and that we belong at the upper level.”Dezubay and junior Stephanie Garcia, a Cavalier Daily tableau editor, reflected their “upper level” qualities, leading the women’s team at the ACC Championships; in the 6K event, Garcia finished eighth and Dezubay 10th.Virginia’s success this season can be partly attributed to the arrival of Vigilante, who was recently honored with the title of 2008 ACC Coach of the Year for his work during his first season with the Cavs. In addition to coaching, team dynamics have been equally important.“I think what has helped is having a really solid group of girls,” Dezubay said. “Our runners are close together as a pack, and we aren’t running as a group of individuals. It has really helped our team come together on and off the field.”Dezubay said she believes — the Pre-NCAA meet aside — that the team impressed itself and others with its level of competition at the ACC Championships at the beginning of the month.“We showed we could perform at ACCs,” Dezubay said. “That kind of opened people’s eyes as to how good our team can be and will be this weekend.”The teams can qualify for the NCAA Championships later in the month by finishing first or second at Regionals or by placing third and finishing behind two teams Virginia beat earlier in the season. Should the teams qualify for the NCAA championship, only their performance at that race will matter. “The nice thing about cross country is the national championship will have 31 teams, 10,000 meters, no timeouts, one winner and that’s it. It only matters what you do on Nov. [23],” Vigilante said. “I don’t anticipate any surprises [in the Regional Championships]. I know we are in very good shape [for the regional meet], and I am looking forward to the opportunity to try to qualify for the national championship.”
(11/11/08 5:35am)
The Virginia volleyball team finished a dual-match weekend cleanly when it spiked N.C. State Saturday night at Memorial Gymnasium.After a four-game losing streak, the Cavaliers shut out the Wolfpack (9-21, 3-12 ACC) with a score of 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-18) as they enter their last five regular season matches.Virginia (14-13, 6-9 ACC) had a tough night Friday, losing to North Carolina (17-9, 11-4 ACC) in a close contest. The team came up short by not efficiently executing its game plan collectively, though individual performances were strong.Freshman outside hitter Simone Asque continued to develop on the court as she topped out with a team-high 16 kills. Fifth-year senior outside hitter Beth Shelton completed a season-high 21 digs to pair with her 15 kills for the night. At the net, sophomore middle Sydney Hill blocked six attacks, a high for the match, while senior middle Shannon Davis added five blocks of her own.After falling behind 0-2, the team forced North Carolina into a fifth set but could not keep the Tar Heels from the 3-2 (25-23, 25-20, 25-27, 22-25, 15-7) victory. The close scores reflect the Cavaliers’ diligence through each point, though at times the team struggled to stop North Carolina scoring rallies. In the first set, the Tar Heels led 18-10 before Virginia rallied to bring the score to 24-22. Tied at 17 in the second set, North Carolina went on a 6-1 run, ultimately taking the game 25-20.“One of the things that was really important for us tonight [Saturday night] as opposed to last night versus North Carolina was that we challenge the team to have a more competitive response, and to not give up consecutive points, which has been a trend,” coach Lee Maes said. “If we’re going to be competitive, we’re going to have to challenge them and say, ‘enough is enough and we’re going to do something about it.’” With the Tar Heel 12-2 fifth-set lead fresh in their minds, the Cavaliers did something about it: Virginia swept the Wolfpack 3-0 behind a strong collective effort, which included playing through tight moments in the second set when N.C. State threatened. The two squads tied 11 times and traded the lead seven times in the second frame.With 19 kills, Shelton leveled with a previous career high, boosting her kill percentage to .417, a season-best. Junior defensive specialist/libero Brittani Rendina also added a match-high 18 digs. Sophomore setter Kelly Irvin and senior setter Marlow Bruneau teamed up to lead Virginia in assists with 18 and 16, respectively.As her performance this weekend has demonstrated, Asque, who added 12 kills against the Wolfpack, has made quite a name for herself offensively during her first season of collegiate play.“She’s a wonderful dynamic athlete, and she’s continually improving on the fundamentals,” Maes said. “We’re asking her to do a lot of well-rounded things in all facets of the game. She’s continually learning to be more efficient, and that’s the biggest thing we’re looking for her to be whether it’s offensively or just how she handles the rest of the game. We want her to limit unforced errors and continue going out there and doing her job.”Asque’s success this season can be partly attributed to Davis’ tough love and constant good example. Davis has been a fixed model of the type of player the coaches expect and she persistently drives her teammates to reach the same plane both on and off the court.“When I came in as a first-year, [Shannon] intimidated me a little bit,” Asque said. “Sometimes she will take command and kick you in gear, but I don’t take it personally because I know she’s helping me and I need that. She really takes control and pushes us forward to be better.”Refreshed after ending a four-game losing streak, the team will push harder than ever to reach the level of competition they expect from themselves on a match-to-match basis.“Our goal is to win every match,” Maes said. “You play this game to win, and our mentality needs to be that way. It doesn’t matter who the opponent’s going to be — we’re playing to win and we have to prepare and train as if that’s our expectation.”
(11/07/08 6:07am)
A sweet winning streak for the Virginia football team turned sour at the end of last Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium. The loss to Miami in an overtime letdown has cast a shadow of doubt on whether Virginia can make it to the ACC Championship game.Had the team avoided two missed field goals and a late fumble, the Cavaliers (5-4, 3-2 ACC) could have prevented the 24-17 overtime loss to Miami (6-3, 3-2 ACC). But instead of dwelling on what might have been, the Cavaliers will use last Saturday’s disappointing results as motivation to play at the height of their ability as they take on Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. Saturday.“We can’t wait to get back out there, especially coming off a game like that,” Virginia junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said. “We want to get back out there as soon as possible. We want to go prove something again.”For Ogletree, “proving something” has not been a problem during his first season back from a knee injury. Despite his setback, Ogletree is nearing the bar he set for himself in 2006. This season Ogletree has 44 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns, proving his ability to return strong after a year of recovery. The previously unrecognized potential of Virginia redshirt freshman wide receiver Jared Green was apparent when he caught his first touchdown at the collegiate level during Virginia’s matchup against Miami. Upon direction from Virginia coach Al Groh, Green has used the 2008 season to focus on developing his strengths and not worrying about the weaknesses he may have. “He was a very raw player coming in,” Groh said. “We had a chance to see him catch the ball much more in practice than in games and had confidence that with work he would develop into a good receiver.”Even if Green continues to impress the coaches on the field and even if passes are completed and Virginia executes plays successfully, the Cavalier defense will have its work cut out for itself with Wake Forest’s redshirt junior quarterback Riley Skinner on the field.With a shoulder injury, Skinner boasts a 123.4 pass efficiency rating, 122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. “He’s a marvelous player,” Groh said. “He makes great decisions, he’s accurate, he’s cool at the end of the games. He’s clearly engineered that train.”When two teams with standout players like Wake’s Skinner and Virginia’s Cedric Peerman compete, the result is unpredictable. Virginia and Wake Forest epitomize the concept of unpredictability with their individual histories of saving the action for the final quarters. “Wake Forest and Virginia are the two teams during the course of two-plus seasons, almost three seasons now, who have played in the most games in this conference that were decided right at the end,” Groh said. “That was the case last year when the two teams played, and now a year later there’s just been more added to that total for each team. Last year substantiated that because clearly that was decided on the last play.”Just last weekend against Duke, Wake Forest pulled away with a 33-30 overtime win, tying with Florida State for second in the ACC Atlantic Division.The Virginia football team has not traveled to Wake Forest since 2002, making it difficult to know what to expect from the Demon Deacons on their home field. “It’s almost as though you’re playing a non-conference opponent,” Groh said. “You know what’s going on with their games, but outside of that you don’t have a great familiarity with them. You really have to study them.”Virginia’s determination to put last weekend’s loss in the past could bode well for the Cavaliers as they enter tomorrow’s game.“That’s the great thing about this game — there’s a chance for redemption from week to week,” sophomore quarterback Marc Verica said. “If things didn’t go your way the week before, then you have a great opportunity the next week. Usually, a win can solve things like this.”
(11/06/08 7:19am)
The Virginia men’s and women’s tennis teams are preparing to host the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, which will begin today. More than 45 schools will be represented by the 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams, for both men’s and women’s tennis, that will meet at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.Only the “elite of the elite for the college tennis world” will compete in the tournament, Virginia women’s tennis coach Mark Guilbeau said. “I wish our whole team could play.” Among other tournaments held earlier this fall, the U.Va. Invitational and the ITA All-American Championships have prepared Virginia men’s and women’s players for the Indoor Championships. Both Cavalier teams use these fall tournaments as early tests and training grounds for their spring seasons.“Everything our team does in the fall, we evaluate and review and learn from,” Guilbeau said. “This is a great rework for a few of our veteran players ... Hopefully we can progress to a level to where most of our team can compete.”The Virginia men’s team will be without last year’s National Indoor singles champion, All-American alumnus Somdev Devvarman; however, when quality players leave a team, other talented team members often step in to fill the void. The Indoor Championships will be a good indicator of who might shine in the coming season to meet the team’s high standards of competition.“Obviously Somdev had a great career here, but it was time for him to move on,” Virginia men’s coach Brian Boland said. “This provided a number of opportunities for players to step up and develop. They knew coming in that they would need to bring their game to another level this year to maintain our level and our expectations.”One singles player who has consistently met Virginia’s expectations is senior Dominic Inglot, who enters the championships ready to defend his spot at No. 18 in the country.“It is my last National Indoor tournament, and I am going to make this my best year,” Inglot said. “I am playing very well right now, and this could be a good chance to do well.”On the women’s side, 13 of the top 20 players in collegiate tennis will participate in the Indoor Championships. Guilbeau said he knows the Virginia teams will try to take advantage of this opportunity to see such high-ranked players in action and will use it to their benefit later in the season.“Hopefully we prepare at the highest level all the time,” Guilbeau said. “I am excited for the entire team to watch, not just the girls playing. They will get some experience even though they are not on the court. They can see the highest level and know that is what they are striving to reach themselves.” Junior Jennifer Stevens is also sure to gain valuable experience on the court, as she will face some of the most difficult opponents in the collegiate singles ranks.“She has had some good solid results this fall,” Guilbeau said. “And this is the best fall seed she has had.”Seniors Maggie Yahner and Amanda Rales will team up in doubles competition, and will challenge themselves to meet, if not exceed, the level of their opponents.A tournament like the National Indoors “really heightens your awareness, and you want to play well at a big event,” Yahner said. “I have been focusing and thinking about it more because of the higher level of competition.”Holding such an event in Charlottesville means a lot to both the men’s and the women’s teams, and they are hoping for an impressive turnout.“I think a lot of the fans will be coming out because it is one of our biggest tournaments behind the NCAAs and maybe the [ITA] All-American [Championships],” Inglot said. “To host it here will be incredible.”
(11/05/08 9:49am)
The Virginia women’s soccer team hopes to take down Wake Forest tonight in its second matchup against the Demon Deacons this week. Just this past Sunday, Virginia met Wake at Klöckner Stadium for its last regular-season game. The contest ended in a 1-0 Wake victory, sending the Cavaliers into this year’s ACC Tournament with a 12-4-2 record (6-3-1 ACC). Virginia hopes to make up for this loss as it enters the first round of the tournament tonight in Cary, N.C.Virginia’s season has been successful as far as wins go, but because of the team’s recent loss to Wake (12-6, 5-5 ACC), the Cavaliers need to concentrate on being physically and mentally prepared to avoid making potentially game-determining mistakes.“This part of the season you’ve got to be careful,” Virginia coach Steve Swanson said. “We might have to push back a little bit just to make sure we are fresh going into Wednesday — fresh mentally — so that we can make the right decisions and we can make the right reads. I think that’s what I’m noticing on the field more than anything.”If Virginia succeeds in making the right decisions and uses opportunities well, the Cavaliers could make considerable advances in tournament play. Though ACC women’s soccer teams are known to be strong competitors, Virginia ranks among the strongest, sitting at third behind North Carolina and Florida State.“Obviously the ACC is and always has been a strong conference, and anyone can beat anyone on any day,” senior goalkeeper Celeste Miles said. “I think that [having played] all the teams, we should have confidence in ourselves that we can hang with anyone and that when it comes down to it, it’s the ACC Tournament — everyone’s going to want it badly, and we are going to have to bounce back from the last few tough games.” Virginia has only lost four games overall this season, three of which came against conference teams. The Cavaliers experienced their first conference defeat of the season Oct. 9 against Virginia Tech when they fell 1-0 in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is entering the ACC Tournament seeded seventh with a record of 10-7-2 (4-4-2 ACC). The Hokies have had a solid season, landing by the median in conference rankings; it remains to be seen how they will react to top-tier teams such as North Carolina.North Carolina (16-1-2, 9-0-1 ACC) likely will prove to be the toughest competition for all of the ACC’s women’s teams as it tops the pile at No. 1. The Virginia women suffered their biggest loss to Carolina Oct. 24, scoring only one goal to the Tar Heels’ five.Virginia’s game against Duke Oct. 30 made it clear that the Blue Devils (12-4-3, 4-3-3 ACC) will also be a team that could provide some surprises in the upcoming tournament. Duke, fifth in the ACC, held the Cavaliers to a 0-0 score in double overtime play, showing off the Blue Devils’ persistency and hustle, team characteristics that play critical roles during tournament season.“You have to look out for all of [the teams],” Wake Forest coach Tony da Luz said. “Everybody has been so tough. We had to work our way back to 5-5 in the league. Virginia Tech Thursday night was absolutely on fire, it was a really tough game. This tournament — there may be a couple upsets. It’s going to be an interesting tournament.”With each team in such close competition, accurate predictions are nearly impossible. Though Wake Forest won last weekend’s game, the Demon Deacons are going into the match this evening as if Virginia is a team of completely unpredictable challengers.“I don’t think [Sunday’s win] will change our mentality,” da Luz said. “Right now we are going into the knockout phase — you lose, you’re out. You just got to get results and try to stay organized and minimize [Virginia’s] chances.”The tournament consists of three single-elimination games, making every aspect of play that much more pivotal. Eight teams are in the tournament, including No. 2-seed Florida State and No. 4-seed Boston College, both of which the Cavaliers defeated earlier this season.“We’ve just got to get ready,” Swanson said. “It’s a long haul. If you plan on winning you’ve got to get ready for the long haul — mentally and physically — and that’s something we need to do.”
(10/30/08 9:06am)
Last night’s swim meet against Virginia Tech started on a high note as the men’s and women’s teams took the top spot in the 200-yard medley relay. Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said this race “set the tone” for his team, and the Cavaliers dominated from start to finish, maintaining their undefeated record thus far this season.The Virginia women’s final score of 188-110 and the men’s score of 189-108 would not have been possible without standout individual performances by swimmers from both Cavalier teams. It was an especially good night for sophomore Elizabeth Shaw, who broke Cara Lane’s 7-year pool record in the 200 butterfly. Shaw topped Lane’s mark of 1:59.03 with a time of 1:57.54 in a one-two-three Cavalier sweep.“She’s just very gifted, very talented, very focused and very hungry to be excellent,” Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. “She really is quite an excellent swimmer. We’re starting to expand her scope of races.”Shaw was named the 2007-08 ACC Freshman of the Year, and in Virginia’s first meet of the year against South Carolina, she set another pool record, also in the 200 butterfly. With such an explosive start to open the season, Shaw is certainly living up to high expectations this season.“Both of my races felt really strong when I set the pool records,” Shaw said. “I’ve had my eye on [the 200 butterfly] for a while, so I just had a lot of girls out there who were good racers, and so we pushed each other, and I got it done.”On the men’s side, senior Ryan Hurley found success as well. After taking a year off to train for the Olympic Trials, Hurley has returned to Virginia stronger than ever, easily putting away the competition in men’s 100 and 200 breaststroke events.“I was happy with my races,” Hurley said. “These first couple of meets, I just worry about my times, and my times were a little better than last week, so that’s good; I’m making progress.”There is no telling how impressive Hurley will become if this progress continues, but he will always think of himself as a member of an equally remarkable team.“It’s like two completely different sports — swimming for yourself and swimming for the team,” Hurley said. “I couldn’t think of a better team to come back to. We have so many guys that really just always step up to the plate and are always great. It’s great to know that if I do my part, everyone else is doing their part, as well.”Shaw and Hurley are just two team members who add to the impressive depth of the men’s and women’s teams.“We’re deep, but we’re able to be deep because we’re really versatile,” Bernardino said.The swimmers use this depth on a day-to-day basis, but it will be particularly important for it to develop early in the season.“The depth we have in multiple events will be critical in the championship season,” Shaw said. “We all push each other every day. If I’m working on butterfly, someone else will be working on it with me, so we’re both going to get better.”The meet could have unfolded differently had Virginia not started the way it did. The Cavaliers defeated the Hokies in the opening 200 medley relay — an event that Bernardino referred to as a Virginia Tech specialty. From then on, Virginia dominated across the board.“We felt if we could come out and win a sprint race for each gender right away, that would set the tone for the meet,” Bernardino said. “We knew we were coming right back with one of our strengths — the mile.”The squads hope to maintain their undefeated records as the men’s team travel to Tennessee Nov. 6, and both teams swim at Kentucky Nov. 7.
(10/29/08 5:55am)
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are suiting up for their first home meet of the season today at the Aquatic & Fitness Center, where they will face off against one of their biggest rivals: Virginia Tech.Last year in Blacksburg, the Cavalier men’s team won 172-128, and the women earned 188 points to the Hokies’ 110. As the score reflects, it was a powerful day for the Virginia women, who broke four pool records. The team of junior Mei Christensen, junior Katherine McDonnell, freshman Lauren Smart, and senior Kristen Wallace posted a 1:43.62 in the 200 medley relay. Other records were set by junior Jen Narum in the 1000 freestyle,senior Megan Evo in the 200 butterfly, and Christensen in the 200 backstroke.Key swimmers from the men’s team in the teams’ last matchup were sophomore Matt McLean and junior John Azar. Azar helped the team with two wins in the 200 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke, while McLean boosted the Cavaliers’ score by winning the 100 and 200 freestyle events. Though Virginia dominated the lanes last year, a team is never guaranteed continued success as a new season opens up, and the Cavaliers will have to work to grab another victory today. Virginia Tech is coming off an impressive effort against West Virginia last weekend which featured both its men’s and women’s teams winning by more than 90 points.“I was very impressed with Virginia Tech’s performance this past weekend,” Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. “They showed good early speed. The key to success for us is to lay with our depth, and we will have to swim well with our experienced upperclass athletes. All of our swimmers will have to be on the front edge of all of the races.” Finding aggressiveness should not be a challenge with fifth-year senior Ryan Hurley back on the team. Hurley took last year off to train for the Olympic trials, so tough competition is nothing new to him. “It’s tremendous to have him back,” Bernardino said. “He was one of the captains as a junior and elected captain again this year. He has NCAA, ACC Championship and international experience. He has an exceptional personality and great work ethic. He knows how to work with a team as a leader, and we desperately needed a national-class breaststroker, and he fits that bill very well.”Bernardino is not the only person excited to have Hurley back on the team. Though the Olympic experience was undoubtedly rewarding, Hurley is glad to be competing with his teammates after being away from the collegiate swimming atmosphere for a year. “It feels great,” Hurley said. “It’s definitely much more fun, exciting and a rewarding experience to be swimming with the team again.” Hurley had standout performances in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events during the 2005-06 season, and he has only gotten faster. The team hopes that Hurley’s speed in the breaststroke leg of the 200 medley relay will help the Cavaliers advance past the Hokies in one of Tech’s strongest events.“Tech has a great 200 medley relay,” Hurley said. “It’s faster than ours and it’s the first event of the meet. We’re looking to win that event and some of the sprint freestyle [races] because they’re known as sprinters, so it would be great to upset them in that event as well.”That upset could be likely if the Cavaliers perform as strongly Saturday as they have so far this year. Virginia started the season off with two consecutive wins last weekend in South Carolina, defeating both South Carolina and ACC-rival Clemson in their home pools. The women’s team, seeded at a strong No. 10 in the nation, earned a 169-131 victory against Clemson, while the No. 15 ranked men left the Tigers in the dust with a score of 189-105.The Virginia swimming and diving teams are going into Saturday’s meet ready to compete in hopes of earning the reputation as the stronger side of a notorious rivalry. “They’re a solid team, but we’re really strong this year,” Hurley said. “I think we’re ready to make a pretty big statement Wednesday. I’m really optimistic on how well we’re going to do.”