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(02/03/09 7:11am)
On Feb. 3, one year ago today, my life changed forever.Before I tell you why that day was so important, let me give you a little bit of back story. There I was, an unassuming second-year transfer student. I was still recovering from my first semester at the University, had never written a piece of journalism in my life and hadn’t taken an English class since my senior year of high school.It was around this time last year that I was beginning to appreciate all of the free or cheap opportunities available to students on Grounds. I tried to take advantage of as many as I could: $3 movies at Newcomb Theater, racquetball courts in Slaughter Recreation Center, interesting public speakers, semiformal dances and more a capella concerts than you ever possibly thought could exist.There was one activity in particular that became my absolute favorite. It lit up my afternoons and weekends and gave me something to get excited about. It was women’s basketball.Yep, I fell in love with the Virginia women’s basketball team last year. I went to every home game of the season, became familiar with the players, scoured stat sheets, and — I kid you not — hung up pictures of my favorite athletes on the team around my suite.It was 366 days ago that I decided I was unhappy with the level of attendance at the continually underappreciated women’s basketball team’s home games. I wrote a letter to the editor-in-chief of The Cavalier Daily complaining.Though my letter was never published, I did get an e-mail back, asking me if I would be interested in writing for the Sports section because I was so interested in the team.About two weeks later, my very first article ran. Since then, my interaction with sports and sports journalism has become a blur. It’s been daily, nonstop and absolutely glorious. I’ve constantly found new parts of Virginia sports to immerse myself in.This past weekend, I was elected Sports Editor of The Cavalier Daily. It’s been an interesting and educational journey, navigating my way from neophyte basketball fan to resident sport aficionado, and I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the things I’ve learned about Virginia athletics and sports in general since I pressed the “send” button on that e-mail a year ago.First, pick a team and stick by them. Whether it’s the 300-pound defensive linemen on the football team or the skinny women golfers in their short skirts, athletic teams survive off of a small corps of highly dedicated fanatics. Go to every home event you can, and be sure to take a road trip to an away game at least once a season.To the casual, channel-surfing sports fans, it may seem absurd and tedious to trek out and watch games live. Once you’ve really adopted a team as your own, though, you’ll understand why it’s important. It’s hard to really grasp the distinct personalities of the athletes until you’ve seen firsthand the beads of sweat on their foreheads, watched them interact with their coaches and spent a good bit of time watching them play in person.Next, whenever you follow a team, really get into it. Make posters, send e-mails and online messages to the athletes you come to admire and cheer until your voice goes numb. You’ll have fun and might even be surprised, as I was, how many of them get back to you and thank you.Finally, never give up on a team, even if they start losing. It’s human nature to drift only toward successful teams. After all, as pragmatic creatures, we love to emulate success. Avoid glorifying only success.Whatever blood, sweat and tears you put into becoming a full-fledged fan for your favorite team will be paid back tenfold once your team turns around. Ask any devoted fan of a local sports team who’s seen them turn from pathetic to powerhouse. It’s invigorating and fulfilling.So here I sit, now an unassuming third-year student, looking back on the past year and reflecting how well it has treated me. I think about the dozens of Cavalier sporting events I’ve watched, the hundreds of great memories, the stories I have to tell and the thousands of moments that have taken my breath away — and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.So I ask you — nay, I implore you — to not let your college years slip away without taking advantage of the 23 phenomenal Virginia sports teams just aching for devoted fans. A capella and movies are great and all, but there’s nothing like the raw energy of watching a live sporting event. To watch your team crumble and then rise from the ashes, to see athletes walking around Grounds eating a sandwich, to absorb yourself in the culture and the emotion of the local sports scene, to walk home from a sporting event with a hoarse voice but a strengthened spirit, to care about a team as if it’s your very own, truly is a joy beyond compare.
(01/29/09 8:31am)
Three of the four seniors on the Virginia women’s basketball team have seen significant playing time and have regularly started games. Forward Lyndra Littles, guard Britnee Millner and center Aisha Mohammed have each played in more than half of the team’s games and have averaged at least 27 minutes in their appearances.The fourth Class of 2008 member, guard Kristen London, has yet to see that amount of court-time. After Monday’s game at Clemson, she had totaled only 72 minutes in 10 games — though not because of a lack of effort.“Kristen brings a lot of energy and hustle and heart,” Millner said. “She busts her butt every day in practice, goes extremely hard and pushes us to be better players than we are.”London said she just focuses on giving her best effort.“I just kept busting my butt in practice every day,” she said.Virginia coach Debbie Ryan rewarded London’s dedication with more game minutes in the game against Clemson than London had seen so far this season.Though London’s shooting in the game wasn’t spectacular — 1-4 from the field, 3-6 on free throws and totaling 5 points — she grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists, which tied her for second best on the team in assists.“My role on the team is to bring energy, get everybody hyped [and] play defense,” London said, noting that she also often practices against starters.“I just work hard for my teammates so they can prepare for other teams,” London said.London’s competitive spirit is something that runs in her family. Her father, Mike London, is a former professional football player and the current coach for the University of Richmond’s football team.“[My dad] really talks to me about coaching and the coach-player relationship,” she said.That relationship seems to be something Mike London understands; Richmond’s team won the Football Championship Series National Championship this year with his direction. He also served as a defensive coordinator for Virginia’s football team before the Spiders hired him as their head coach. “He’s put so much time and effort into [coaching],” Kristen London said. “That makes me a better player.”Mike London is not the only person in Kristen London’s family who has a connection to football. Her brother, Brandon London, is a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins.Though London said she takes a lot of pride being a part of her family — joking that “success” is each of her family members’ middle name — she also noted that the Virginia women’s basketball team has become her second family.“We have cohesiveness because we truly look at each other as sisters,” London said. “When one person is slacking, we make sure we pick each other up on all aspects.”London and the rest of the Cavaliers will look to bounce back from their first home loss of the season this Friday, and it will not be easy. No. 8 Maryland comes to John Paul Jones Arena for what will be one of Virginia’s biggest challenges of the season.London, though, warns anyone from counting the Cavaliers out.“We’re going to surprise a lot of people,” she said.
(01/28/09 5:31am)
About 15 minutes after the final buzzer went off Nov. 22, 2008 on Virginia football’s disappointing 13-3 loss to Clemson, something more amazing than the rest of the game day combined transpired on the field of Scott Stadium.Matt Taskey, a charter member of the Cavalier Marching Band, climbed up on a podium in front of more than 200 of his band mates, bid them farewell and received the loudest and longest standing ovation anyone this side of Dave Matthews has received for being part of a band in Charlottesville.The 2008 season — CMB’s and Taskey’s fifth — marked the final year the trumpet section leader would suit up in an orange, blue and white uniform, put that silly feather in a big blue hat and march a half-time show in front of 60,000 people.Taskey, whose official CMB membership ended this month, was one of the most special and interesting members of a band filled with special and interesting people. There are a lot of things that separate him from the rest of the members.For starters, Taskey graduated from James Madison in 2000 and hasn’t been a student in years. He pursued CMB in 2003 when he read an article that an old colleague of his, Bill Pease, was establishing a new marching band for the University of Virginia. Unsure whether Pease would remember him, Taskey contacted him. Pease enthusiastically extended the offer to let Taskey participate.At first, Taskey didn’t plan to step out on the field with the band. He just wanted to lend some support. Even when Pease offered him the opportunity to march with the students, Taskey wasn’t sure what to do. Registration day of the first band camp, he sat in his car in the parking lot debating whether to walk in and sign up. Taskey said he almost turned around, headed back to 64 and drove home.Fortunately for the band, Taskey made those steps from the car to the door of the hotel. Since that decision, his impact on the fledgling marching band — and on Virginia athletics and the University as a whole — has been enormous. The band’s impact on Taskey has been pretty big, too, he said.“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Taskey said. “I love being on the ground floor of new things. You can build the foundation for it and see it growing.”The band, however, is not Taskey’s sole commitment; he has a full-time job. He’s married and settled down, working on a career, which, right now, is helping run business matters at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va.The effort of fitting band practices and the commutes into his 40-hour work week has been worth it.“I love meeting new people,” Taskey said. “I love sharing what I know with people.”As much as he’s gotten out of playing in the band, he’s given back even more. His intensity on the field has helped create a hard-working attitude for CMB that has become part of the band’s identity. He’s done it all in his years with the band: he’s performed solos, he’s run the biggest section in the band for four years and he’s helped develop the band’s process of communication between leadership and members.In his second season in the CMB, Taskey became section leader. He was immediately recognized for being very good at the job; that very season, he won the band’s award for Best Section Leader.The greatest contribution Taskey has made to the band in the past five years, though, comes from something deeper than running rehearsals. Every person he meets — and, by Pease’s estimate, Taskey has probably gotten to know more of his fellow members than any other CMB marcher to date — is introduced to someone who can keep the marching forms from crashing into each other on the field as well as a deeply empathic and loyal friend.Tyler Romeo, a third year trumpet player in CMB, remembers back in 2006 when he had just graduated from high school and been admitted into U.Va. When he signed up for the marching band, Taskey gave him a call, introduced himself and immediately welcomed Romeo to the band.“He always does a great job of making people feel welcome,” Romeo said.Taskey is someone who will stick by you through your coldest winter. If a friend of his is fighting a battle and losing, Taskey is the one leading in reinforcements with horns blazing.It’s not just the big gestures that he gets right, either. Taskey makes sure everyone thanks volunteers and bus drivers. He’ll always be the first to break awkwardness and tension with a silly icebreaker question, some of which he made famous across the band. For example: “If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be and why?”His habit of being a pillar of support can be traced back to when he was in high school and needed that support himself. When he was outed as a homosexual in 11th grade, his dad shunned him, his mom struggled to understand and he felt isolated from his classmates.But Taskey said his sister was always there to comfort him and prevented him from breaking down. His junior year was a rough one, Taskey said, remembering that his parents sent him to a psychiatrist in an attempt to “fix” him. One day at school, he exploded at a fellow student who had been giving him a hard time.Thanks in part to the support and understanding of his sister, he made it through to his senior year, when things calmed down and “everything became normal.” His friends at school stopped making a big deal about it, and his mother eventually grew to accept and embrace having a gay son.Taskey says he’s now closer than ever to his sister and his mother. And though he says his relationship with his father remains tense at times, Taskey still keeps in touch. Taskey, along with his husband, Brandon Cline, even got lunch with Taskey’s father a few months ago.The ability to push through tough times and adapt to any given situation is one of the skills Taskey brings with him to the band as a section leader. It’s traits like these that will help him as he moves on to the next phase of his life: starting a family of his own with Brandon.As Taskey makes preparations to adopt a child with Brandon and his life takes a new direction, he has decided to stop marching for good. That doesn’t mean he’ll disappear from CMB altogether, though. He’s quick to assure the band members who applauded and thanked him back at the Clemson game in November, and again this January at the Band Prom, which was his final event as an official member of the CMB, that he’ll stick around for a while longer.“I’ve got a feeling I’ll be involved for the rest of my life in some capacity,” Taskey said.Dan Stalcup was a member of the Cavalier Marching Band from Aug. 2007 to Dec. 2008.
(01/22/09 7:16am)
During Winter Break, two important things happened to me.First, I played a lot of foosball. If you don’t think this is important, you have not seen foosball at the Stalcup household. It is intense and emotional and runs in marathon sessions.I have played that great American sport of foosball at my house before, but never like this winter. It seems that in the weeks between Fall Break and Winter Break, a fever swept through the household. When I walked through my front door, I was greeted not with hugs and a nice meal, as I was expecting, but with a glare in my brother’s eye that I would come to know means one thing: To the basement. It’s on.The second important thing that happened to me during Winter Break was getting my fall semester grades. Let’s just say they were not so hot. The grade I got in one of my advanced math classes, without giving too much away, begins with a D and ends with a plus.And so my holiday break consisted of alternating stretches of high-adrenaline foosball action and serious soul searching to figure out exactly what habits of mine led to my academic demise.One recommendation I received to help me improve my study habits was to read motivational literature. What a great idea! The solution to my studying woes certainly isn’t something elegant and simple, like making sure I attend class, studying hard for exams and keeping on top of homework. No, all of the answers were in a book claiming it would, for just a small cover price — and possibly the price of an extra seminar — help me unlock the most true version of myself.As the break continued, something bizarre happened. The foosball part of my brain and the motivation part of my brain started overloading and overlapping subconsciously in my mind. I started shouting “synergize!” whenever I scored a goal and whenever I assured my parents that I was on my way to better study habits, my wrists would involuntarily start flicking.And so here I am to present you the result of those colliding impulses: a 9-step program to help you achieve true foosball success.Step 1: Practice makes perfect.You may think the process of hitting a small ball between a series of tiny plastic men is all fun and games but, I assure you, it is not. You must play foosball like I eat fried chicken: often, aggressively and with disregard for the consequences. Note: Consequences of foosball include less socializing. Consequences of consuming excessive chicken include cardiac arrest.Step 2: Spinners never win.If you want the ball to end up in your opponent’s goal, you must put it there. To do so, you need control. A sharp flick of the wrist can send the ball rolling as fast as a spin would, and you can actually aim the direction of the ball if you take a controlled, non-spun shot.Step 3: Defense wins championships.The old football adage holds. Learn to stop the ball from going into your own goal if you want it to end up in your opponent’s. Keep a player on one of your defensive lines directly in front of the ball whenever it’s on your side of the table.Step 4: A good pass is better than a great shot.The key to getting the ball into your opponent’s net is less about how you hit the ball and more about what happens to the ball right before you hit it. Even something simple like knocking the ball from one guy on a line to another guy on the line can throw off the position and timing of a defense.Step 5: The Simpson Shot.Also known as a “face” or a “who’s your daddy,” The Simpson Shot is an essential part of any foosball expert’s toolbox. It’s simple: When your opponent hits the ball to you, immediately hit it back right in his or her face before he or she has a chance to respond. Practice it for a while, and, before you know it, flicking your defenders at any incoming shot becomes habit.Step 6: Use synergyNot much is known about the concept of “synergy.” What we do know is that every life-coach and inspirational speaker lists it as a key to success. Some believe it has something to do with teamwork and cooperation. Others say it was invented because “The Six Habits of Highly Successful People” just doesn’t have a catchy ring. Regardless of its true meaning, the term is now a staple of any success book in any field, and thus is probably important in foosball, too.Step 7: Make loud noises.Groaning, moaning and shouting profanities are all encouraged foosball practices. They get you pumped up for the game and psych out your opponent immediately.Step 8: Create a goal dance.Implement the previous seven steps, and you will begin to see your foosball effectiveness increase at a tremendous pace. A time will come when you can consistently hold an advantage over anyone who dares to challenge you. Be ready for this moment by having an elaborate and obnoxious dance prepared.Feel free to choreograph whatever moves you want for your goal dance, as long as they serve the purpose of rubbing your skill and greatness in your opponent’s face. The only other condition for the goal dance is that it must include the robot.Note: One acceptable use of the goal dance is running upstairs and doing it in front of everyone when you shut out your brother 10-0 for the first time.Step 9: Remember what’s important.If the legends like Cal Ripken, Jr., Jackie Robinson and Art Monk have taught us anything about sports, it’s that class and respect are more important than winning.Foosball, however, is the one exception. You must be cut-throat, sneaky and dirty. All varieties of trick serves are encouraged, as are excessive name-calling and trash talk. It’s about getting into the zone and keeping your opponent out of it.Take these tenets of foos-wisdom and bring them with you to whatever foosball tables you might travel, and you will reap the benefits. For these principles are timeless and their success is guaranteed.Now that Winter Break has ended, though, I need to put all of the foosball stuff to rest so I can focus on my academics. After all, the big lesson I learned from all of this was less about foosball and more about accomplishing the important tasks and setting myself up for success, right?As if. See you all in the Newcomb Game Room!
(01/22/09 7:12am)
Shaking off an ankle injury late in the second half, senior forward Lyndra Littles sank four free throws in the final 30 seconds to lead the Virginia women’s basketball team to a 75-69 victory against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg last night.The Cavaliers (15-3, 2-1) were down 69-67 with 2:47 remaining in the game when Littles and junior guard Monica Wright stepped up to score the game’s final 8 points and prevent an upset in Cassell Coliseum.Littles gave the Cavaliers a scare when she fell to the ground with 8:23 left in the second half in the midst of grabbing a rebound. Immediately after, she was looked at by a trainer and helped off the court.“I think I came down on somebody’s foot and just rolled or sprained it a little,” Littles said.Littles refused to sit out of the rest of her last game as a Cavalier playing in Blacksburg, though. Within a few minutes, she limped back out onto the court and quickly reasserted her presence, sinking a 3-point shot with 6:14 left.Littles’ toughness was the story of the game; her total of 28 points, including 8-8 from the free throw line, led the Cavaliers in the scoring column and kept their hopes alive down the stretch.“Lyndra was just incredible tonight,” Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. “She really had some nice shots, just really getting up high to get over the defender. I was really pleased with her performance.”Equally important for Virginia was Wright’s continued excellence despite being one of the focuses of Tech’s defensive schemes. Only in the second half, when the Hokies seemed to shift their pressure to senior center Aisha Mohammed, did Wright get some space to run the offense.Wright, who leads the ACC in scoring, ended with another prolific day on offense, shooting 11 for 20 from the floor and totaling 23 points. Her ability to grab boards in the paint also continues to blossom. Wright’s seven rebounds led guards in the game and tied for second among all players.The play of Wright and Littles down the stretch helped the Cavaliers overcome difficulties early in the second half.After halftime, the Hokies quickly shook off a 9-point deficit to bring the game within 2 with 16:30 left to play.Virginia, despite combating a high-energy Hokies squad, managed to hold on to the lead until freshman guard Shanel Harrison sank a jumper to put Virginia Tech up 56-54 and give the Hokies their first lead of the night with 9:03 left in the game. Tech held onto its edge until the waning minutes of the game.Although Virginia ended the second half with great efficiency on defense, the end of the first half saw the Hokies begin to claw away at the Cavaliers’ lead.After hopping out to a quick lead that they nursed throughout the first half, the Cavaliers led by as much as 12 before Tech clamped down on defense. The Hokies looked like they were about to end the half on a 6-0 run, but Littles managed to sink a 3-point shot in the final seconds before halftime.One interesting moment in the game came with 6:40 left in the first half, when redshirt-sophomore forward Jayna Hartig earned an assist by passing the ball to her sister, sophomore forward Kelly Hartig, who layed the ball in the basket, marking her only points of the game and Jayna’s only assist.
(01/21/09 7:03am)
Tonight, for the first time since Dec. 4, the Virginia women’s basketball team will play coming off a loss.After falling 103-74 to then-undefeated No. 2 North Carolina Friday, the Cavaliers (14-3, 1-1 ACC) will be forced to respond to their first lopsided defeat this season. No. 16 Virginia has an opportunity to return to its winning ways in Blacksburg tonight, when it takes on a Hokies squad that has struggled thus far. Virginia Tech (8-9, 0-4 ACC) has been unable to edge a conference or ranked opponent this season. The Hokies are playing without last year’s ACC-leading scorer, senior guard Brittany Cook, who continues to be plagued by injuries and has yet to appear in a game this season. Tech junior forward Utahya Drye, averaging 13.8 points, and junior guard Lindsay Biggs, averaging 13.5 points, are together scoring just 9 points more a game than Cook averaged last year.Despite a disappointing early season record, however, the Hokies have shined from time to time, including during a Jan. 16 matchup against No. 4 Duke. Though the Hokies fell 57-52 in the end, they were within a possession of the Blue Devils with a minute remaining in the game.“That is the best I’ve ever seen Virginia Tech play,” Duke coach Joanne McCallie said after the game. “They did some outstanding things.”No matter what level of play the Hokies bring, the Cavaliers must remain focused on what they can do to improve their own performance, which is how Virginia has responded to adversity up to this point.Though the loss to the Tar Heels was their biggest of the season, the Cavaliers have found themselves in a hole before, and it has been in such moments of trial that the team has responded best this season. In the first half of its ACC opener against Wake Forest, the squad fell as far as 16 points behind, but the Cavaliers managed to bounce back with a 24-0 run to top the Demon Deacons. Similarly, Virginia overcame a late deficit to beat then-No. 5 Tennessee 83-82 in Knoxville.Furthermore, the Cavaliers have yet to drop two games in a row. In games following their previous two losses, Virginia has managed to rebound with two of its most resounding victories of the season, topping opponents by winning margins of 34 and 24 points, respectively.Perhaps the Cavaliers’ resiliency can be traced to a pragmatic approach espoused by Virginia coach Debbie Ryan.“The first [rule] of holes is stop digging and get rid of the shovel,” Ryan said.With Ryan’s direction, Virginia will look to improve in the areas in which it struggled Friday during its loss to North Carolina.First, the Cavaliers will have to shoot better from the floor if they wish to succeed in their upcoming tough conference tests; Virginia made only 37.5 percent of its field goals at Chapel Hill. At the same time, the Cavaliers struggled to control the ball effectively, giving up 22 turnovers while only dishing out a total of 10 assists.One player who contributed to Virginia’s poor assist-to-turnover ratio was senior forward Lyndra Littles, who turned the ball over five times and failed to tally a single assist in the game. Littles, however, made up for her poor ball handling performance by hitting eight of 17 shots and totaling 21 points, good for second highest on the team.Littles’ explanation for the Cavaliers’ toughness in the face of a challenge this season is a bit less philosophical and a bit more direct than that of her coach.“We just played hard,” Littles said of previous Cavalier wins following a loss.Regardless of how simple or complex the mindset the Cavaliers choose to take is, they will look to tonight’s matchup against rival Virginia Tech as a chance to reverse their recent misfortune.
(01/16/09 9:19am)
It turns out Virginia couldn’t be the third team to slay the giant.The Virginia men’s basketball team fell 83-61 to North Carolina last night in a game televised nationally on ESPN at John Paul Jones Arena. The Tar Heels, considered by many to be the favorite to win the 2009 NCAA Championship, crushed the underdog Cavaliers with the help of junior guard Ty Lawson and senior forward Tyler Hansbrough and bounced back from losing two of their past three games.North Carolina dominated nearly every portion of the game, especially taking control of the second half. By the time Virginia fans were filing out of the arena with five minutes left in the game and baby blue-clad fans started a “TAR-HEELS!” chant, North Carolina held a significant advantage in field goal percentage, defensive rebounding, blocks and, perhaps most strikingly, free-throw shooting.Led by Hansbrough’s well-known ability to draw fouls, the Tarheels shot 24-of-28 from the line to the Cavaliers’ 7-of-9. Hansbrough particularly took advantage of the charity stripe; his 15 free throws was a personal career-high in regulation and a JPJ record.The one area of the game in which Virginia held a notable advantage was offensive rebounding. The Cavaliers grabbed 24 boards on offense, while Carolina only totaled 14. This was not enough, however, for Virginia to keep North Carolina’s ability to score fast at bay.“We thought we were a good transition defensive team,” junior guard Calvin Baker said. “It kind of exposed us.”The Tar Heels struck early, taking a 14-2 lead as Virginia struggled to overcome a stifling Carolina defense in the early possessions. The Cavaliers missed seven of their first eight shots as North Carolina blocked three shots in the first five minutes.It was not until sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan made an off-balance 3-pointer at 13:49 in the first half to narrow the gap to 14-5 that the Cavaliers showed any sign of life. With another 3-pointer by Farrakhan, a couple of hard-fought field goals in the paint for junior forward Jamil Tucker and two free throws by Baker, Virginia closed the lead to 1 point with 10:40 to go in the half.North Carolina quickly bounced back, however, and controlled the remainder of the first half, its lead peaking at 15 points during the final minute of the first half.Key in North Carolina’s dominance was Lawson, who scored 19 points and dished out nine assists without committing a turnover.“Tyler Hansbrough was a benefactor,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said, “but I thought it was as much Lawson taking care of the game, which helped Hansbrough and the rest of the guys getting what they got.”The Cavaliers had nothing to match Lawson, though a few players tried. Early in the game, Farrakhan seemed keen to recreate his magic from behind the 3-point arc that kept his team close to the Hokies in Virginia’s 78-75 loss last Saturday to Virginia Tech. The crowd cheered as he came off the bench two minutes into the game, and he took six 3-point shots in the first half. After only two of the shots were successful, his presence in the game faded.Farrakhan’s struggle with shooting was emblematic of the Cavaliers’ troubles sinking shots. Seven Cavaliers shot worse than 30 percent from the floor, and only two Virginia starters managed to make more than one field goal.Though the game was one-sided for most of the game, the athletic department rewarded students and fans with an exciting atmosphere. From the exuberant pre-game introductions that were louder than they had been all season, to a half-time show of some high-flying acro-dunkers — acrobats performing slam dunks off of trampolines — to an appearance of recent graduate Sean Singletary, John Paul Jones Arena provided quite a spectacle.The game itself, though, provided little to excite Wahoos, as the team’s few moments of excellent performance were overshadowed by plenty more moments of mistakes and sloppy play.
(01/14/09 5:00am)
And, suddenly, the holiday season is done. Jan. 1 has come and gone, and the red and green decorations have been chucked out to the curb. Everyone becomes a little bit grumpy as they head back to their jobs or classes, and the reality of hard work sinks in again.The media, too, has had to change what it’s talking about. News anchors can no longer spend their time focusing on how much the economy’s tummy ache is going to affect Christmas and Hanukkah gift sales.Sure, there’s the inauguration. But before we know it, that will have come and gone along with the nice little stretch break that the University is giving to students to celebrate. What, then, is next?The answer is awards shows. It seems every important facet of our popular culture has its own major awards program for every newspaper and TV channel to speculate about and cover. Movies get the Oscars, music gets the Grammys, ridiculous facial hair gets the World Beard and Moustache Championship, held this year during a May 23 ceremony in Anchorage, Alaska.What about Virginia athletics, then? Shouldn’t the athletes and coaches in Charlottesville get a big awards ceremony to dole out trophies honoring their great performances?Well, this year they do. It is my pleasure to present the first annual Fall Tommy Awards. The focus of these awards will be athletics during this past sports season. These awards are called the Tommys because each athlete, team and coach honored will receive a Thomas Jefferson bobblehead as a prize for their selection. And with no further ado, on to the awards!Male athlete of the season: Eugene Monroe, football. Runner-up: Emil Heineking, cross country.Being an offensive tackle isn’t a glorious job. Aside from color commentators on ESPN occasionally pointing out how hard the big guys on the line work, there’s little celebration of the position. It’s easy to call offensive linemen’s impact indirect, as rarely do they ever touch the ball or anyone with the ball. The offensive line, though, is often argued as being the most essential component of a football team. That Monroe’s performance was notable enough for him to be selected as a second-team All-American in spite of the Cavaliers’ general ineptness on offense shows just how convincing his playing was.Heineking was a solid contender for this award, too, because of his stellar performance in a sport that generally goes unnoticed. With little fanfare, Heineking earned a spot as an All-American for the second season. He also finished 26th in the nation, the best mark for a Virginia athlete in nearly a decade.Female athlete of the season: Mei Christensen, swimming. Runner up: Nikki Krzysik, soccer.I normally would consider swimming to be a spring sport, but Christensen has swum so well up to now that she takes the award even without a postseason to prove herself. She’s already set a couple of ACC records, team records and gym records this year, both individually and on relays. She swims best in backstroke, but leads the team in 50 meter freestyle as well.Krzysik made the NSCAA All-American first team and was one of 15 finalists for the Hermann Trophy, women’s soccer’s Heisman. She shone brightly even in the sport’s most competitive conference.Rookie of the season: Paige Selenski, field hockey. Runner up: (tie) Michelle Vittese, field hockey. Floor Vogels, field hockey.Virginia’s field hockey team made an unlikely run to the national spotlight, falling in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals to conference opponent Wake Forest. The team’s new and exciting excellence is owed in large part to the superior crop of freshmen this year.Selenski, the National Rookie of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection, headlined the group with consistent play, big numbers and clutch toughness. Vogels and Vittese provided plenty of support themselves as each was selected as second-team All-ACC. Overall, fans of the field hockey team have a lot to be excited about in the future.Coach of the season: Jason Vigilante, cross country. Runner up: Alexandra Kyser, field hockey.In his first season running the cross country program, Vigilante won automatic berths for both the men’s and women’s program — the women’s berth being a surprising upset — and elevated the team to new heights. He was picked as the ACC Coach of the Year, as well as the Southeast Division coach of the year.Kyser as the runner-up pick is a little bit unconventional, as she is an assistant coach. She coordinates recruiting, however, and the Cavaliers’ ascension to national competitiveness wouldn’t have happened without the first-rate batch of rookies on the team this year.Team of the season: cross country. Runner up: field hockey.The men won the ACC again and finished 14th in the nation, while the women won at just the right time to have a shot at the national title. It was overall a rough year for Virginia athletics this fall, but the cross country team was one that managed to excel both in the conference and on the national level.Virginia’s field hockey team was a surprise and should continue to improve. Its only weakness this season was an inability to fully execute against conference opponents.Next up is a section of the show that I call Dan’s picks, where I will look beyond numbers and records and honor some of my personal favorite Virginia athletes and coaches this season.Dan’s pick, athlete: Marc Verica, football.No sport gets as much attention as football, and no position gets as much attention as quarterback. Verica, for practical purposes the team’s fourth-stringer last season, was thrust into the spotlight after two players ahead of him on the depth chart were excused from the team, and Verica was put in as starter ahead of Scott Deke.Verica somehow managed to find exactly the attitude the team needed: positive, relaxed and accountable. Though his play on the field wasn’t good enough to fully revive the Cavaliers, his demeanor and performance in front of the microphone is worthy of a trophy — or maybe a bobblehead.Dan’s pick, coach: Lee Maes, volleyball.It’s hard to call a season a success when a team falls below expectations set at the beginning of the season, but there is some silver lining for volleyball fans. After following the team and the coach closely throughout Maes’s first season with Virginia, I can confidently tell the players that they have a coach with a long-term vision and a coach whose eye for detail and technique will bring out the best in each player he coaches.So there you have it, folks — the first annual Fall Tommy Awards. I hope you enjoyed it even though a sports column doesn’t have quite the same glamour of a four-hour Hollywood event. Since they didn’t have a chance to walk on a real red — or orange and blue — carpet, be sure to congratulate them if you see them around Grounds for winning these very prestigious awards.And if any of you athletes, teams or coaches who won an award read this and want to collect your Tommy bobblehead, get in touch with me. Maybe we can even get dressed up and have a photo shoot with Ryan Seacrest.
(01/13/09 5:00am)
While students and fans may have spent the past few weeks traveling and relaxing, Virginia’s No. 14 women’s basketball team has been hard at work. The Cavaliers are on a nine-game winning streak, including a 77-59 win at home Sunday against No. 25 Wake Forest.In December and January, the Cavaliers (14-2, 1-0 ACC) have routinely stomped their opponents; only one of their nine games since the beginning of December has ended with a margin of victory smaller than 10 points.Junior guard Monica Wright continues to lead the team on offense and defense, averaging 21.9 points and totaling 56 steals during the season so far. She also has rebounded well for a guard, grabbing 5.9 boards per game. A major portion of the Cavaliers’ excellent play recently, however, can be attributed to the return of senior forward Lyndra Littles. Having been unable to play in nine games during the fall semester for academic reasons, Littles has made an immediate impact since she resumed play with the Cavaliers in the Dec. 18 game against Monmouth. In her first game back, she put up 17 points and five rebounds. Littles is averaging 19 points and 6.9 rebounds since her debut this season.“Having Lyndra back was a plus and to see her perform that well was great,” coach Debbie Ryan said after the Monmouth game. “I wasn’t surprised by how well she played because she’s been playing like this all preseason.”Littles was named the ACC Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 4, during which she averaged 25.7 points.Despite Wright and Littles leading the team in scoring, Ryan is allowing younger players to develop. So far, nine players have started at least one game and seven players have averaged at least 5 points per game. Three of the players who fall into these categories are freshmen: forward Chelsea Shine and guards Ariana Moorer and Whitny Edwards.While the freshmen have been solid and have shown steady signs of growth, the upperclassmen continue to stand out. Besides Wright and Littles, senior center Aisha Mohammed has continued to dominate and has nearly averaged a double-double, putting up 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.Solid play from each of the regular major contributors brought the Cavaliers to a victory Sunday against the Demon Deacons despite a slow start for Virginia. Wake Forest, at one point during the first half, led by 16 points before everything finally clicked for the Cavaliers. After halftime, Virginia went on a 24-0 run.Wright credits an energetic home crowd of 3,737, a season high in attendance at John Paul Jones Arena for women’s basketball, for the turnaround.“The crowd was most into it [Sunday],” Wright said. “Getting stop after stop and getting those steals our defensive energy was amazing. [The fans] might not know it, but that really fuels us and gives us energy.”Wright, Littles and Mohammed led the Cavaliers with double-digit scoring performances, putting up 20, 19 and 15 points, respectively. The players’ leap into play from the first half to the second was quite notable as the team nearly doubled their shooting percentage from 29.7 percent in the first half to 50.0 percent in the second.The team will look to build off of its improved play in the second half in the upcoming weeks as it continues to face teams in the very talented ACC that has had six teams ranked in the top 25 at some point this season. Next up is one of the biggest games of the season for the Cavaliers: a trip to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face undefeated No. 2 North Carolina Jan. 16. Things don’t slow down much from there. Virginia will then take on the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va. Jan. 21 and a young but dangerous Florida State team Jan. 23 at JPJ.With Winter Break such a success for the Cavaliers and with the momentum of a winning streak going into the heart of its conference schedule, Virginia will look to make a splash in a conference that sent five teams to the NCAA Tournament last year. These next few weeks will be key for the Cavaliers as they look to prove that their success is no fluke and that they can keep up inspired play even with school back in session.
(12/04/08 6:57am)
Before the Virginia volleyball team practices at Memorial Gymnasium, players often get to work in the gym for about 15 minutes. The first players assemble the volleyball net. Other players run through a few dozen repetitions setting or hitting the ball.To an outside viewer, these pre-practice activities might seem meticulous or slow, but the process shows some parts of the game that coach Lee Maes — who just finished his first year — emphasizes. Players should take accountability for themselves and the team, and the development of proper technique requires diligent conditioning. Success does not come just from showing up with the most talent.Though Virginia (17-15, 9-11 ACC), which finished ninth out of 12 teams in the ACC, did not translate Maes’ approach into the immediate success for which it had hoped, players said Maes is taking the team in the right direction.“The changes he’s brought within his first year — it’s just mind-blowing,” senior outside hitter Beth Shelton said. “I can’t wait to see where the program is in three years.”With Maes came an all-new coaching staff, including assistant coach Ted Wade, whose connections to premier youth teams in Texas have helped Virginia gain the attention of some top recruits from Texas.Apart from the coaches, the team’s solidarity and toughness down the final stretch of the season also was boosted by leaders on the team, particularly the team’s three seniors — Shelton, middle and captain Shannon Davis, and setter Marlow Bruneau.Freshman middle Hillary Trebels called Shelton an “optimistic leader” and noted Bruneau in particular “was very welcoming to us first-years.”It was not only on the court that the seniors stepped up and to help other players on the team.“I would not have survived my first year full of hospital visits [and] a booted foot complete with crutches ... without Marlow,” sophomore middle Sydney Hill said.The graduating seniors will leave a hole not easily filled, players said. It’s not just big things, like communication and consistency, that will be missed, but many of the little things.“Who will I borrow extra socks from?” junior outside hitter Tara Hester said of Shelton. “Whose gum will I steal now? Hopefully she doesn’t mind that she’ll probably never get all the shirts she has loaned me over the years back.”As close as the players were off the court, their relationships on the court kept the team fighting until the end of the season, including in a close 3-2 victory against Virginia Tech, the final match of the year.“It’s always emotional when you know it’s your last match here in Memorial Gym,” Maes said. “It’s special that we finished their career with a win, especially since they’ve contributed a lot.”The match against the Hokies was a satisfying way to end the season and should be something for the team to build on next year, Shelton noted.“I think we finally put it together,” Shelton said.The Cavaliers never achieved a stable level of play this season: From the preseason tournaments through the end of the conference schedule, the Cavaliers’ performance ranged from poor to outstanding. During the offseason and into the start of next season, the Cavaliers will look to take Maes’ system to a more consistent level with new leaders.For Shelton, who will experience the volleyball season as a spectator for the first time in five years next fall, the question is not whether the team will perform better but how fast all the components will come together.“I’m sure that it’s going to continue just improving,” Shelton said. Maes “wouldn’t have it any other way.”
(12/03/08 5:53am)
You’re walking along the beach, wading in the tide. Ahead of you is a pier, and sitting on the edge of the pier is a pudgy man in a uniform and a baseball cap.You walk onto the pier and up to the edge to admire the view. Then, the man in the uniform speaks.“Hey, kid,” he says. You look at him, and there is an eerie glow about him, but you recognize the face. After a few seconds of racking your brain, it hits you.“...Babe Ruth? But, you’re dead!” you sputter.The Bambino smiles. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a white baseball. “Kid, I’m here to grant you one wish,” he says.“A wish?” you ask. He nods and holds out the baseball in front of you. Slowly, you move your hand toward the white orb, but he pulls it away.“There’s one rule,” the Sultan of Swat tells you. “Your wish has to do with sports.” “Sports?”He nods. “Anything you ever wanted to know or see or do in the wide world of sports.”And you start to think, what would you do with one sports wish?Would you see Wilt Chamberlain score 100 and be one of the 200 fans who rushed the court after witnessing the historic event? Or what about watching him grab 55 rebounds in another game, against Bill Russell no less?Or maybe you’d play a round of golf with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer at Augusta National Golf Club. Ask them for some tips on your backswing, then knock back a few brewskies with them at the 19th hole afterwards.Perhaps you’d have a catch with Willie Mays. You could marvel at the leather shark on his left hand that swallows baseballs like minnows, the glove that ruined the dreams of hundreds of batters.Then again, maybe you’d do something noble with your wish. Maybe you’d go back to February 2001 and warn Dale Earnhardt to watch out for Ken Schrader on turn four of the last lap.Or maybe you’d go back to 1919, just before the World Series, and plead with Buck Weaver to publicly reveal his teammates’ plans to throw the World Series. You could save sports from one of its worst scandals.Perhaps you should pit Lawrence Taylor and Jim Brown, each in their prime, against each other to see who would come out on top. Or — if you’re thinking about setting up dream matches — what about Joe Louis versus Muhammad Ali?Maybe the best wish would be to banish Bill Belichick and his short-sleeve hoodies from football forever. You could force him to take Terrell Owens and Adam Jones and every babyish diva in the league with him, too.How about wishing for an interview with Wayne Gretzky? You could ask him how he was able to play so long, set so many records and win so many rings, all while keeping his teeth intact. Then you could ask him for his dentist’s phone number and forward it to Alexander Ovechkin.What if you resurrected Jackie Robinson, just for an afternoon? You could shake his hand and buy him lunch and show him pictures of Cal Ripken, Jr. and Darrell Green to let him know that he wasn’t the last sports hero.Maybe you could use your wish as a public service: once and for all get rid of the God-forsaken Bowl Championship Series and instead put in a real college football playoff. You could listen to your inner patriot and go to the 1936 Olympics wearing red, white and blue. Then you could cheer on Jesse Owens as he beats the Third Reich with his two legs.Or perhaps you’d make yourself one of the luckiest men on the face of the planet and witness Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech.You know what would be fun? Teaming with MJ for a little two-on-two against Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. For a little bit more flavor, you could ask Charles Barkley to be the commentator for your little matchup.Maybe you love the underdog. You could go back to 1969 and bet big on the Mets or visit the 1980 Olympics and tell people that you believe in miracles.What if you wished that the media would never utter the words “Barry” or “Bonds” ever again? Steroids or not, people that selfish should not get the headlines he does.How about wishing to write a letter to Payne Stewart in 1999 or Knute Rockne in 1931 or the Marshall football team in 1970? Tell them to take the train instead.Or do you want the action heroes and adrenaline from your TV to be on the big screen, too? Maybe you should cast Brett Favre, one of the toughest men in America, as the next James Bond. You know you want to watch him foil South Korean and Russian villains after years of watching him foil nickel defenses.Everybody loves a game-winning homer. Would you wish for mobbing the crowd after Kirby Puckett hit one out of the park in Game Six of the 1991 World Series? How about seeing Kirk Gibson hobble around the bases after his game-winner in the first game of the 1988 Series? Then there’s the granddaddy of all home runs, the Game Seven-clincher by Bill Mazeroski in 1960. Would your one wish be to witness that?You look at Babe Ruth and he’s growing impatient, but you’re still not quite sure what to say. Then, suddenly, it hits you.“Babe, my wish is to have Sean Singletary come back and play for U.Va. for one more year.”
(12/02/08 6:31am)
The Virginia volleyball team’s match with Virginia Tech Friday was one that Virginia’s coaches and many of its players had highlighted on their calendars several weeks before. It ended as tightly contested as the teams’ previous matchup – a 3-0 Tech blowout win – had been one-sided. The Cavaliers sent out their seniors the way they wanted to, edging the Hokies 3-2 (25-21, 25-21, 20-25, 19-25, 15-12).Despite being senior day, three younger players led the Cavaliers (17-15, 9-11 ACC). Junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson led the team in kills (14), sophomore right-side hitter Kendahl Voelker had the team’s best hitting percentage (.333) and junior defensive specialist Brittani Rendina notched 25 digs.Perhaps more important than any statistical contribution, though, was the emotion of the night. In a brief pregame ceremony, the three seniors — outside hitter Beth Shelton, middle Shannon Davis and setter Marlow Bruneau — were introduced, along with their parents, to the crowd.Tears ran down Shelton’s face, but once the game started, it was down to business. The play was not perfect for the Cavaliers, but the energy of senior night was enough to keep the team going.“Not our prettiest, but I’ll take it,” Shelton said.Virginia coach Lee Maes noted the importance of the evening for the athletes, but said the win had more to do with technical factors of the game than emotion.The match was “another one of those serve-and-pass-fests,” Maes said.The Cavaliers came out strong, winning the first two sets by 4 points each. In these sets, the Cavaliers hit .258 and .222, respectively. After that, though, things began falling apart.“We didn’t step it up in [sets] three and four like we wanted to,” Davis said.The next two sets saw the Cavaliers struggle, especially in set three when the team’s hitting percentage dipped to .065. The Hokies (20-11, 11-9 ACC) won the fourth set to tie the match up at 2-2.At the beginning of the fifth and final set, the Cavaliers struck first and never lost the lead, ultimately topping Tech 15-12.The final point came when Bruneau set the ball over the net, and the Hokies failed to return it, which was not exactly how the play was drawn up. Bruneau, whose primary role is feeding the ball to hitters, said she meant to pass the ball to Davis and give her fellow senior a chance to win the game. A momentary mental lapse had her misfiring the ball so it went over the net.“Shannon [Davis] was in the front row, and so was Lauren [Dickson],” Bruneau said. “I dinked it, and it just happened to score.”It was enough for the Cavaliers to finish off the match and overcome four Hokies landing double digits in kills, along with Virginia Tech freshman setter Erin Leaser putting up a 52-assist performance.The Cavaliers’ improved level of play from their previous two games left Bruneau feeling a little bit disappointed that the team had not been more consistent throughout the season, she said. She complimented the other seniors for keeping the team together during the season, though.“I think Shannon [Davis] and Beth [Shelton] really stepped up and played with a lot of heart,” Bruneau said.Shelton noted that getting the team to work as a unit was one of her main goals for the match“Part of our struggle this year has been leadership and urgency,” Shelton said. “I was really trying to elicit responses from people.”Shelton, who just finished her fifth year with the team, became the team’s dominant offensive force in the season’s final weeks. She hit double-digit kills in seven of the team’s last eight matches.“I’m excited to see where we’re going,” Shelton said. “I’m sad I’m leaving.”On a night full of emotion and reflection, Davis, who served as the team’s captain, said she had not really processed that her career as a student-athlete was about to be over.“I thought I was going to be bawling-crying,” Davis said. “I’m sort of outside myself right now.”Each of the seniors said she was happy with the evening’s positive final note, both with the warmth of the crowd and with the team’s performance. In fact, the team played so well in the final match of the season that Bruneau offered a piece of advice for the team’s underclassmen.“Always play every game like it’s your last one,” she said.
(11/25/08 10:17am)
Back in mid-September, I wrote a column making a series of bold and unlikely predictions about the college and pro football seasons this year. There’s still plenty of football left to be played, but it’s late enough in the season to take a look to see if this sportswriter’s calls were crazy-good or just plain crazy.Prediction 1: Peter Lalich’s troubles would pass and he would resume his starting role, serving as a great quarterback for the next 2.5 years.Outcome: Petey, as his teammates refer to him, is no longer a Cavalier. That doesn’t mean, however, my prediction is no good. Lalich is now enrolled at Oregon State University where he will sit out the 2008 season and begin playing for the Beavers in 2009. His coach even told the Gazette-Times in Corvallis, Ore. that Lalich’s doing an impressive job as quarterback of the OSU scout team.So for this prediction, we’ll say I pushed.Record: 0-0-1Prediction 2: Terrell Owens would be selected as the NFL MVP.Outcome: I definitely called this one. Yep, Owens is a lock to repeat as the NFL’s MVP: Most Volatile Personality. He’s starting to grow unhappy, even when the team caters to him. Philadelphia can tell you where things go from here.Record: 1-0-1Prediction 2a: I would make and lose a stupid bet against the Cowboys.Outcome: Recall that I am the University’s biggest Redskins fan and that I love making ridiculous bets on sports games, particularly Redskins-Cowboys games. I figured I was destined to lose a wager against the Cowboys during one of the two seasons’ matches.The Redskins somehow pulled out a 26-24 win Sept. 28 against the Cowboys in the teams’ last matchup in Texas Stadium, only the team’s second win there in the past decade.But I was not so lucky when the Cowboys came to FedEx Field two weekends ago and edged Washington 14-10.As expected, I made and lost a bet on the game. We thought about making the bet on a “Romo is my homeboy” T-shirt. My friend, however, thought of another medium where I could alert even more people about my affection toward the Cowboys’ quarterback: the title of a sports column.Record: 2-0-1Prediction 3: North Carolina would win the ACC.Outcome: This is another one I nailed. The Tar Heels won the ACC in 2008 ... in women’s soccer. What, you thought I was talking about football?Record: 3-0-1Prediction 4: Virginia will upset East Carolina.Outcome: Woo! 35-20! It’s true that this prediction looked less bold in mid-October when the teams actually played than in mid-September when the Pirates were ranked No. 15 in the nation and the Cavaliers were sitting at 1-2.As I stated, though, the Cavaliers were picking up momentum just as East Carolina was losing it. I make this look too easy, sometimes.Record: 4-0-1Prediction 5: No midmajors will crash the BCS this year.Outcome: Not only will midmajors crash the BCS this year, but three teams have a chance to do so. Utah has secured 12-0, while Boise State is one win away from an undefeated record, and Ball State is one win and a MAC Championship contest away from finishing 2008 unscathed.Utah is a lock for a BCS bid with a No. 6 BCS ranking. Boise State has a good shot at an at-large bid, too, sitting at No. 10. Things aren’t looking as bright for Ball State, though, which, at No. 15 in the BCS, could go undefeated and not land a spot in a big-time bowl game.So you’d think I got this wrong, but I’m going to say I pushed, because I did call that Utah was a team that had a chance and that then-media darlings ECU and Brigham Young would not make it through the season undefeated.Record: 4-0-2Prediction 6: Notre Dame would go to a bowl game and might even scratch the top 25 at some point.Outcome: Notre Dame is bowl-eligible, which is the equivalent of bowl-bound because most bowls are eager to cash in on the Fighting Irish and their legions of wealthy, traveling fans.And the part about scratching the top 25 was not that far out of place, either. The team received votes in polls many times throughout the season.Record: 5-0-2Prediction 7: Chad Ocho Cinco will be traded to a team where No. 85 is retired.Outcome: The point of this prediction wasn’t necessarily the trade itself but that Ocho Cinco wouldn’t be able to wear the 85 on his back.Turns out it wasn’t the eight-five that Chad could not wear, but the Ocho Cinco. Reebok won’t allow Chad to wear his new last name on his jersey this year so the old Johnson jerseys can finish selling.I’ll take half credit here.Record: 5-0-3Prediction 8: Virginia would go to a bowl game.Outcome: This was perhaps the boldest and least likely among my bold, unlikely predictions.The Cavaliers sit at 5-6 right now. Virginia faithful everywhere let out a collective sigh of disappointment when the Cavaliers lost to Clemson 13-3 because it means the team will have to win at Blacksburg to have a shot at bowl eligibility. It’s not unlike the end of the 2006 season. It seems most fans and sportswriters have phoned the season in.Maybe the upcoming break from schoolwork has made me too optimistic, but I think the Cavaliers are going to win. Write it down — underdog does not mean anything. 23-20, Cavaliers.Plus, if the Cavaliers pull it out, they’ll have fulfilled the last of my football predictions. Even though I had to sneak my way out of a few of them, I could still be looking at an undefeated record. Not too shabby for a non-prophet.
(11/19/08 5:00am)
I have three regrets in my life up to this point. The first is falling asleep during the 2006 Rose Bowl. This was the game where Texas upset USC, and nothing would have made me happier than to see the USC Trojans fall in a miraculous Longhorn comeback led by Vince Young.The second happened during my senior year of high school when two of my friends and I decided it would be a good idea to put dry ice in two-liter bottles half-filled with water to see how loud this would make the bottles pop. We did this while trespassing on private property — with a cop stationed a little bit down the road. This was a cop who happened to think that popping dry ice bottles sounds a lot like gunfire.The third happened this past Monday. You see, a few of my fellow Cavalier Daily reporters and I had been planning to take a road trip that day to Knoxville, Tenn. to see the Virginia’s women’s basketball team take on the reigning national champions, the most storied women’s basketball program under the most decorated women’s basketball coach: Tennessee, led by Pat Summitt.But I canceled the trip the day before. There was a project I needed to work on, and I had a Monday evening class. I didn’t want to drive over six hours each way to spend the rest of the month getting mocked by my housemates for making a road trip “just to watch some women’s basketball.”And here I sit now, watching “SportsCenter” recap the Cavaliers’ 83-82 victory against the Volunteers, weeping into my bowl of cereal. How could I have passed up on this opportunity? I was so close to going. I even had worked out most of the arrangements. I have the rest of my college career to go to class and work on projects — was it really worth missing greatness to not fall another day or two behind?This game was in fact a great one. Last night, Virginia became the 10th team to ever beat the Lady Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena since it opened in 1987. Tennessee holds a 295-19 record at home for the past 22 years. This place is more orange than Cameron is blue, more intimidating than a den of lions.Tennessee probably has the only women’s basketball program with a legacy and mystique around it to match the greats in men’s basketball. Any win against the team is an accomplishment. Summitt has more victories than any other Division I basketball coach, men’s or women’s, with 984. Her winning percentage with the team is a bewildering .843 during her career. And yet, the Cavaliers snatched one away from her.Chalk this win up to a monumental performance by junior guard Monica Wright. I watched the game through an online broadcast and was astonished as her stats kept piling up. She not only put up a career-high 35 points, but she played 39 out of the game’s 40 minutes. Her five steals led the team, as did her eight rebounds — pretty impressive for a guard.Wright’s quantity of play did not stand out alone; her quality of play was superb, too. There was great efficiency to her game. She picked up only three fouls in her 39 minutes, and she had one of the Cavaliers’ best field goal percentages, which is a nice feat for someone taking the most shots.Is it really absurd to start talking about Wright going down as the greatest Virginia women’s basketball player of all time?Longtime fans of the team might scoff at this. After all, the University did graduate Dawn Staley, arguably the greatest basketball player in the history of ACC basketball, men’s or women’s. Staley, whose collegiate career spanned 1989-92, is the only men’s or women’s ACC player ever to total all of 2,000 points, 700 rebounds, 700 assists and 400 steals.But what did Staley do that Wright is unable to? All right, Staley led Virginia to three Final Fours, and Wright won’t do that, but Staley had the help of another All-American guard, Tammi Reiss. Also on those Final Four teams was Heather Burge, who now sits only behind Staley on the list of all-time leading scorers for Virginia. Wright certainly has some high-level talent around her, but nothing like what Staley had, especially since senior forward Lyndra Littles is out for the rest of the semester.And don’t forget that Wright still can bring Virginia to the Final Four. If she plays the rest of the season like she has the past two games, she probably will. There’s no reason at this point to doubt that she’ll break Virginia’s single-season scoring record, which she came within 14 points of last year.Staley was Naismith Player of the Year twice, but even a milestone like that isn’t out of the question for Wright, who is playing like she only just now is hitting her stride and like her ACC Rookie of the Year season in 2006-07 was an under-performance. If Wright can continue to dominate top-25 schools — and she’ll have plenty of chances to once the ACC schedule hits — she’ll be in the discussion of every player of the year award.Even in pure stats, Wright could very well go down as the greatest Cavalier. Double all of her stats from her first two seasons, and she tops the record books in points and bests Staley in rebounds. As Wright’s defense improves, she could catch Staley in steals. Her block total, which continues to steadily grow, is also quite impressive for a guard.The only statistic that does not astound when extrapolated through the end of Wright’s career is assists. Then again, don’t doubt Monica. You never know when she’ll rack up six assists in a key game.And don’t forget that Wright will likely end up as captain for the Cavaliers for three seasons, that she has a smile that belongs on the cover of “People” magazine, and she’s a complete doll, one of the sweetest girls you’ll ever meet. Freshman guard Ariana Moorer said after Friday’s game against High Point that Wright is a great player but an even better person.No matter how you look at it, Wright is a stellar player, and she showed it Monday night against the Volunteers.I certainly don’t mean to suggest Wright did it on her own. Wright shone most brightly, but a few other stars lit up Knoxville. Center Aisha Mohammed contributed 19 points. Senior guard Britnee Millner sunk that clutch free throw that gave the Cavaliers the win and almost grabbed the rebound when she missed her second shot. Freshman guard Whitny Edwards put up her second double-digit scoring performance in as many games.Also standing out was Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, who fits an awful lot of strength and steadiness into her small frame. She somehow convinced her team that it had a chance against the reigning national champions even though two starting Cavaliers — Littles and the injured guard Paulisha Kellum — were out.Perhaps even Staley, in the form of karma, played a hand in the victory. An overtime loss to Tennessee in the 1991 title game prevented Staley from landing Virginia a national championship. Maybe Staley’s spirit will keep looking over this season, and Wright will pull off what no Cavalier, even Staley, has ever done and bring a title banner to Charlottesville. Virginia’s not a powerhouse yet, but ever since Sharneé Zoll first put on her orange and blue jersey in 2004, that’s where the Cavaliers have been heading, thanks to great Virginia leadership and recruiting — the team just landed the nation’s third-ranked recruiting class for 2009.Regardless of who deserves the credit for Monday’s win, whether the game will be billed as Virginia’s coming-out party into the national spotlight or as Tennessee’s meltdown in the wake of the departure of now-WNBA stud Candace Parker, and whether Virginia carries the momentum into a successful season, Monday night’s game was a classic for the Cavaliers. Too bad I was sitting on my couch staring at a computer monitor instead of making myself hoarse in Knoxville.Maybe I’ll go play with dry ice to make myself feel better.
(11/18/08 5:00am)
The early signing period for NCAA volleyball ends tomorrow, and Virginia’s team has landed two key recruits.Tobi Farrar, one of the signed recruits, is a middle blocker from Arlington, Texas. PrepVolleyball.com has ranked the Arlington High School senior as the No. 52 recruit from the Class of 2009.“I can’t wait to play volleyball at a higher level,” Farrar said.Virginia coach Lee Maes noted Farrar’s exceptional ratings by scouts comes in large part because of her exceptional size; Farrar is 6-foot-3, which compares well to the 6-foot-1 and 6-foot frames of Virginia’s current middle blockers.Farrar said she also considered playing for Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Stanford, but was drawn to Virginia for a variety of reasons.“It’s a great mix of academics and athletics,” Farrar said. “The players and coaches made me fall in love with it more than any other place.”Maes commented that Farrar’s most dramatic impact on the team will come defensively.“She’s able to make space below the net and over the net,” Maes said. “The ... thing that’s really important for us is that she’s a great offensive attacker.”Virginia’s other signed recruit is Jessica O’Shoney, another middle blocker. Standing at 6-foot-1 and described by Maes as a “dynamic athlete,” O’Shoney comes from Austin, Texas, where she plays at Hutto High School and has twice been selected as the MVP of her district.Maes commented that O’Shoney, along with a height that matches Virginia’s current middle blockers, has an arm size and strength that will help make her an instant threat for the Cavaliers.“She’s going to be a very dynamic offensive blocker for us in the first row,” Maes said.The decision to play at the University was easy to make, O’Shoney said.“I haven’t met a better group of people,” O’Shoney said of the team. “It was an obvious decision for me.”O’Shoney and Farrar are the only two prospects Virginia has signed so far, but the main portion of the signing period still awaits for the Cavaliers.“Our vision as a team is to continue building towards national prominence,” Maes said, noting Farrar and O’Shoney “are going to be a great foundation for what we’re trying to achieve.”Maes said credit is due to those who have helped to develop O’Shoney’s and Farrar’s talents as volleyball players so far, including one member of the Virginia volleyball program. O’Shoney worked with current Virginia assistant coach Ted Wade during her stint with the USA Junior National Team while he was working in Austin, O’Shoney said.The two recruits, who both made the all-tournament team in the U.S. Junior Olympics and will begin playing with the team in fall 2009, will make an immediate impact on the team both in pure skill and team chemistry, Maes said.Before the incoming class joins the team, Virginia has three matches left in the regular season. This weekend, the Cavaliers go on their final road trip of the season, playing Wake Forest and Duke in matches Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Cavaliers will conclude their season with a Nov. 28 senior night match against Virginia Tech in Memorial Gymnasium at 6.
(11/17/08 6:30am)
For the Cavaliers, Friday night’s 78-48 victory against High Point was all about firsts.Their first game of the season. Their first opportunity to adjust to play without recent graduate Sharneé Zoll. Their first chance to prove to fans and pollsters that they deserve their No. 15 ranking.It was the first time the team would have to adjust to another big hole in the roster: senior forward Lyndra Littles, who will not participate in games during the fall semester, coach Debbie Ryan announced before the game.“It is a huge loss for us,” Ryan said. “Lyndra is a very cerebral player, and she has turned into a very good leader on our team, so it will be very difficult for us. We will have to go with the next-woman-up philosophy.”Friday’s win against High Point was also the first regular-season game for the team’s freshmen, who were the driving force in the team’s victory. Combining for more than half the team’s points, the freshmen gave Ryan a reason to be optimistic about the future. Guard Ariana Moorer led the group with 19 points, five assists and seven steals.“I felt confident tonight, and my teammates were out there helping me and encouraging me,” Moorer said.Moorer, whom Ryan said will start for the Cavaliers at point guard, not only put up big numbers but played efficiently. She was one of two Cavaliers to have an assist-to-turnover ratio greater than 1.0 on the game.Other freshmen who stood out during the game were forward Whitny Edwards, who tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds, and forward Chelsea Shine, who put up 10 points, six rebounds and a block. Shine in particular fired up the crowd with a high-energy defensive presence.The team’s veterans played well, too. Junior guard Monica Wright — despite missing five of her first six shots — put up 16 points and seven steals, while senior center Aisha Mohammed provided the game’s other double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Senior guard Britnee Millner started but rolled her ankle part of the way through the game, returning midway through the game to play a few more minutes.The Cavaliers hope their starters’ high level of play will continue in a big game at Tennessee tonight. The Volunteers are No. 7 and are the reigning national champions.“I think we need to play within ourselves,” Millner said. “This will be a game where we can gauge where we need to be for our ACC season.”The game at Tennessee will see a matchup between two of the most decorated coaches in collegiate women’s basketball: Ryan and Pat Summitt, who leads all NCAA basketball coaches, men or women, in career wins.The game, which Wright said she has had circled since the beginning of the season, will determine whether the Cavaliers can compete at the elite level their poll rankings indicate.“One thing were going have to do is be able to handle their defensive pressure,” Ryan said of Tennessee. “They will be very aggressive. We have already started preparing a little, but we will prepare these next two days and be ready for their pressure.”Following Monday’s game in Knoxville, the Cavaliers face another ranked team Friday in No. 20 Old Dominion. The Lady Monarchs ousted the Cavaliers from the NCAA Tournament last year.With their first win behind them, the Cavaliers will see if they can leave a big impression against some national powers this week.Before they can worry about returning to Norfolk, though, Virginia has a huge, potentially season-defining match in front of them. The Cavaliers have never won a game at Tennessee. Tonight they will try to prove there’s a first for everything.
(11/17/08 6:28am)
Finish strong.This is the Virginia volleyball team motto for the second half of the season, and it is something the team has put into practice the past two weekends.Now on a three-match winning streak, the Cavaliers overcame a rocky first set against Maryland in Friday night’s match to win 3-1 (17-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-22) and followed that with a Saturday evening 3-0 sweep of Boston College (25-14, 25-19, 25-18).Friday night against Maryland (6-23, 2-15 ACC), the Cavaliers (16-13, 8-9 ACC) took control of the game after the first set and refused to relent to the Terrapins’ pushes to regain control. In the victory against Boston College (7-22, 1-16 ACC), Virginia was even more dominant from beginning to end, only allowing three Eagles a positive hitting percentage.“We had our moments when we let them back in the match with our unforced passing errors,” Virginia coach Lee Maes said of the Boston College match. “It came down to us really converting transition opportunities that they gave us, because they weren’t ball-handling as well as we were.”Senior outside hitter Beth Shelton led the team in kills for both matches with 17 against the Terrapins and 12 against the Eagles. Her .444 hitting percentage and four service aces also led Virginia’s starters.“We were able to distribute the ball really well [Saturday],” Shelton said. “We kept them guessing, which makes it easier for us to pass in the front row.”Maes, who called Saturday’s match “one of those serve-and-pass battles,” said solid production from the team’s hitters comes from consistent passing and ball control. Shelton reiterated this, refusing to take too much credit for her numbers.“I can’t do it without two other people touching the ball before me,” Shelton said. “I think the control, consistency, keeping them guessing, is what really helps us put up numbers like that.”Shelton was not the only player who served well; the team hit 10 aces to the Eagles’ three in Saturday’s match.“We have this saying at practice: pace and location. It’s putting the ball with some pace at a location,” Shelton said about the team’s serving. “I don’t know how many ball-handling errors they had [Saturday], but we give it to the same person and force her to pass. It keeps them out of their system and helps our system.”Shelton appears to be making the most of her final matches at home; only a Nov. 28 match against Virginia Tech remains for her and two fellow seniors. Shelton refuses to let her final season as a Cavalier end with a whimper.“Beth does a really nice job of understanding that we just need her to be efficient,” Maes said. “If she’s efficient, that will allow her to continue doing a lot of positive things.”Shelton knows the Cavaliers’ only chance to play for a championship relies on convincing the NCAA selection committee to give the team an at-large bid. This situation brings Shelton back to the team’s motto.“I think this is really good, ending on a high note for us,” Shelton said. “It’s been kind of a struggle for us during the season, maybe been up and down. But finishing strong — the NCAA [selection committee] always takes a look at that if we have a chance.”
(11/13/08 6:14am)
After finally making their way into the polls during the closing weeks of the 2008 season, the Virginia women’s basketball team enters this season ranked No. 15 in the nation. Unlike last year, the Cavaliers have garnered preseason accolades and the expectations are theirs to fulfill. The players have set the bar high for themselves.“We always have the ultimate goal of winning an ACC championship or a national championship,” junior guard Monica Wright said. Reaching such a high goal involves “working to get to those [smaller] goals — we definitely have our goals that have to do with defense and rebounding each game.”Wright is one of the players who has demonstrated the ability to execute in both these categories. Her 82 steals last season led the team, while she averaged 5.0 rebounds per game — third on the team and an excellent number for a guard.Last Friday, the Cavaliers took a step in achieving their goals by defeating DT3 91-77 in a preseason exhibition. Though the game did not affect the Cavaliers’ season standing, it provided the team an opportunity to get used to the rhythm of a regulation game.“I saw a lot of upside, with our first-years especially,” Wright said. “Britny and Whitny Edwards were very solid in the exhibition game. They didn’t have too many turnovers, and they were very active on their on-the-ball defense. I feel like they’re going to be a great addition once they get used to the pace, and we’ve built a little more team chemistry.”Virginia’s season tips off tomorrow at 7 p.m. against High Point. To repeat the success of last Friday’s win, the team needs to establish a high level of play through the consistency of their veterans, refreshed from the offseason.“I think players like Aisha [Mohammed] and Lyndra [Littles] and Monica Wright came back with just a renewed passion for the game,” Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said.The favored Virginia squad will prepare against getting caught Friday sleepwalking. Though the two games following its contest against the Panthers are high profile — a Nov. 17 showdown against No. 7 Tennessee and a Nov. 21 rematch against No. 25 Old Dominion, the team that ousted the Cavaliers from the 2008 NCAA Tournament in the second round — Virginia is still focusing on the game at hand.“Right now, our main goal is to win the next game, run through our offenses pretty organized, and just get everyone on the same page,” Wright said. “It isn’t ACC basketball, but High Point is definitely a good team. I think they’re from North Carolina, which is like the basketball capital of the world.”Friday’s matchup will give the Cavaliers a chance to work out the team’s point guard situation. With the graduation of point guard Sharneé Zoll and the injury to Zoll’s likely replacement, junior Paulisha Kellum, the spot is up for grabs. The team will likely look to senior Britnee Millner, freshman Ariana Moorer and even Wright to help run the offense.In last Friday’s game, both Moorer and Millner started, playing 20 and 27 minutes respectively.In addition to defense, the Cavaliers must develop confidence from the free-throw line, a skill that could prove significant during the conference schedule and postseason.“We’re definitely going to have to play good defense and work on our free throws and get the win,” Wright said.
(11/13/08 6:07am)
What boosts a team’s confidence more than winning a game? How about winning three games?Virginia (14-13, 6-9 ACC) is scheduled to play Maryland (6-21, 2-13 ACC) tomorrow and Boston College (7-19, 1-13 ACC) Saturday, both at 7 p.m. in Memorial Gym. With two weeks until the end of the regular season, the Virginia volleyball team faces the three teams at the bottom of the ACC standings. After defeating N.C. State — currently standing 10th of 12 in the conference — Saturday, the Cavaliers have a good chance to win three matches in a row because their next two opponents, Maryland and Boston College, stand 11th and 12th, respectively, in the conference.The Cavaliers notched a 3-0 win against N.C. State Saturday following a four-game losing streak that resulted in the Cavaliers falling to ninth in the conference.“It’s always good to get a win,” sophomore defensive specialist AJ Cushman said. “We need to keep pushing hard in these matches. We beat them both [Maryland and BC] away, and it’s hard to beat a team twice, so we can’t get complacent or anything just because we’ve beaten them the first time.”Maryland has struggled this season despite its height advantage against every other team in the ACC; all but five of the players on its roster stand 6-foot-1 or taller.“We know that we can neutralize their size a little bit if we do a great job serving, which will limit what they do offensively,” Virginia coach Lee Maes said.The key to beating Boston College, Maes said, will be focusing on doing a “great job of controlling the ball and really taking advantage of converting points scored on opportunities.” Although the Eagles sit at the bottom of the ACC standings and did not play well against the Cavaliers in their first matchup this season, the Cavaliers do not underestimate their opponents.“We know they’ve improved throughout the season, and it’s important for us to continue our own improvement,” Maes said.Sophomore setter Kelly Irvin, who is second on the team in assists so far this season with 361, provided 12 in the first match against the Eagles. Irvin and the Cavaliers could begin a late-season push with two big wins this weekend.“This weekend’s really important for us to finish the season strong,” Irvin said. “It will be an important factor in going into our next matches with Duke and Wake [Forest], which are going to be very competitive matches.”The Cavaliers have faced some disappointment in their conference play so far this season but are keeping their chins up, thanks in large part to Maes.“I have learned more volleyball in this year than I have in my entire career of playing volleyball since eighth grade,” Cushman said. “He’s very technical and he wants you to do everything perfect every time. It’s about doing it right.”One area Maes has focused on all season is serving.“We have to continue doing a great job with our service game,” Maes said. “It’s been one of our strengths throughout this entire season and it’s allowed us to know that we can count on that aspect of the game to give us an opportunity to win every point because of how well we serve.”Strong service and strong passing — another area of focus for Maes — must be paired with strong defense for the Cavaliers to win this weekend. “We’re going to have to dig well,” Cushman said. “Defense wins games, in my opinion.”The Cavaliers must find a steady level of play, a feat that has occasionally eluded the team this season.“I think that everyone has to get on the same page and [get] focused on winning the game,” Irvin said.On this Irvin, an offensive player, and Cushman, a defender, agree: Success this season and for the final few games will be the result of a well-rounded team effort.“We’re going to have to have a lot of communication,” Cushman said.
(11/12/08 9:13am)
The preseason basketball pundits ask again and again if the Virginia women’s basketball team — which tips off its season Friday at 7 p.m. against High Point at John Paul Jones Arena — can overcome the hole left by recent graduate Sharneé Zoll, as if she’s the only player the Cavaliers will be missing. Please! Let me tell you about another player Virginia will wish was still on its roster.My experience with this player began last year. I attended nearly every Virginia women’s basketball home game last season, from the preseason blowout against Team Concept to the emotional senior night double-overtime victory against Georgia Tech. From the start, several players caught my attention: Monica Wright, with her dominant court presence, the now-graduated Zoll with her bullet passes and Aisha Mohammed with her ability to dominate the post and grab a rebound against anyone. But there was one player who didn’t really catch my attention until the Cavaliers’ matchup against the Richmond Spiders last Nov. 18.Among the giant Aisha Mohammeds and Lyndra Littleses, I remember seeing a tiny guard. Someone passed the little guard the ball, and — as soon as she got it in her hands — the orange sphere leapt from her fingers and swished through the net. For a brief moment, she had a smile on her face so utterly convincing that even my own troubles evaporated. From that moment on, I knew I liked this No. 21, whoever she was.As the season progressed and I became more familiar with the team, I learned this Cavalier was named Tara McKnight, that she was a team captain and a walk-on. I also learned that, as much as I enjoyed seeing Tara putting up threes on the court, she always played the backup role, getting only a few minutes per game, if any.But Tara never seemed disappointed to be on the bench. In fact, she seemed just as fired up keeping seats warm as she did playing guard. She was always hopping off the bench and high-fiving her teammates during time-outs, smiling and encouraging them, cheering when they scored.But every once in awhile, Debbie Ryan would put Tara in the game again, and Tara would be ready. It seemed every time her white sneakers hit the court, a new life sprang into the Cavaliers. The ball very often ended up in Tara’s hands a little bit outside of the 3-point arc, and nearly every time this happened, the ball soared into the hoop. Count it. Her season 3-point completion percentage was an astonishing .542, a number that topped the ACC by more than 10 percent.I wasn’t the only one who cheered every time Tara sank a three: The whole crowd ate it up. When Morehead State played at JPJ last year, Tara sank three 3-pointers in all, and when that last one went in, the team might as well have just won the national championship. The rafters echoed with jubilant cheers and the PA sounded like a muffled cough in the roar of the crowd.Not satisfied with being an afterthought, Tara continued to light the court up from long range whenever she received playing time. In the away game against Rider, she put up six 3-pointers and sunk five of them.Tara is Virginia’s version of Rudy. Her story is an example of the power of the human spirit. That’s why it’s so appealing and universal. Tara overcame a small body and a small window of opportunity using her big dedication and big heart to play D-1 basketball at a top-25 program. With each of her successes, she forces us fans to ask ourselves what we might be able to conquer with a similarly big dedication and heart.Every 3-point basket that Tara sank wasn’t just a score for her team; it was a score for the little people with big dreams everywhere. Her persistence and passion, whether she was patting a teammate on the back or celebrating a shot she just drained, empowered us and gave us something to emulate.When the buzzer sounded on the Cavaliers’ loss to Old Dominion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past March, and Tara walked off the court as a Cavalier for the last time, the team didn’t just lose a leader and a motivator. It lost a little beacon of hope.I think the team will miss Tara. You don’t make a player a team captain two years in a row, an honor bestowed on only 13 players in the program’s history, unless she’s an important component of the team. Senior point guard Britnee Millner said Tara had the most heart of anyone who played for Virginia last year and noted a team of 13 might have difficulty replacing the passion of one.And I know that I’ll miss Tara, too. I always had a blast chanting “Put in Tara!” and seeing her remind everyone on the court and in the seats what makes sports important in the first place.No. 21, Toots, T-Mac — whatever nickname you want to give her — constantly reminded Charlottesville that the secret to success isn’t making the most headlines but making the most of every opportunity and not letting your status as a walk-on prevent you from sinking lots of 3-pointers.P.S. Today is Tara’s birthday! Maybe your present to her should be coming out this Friday to support her old team. Happy 24th, Tara!