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(11/12/08 9:10am)
There was a volleyball practice early this season, before any of the preseason tournaments, whose conclusion provided a small window into some of the characteristics that would come to define Virginia’s team this year.First there was coach Lee Maes pushing the players through five sets of a strenuous running drill. All year long, Maes has preached that repetition is the key to building strength and technique.Next there were the players, despite being exhausted from the practice, eagerly talking and joking during stretches. The team’s camaraderie and positive attitude has remained constant throughout the up-and-down season.But perhaps the most striking example characteristic of the season happened as the team was cooling down. One player spoke to the team as a confident leader, and each of the other players listened intently. It was senior middle blocker Shannon Davis, a captain and four-year starter for the Cavaliers, who has remained an experienced and vocal member of this year’s squad.“[Shannon’s] been a constant leader on and off the court for us,” Maes said. “One of the things we always can count on is that she always makes others around her better.”Davis, hailing from Austin, Texas, is the smallest of the team’s middle blockers and does not have the type of frame to allow her to put up the type of explosive numbers that players like junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson or sophomore middle blocker Sydney Hill do. Instead, Davis’ skill on the court comes from efficiency, technique and dependability. She leads the team in hitting percentage and is one of only five players in the program’s history to hit both 1,000 kills and put up 400 blocks during her career. She has offered production on the court throughout the years, but her production off the court, through mentoring underclassmen, will be felt by the team for years to come.Her role is “to keep being a leader and to keep setting a good example to keep the program going well,” Davis said, “and just to have fun, just to enjoy every moment of it.”At Westlake High School, Davis led her team to two state titles and went into college ranked as one of the top recruits of her class. She decided to come to Virginia and she said she does not regret the decision.“Literally the whole place is just an amazing experience,” Davis said. “The school is so, so amazing — the education you get and the people, and the people we’ve had on the team; I’ve made lifelong friendships.”Davis’s senior season has seen some great moments for the team but also a good share of disappointment. The team currently sits at ninth in conference, far below the fifth place that preseason ACC polls predicted the Cavaliers to finish at and even further below the first place that was the team’s goal. But Davis hasn’t given up on the season yet and said she and the Cavaliers believe they can win each of the five matches remaining on the schedule.“We just want to win out and we know we can,” Davis said. “[Saturday] we stepped up, and we played great, so we just want to continue that.”After giving her all to Virginia’s volleyball team for the past four years, Davis’ journey as a college athlete will soon end. But she has plenty of plans for her life beyond graduation.“I’m taking a year off,” Davis said, “and plan on eventually going to physical therapy school.”Regardless of where she ends up, Davis will bring with her skills that made her a role model on and off the court for the Cavaliers for so long — the type of skills that apply not only to sports but to life in general.“She is a giver,” Maes said. “She communicates well and her actions really become the example that everybody looks to.”
(11/07/08 6:02am)
The ACC is finally starting to settle down. Clemson, last year’s conference champion, has stormed back to the top of the standings. Virginia Tech, which began the conference schedule with an unlikely run of victories and was the last team to lose a conference game, has cooled back down toward the middle of the conference. And Virginia, which has broken out with big games against some of the top teams but has never been able to find a constant groove, sits at a disappointing ninth place.The Cavaliers (13-12, 5-8 ACC) will look to tip momentum back in their favor with a strong performance this weekend at home against a pair of North Carolina schools.North Carolina (15-9, 9-4 ACC) comes to Memorial Gym tonight at 7 p.m., attempting to avenge a loss at Chapel Hill to the Cavaliers earlier this season and to boost their tied-second place record to first in the conference.N.C. State (9-19, 3-10 ACC) comes to Charlottesville for a Saturday match at 7 p.m. The Wolfpack sit two games, but only one position, behind the Cavaliers in the conference ranking. The last time N.C. State and Virginia met was Oct. 11, when the Wolfpack won in four games.The Cavaliers hope to take a stride toward consistency this weekend with a victory against either or both teams, but the team knows neither of its opponents will go down without a fight.“I think everybody in the conference knows it’s going to be extremely competitive each night,” Virginia coach Lee Maes said.Virginia is currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak, the team’s longest since 2003. With home-court advantage, the Cavaliers hope to end the drought of wins, though freshman outside hitter Simone Asque says she focuses on the team and the game, not her surroundings.“I’ve found that when I’m playing, I always tune out the crowd,” Asque said. “I always try to focus on the coaches and what they’re saying.”Playing at home has helped the Cavaliers so far this season, but it has not guaranteed victory. Virginia is 5-4 at home compared to 8-8 on the road.During the recent three-game losing streak, the Cavaliers’ level of production has fallen. In two of the three matches, Virginia has hit a percentage worse than its season average, including a .096 against Clemson last weekend, the second lowest mark of the season for the team.One bright spot for the team in recent weeks has been Asque, who has quickly emerged as one of the biggest threats on the Cavaliers. She ranks second on the team in kills per set at 2.65, behind only Lauren Dickson’s 2.98.The Cavaliers have only seven matches left in the regular season. Following this weekend, Virginia has another weekend of home matches followed by a weekend of away matches at Wake Forest and Duke. The Cavaliers end their conference schedule Thanksgiving week with a Nov. 28 match against Virginia Tech.ACC volleyball has no conference tournament, so the Cavaliers’ hopes of winning an ACC title appear fainter than ever. But with seven matches remaining, Virginia refuses to give up hope of ending the season successfully.
(11/05/08 9:38am)
Some Tuesdays are just terrible. You know it when you feel it. Food doesn’t taste quite as good as it usually does. The sun seems unusually determined to hide behind a cloud.And it all happens when the Redskins lose during Monday Night Football. Lose they did this Monday. They were humiliated. Obliterated by Pittsburgh. I’m an emotional football fan, and when my team crashes and burns, it brings me down.Were those even the real Washington Redskins out there? Not the practice squad? Not the local high school JV team? We made Byron Leftwich look like Joe Montana. Our O-line acted more like piglets than The Hogs.But, of course, I will endure as a Redskins fan. You don’t put two decades of your blood, sweat and tears into a team just to grow grumpy when a rookie coach slips up against one of the best teams in the nation.Stick with your team through good times and bad. If you don’t stop believing, if you hold on to that feeling, sooner or later it will give you a game that you’ll remember forever.For me, that game came Sept. 19, 2005.I’m not the only one who thought the game was special.“It was one of the greatest moments in sports for me,” then-coach Joe Gibbs told The Associated Press.I want to take a few moments and share the story of this game with you, in case you don’t remember it. I sort of need to relive a happy game from the past to get me out of this football funk. And maybe it will help you other Redskins fans out there keep your chins up, too. After a loss as ugly as Monday’s, we faithful need whatever morale boosters we can get. So, here it goes.Just like this past game, it was a Monday Night Football game. Unlike this past game, though, it was against the Dallas Cowboys.We Redskins fans hate the Cowboys more than pirates hate ninjas, more than Andy Reid hates diets. To see our ‘Skins take them on in a prime-time Monday matchup with the whole nation watching made it an even bigger deal. Think Yankees-Red Sox game seven. To cap things off, both teams came in at 1-0. It was one of those hyped games of the century that seem to happen every other month. But, as far as I’m concerned, it fully lived up to its billing.Kickoff finally rolled around at Texas Stadium and I plopped myself on the couch in front of the TV screen. The game started, and it was a little bit dull at first. The teams alternated fruitless drives until the Cowboys finally cashed in on an interception to go up 3-0 in the early second quarter. The teams continued trading punts and turnovers through halftime. There was very little that was exciting about the game.Finally, something happened, even if it helped the bad guys. A few minutes into the third quarter, the Cowboys ran a flea-flicker, and quarterback Drew Bledsoe lobbed the ball down the field for a 70-yard touchdown pass to receiver Terry Glenn to go up 10-0. Besides this one trick play by the Cowboys, neither team had managed to do much all night, though.With 12 minutes left in the game, after a couple hours of being a snoozer for the ages, the game picked up its pace.The Cowboys pushed a six-minute drive down the field, methodically stripping away my hope for victory. I was tempted to turn the TV off out of disappointment, but when the Redskins held the Cowboys to a field goal to keep it a two possession game at 13-0, I decided to keep watching, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the Redskins can shake off 54 minutes of lifelessness and show a spark in these closing minutes.Then, on 2nd-and-10 with 5:15 to go in the game, Mark Brunell was sacked for a 17-yard loss. At this point, I phoned it in. Oh well. Nail in the coffin. You tried, Redskins. Better luck next week.Fortunately, the Redskins hadn’t quite given up. All of the sudden, running back Ladell Betts dashed for a 25-yard gain. On fourth down, Brunell connected to receiver James Thrash for another 20 yards. First down for the Redskins on the Dallas 34, down by 13 with 4:14 to go.But as fast as a few good plays reignited my faintest bit of hope for the game, the Redskins threw it away again. A false start penalty, followed by three incomplete passes, left the Redskins with a 3rd-and-15 with 4:01 to go.Now I’ll try to recall what happened during the next few minutes, but I can’t guarantee it will be accurate. You see, it all happened so fast. And, like I said, I’m an emotional football fan. Three years later, it’s all just like a blur of euphoria.But I think what happened next was that Brunell chucked the ball downfield and, somehow, it ended up in receiver Santana Moss’ hands in the end zone. 39-yard TD pass. 13-7.I was nervous and excited again. Could the Redskins still be in this? Was there any reason to believe that they’d play any better than the pathetic performance they’d put up for most of the game?But the good fortune continued for the Redskins. After kicking the ball off, they held the Cowboys to just one first down before forcing another punt.With 2:52 to go and down by 6 points, the Redskins needed to execute immediately. First-and-10, Brunell tosses the ball to Clinton Portis for a 10-yard gain, first down.First-and 10. Brunell drops back. Winds up, tosses the ball far downfield. The ball rises, and falls and ... what!? Santana Moss caught it! Again!It’s a moment that, three years later, still pops up as a photo when you search Santana Moss on the Internet. The ball sneaks through the hands of Cowboy safety Roy Williams and into Moss’ grip. But the photo can’t do justice to Moss’ mad dash to the end zone that followed his miraculous catch. Touchdown! Kicker Nick Novak drilled the extra point. 14-13, Washington.I’ll never forget it. Not much earlier, the game and even the season were looking bad. Now the Redskins were up.You had to see it. It was invigorating. I was jumping up and down with joy, shouting, probably waking up my little siblings and maybe even the neighbors, but I wasn’t the only one. I could hear my dad, apparently watching the game as he was lying in bed, celebrating upstairs. He ran downstairs in his pajamas (his briefs) to cheer with me and give me a high five.But it wasn’t finished yet. The Redskins still had to play some defense to finish the game off. Following a big return on the kickoff by the Cowboys and a little bit of momentum, Dallas was making a push to get into scoring range when the late Sean Taylor made a play just as big and important as the touchdown passes.On third down in Washington territory, Dallas receiver Patrick Crayton looked like he had just made a big third-down catch that would have put the Cowboys in field goal range and in a comfortable position to wind down the clock and kick a game-winning field goal, when a white-and-burgundy blur came from nowhere to deck Crayton and knock the ball loose, forcing an incomplete pass. That blur was Taylor and that hit is the greatest Redskins hit of the past decade.Stopping the Cowboys on their desperate fourth down, the Redskins took control and ran out the clock. Final score: 14-13.And, to think, just four minutes earlier they were being shut out. Four minutes earlier, they looked like they couldn’t play an ounce of offense or a dime’s worth of defense. But all that changed with just two long touchdown passes.That Redskins win was the first win in Texas Stadium in more than a decade and it still stands as one of the most thrilling sporting events I’ve watched on live TV.It reminded me that even when the Redskins are up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, sometimes they’ll go out there with all they got and win one just for their loyal fans. The fans like me, who watch every game whether they’re 15-0 or 0-15. The fans like those of you out there who watched this past Monday’s game until the final buzzer.Every fan will have a few games he or she remembers. This one is one of mine. So stand by our Redskins despite the loss, and whenever you wonder whether it’s worth it to be so invested, take a flip through the history books and remember the many times the team has done you proud.
(10/29/08 5:53am)
Let’s play a game.Let’s take a look at the college football standings and see which teams have a shot at finishing the season undefeated and heading to the national championship.Only two teams go to the national title game. Right now there are eight undefeated teams: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 10 Utah, No. 11 Boise State, No. 18 Ball State and No. 19 Tulsa. The only game pitting two of these teams against each other is a showdown in Lubbock, Texas between Texas and Texas Tech this Saturday.That means we could theoretically have seven undefeated teams at the end of the season. Seven! Since 2002 only once have there been more than three undefeated teams at the end of the regular season.Of course, it’s likely that at least a couple of these teams will be upset in the remaining three or four weeks of their schedules, plus the conference championships. But that could still leave four or five teams with immaculate records.Interestingly, it’s the four remaining undefeated major-conference teams that have the toughest shot at running the table. Texas and Texas Tech not only play each other but have some dangerous games looming. The Texas Longhorns face Kansas on the road, while the Texas Tech Red Raiders still have Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the horizon, both of whom are ranked in the top 10. Not to mention there’s the Big 12 championship, which could very well host a rematch between the two Texas teams.Alabama has a home game against Auburn and an away game against No. 15 LSU to topple before it can approach perfection. Penn State seems to have the easiest path to 13-0 — its biggest threat is a home match against No. 22 Michigan State — but the schedule is still no pushover.Nevertheless, if Texas can overcome Texas Tech this Saturday, we might see the Longhorns and Penn State’s Nittany Lions in the Jan. 8 BCS title game.But let’s suppose for a moment that each of the four teams from major conferences that are still undefeated suffer a loss before bowl bids are announced, and suppose Utah, Boise State, Tulsa and Ball State all finish off the season undefeated. Each of these teams has consistently been putting up convincing victories, so a prediction that these four win out isn’t quite as presumptuous as it might initially seem.What would happen? Would each of these teams get a bid to one of the major BCS bowls? Would any of them get a nod for the title game?As much as I love the underdog and as much as I think these teams should at least have a shot at a title if there was any justice in the world, it’s likely that none would head to the title game. It’s even possible Tulsa or Ball State would be locked out of the premier bowls, regardless if they finished their seasons with a bang.Is that fair? On the one hand, these teams have conquered every challenge placed in front of them so far. Boise State and Utah in the past have proven that the mid-majors can hang with the big boys in bowl games.On the other hand, each of these teams plays a patsy schedule compared to any team from a major conference. For a team from the Southeastern Conference or Big 12 to escape any season with just one loss and maybe some narrow victories is probably more of an accomplishment than someone wiping out a mid-major conference.To put it another way, suppose I challenged my 10-year-old brother in a round of golf and beat him badly. Meanwhile, suppose my dad challenged Phil Mickelson to a round of golf and lost. My dad is still probably the better golfer. That he lost and I won is clearly irrelevant. Likewise, questions about football superiority aren’t simple questions to answer, even by looking at the loss and win columns.And debates like this really do matter. Hypothetical who’s-better-than-whom arguments are a little bit different and more significant in college football than they are in the NFL or in college basketball since the outcome of your season in the NCAA football ranks is determined by polls.On most levels of most sports, such polls and power rankings are just a fun distraction for small talk until the postseason rolls around. In college football, they define the postseason and thus the legacy of a team. How good people think a team is ends up being just as important as how good the team actually is.In case you’re not familiar with how it works, a bunch of these polls and computer-generated rankings are rolled into one mega-ranking to determine who has a shot at the national championship and who gets considered for the big-money and big-coverage bowl games. This “mega-ranking” is known as the BCS ranking.Taking a look at the current BCS rankings, it seems that any team from a major conference that finishes without a loss will get top billing for the title game and, should at least three of those four teams fall, then the one-loss teams — Oklahoma, USC and Georgia — are next in line to take a spot. Well below them are the other undefeated teams. A two-loss team like Ohio State or Missouri might even have a shot at sneaking in ahead of a undefeated team from a smaller conference.Did I mention how silly all of this is, how I wish discussions like this didn’t have to occur? It would be so completely logical and elegant to set up a playoff bracket with the conference champions against each other.If there’s one thing I hate, it’s the Dallas Cowboys. But if there’s two things I hate, it’s the Cowboys and college football’s postseason system. Any discussion about which NCAA football teams are the best and deserve a championship ultimately reach one conclusion: We don’t know and we can’t know until there’s a legitimate playoff.Like I said at the beginning of the column, all of this guessing and projecting is just a game that you play. So much is unpredictable and so much changes that even guesses made in late December might be proven wrong by early January.In the meantime, though, keep pulling for the Ball States and the Utahs out there. The harder these undefeated teams crash the BCS, the faster they’ll get the playoff system they deserve.
(10/28/08 6:09am)
If Virginia volleyball’s first season under coach Lee Maes can be described as a roller coaster, the team just hit another disorienting loop.The Cavaliers (13-10, 5-6 ACC) began the weekend Friday by pulling a stunning comeback victory against then-conference-leader Miami to extend its winning streak to two before falling in a deflating sweep to up-and-coming Florida State Saturday.Virginia’s 3-2 (19-25, 25-27, 25-13, 25-22, 15-13) victory against Miami in Memorial Gymnasium came in front of a fired-up crowd of 315. Though the Cavaliers kept pace with the Hurricanes through the first two sets, it would have been difficult for anyone to predict what happened next. In the third set, the Cavaliers trounced Miami by 12 points, their largest margin of victory in conference play this year.“The third game was awesome,” sophomore middle blocker Sydney Hill said. “There was so much momentum, and everyone started playing as a team.”The fourth and fifth frames were both close, but the Cavaliers managed to hold on and topple the Hurricanes, who now sit fourth in the conference.Leading the fight for the Cavaliers were the consistent top performers. Senior middle blocker Shannon Davis, junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson and the constantly improving freshman outside hitter Simone Asque all hit 13 kills apiece.Senior setter Marlow Bruneau put up a team-leading .429 hitting percentage to accompany her 18 assists. Bruneau and sophomore setter Kelly Irvin’s effective passing were key in the Cavaliers’ turnaround Friday.“It was really rewarding to get a win like that,” Maes said. “Especially after being down two sets and winning the next three.”Virginia hoped to carry the inspired level of play from its comeback victory to another big win Saturday evening against the Seminoles, but junior middle blocker Brianna Barry and the crew from Tallahassee, Fla., had other plans. Florida State won the match 3-0 (22-25, 23-25, 24-26) with clean and explosive play.“It was definitely exciting for us,” Barry said. “We were kind of on a roll, and this team, we came together so strong this time.”The Seminoles, like the Cavaliers, have a middling conference record and have had trouble finishing off sets and matches. With two consecutive 3-0 victories, Florida State believes it is finding the consistency it seeks, said Barry, who is third in the ACC in hitting percentage.“Now that the ACC, the first half is over with, we’ll be able to play the same teams that we have,” Barry said. “We’ll be able to game-plan against them more because now we’ll understand their tendencies and whatnot.”The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are still stuck on the roller coaster and are trying to make the second half of the ride less bumpy than the first. The Cavaliers will not have to play any new opponent they have not already faced this season, something Maes called “comforting.”In a meeting Maes called after Saturday’s match, the coach sought to put the first half of the season in perspective and to inspire the Cavaliers to keep fighting in the face of adversity.“We just have to play with a sense of urgency and focus,” Maes said, following the meeting. “We feel confident that we are able to prepare for anyone in the conference.”
(10/22/08 7:03am)
If you had to describe Virginia’s football season so far in one word, what would that word be?I’ve been asking people that question since Saturday’s game, and there have been quite a few interesting choices. Here are a bunch of the people I asked and the responses they gave.“Schizophrenic” — Fourth-year College student Jenn Briggs“Stupefying” — Charlottesville resident Khourey Royal“Surprising” — First-year College student Justin McKee“Surprising” — Second-year Engineering student Shanna Hoar“Inconceivable” — Cavalier basketball forward Jerome Meyinsse“Indescribable” — Third-year College student Colin Jones“Honor” — Third-year College student Josh Knight“Awesome” — First-year College student Bonnie Stender“Improving” — Cavalier baseball outfielder Jarrett Parker“Bipolar” — College student Laura Sennewald “OmigodIcantbelieveit” — Third-year College student Mason Fisher“Unpredictable” — Charlottesville resident Darby Wootten“Unpredictable” — Former Cavalier basketball forward Andy Burns “Unpredictable” — Second-year College student Anna Thurber“Expressive” — ESPN columnist Rick Reilly“Turnaround” — Second-year Engineering student Ryan Bulaclac“Inconsistent” — Second-year College student Erin Jackson“Resilient” — Cavalier football quarterback Marc Verica“Heart—attack” — Joni Pearson, University parent and lifelong fan“...” — Mascot Cav Man“Precarious” — College student Monique Perry“Cavalicious” — Phil Morris, Charlottesville resident and marching band member“Roller—coaster” — Second-year College student Max Friedfeld“Roller—coaster” — Third-year Engineering student Jack Bird. Cavalier Daily sports associate editor“Roller—coaster” — Second-year College student Laura Chesser“Ferris—wheel” — Third-year Engineering student Sean Colyer“Comeback” — First-year Engineering student Daniel Epstein“VER—I—CA!” — Second-year College student Anthony Conty“WTF” — Fourth-year College student Kyle Graham “Perseverance” — Virginia volleyball coach Lee Maes“Perseverance” — Sharneé Zoll, former Cavalier women’s basketball point guard“Inferior [to the Redskins’]” — Third-year College student Martin Volaric“Rebirth” — Second-year College student Patrick Barrett“Rocky Balboa” — Second-year Engineering student Ben Trank“Underestimated” — Virginia volleyball middle blocker Shannon Davis“Fluctuating” — First-year Engineering student Raza Mir“Emergence” — Second-year College student Sedale McCall,“Courageous” — Former Cavalier tennis player Somdev Devvarman“Absurd” — Cavalier fan, Jordan Hurley, William & Mary student“Circus” — First-year College student Danny Moylan“Firegrohnow” — College student Alex Hough“Invigorating” — Second-year College student Catherine Zampetti“Long—less” — Second-year College student Dan Stalcup, me“Dynamic” — Dana Stalcup, my dad“Boring” — Maria Stalcup, my 3-year-old sister“They have a football team?” — Cindy Stalcup, my mom“Ridiculous” — Third-year Commerce student Amy Chang“Come—from—behind” — First-year Engineering student Andrew Sasai“Eclectic” — ‘Hoo Crew President Kevin Dowlen “Confusing” — ‘Hoo Crew Vice President Daniel Schear“Confounding” — ‘Hoo Crew Hype Chair Matt Cooper“Capricious” — College student Amanda Galloway“Fortuitous” — Kendahl Voelker, Cavalier volleyball right side hitter“Unexpected” - Graduate Education student Kara Himelfarb“Surviving” - Graduate Education student Billy Flickinger“Revived” - Graduate Education student Tommy Edwards“Underrated” - College student Andrew McCampbellThanks to the hundreds of the students, fans, athletes and others who contributed, and here’s to the rest of the season bringing more good words to this Cavalier football team.
(10/21/08 4:54am)
A quick glance at the ACC volleyball standings shows Virginia ranked fourth to last, yet the Cavaliers (12-9, 4-5 ACC) are keeping their chins up.Despite splitting the weekend pair of ACC games, despite holding a 1-3 ACC record at home, the Cavaliers are playing their best volleyball of the season right now.The team is “sticking through it, working through it,” coach Lee Maes said.The Cavaliers may sit in the bottom third of the ACC, but their place in the standings could be misleading. The Cavaliers have twice stumbled in five sets of winnable games against some of the ACC’s best: against Clemson Sept. 27 and against Duke Oct. 17. If Virginia had gotten a few lucky bounces in each of those matches, it could be sitting in the top five right now.Furthermore, the Cavaliers are playing cleanly and efficiently as a unit and as individuals and are refusing to settle. In a match Oct. 19, 2007, the Cavaliers played Wake Forest and struggled with a .132 hitting percentage en route to a victory. One year later, the Cavaliers played the Demon Deacons again and hit .185, a number that would have been even higher without a sloppy first game in which the Cavaliers shook off some morning rust.“I think we came out and the first game wasn’t very good, but we learned from those,” senior middle blocker Shannon Davis said of the Cavaliers’ match against Wake Forest Sunday. “I think we corrected them a lot better today, and that’s why were able to turn the tight games toward us.”Though the Cavaliers’ level of play has improved throughout the season, it was not until this past weekend that the team’s tone took a positive turn.After the victory against the Demon Deacons, Maes compared the team’s situation, from losing some games it expected to win to persevering and finding a recent groove, to another Virginia sports team.“I think we’re similar with the football team in that regards,” Maes said. “You know, when you go on streaks where things aren’t going your way. Anyone can take the road that says, ‘Hey, we’re going to pout about it and we’re going to wish things were better and look where the grass is greener.’”Virginia’s volleyball team dropped its first three against ACC opponents this season. The team committed unforced errors, and players became audibly frustrated. Perhaps the Cavaliers’ level of success since then, going 4-2 including a couple of hard-fought road wins, is a result of Maes’ goal of channeling that frustration into improved technique and focus.“Teams that are going to be competitive are the ones that are going to go out there and do something about wanting to win, and change their fortune,” Maes said. “They have to go out there and have the mentality that they’re going to do something about it.”A little more than two weeks ago, the Cavaliers were still fourth to last in the ACC standings but seemed much more unlikely to claw out from the bottom of the conference pile. From the first practices of the season, the Cavaliers have said their goal for the season is to win the conference championship. Six matches — including three road wins — later, the goal does not seem quite so far-fetched.“We want to play quality volleyball; we want to continue trying to execute things we train on,” Maes said, “so we have opportunities to play good teams and be that competitive.”Now that the Cavaliers have built a foundation of the high level of play they can achieve, does the coach think the team can keep it up and have a shot at the conference title?“Well, they’re not going to wait for things to happen and hope,” Maes said.
(10/20/08 4:00am)
The sun shone through the windows of Memorial Gym, fans were on their feet, pump-up tunes blasted through the speakers — life was good for Virginia’s volleyball team early Sunday afternoon. In four sets, the Cavaliers were able to get the monkey off their back and win their first ACC game of the season at home with a convincing victory against Wake Forest.After losing in a tight match Friday against Duke, Virginia (12-9, 4-5 ACC) won three sets in a row after dropping the first in Sunday’s 3-1 (14-25, 25-21, 25-16, 27-25) victory to secure coach Lee Maes’s fourth victory in Memorial Gym in his first year as Virginia’s coach.“They did a nice job responding, especially after losing game one ... to respond and win the next three and play a lot better volleyball,” Maes said.The Cavaliers struggled in the first set of the match against Wake Forest (13-8, 4-5 ACC), hitting only 37 percent of their kill attempts to the Demon Deacons’ 66 percent.Virginia held the edge for most of the rest of the match.“I think our serving and passing really helped us out this game,” senior middle blocker Shannon Davis said. “When we started to get in a lull, that’s what picked us up.” Davis, a team captain who leads the regular starters in hitting percentage on the season, had an uncharacteristic game. She hit a low .053 shot percentage with only four kills, never seeming to find a rhythm. She complimented the team’s outside hitters for stepping up.“I think the outsides did great today,” Davis said. “They just kept putting balls away and really helped us.”The Cavaliers’ Friday match against Duke (15-6, 6-3 ACC) was a tight 3-2 loss (28-30, 25-22, 23-25, 28-26, 12-15) that was close from the start. The first set went into more extra hits than any other for Virginia this season. Through the entire match, the Cavaliers and Blue Devils were neck-and-neck.“We played so well; defense was right on, and we really should have won it,” sophomore right-side hitter Kendahl Voelker said of the match against Duke, calling it a “heartbreaker.”Players and coaches noted that Friday’s match, despite the tally in the loss column, might have seen the best volleyball from Virginia so far this season.“We felt like we had a chance to win every game; the difference was us unfortunately making some unforced errors at the wrong time,” Maes said. “It was a great match to play in, a great match to coach in.”Voelker and Davis both credited Maes’ support as a key factor in allowing the Cavaliers to bounce back Sunday and avoid falling into a rut like the one that plagued the Cavaliers against Clemson in the Sept. 27 Virginia loss.“As a coach, [Maes is] so technical,” Voelker said. “He says, ‘If you keep doing it over and over again, your body’s going to memorize it. You won’t have to think about it, just go. So, just trust your technique and your mind.’”Among the techniques the team’s coaches have emphasized are passing and serving.“Serving was great tonight,” Maes said. “It’s one of those things where I think, ‘We’re one of the better serving teams in the country.’ We take a lot of pride in our serving. We know it’s a facet of the game that’s often neglected.”Less consistent was the Cavaliers’ passing, another facet of the game Virginia sees as a key for its success.“What we’re trying to make our team understand is you don’t have to be perfect, but we need to make sure we limit our unforced errors,” Maes said.The Cavaliers will look to build momentum from their solid play this weekend when they face Miami and Florida State Oct. 24 and 25, respectively, in Memorial Gym. Maes will seek to prevent the team from taking a step back after the win; responding well to every situation is something he has constantly preached to the team.“Part of having a competitive mentality is having a positive, appropriate response,” Maes said. “We’ve been really trying to emphasize that, talk about how they manage defensively, the level of focus, the level of discipline.”
(10/17/08 4:56am)
This season’s parity in ACC volleyball can be best demonstrated by the current team standings: Seven of the ACC’s 12 volleyball teams hold a conference record of 4-3 or 3-4.Virginia (11-8, 3-4 ACC) will have a chance to step up and gain some ground in a conference described by players as “topsy-turvy” against two such middle-of-the-road teams this weekend at home.The Cavaliers take on Duke (13-6, 4-3 ACC) in a match tonight at 7 with hopes of ending a month-long drought of home wins. Virginia has not won in Memorial Gymnasium since it defeated Appalachian State Sept. 13 to close the Marriott Jefferson Cup.The Blue Devils come into Friday’s match with a 1-2 record on the road this season, and the Cavaliers will try to use the advantage of a pro-Virginia atmosphere to take down a conference preseason favorite that has yet to be dominant.“They’re a very good team,” Virginia coach Lee Maes said. “They’ll put a lot of stress on our defense. It’ll be a chore to slow the offense down and create some transition opportunities.”The Cavaliers then get a day of rest before facing off against Wake Forest (13-6, 4-3 ACC) in a noon match Sunday at Mem Gym. Wake Forest plays Virginia Tech tonight before its matchup with Virginia.Focusing on strategy and film, the Cavaliers have been working hard this week to prepare for both Duke and Wake Forest.“We work on a lot of blocking and defense specific to the team we’re going to play,” said junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson, who leads the team in kills this season with 220. “We prepare for the competition we’re playing that weekend.”In particular, the Cavaliers have prepared for Duke’s offensive scheme. Maes said their “untraditional” system plays three middle blockers and relies on quick hits or spiking the ball a short time after the ball has been set, using the term “tempo,” which, Maes explained, in volleyball refers to the length of time the ball is in the air before it is spiked.“The higher the tempo, the slower the set, the slower the offense,” Maes said. “Quick hitters are usually hitting first-tempo sets, and [the Blue Devils] run a lot of first-tempo sets.”Maes said such an offensive style continually puts stress on an opponent’s defense, and in turn, offense.“Their system works really well when they have these hitters who can really attack the ball at a first-tempo speed, meaning the ball is not in the air very long,” Maes said. “It really limits the amount of time you have to get ready to block and defend because their ball’s not in the air very long.”The quick hit offense is difficult to defend not only because it strikes quickly, but because defending it often opens up vulnerability to a second-tempo spike from outside hitters.“You have to pick your poison,” Maes said, laughing.Wake Forest also features a quick hitting style.The Demon Deacons also have “a very good left side hitter,” Maes said. “We know that it’s going to be imperative for us to serve very well and to make their offense more predictable and slow them down.”With the fast pace of the two offenses coming in this weekend, Maes said prolonging rallies and slowing down the pace of volleys is a key for the Cavaliers victory.“We have to work really hard on the defensive effort,” Maes said. “The longer we can prolong the rallies, I think we will create some opportunities ... and [transitions] to score.”Though the Cavaliers have their work cut out for them to stop these squads from North Carolina, they will have for the first time in three weeks the added luxury of a weekend set at home, which Maes called a “comfort.” Turnout to home volleyball games has been strong in spite of a recent addition of an admission fee to non-students.“It’s always great to play in front of your home fans,” Maes said. “It gives you a certain level of energy, enthusiasm, excitement knowing that whatever you do you’re going to get support, and you’re going to get cheers.”
(10/10/08 8:22am)
Through early conference losses, Virginia volleyball players and coaches said while the losses were disappointing, they were not going to dwell on them but would instead focus on improving. Now that the Cavaliers have won two games in a row, they are building confidence as they continue through their schedule in the tumultuous ACC.“I think [beating Boston College and Maryland] is huge, just getting some confidence,” junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson said. “Going into the rest of the ACC season, it’s important to know you can beat the competition, so I think it was great to know that you can win on the road especially.”Dickson, along with freshman Simone Asque, is part of Virginia’s unit of outside hitters that was very productive last weekend.“It’s better to have a marked improvement on paper,” Asque said, noting the team’s improved win percentage and statistical averages after last weekend. The team will look to continue this improvement as it travels south of the border this weekend for the second consecutive set of conference matches on the road.Tonight, the Cavaliers (10-7, 2-3 ACC) face off against North Carolina (9-7, 3-2 ACC) in Chapel Hill, N.C. Tomorrow, Virginia takes on N.C. State (8-11, 2-2 ACC) in Raleigh, N.C. N.C. State also plays Virginia Tech tonight, so its record will have changed by gametime tomorrow.With the conference as balanced as it is — only Virginia Tech remains undefeated in conference play — each match is pivotal for gaining footing in the conference standings.“It’s been a wild and crazy conference, every weekend seems like everybody is beating each other,” coach Lee Maes said. “I think everybody in the conference knows it’s going to be extremely competitive each night and they have to bring their A-game.”Asque, who has received a lot of playing time as a freshman and has started several matches, noted an unexpected balance in conference opponents so far.“I thought, especially looking at what happened last year, it would be more ‘These are the teams to beat’ and ‘This is everybody else,’” Asque said. “Right now, it’s very topsy-turvy and everyone’s playing each other and grueling it out. It’s really exciting, it almost feels like anyone can win.”Asque gradually has seen more playing time because of her impressive performances on the court, including two double-doubles.“It’s pretty cool to represent my school and be able to play for my team and be the one that’s out on the floor contributing,” Asque said.Dickson and Asque are two of the five members on the roster who make up Virginia’s deep outside hitter position.“Even though I’m maybe starting and playing, I’m also competing with other outsides on the team,” Asque said.The outside hitters, who see many of the spikes on the court, will be key in determining the Cavaliers’ success against the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack.“North Carolina has been up and down,” Maes said. “They had a really, really good preseason non-conference win against a highly-ranked Minnesota team, so that gave them a lot of confidence. They have a pretty fast offensive system that I think will put some stress on us defensively.”N.C. State has struggled in ACC play in recent years, but has held its own so far this year.“We know that they’re much improved, and we know they’re going to play hard,” Maes said. “We won’t really know their level of performance until we get to play them.”The Cavaliers will look to excel again this weekend, despite the hostile territory and cheers of an unfriendly crowd in their ears. In the matches tonight and tomorrow, just like in the season as a whole, the team will look to succeed not by worrying about what is brought to them but what they can take to the court.“I’ve found that when I’m playing, I always tune out the crowd,” Asque said. “I always try to focus on the coaches and what they’re saying.”
(10/08/08 6:39am)
I am here today to answer the question I know has been burning deep inside of you since you first stepped on Grounds: Which of Virginia’s 23 varsity sports teams would be most likely to win a match of capture the flag?It is not a simple question to answer. Our teams are so loaded with talented and resilient athletes that any match would be competitive.Before I break down my answer to this certainly not-trivial question, let me set some ground rules for this hypothetical showdown. First, each team would have eight of its members randomly selected to represent them on the field of play. Then, the teams would have one week to train and to strategize. Coaches, managers, and trainers are allowed to help with organization and planning, but the athletes are on their own once they step onto the field.On the night of the game — and of course they would play at night — standard capture-the-flag regulations would apply. The playing arena would be the Lawn, divided into two halves. Teams would face off against each other, one-on-one. The first to get the opponent’s flag into its territory wins. Jails and tagging work like they have since you were in fifth grade. No puppy guarding.To determine which of Virginia’s squads would have the best chance of winning such a capture-the-flag match, I’ve taken into consideration many factors, from players’ speed and acceleration, to leadership throughout the roster, to a team’s history of stepping up courageously when victory is on the line. Feminists may cry foul, but, without further ado, here is my ranking: 1. Men’s tennisThink about it: Tennis requires breakneck acceleration, instant reflexes and quick wits. Our men’s team is one of the best in the country at it. They’d be unstoppable.2. Men’s soccerSoccer is known for its low scoring, so every move has to be precise and strategic. Our team has some of the best talent of any team in the country.3. Track and field teamsMost of these guys and gals devote their entire athletic career to being as fast as they can, the key physical trait for capture the flag. But you never know when a big tank of a shot putter will be selected at random instead.4. Women’s soccerThe ACC is the dominant conference in soccer, and Virginia is always competitive. These athletes would be a threat.5. Men’s lacrosseTough, physical and tireless might be good words to describe our national contenders. They’d go all out to bring that flag in.6. Men’s basketballI had a hard time figuring out where to put the ballers in blue and orange. On the one hand, they never deal with fields this big, but on the other hand, their X-factor, I decided, is their massive wingspan, which will help them grab flags and tag people.7. Cross-country teamsThis is another group of pure runners, which in theory should work to their advantage. The problem is, cross-country runners don’t focus on acceleration and direction changes, which are important.8. FootballMove them up a spot for every elusive runner or receiver selected for the team, move them down a spot for every lineman, punter, or kicker.9. Field hockeyDon’t let the skirts fool you, these women are tough and quick. Their great season proves they know what it takes to win a competition.10. Swimming and diving teamsCall them the sleeper in this bracket. Though their competition doesn’t involve running, they’re in the best of shape and gutsy athletes.11. Women’s lacrosseWomen’s lacrosse has a big, deep roster, full of national-caliber athletes. Their skill set doesn’t perfectly match the competition, but don’t count them out.12. VolleyballThey’re tall, they’re quick, and — often under-appreciated in volleyball — they’re experienced in quick communication and decision-making. Unfortunately, they’re rarely in a full sprint in their game.13. Women’s basketballAs much as I love the team, their success last season came through scrappy defensive play more than physical domination. Their style helps them on the court but might not pay off in capture the flag.14. Women’s tennisUnfortunately for the women’s tennis players, they only have seven people on their roster right now. They couldn’t put up a full team on the Lawn.15. RowingThey’re not strictly runners, and rely more heavily on upper-body strength, but they their endurance and quickness training is downright rigorous.16. BaseballOut on the diamond, you rarely have to run full throttle for long periods of time. Pitchers and catchers rarely have the proper body types to thrive on running.17. Men’s golfGolf, as difficult as it is, demands a very specific skill set, which does not include any running. Golfers can take as long as they want to respond and plan, which is not true of capture the flag. But take a look at our men’s golfers and you’ll see that they’re premier athletes.18. SoftballThese athletes have struggled the past few years and face challenges similar to the baseball players’ concerns. But they are tough and could surprise me.19. WrestlingI have the utmost respect for wrestlers. The sport demands a well-rounded strength and endurance. But it’s not the type of sport where you run around a large field. They could struggle.20. Women’s golfThe last spot for the female golfers? It’s no criticism of the team or any athletes. I’m sure many of them are capable flag-capturers. But I can’t think of any team they would be favored against.As thorough as I tried to be with this trivial topic, there’s only one way we could ever find out what the proper ranking would be. I will begin writing letters to Craig Littlepage to make this competition a reality. I know I would watch a capture-the-flag match between two varsity teams. Once I get that one to fly with the athletic department, Ping-Pong and Halo are up next.
(10/07/08 5:57am)
With the arrival of Lee Maes, a young but seasoned coach from a high-pedigree program, and the implementation of a new system, the Virginia volleyball season began with high hopes but uncertainty about how difficult the transition would be. The preseason started well, with a sweep of the James Madison Days Inn Invitational, but the Cavaliers hit some roadblocks with some difficult losses in the Denver Pioneer Invitational.The performance of the team in the final two tournaments of the preseason were stark contrasts. The Marriott Jefferson Cup, played at home in Memorial Gymnasium, showed Virginia dominating opponents, finding rhythm and making consistent strides. The Wildcat Classic at Northwestern, however, saw the Cavaliers inconsistent, frustrated and occasionally struggling. The team put up a solid effort against then-No. 4 UCLA, but collapsed in five sets to Northwestern before rebounding to trounce Georgetown.Now Virginia is two games into a week-long series of away games in which the Cavaliers are looking to rebound from three ACC losses to kick off the regular-season schedule. The Cavaliers will look to build on their experience so far this season as they progress down the conference schedule and work toward an ACC title.The transition for the Cavaliers has been inconsistent and gradual, but the team is showing signs of development.“I think for us, we’ve developed a lot and we’ve grown a lot,” Maes said. “I’m looking for just that mentality that shows us we’re going to continue playing aggressively, we’re going to attack in everything we do.”The key for developing chemistry will be the leadership of the three seniors. Middle blocker Shannon Davis has been one of the Cavaliers’ key performers thus far this season, leading the team in hitting percentage (.312).“I think we’re ready,” Davis said. “We just gotta show up to play when we get there.”Davis has been one of the cornerstones of the Cavaliers’ volleyball team for her entire collegiate career. She has been a regular starter for Virginia since her first year and continually puts up an impressive number of blocks to accompany her strong hitting percentage and steady stream of kills.Outside hitter Beth Shelton, another of Virginia’s seniors, also has had an impact on the team. Shelton redshirted her first year for medical reasons and has been a presence for the Cavaliers ever since. She currently ranks fifth on the team in kills (85) and also has totaled 73 digs in the matches so far.Shelton, though not the top statistical performer on the team, remains a constant threat to her opponents because of her consistency and her demonstrated ability to have explosive streaks of volleyball. Against Duke in 2007, Shelton broke out for 14 kills, and against Arkansas earlier in that season hit five service aces.Marlow Bruneau, a setter and the Cavaliers’ third senior, is also a key component of the Cavaliers. She was put on the all-tournament teams twice during the preseason and leads the Cavaliers in assists so far in 2008 (411). Her current total is more than double that of the Cavalier with the second highest number of assists, sophomore setter Kelly Irvin (167).Each of the senior Cavaliers plays a key role in keeping spirits and focus high in the face of whatever challenges the team might face. Their legacy will be how they work through this transition period, finish off Maes’ first season and set up the program for success in years to come.
(10/01/08 9:58am)
In 1923, Babe Ruth hit the first home run in the newly opened Yankee Stadium. He famously wondered afterwards who would hit the last one out of the stadium (turns out it was José Molina, the Yankees’ current backup catcher).But Ruth said something else in 1923 about Yankee Stadium, too. “Some ballpark,” he commented, in what we now know to be the understatement of the century.Sure, in 1923, it might have been “some ballpark,” but 85 years later, it’s a lot more than just a baseball diamond. Let me enumerate the ways that the home of the Bronx Bombers is more than just the grass and dirt and fences and stands it’s made of.Yankee Stadium is a museum. A walk through its fabled Monument Park, a section of the park with plaques and statues honoring some of the greatest baseball players of all time, is more educational than a day watching the Discovery Channel and more inspiring than a Dale Carnegie book. With their 26 World Series titles, the Yankees have seen some of the most legendary athletes ever to play the great American pastime.Yankee Stadium is a cathedral. Sports are a secondary form of religion in this country, full of rituals and superstition and spiritual leaders. The stadiums and arenas are the churches, and there is no greater place to play sports than on the corner of East 161st Street and River Avenue. Like St. Patrick’s Cathedral less than seven miles away, Yankee Stadium is a beautiful piece of architecture and a solemn place of meditation for the residents of the largest city in the United States. The stadium has even seen its share of real religion take place — three popes have said Mass on the grounds.But Yankee Stadium is also a battleground. You think that when the Brooklyn Dodgers toppled the Yanks in the 1955 World Series that it was just fun and games? Blood, tears and sweat have been shed out there, all in the name of victory. In all, 16 hard-fought World Series have ended at the stadium, and that’s just baseball. From 1936, when Max Schmeling beat down Joe Louis, to 1962 when Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants for the NFL Championship, and beyond, the stadium has seen plenty of war.Yankee Stadium is a place of mourning. After thousands lost their lives in the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, and New York lost one of its great symbols in the World Trade Center, for some, every other great New York symbol became a memorial and reminder of the tragedy. Every sporting event became a way to purge the pain. The Yankees in their stadium were both.That memorial is also a home to thousands across the nation and world. Just ask second-year College student Anthony Conty, the self-proclaimed biggest Yankees fan at the University. He’s seen two games from the stands of Yankee Stadium, both of them victories for the Bombers, but the stadium might as well be his second home since he watches every Yankees game on TV.“It’s not like any other stadium,” Conty said. “I mean, Babe Ruth used to play there. Babe Ruth! He’s the icon of baseball.”Conty said his favorite thing about Yankee Stadium is how many great players have accomplished legendary feats there, from Lou Gehrig, whose “Luckiest Man” retirement speech is arguably the defining moment of Yankee Stadium, to Aaron Boone. Aaron Who? Just the guy whose 11th inning walk-off homer in the seventh game of the 2003 American League Championship Series is Conty’s favorite Yankees moment of his lifetime. He even remembers what he was doing as he watched it: helping his family replace flooring.“We were all sitting on the new hardwood floors watching the one TV we had in there ... It was pretty sweet,” he recalled.Yankee Stadium is a witness to revolution. In 1923, sports were small talk. Since then, they’ve transformed from a niche to a bustling industry and microcosm of humanity. Yankee Stadium has seen the best and worst of the changes firsthand. Babe Ruth was the first modern athlete, a personality and an icon. Knute Rockne, who gave his “win one for the Gipper” speech at Yankee Stadium in a match, was among the first to romanticize and sentimentalize the sport of football. In 1923, sports were little more than leisure. Now it’s a show business.Yankee Stadium is a magnet for heroes. The Yankees have had so many great leaders and hard-working contributors it’s almost comedic how many numbers have been retired. The only single digit uniforms available are Nos. 2 and 6, but they won’t be around for long. Former Yankees manager Joe Torre wore 6, and his bust and number will probably be added to Memorial Walk before long. No. 2 is currently worn by Derek Jeter, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and stone-cold lock for having his jersey retired by the boys in pinstripes.Yankee Stadium is a mainstay in the otherwise tumultuous world of sports. Its history and simplicity remind us sports at its best is about so much more than flashiness and nine-digit salaries. It’s about people of all types coming together on a regular basis from the scary New York landscape surrounding the stadium to enjoy an afternoon of guiltless, red-blooded competition between some of the greatest athletes in the world. When Yankee Stadium crumbles this November and the New Yankee Stadium across the street opens its doors, A small piece of the already scarred soul of baseball will die. What the Yankees may gain in bigger attendance and increased ads revenue, they will lose in the muted emptiness of the giant hunk of grass, steel and concrete trying to replace the greatest stadium in the history of American sports.After all, inspectors said Yankee Stadium could maintain structural integrity for several more decades. Maybe the resources and effort put into it would have been better placed somewhere else, rather than into trying improve upon perfection. Do you think New York’s public education system, which graduates less than 40 percent of its Hispanic and black males from high school, could have used that $400 million in tax money spent to built New Yankee Stadium?Ultimately, though, Yankee Stadium is a piece of history. Even after it’s demolished this November, nothing can take away the thousands of contributions the facility and its users have made to the world of sports. Some ballpark, indeed.
(09/29/08 4:51am)
A Clemson hitter spiked the ball and it soared towards the back of the court, right on the edge of the line. It was a close call, a matter of inches, but the judge made the call: The hit was in bounds. The Tigers, at one point in the match down two sets and losing in the third, had pulled a comeback to edge the Cavaliers in extra points in five set, the volleyball equivalent of double overtime.Virginia’s 2-3 loss (27-25, 26-24, 15-25, 18-25, 15-17) to Clemson marked the second loss of the weekend for the Cavaliers after they dropped a match 1-3 (20-25, 29-27, 23-25, 21-25) to Georgia Tech Friday. Virginia (8-7, 0-3 ACC) was unable to take advantage of playing on the home court to walk away with a victory against Georgia Tech (10-3, 2-1 ACC) or Clemson (9-5, 1-2 ACC).Junior defensive specialist Brittani Rendina, who had 29 digs against Clemson, her career high for a single match, said the team needs to improve its confidence in order to find consistency.“We had so many spurts of amazing volleyball,” Rendina said. “I don’t know why we get in these ruts and let them get 5-point runs.”Senior mid-blocker Shannon Davis led the Cavaliers in points against Clemson while putting up an impressive .400 hitting percentage against Georgia Tech.“We ... got a lot better from Virginia Tech [on Tuesday] to Georgia Tech, which was nice,” Davis said.The improvement the Cavaliers showed over the weekend, however, was countered by mental mistakes and playing errors, including four serving errors against Clemson.In Saturday’s match “we just didn’t bring it,” Davis said. “We got two games out closely, then just didn’t terminate in the end.”With its victory, Clemson claimed its first ACC win of the season. The Tigers are off to a slow start after winning the ACC Championship in 2007 and earning a spot in the national top-25 in preseason polls.Kelsey Murphy, a junior setter for the Tigers — one of only five upperclassmen on Clemson’s roster — noted an unusual parity in the conference so far this season.“I think [the ACC] is very competitive,” Murphy said. “All the teams are neck-and-neck, so it’ll be a great year.”The Cavaliers and Virginia coach Lee Maes will have more opportunities over the next few weeks to find out exactly how strong the conference is this year, with sets of road games against ACC opponents the next two weekends.Maes reiterated, however, that the Cavaliers need to remain focused on how they can improve their own play instead of worrying about how the teams on the other side of the net will perform.“We still have the same problems with starting off well, and it starts with passing,” Maes said. “It just comes down to execution, and it comes down to six individuals coming together and making it all work at the same time.”Throughout the match against Clemson, Virginia’s outside hitters were never able to achieve the level of production that they had against Georgia Tech or preseason opponents. Maes attributed this to passing errors putting the team out of its system.“We made errors early, and that puts us behind on the passing game because it puts so much pressure on our outside hitters,” Maes said. “As you can see tonight, our outside hitters struggle when we got out of system because we have limited options.”Virginia’s players and coaches pointed out the end of the second game in the match against Georgia Tech as an example of the team working as a cohesive unit. At one point down 11-18, the Cavaliers stormed back and erased the margin to take a 25-24 lead before both teams traded points and Georgia Tech had a set point at 27-26. The Cavaliers were able to win the next 3 points to keep the set alive and ultimately edged the Yellow Jackets 29-27.“We came back, we played a great game,” Davis said of the set.With their sights still set on winning the ACC Championship, the Cavaliers will work to find a way to play at that strong level for the entire match on a regular basis.“We have to focus, weekend by weekend,” Davis said.
(09/26/08 4:50am)
Virginia’s volleyball team opens up its home conference schedule this weekend with matches against two of the premier teams in the ACC. The Cavaliers face off in Memorial Gym against Georgia Tech today at 7 p.m. and against Clemson tomorrow at 7 p.m.Coming off a loss to Virginia Tech in its season opener, Virginia (8-5, 0-1 ACC) will look to rebound and be in top form against the teams picked first and second in ACC preseason polls.Georgia Tech (9-2, 1-0 ACC) edged Clemson (8-4, 0-1 ACC) Sept. 18. Now both universities bring their perennially competitive programs against Virginia coach Lee Maes for the first time.“Clemson and Georgia Tech are both very, very good,” Maes said. “They’ve had a history of being the leaders of this conference.”This will be the second weekend of home matches for the Cavaliers after the Marriott Jefferson Cup Sept. 12 to 13 in which Memorial Gym drew unexpectedly large crowds, especially against in-state rival Virginia Commonwealth. Senior middle blocker Shannon Davis was selected as MVP of the Marriott Jefferson Cup.“We had a lot of fans against VCU so we hope that they’ll come out again this weekend,” Davis said. “[Georgia Tech and Clemson] are two really good teams, and all that energy we can collect from the fans and atmosphere will definitely help us through the games.”Maes, who has had positive things to say about the University and its environment since he joined the volleyball program in February, is rallying fans and supporters to show up to the weekend matches.“We want Mem Gym just to be as intimidating [and] intimate a venue as anywhere we go, or even more so,” Maes said, noting that the stands are so close to the court that spectators are often only a few feet from the players. “We hope our own crowd can be a distraction and have a positive influence on the outcome of the match.”This home atmosphere is something junior defensive specialist Brittani Rendina, who is tied for the most sets played this season among the Cavaliers, has settled into in her second year playing on the Memorial Gymnasium court. Rendina started her career at Rutgers where she excelled as a player, but the program struggled.With the encouragement of longtime friend and former childhood teammate Tara Hester, currently a Cavalier junior outside hitter, Rendina transferred to Virginia and made the team as a walk-on for the Cavaliers.“Me and Tara had played volleyball together since we were 15 years old,” Redina said, “Once I got [to Virginia], it was really easy to make the transition since I had Tara who I grew up with.”Now a scholarship player and regularly starting for the Cavaliers, Rendina says she made the right decision.“I had no problems with anyone. No barriers were put up or anything,” Rendina said. “It was really open and family-like.”Rendina wears the dark blue libero jersey, meaning she is not allowed to block or spike the ball above the net but may replace any of the players in the back row between plays without notifying officials. Liberos are generally the most defensively skilled players on the team, so it is a testament to Rendina’s performance in practice and games that she is trusted. There remains room for improvement, though, Maes noted.“Brittani has done a really nice job in assimilating a lot of the things we’ve instilled, from a technical and systems standpoint,” Maes said. “What we’re looking for from her is consistency in her play. She has the mindset we’re looking for on the court.”And Redina seems to be up to the challenge.“It’s crunch-time now,” Rendina said. “We need to realize that we don’t have any more opportunities to mess around. We have to start winning every match from here on out if we want to win ACCs.”
(09/24/08 5:05am)
I just got an e-mail from Craig Littlepage. He unfortunately is stuck with cleaning duty at Scott Stadium all day — something about the janitorial staff refusing to pick up so many large pieces of white paper — so he’s appointed me Virginia’s athletic director until he’s done. Pay attention, I’m rolling in some changes.First off, that ridiculous sign ban at Virginia events is history. Signs are now encouraged, and we’ll be working with our corporate sponsors to try and get free signs handed out to everyone who sits in the student section. Also, a giant banner reading “Signs Welcome” will be hung a little bit beneath the scoreboard for the rest of the year as the athletic department’s admission that the ban was wrong.Next, Al Groh is fired. Sorry bud, this ain’t 2007. Chris Long and Jameel Sewell aren’t here to bail you out. Winning a lot of games with a bad team might get you the ACC Coach of the Year award, but it still leaves you with a bad team, which is not what we here at Virginia are looking for.In trying to fill the vacancy, our first choice is the NFL legend and parent of a current Virginia football player, Darrell Green. It makes sense: He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so obviously he knows what it takes to make it on the next level, something good recruits look for. Next, he’s a beacon of good character and good decisions, something our football program could use right now. Green also is loyal, committed and patient. He stuck with one pro team for his whole 20 years, through good seasons and bad. Plus, he’s Darrell Green. Everybody likes him. We’d out-recruit most teams in the ACC every year.I also mentioned Chris Long. The Virginia athletic department henceforth bans him from appearing in any TV commercials for Cavalier sporting events after that embarrassing “Power of Orange” performance from the beginning of this football season.Next on the agenda is that mission statement and list of goals of the athletic department, which can be found on Virginia’s sports Web site. Right now, it totals 283 words of hogwash and buzzwords. It is hereby replaced with this slightly simpler mantra: “Beat the Hokies.”My next move as athletic director is to make the rule that any fan who attends an away game for which they have to buy a ticket can get an automatic upgrade in seating at the next home game. All they have to do is present a receipt and a ticket stub. The good, loyal fans need to be rewarded.But that’s not the only fan incentive I’m putting into place. From now on, any fan who wears orange body paint to a game gets a free T-shirt and half off concessions for the game.The next item on my agenda is to officially retire the No. 44 men’s basketball jersey in honor of Sean Singletary, like it should have been at the end of last season.By decree, “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi is now the official rally song of the Cavaliers and must be played at any sporting event when Virginia needs to pull a quick turnaround in order to win. In dire circumstances, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey should also be used.Signs reading in large font, “The game’s not over until the buzzer sounds and you hear the ‘Good Ol’ Song’” will soon be placed above every exit of every University of Virginia venue. Especially Scott Stadium. I’m tired of seeing people file to the exits halfway through the third quarter.Student-athletes who graduate with at least a 3.5 GPA while making their sport’s all-conference team at least once gets free food from Mellow Mushroom, courtesy of the Virginia Athletics Foundation, for the rest of their lives. They earned it.It is henceforth decided that no football season ticket holders will have to give up their seats ever again. Donors are no longer allowed to buy their way toward the first row on the 50-yard line. The Stalcup Regime of Virginia athletics judges loyalty based on commitment and time and cheering decibels, not number of digits on a check to the Athletic Foundation.Every Virginia sports team shall be required to show the movie “Hoosiers” before the first practice of every season.The Snyder Tennis Center is hereby renamed the Somdev Devvarman Tennis Center.My next act as a commissioner is to form a committee to find musicians who wish to perform the national anthem at sporting events. I’m tired of hearing the same recording of the marching band at every non-televised event. I’m sure we have enough musical talent around Grounds to hear someone new every game.And while we’re talking about the national anthem, anybody who shouts “HOOS!” at the line “Whose broad stripes...” will be ejected from the game. That’s tacky and unpatriotic and ripped from a Baltimore Orioles tradition. Three bad things.My next act is to take the $16 million donated to the Virginia Athletics Foundation so far this year and buy a large pizza with two toppings from Pizza Hut for each of my friends, along with a 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper and a side order of... oh, hi, Mr. Littlepage, good to see you made it back so quickly. No, no, nothing too much happened while you were gone. I’ll let you take over from here.
(09/23/08 4:08am)
Virginia’s volleyball team opens its conference schedule tonight with a match against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.The match — in which the Cavaliers (8-4) will seek to improve upon a 1-2 performance in the Wildcat Classic — will also be the ACC debut for the Hokies (9-2).One of the Cavaliers’ losses in Chicago was a Friday afternoon 0-3 match against UCLA. Senior middle hitter Shannon Davis, who was selected as a member of the all-tournament team, noted that the team learned a lot from the contest.UCLA is “very good at ball control,” Davis said. “They dig well, they pass well. Even when they don’t, they get back into system easily, which is something all the great teams do.”Virginia coach Lee Maes said the more disappointing loss was the Cavaliers’ 2-3 narrow loss against Northwestern later Friday.“After the loss to Northwestern, we really spent some time assessing individually what needed to improve,” Maes said.Virginia bounced back to defeat Georgetown 3-0 the next day. The Cavaliers then turned their attention to the upcoming match and its quest for an ACC title.Although Virginia defeated Virginia Tech in Charlottesville last season, sophomore right side hitter Kendahl Voelker, who ranks second on the team with 85 kills so far this season, will look to avenge the Cavaliers’ loss last season at Cassell Coliseum.“We want to beat them,” Voelker said. “Especially at their home.”The Hokies are off to a fast start this season, tying the school’s record for most wins in the first 11 matches of the season.Maes noted that one reason for the Hokies’ success is the team’s creative style of offense, using two quick hitters.“Having a chance to watch them on video, they’re a very dynamic offense,” Maes said. “When you have two quick hitters in your offense, it makes it difficult to defend.”The Cavaliers’ preseason play had its ups and its downs, but Maes and several players were quick to reiterate their confidence in the team’s system, which includes an emphasis on overall efficiency. Areas of focus in practice have included serving, passing and blocking.“If we have great serving, you can make any good team average,” Maes said. “For us, if we can do a great job in the passing lane, then we will be a lot more efficient offensively.”Though the match against the Hokies takes place in the middle of the week, it will likely feature the most hostile environment yet seen by Virginia under Maes’ coaching. Members of the coaching staff and players, however, are viewing the environment as a positive compared to the neutral environments of the preseason tournaments.“We have to feed off the energy of their crowd,” Voelker said.Maes said he values any opportunity for the team to play in an “intimate” and “energetic” environment, regardless of for whom the crowd cheers most.The Cavaliers will have little time to recover from the match, as play continues this weekend in Memorial Gymnasium against Georgia Tech and Clemson, picked in the preseason by pollsters to finish second and first, respectively, in the conference.The Cavaliers, however, are taking one match at a time and have been focusing on downing their in-state rivals.“I think we’ll be excited when it comes down to it,” Davis said. “Especially [against Virginia Tech].”The athletes, however, have not been shy in discussing their long-run goal for the season.“We want the ACC Championship, first and foremost,” Voelker said.
(09/19/08 6:32am)
Having put together a 7-2 record so far, including a sweep of the Marriott Jefferson Cup last weekend, Virginia’s volleyball team will head to Evanston, Ill. for the weekend to play in its final preseason tournament, the Wildcat Classic. The Cavaliers will look to continue building momentum as they head into their conference schedule that begins Tuesday against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.The first match of the tournament for the Cavaliers is a contest this morning against No. 4 UCLA scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. This will be first-year coach Lee Maes’s first match with the Cavaliers against a ranked team.“We’ve grown leaps and bounds,” Maes said. “Now it’s them being able to sustain a level of effort and focus for a long period of time.”The UCLA Bruins are 7-1 (0-0 PAC 10) on the season and have lost only four sets. These sets were against Hawaii and Penn State, both currently ranked in the top 10 nationally.UCLA has dominated all parts of the game and boasts a .270 kill percentage in the eight matches it has played so far. The team has allowed only two ball-handling errors the entire season, compared to the Cavaliers’ 11. One statistical area in which the Cavaliers have a slight advantage is service aces per set; Virginia has put up 1.8 against the Bruins’ 1.5.Virginia’s Kendahl Voelker, a sophomore right side hitter, has 28 kills and nine blocks in the past three matches.“Right now [the Bruins] are really good,” junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson said. “We still are focusing to do what we can to better ... what we do technically.”UCLA is the only team on the Cavaliers’ schedule all season currently ranked in the top 25.Following the match against the Bruins, the Cavaliers will suit up tonight at 8 p.m. against Northwestern. The Wildcats, who are hosting this weekend’s tournament, are 4-4 so far on the season, including a narrow defeat to No. 16 Wichita State.Northwestern features a very young roster: Only four of the players on the Wildcats’ 14-woman roster are upperclassmen. The Cavaliers will look to take use their edge in experience to deal with the home crowd in Chicago that will likely be cheering loudly against them.The Cavaliers will finish the tournament tomorrow night at 7 p.m. with a match against Georgetown. The Hoyas hold a 6-3 record, including a 3-0 loss to ACC opponent North Carolina.The Wildcat Classic will be a homecoming for freshman outside hitter Simone Asque, who listed this weekend’s tournament as one of the season’s events she was most looking forward to. Asque is one of four Cavaliers from the Prairie State.Though the conference schedule is right around the corner, and UCLA is likely a better team than the Cavaliers will have to play for the rest of the regular season, the Cavaliers do not assume the match or any others will result in a loss.“We take it one game at a time,” Dickson said. “It’ll be an exciting match.”Following this weekend’s match and the quick turnaround to Blacksburg Tuesday, the Cavaliers will have a few days to catch their breath before Georgia Tech and Clemson come to Memorial Gym Sept. 26 and Sept. 27, respectively.For now, though, the Cavaliers have their sights set on finding a way to pull the big upset against the Bruins.Shannon Davis, a senior middle for Virginia and MVP of the Marriott Jefferson Cup, noted the Cavaliers will approach the match with the confidence they try to bring to every game.“It’s a matter of executing to win the game,” Davis said.
(09/17/08 6:56am)
This past week, I took a long look at all of my class syllabi, marked the exam dates in my calendar and promised myself I wouldn’t waste my time getting caught up in the frivolities and drama of a football season this year.And then Saturday morning came and I remembered we had leftover pizza in the fridge and I came to my senses. Who was I kidding? I’ll be spending the weekends this year watching football like I do every year.Now that a few weeks of the circus that is the football season is underway, I’ve made a few bold predictions about what we’re going to see this year. From the college ranks to the NFL, from the good to the bad to the ugly, here they are:Prediction 1: Peter Lalich’s troubles will pass, and Lalich will resume his starting role, serving as a great quarterback for the next 2.5 years.I’ve sat in on a Peter Lalich press conference before; I’ve read the quotes. It’s easy to root against him. He’s aloof and arrogant in a quiet way. Something about his wily smile, fiery eyes and James Dean body posture gets to you.But he’s starting to win me over. I believe him when he says his probation violation was a misunderstanding. I think he’s looked sharp when he’s been able to relax in the pocket, something that will happen more frequently if and when he plays again. His patience for routes unfolding is impressive for such a young quarterback.But, one hurdle at a time. He still has a Sept. 26 hearing to prove to the world whether he really learned from his mistakes.Prediction 2: Terrell Owens will be selected as the NFL MVP.The Dallas Cowboys are playing like future Super Bowl champions right now. Leading the way is everyone’s least-favorite drama queen, T.O. No. 81, now number two on the all-time career receptions list, looks as good or better right now than Randy Moss did last year.Prediction 2a: I will make and lose a stupid bet against the Cowboys.I hate the Dallas Cowboys more than I hate getting my teeth drilled by the dentist. The two NFL teams I like are the Redskins and whoever is playing the Cowboys. But I stand by my prediction that the Cowboys will have a huge year.Knowing that I have the fury of a thousand suns against “America’s Team,” as their fans mistakenly like to call them, I’ll probably make some foolhardy bet with a friend about the Redskins beating the Cowboys, and I’ll probably lose. If you see me walking around Grounds with a shaved head or a “Romo is my homeboy” T-shirt this fall, you’ll know why.Prediction 3: North Carolina will win the ACC.I make this prediction not because I think UNC is particularly great, but because I don’t think anyone else in the ACC is particularly great. Clemson? They choke more than George W. Bush at a Snyder’s factory. Tech? They were barely able to play enough defense to stave off the Yellow Jackets. They might lose to Duke. Wake Forest? Their glory year already passed them by. Watch the ‘Heels. They’re pretty good in a pretty lousy conference.Prediction 4: Virginia will upset East Carolina.The Cavaliers have looked so bad these past few weeks that right now it probably seems positively loony to say something like this. But East Carolina is more beatable than its No. 15 position hints, and Virginia has more guts than a five-touchdown loss to UConn suggests. Look for Virginia to be regaining its footing just as the Pirates really start losing the wind from their sails. Could be a big win for the Orange and Blue.Prediction 5: No mid-majors will crash the BCS this year.Last week, East Carolina was the big little guy everyone was talking about, and this week it’s BYU. But both teams are worse than Hawaii was last year and Boise State was the year before that. The school with the best shot of proving this prediction wrong is the underrated Utah, which has enough challenges on its schedule to claim respectability but has nothing unbeatable to take on.Prediction 6: Notre Dame will go to a bowl game and might even scratch the top 25 at some point.Maybe it’s the copy of “Rudy” sitting on my DVD shelf that I’ve watched a dozen times or my two visits to Notre Dame’s beautiful campus or the fact that I’m double legacy at the school, but I have a soft spot for the Yankees of college football. They went 3-9 last year, their worst season in program history, but they still pulled in an amazing recruiting class and are starting to look a little bit sharp.Prediction 7: Chad Ocho Cinco will be traded to a team where No. 85 is retired.Now that The Receiver Formerly Known as Johnson has officially changed his name, you just know some cruel twist of fate is going to bring him somewhere where he has to suit up as number 89.Ocho Cinco is a clown, which I mean in the best possible way. He seems to be one of few to remember that professional sports is first and foremost an entertainment industry.I wish more athletes would have a foot-race against a racing horse (Ocho Cinco won) and challenge Michael Phelps to a swimming contest and make silly puns about opponents’ last names in press conferences. And I’d also like to see a few more athletes with a smirk as mischievous and warm as his.Prediction 8: Virginia will go to a bowl game.OK, now I’m just being ridiculous. I wouldn’t dare believe that the Cavaliers will cowboy up, turn things around and surprise us all again. That’s impossible.Right?
(09/15/08 7:37am)
Virginia’s volleyball team dominated this weekend, scoring 3-0 wins against Virginia Commonwealth, Binghamton and Appalachian State to improve its record to 7-2 and win the Marriott Jefferson Cup.Senior middle blocker Shannon Davis was selected as the tournament MVP after posting a .545 hitting percentage against Appalachian State in the final match of the tournament.Being selected as MVP “feels good,” Davis said. “But it’s not as exciting as winning the tournament as a team.”The Cavaliers started strong with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-22) victory Friday against Virginia Commonwealth to open Lee Maes’s career at home as Virginia coach. Junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson finished the match with 10 kills and 11 digs, putting up her third consecutive double-double.Friday’s match was selected as an Orange Passport game by the Hoo Crew — allowing student attendees to earn loyalty points that will assist them in getting basketball tickets this year — and hundreds of Virginia fans filled the stands of Memorial Gym.“Our match versus VCU was absolutely just a great environment,” Maes said. “I love that we had such a great crowd that was engaged and loud.”The afternoon match against Binghamton saw another 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-23) Cavalier victory. Lauren Dickson again hit a double-double, hitting 10 digs and knocking down 14 kills.“One of the things that we really appreciate about Lauren,” Maes said, “is that ... when one facet of the game is not going well for her, we can count on another part of the game that she can still execute well.”Freshman outside hitter Simone Asque put up double-digit kills in the matches against Virginia Commonwealth and Binghamton.“It was really awesome,” Asque said. “It’s like the moment of the beginning of my career.”Asque “did a nice job coming in and assuming a role for us,” Maes said. “It was a good growing opportunity for her.”Beginning with the Virginia-Virginia Commonwealth match Friday, the heat began building in Memorial Gym, pushing 100 degrees by the beginning of the final match of the tournament Saturday, Virginia-Appalachian State. The Mountaineers’ senior middle blocker Carla Durham noted the gym’s stifling temperatures hindered her experience in the tournament.“It’s too hot,” Durham said. Memorial Gym “is a good gym. We like how the bleachers are close [to the court], but it’s way too hot in here.”The uncomfortable playing conditions did not stop the Cavaliers from finishing their sweep of the tournament, topping Appalachian State 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-21) Saturday evening.The Cavaliers outplayed the Mountaineers most of the match, but a rally by Appalachian State late in the third set kept the Cavaliers on their toes.“One of the things that’s really apparent with Appalachian State is their level of effort,” Maes said. “We ... admired how they really pursued and continued putting stress on us defensively.”Though Dickson’s streak of double-doubles ended against the Mountaineers, her 11 kills in the match led the Cavaliers.“I think it’s just sometimes things click,” Dickson said. “I’m getting a lot of opportunities to hit the ball.”The Cavaliers will work this week to prepare for the Northwestern Tournament in Chicago Sept. 19 to 20. Virginia is scheduled to take on No. 5 UCLA at 11:30 a.m. Friday, home team Northwestern at 8 p.m. Friday, and Georgetown at 7 p.m. Saturday.