After Bigham had a much more efficient inning of work in the bottom of the second, the Cavaliers were back on offense.
In its last road trip of a busy March, No. 15 Virginia earned a pair of ACC victories in Florida, earning clean wins over Florida State and No. 30 Miami.
With Johnson at the helm, the stage is set for a program-defining collision. The Cavaliers have spent over three years building toward this moment. If they follow the same heartbeat that led them here, it could push the program to historical heights.
After the game, Coach Ryan Odom complimented the leadership of the graduating seniors, and praised the buy-in that the entire roster showed from the get-go. Winning 30 games is difficult, he said, and though the ending was difficult, he remains proud of his team and what they accomplished.
The move from the intimate Klöckner Stadium to the expansive Scott Stadium was a deliberate nod to the program's 50-year journey. The doubleheader with the men's team, which took down Utah earlier that morning, brought a sense of scale that matched the significance of the anniversary.
The NCAA Championships began March 19 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland with 330 total wrestlers representing schools across the country. While Washleski was making his second appearance — his last coming in 2024 — Porter and Morgan were making their first career appearances.
No. 1 Virginia continued its undefeated run through conference play with a 4-1 victory over No. 21 NC State Friday afternoon at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.
“I liked our physicality,” Tiffany said. “We like it when it's aggressive … We like our man-down defense, so [we] want to play a physical game.”
The key for the Cavaliers, against a team that will force tough shots and likely have more possessions on the game, will be to find an early rhythm on offense and fight for defensive rebounds.
“I think all of us would probably say we outdid ourselves this year,” sophomore Anna Moesch said. “I couldn't be prouder of these girls on this team, and I think it's the best collective team I've ever been on.”
By advancing to the second round, Virginia recorded multiple NCAA Tournament wins for the first time since 2000.
Johnson made perhaps the loudest contract of the game, launching a home run deep to center field in the eighth inning. It all proved to be too little too late as the sun set and the scoreboard displayed a bruising 13-4 final score.
Junior ace pitcher Kyle Johnson took the mound for the first time this season, serving as an opener for sophomore lefty Henry Zatkowski.
An 11 a.m. matchup Saturday against Utah in Scott Stadium will see Will Inderlied land in unexpected territory — his first time playing in the venue his father once did.
“Tomorrow's not promised,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “I think every game now we have an opportunity to reach that. I think our kids are getting hungrier … We have a lot left in our tank.”
“I think when you get to this level, you get to this tournament, all these teams belong here,” Odom said. “Certainly, there were tense moments back and forth, but really proud of the way the guys stood up on the defensive end.”
“I feel like coming into conference play I got my groove back,” Lewis said in an interview before the ACC Tournament.
Johnson’s clutch three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining — and double-double performance alongside graduate forward Caitlin Weimar — stamped Virginia’s ticket to secure its first seed in the NCAA Tournament after an eight-year drought.
The end result may not be what the No. 2-ranked team in the nation hoped — and certainly not ideal after a second consecutive sixth-place finish. However, the Cavaliers still have ample time to build off the elite tsunami of a round they displayed Wednesday, especially given their proven dominance all season long.
“This is by far, one of the best lineups that I’ve been a part of,” Weatherspoon said. “Being able to be in the nine hole with [Becker] and [Gracia] behind me, [it] gives me confidence that I don’t have to put too much pressure on myself.”
