No. 8 Old Dominion poses challenge for Cavaliers
By Ben Gomez | September 5, 2008The Virginia women?s field hockey team heads into the weekend 2-0 (0-0 ACC) and ranked No. 11 in the country by the STX/NFHCA Division 1 Coaches Poll.
The Virginia women?s field hockey team heads into the weekend 2-0 (0-0 ACC) and ranked No. 11 in the country by the STX/NFHCA Division 1 Coaches Poll.
This Saturday the defending ACC-champion Virginia cross country team will host the Lou Onesty Invitational at Panorama Farms, an early-season event in which the Cavaliers traditionally compete against in-state rivals such as William & Mary and VCU.Virginia will look to open the season with a strong performance by both the men and women at the event, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.?This will be the first opportunity for our cross country team to compete,? Virginia coach Jason Vigilante said.
Calling audibles is a part of football. Throughout this entire week, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis have been forced to call a number of them.When news broke that Hurricane Gustav was going to hit New Orleans harder than any middle linebacker, Payton and Loomis made plans to relocate the team to Indianapolis, Ind.
Last season, the Virginia women?s soccer team had one of the best defenses in the country. With a nation-best 0.40 goals allowed per game, the Cavaliers managed to pull off 14 shutouts and allowed only 10 goals all season.
The accomplishments Virginia women?s volleyball coach Lee Maes and his teams achieved while he was the head assistant coach at Nebraska are numerous and impressive: a national championship, three conference championships and 13 All-Americans.Now in his first season as the head coach of the Cavaliers, Maes hopes to bring similar accolades to Virginia.?Our expectation every season is to have the opportunity to compete for the ACC Championship with the goal of also earning an NCAA berth,? Maes said.
Neil Sedaka is wrong. Breaking up isn?t hard to do ? at least not with an NBA team.My divorce from the Dallas Mavericks was quick and painless, a Spears-ian annulment that allowed us to go our separate ways.
The Virginia women?s field hockey team, currently No. 11 in the nation, is looking to make its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament despite fielding a very young team this season Luckily for the Cavaliers, two talented first years, midfielder Paige Selenski and midfielder/defender Michelle Vittese are already making a big impact.Both Vittese and Selenski are seasoned beyond their years because of their experience in national and international competition.
I?m sure most college sports fans can tell you what George Mason did in 2006: It made an unlikely run to the Final Four.
Senior Yannick Reyering has made many big kicks in his athletic career.Saturday, however, the ball was not quite as round, and he had nearly 65,000 eyes on him.In Virginia?s football home opener against USC Saturday, Reyering, a former Cavalier men?s soccer star, made his debut for the football team as the starting placekicker.
The Virginia women?s soccer team finished its opening three-game home stand by defeating Liberty 5-0 and Virginia Commonwealth 5-0 Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Goalkeeper ? it?s the last line of defense and, in many cases, the most important. The Virginia men?s soccer team has two capable and experienced goalkeepers.
So, maybe Saturday?s 52-7 drubbing wasn?t the most fun football game you ever watched. But things could have been worse.
The Lee Maes era began with a bang this past weekend as Virginia?s volleyball team swept the James Madison University Days Inn Invitational to begin its season at 3-0 (0-0 ACC). Maes joined the Cavaliers in February after a search for a coach began in December when Melissa Aldrich Shelton stepped down from the position.The 3-0 start, the first for Virginia since the 2003-4 season, follows a preseason that players and coaches alike described as physically intense.Sophomore right side hitter Kendahl Voelker, who recorded 10 kills in the tournament championship match against James Madison, said the team has been training at a high level under Maes and new assistant coaches Ted Wade and Jill Kramer.?We?re getting it done in the gym,? Voelker said.
Virginia athletics has reported senior linebacker Aaron Clark will be out for the rest of the season because of a knee sprain suffered during Saturday?s game against USC.
In football, a common saying is that ?It?s not about the Xs and the Os, it?s about the Jimmys and the Joes.? The Jimmys and Joes on California?s team proved far superior to Virginia?s when the Cavaliers lost their season opener 7-52 Saturday.?USC was a big, powerful fast team with superior quarterback play today,? Virginia coach Al Groh said.
The lively Lithuanian is moving on.At a press conference at Blue Ridge School Thursday, former Virginia basketball player Laurynas Mikalauskas, who was kicked off the men?s basketball team last week, took full responsibility for the academic ineligibility that resulted in his dismissal and announced his intention to turn pro overseas.?I could not see myself transferring to another school or playing for another college basketball team,? Mikalauskas said.
After Saturday?s deflating blowout football loss to Southern Cal, Virginia?s sports weekend only got worse Sunday.
Defense was the name of the game at Turf Field this weekend. The Virginia women?s field hockey team put on a suffocating defensive performance, beating William & Mary 5-0 Friday and following that up with a 4-1 victory against Providence Sunday.
There are many strategies that are preached to David when playing Goliath on the gridiron.?Just keep hanging around for three quarters ? at the end anything can happen.? ?Slow the tempo of the game down and keep the offense off the field.? ?Don?t give up the big play on defense.? ?Take advantage of the opportunities given to you.? ?Lace the other team?s pregame meal with arsenic.? We?ve heard them all.Saturday at Scott Stadium, none of those things happened.