It was a stark contrast to last year's showing, where the team's lone highlight was a memorable hole-in-one. This time, Virginia dominated from wire to wire, shattering personal bests and rewriting the record books.
The question is not whether Virginia can win these games, but whether this young team has learned enough from their opening weekend to ensure they will.
While The Post’s restructuring is already set in stone, some University students continue to mourn the once-revered sports department in its previous form.
The Cavaliers appear confident under new leadership that 2026 will be the year to end the campaign with a win, not a loss.
The Cavaliers’ loss was characterized by lapses in defensive judgment.
Every chapter of her journey has added depth to the player Virginia now sees.
Judge Higgins set Edrine’s bond at $25,000 following a lengthy bail hearing in Albemarle County Circuit Court, despite strong objections from the Commonwealth which argued the former student-athlete poses a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Fortunately for Virginia, White, a 43 percent three-point shooter on the season, stepped it up for the Cavaliers. White hit four threes on the way to a team leading 16 second half points.
The Cavaliers will return to action Feb. 18 at Virginia Tech.
A win as momentous as this — especially with the matchup’s history — could not have arrived at a better time for Virginia, especially on a night celebrating the legendary Coach Debbie Ryan.
The Cavaliers, who hope to play their final game at Scott Stadium, opened the season Sunday in a spectator-free George Welsh Indoor Football Practice Facility. Safe from the icy and frigid conditions, Virginia put on an offensive clinic, matching its highest goal total since hanging 19 on the Raiders to start the 2025 season.
Reliable stars and inexperienced talent played their parts in running the table in Conway after a devastating loss to open the season.
Virginia will return to action at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, scheduled Feb. 13-17.
This season, those Cavaliers of various backgrounds come together to fight for the program’s ever-elusive second national championship.
Perhaps the circumstances played a role, perhaps not. Either way, Virginia faltered to open the campaign, falling 12-10 to No. 16 Navy.
“They had a good plan coming in and kept us off balance offensively with the switching of the presses and then the zone a little bit,” Odom said. “I thought they did a nice job overall. And every time we would stretch it a little bit, they were coming right back, and it was a tight game, obviously, and could have gone either direction.”
The road to redemption is set for the Cavaliers.
Garland hopes the performances of standouts Porter, Denkins and Washleski will not only continue, but also inspire and embolden their teammates that they can take the same strides.
Losing the doubles point ultimately sealed the Cavaliers’ fate — forcing them to hunt for a three-set singles win on one of the lower courts.
Friday night, Virginia wrestling hopes to upend No. 7 Virginia Tech in dual action, an upset that would immediately take on a revered place in Virginia wrestling history.
