“Everybody wants to compete for national championships and being in that field is just a blessing,” Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “I'm just really happy for our players that we were able to do enough to get there.”
The 14-seed Raiders (23-11, 15-5 Horizon), coming off a Horizon League title win over Detroit Mercy, will face Virginia having won seven of their last eight games. Led by second-year Coach Clint Sergent, they are a team that thrives at getting to the rim — attempting 43.1 percent of their shots there and making over 60 percent of them.
No. 21 Virginia defeated No. 59 Georgia Tech 4-1 Saturday afternoon at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex, in Atlanta Ga.
For the first time, the entire roster — including the new freshmen — is fully integrated into Coach Wesley Ng's system.
With Kechner leading the way for the team, the six Cavaliers with her took home the victory at the All-Star Tournament.
“Duke made the plays that they needed to make down the stretch to finish it out,” Odom said. “I thought we had a good opportunity there when it was tied, but it just didn't go our way today.”
Weatherspoon’s first at-bat resulted in a booming home run into the left field bleachers. That plate appearance summed up the afternoon — a 10-5 beatdown of rival Virginia Tech.
In order to avoid a season similar to last year’s 6-8 final record — the first losing season of Lars Tiffany’s 10-year tenure at Virginia — the Cavaliers must find a way to win this afternoon in College Park, Md.
No. 2 Virginia defeated No. 49 Duke 4-1 Friday afternoon at the Boar’s Head Sports Club, using a strong doubles start and commanding singles performances to remain unbeaten at home and in conference play.
Two weeks. Two weeks since the biggest loss of Coach Ryan Odom’s tenure in Charlottesville, and the Cavaliers (29-4, 15-3 ACC) will again meet the Blue Devils (31-2, 17-1 ACC), this time at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. at 8:30 p.m.
“It's important to respond when they have their runs because they're a good team that is capable of having their runs,” Thomas said. “So answering back was huge.”
Virginia’s power broke out in the bottom of the fifth — Harris reached on an error and Didawick singled before junior infielder Noah Murray turned around a middle-middle breaking ball, driving it into the left field bleachers and putting the Cavaliers on top 6-4.
Virginia now travels to Atlanta, Ga., for a second consecutive round of ACC play as they take on Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets (6-6, 2-2) are coming off a routine 4-0 victory over Virginia Tech (3-7, 0-2). Led by previous No. 47 senior Alejandra Cruz, the bout should prove to be another challenging matchup.
“They're really tough to deal with,” Odom said in February. “And they're even better in person than when you watch them on film.”
The match seemed to settle in the final quarter as both sides simply traded goals, ending with a 12-10 scoreline in favor of the Cavaliers. Piraino’s goal with 3:17 left was the final important action, securing a much-needed win over a ranked opponent.
“We got the lead to six a couple times in the first half, and then we wasted some possessions,” Wade said. “We took a bunch of mid range jump shots, a bunch of fadeaways. We got bottled up, which is what their defense does. That really bothered us and stunted us from being able [to] stretch the lead.”
With Hardin at the helm, the softball program has experienced a renaissance and this year, they are off to a roaring start.
Three beat writers discuss Virginia’s regular-season and postseason outlook, as the Cavaliers await the selection committee’s decision on Selection Sunday, March 15.
Virginia is just 3-15 all-time against the Wolfpack in the ACC Tournament, including a 3-9 mark in quarterfinal matchups and a 1-3 record in Charlotte — the Cavaliers are also just 3-22 against NC State at neutral sites.
“I can definitely say that I think I left the jersey in a better place. I think we did as a team,” Tillis said.
