RALEIGH, N.C. -- Another second-half, another blown lead for Virginia. After holding as much as a 14-point advantage, the Cavaliers found themselves behind by three points with three minutes remaining Saturday night at N.C.
As a third year, my first away message of basketball season read, "Virginia basketball: Mid-major basketball at a major university." It turns out, I may have actually been right, and that might not be a bad thing at all. Against N.C.
The streak continues. It has consisted of 28 consecutive ACC dual meet wins, dating back to 1999.
LaTonya Blue is certainly making the most of her final season. The 5-foot-11-inch senior guard from Baltimore, Maryland has continued to improve her all-around game under coach Debbie Ryan this year, particularly on the offensive end.
For someone starting in his first college lacrosse game, sophomore Kip Turner, who along with Michael Petit was filling in for departed Virginia goalie Tillman Johnson, seemed surprisingly level-headed. "There's pressure on both of us, to uphold his standards, the way he played," Turner said. Virginia's goaltending, which was expected to be a cause for concern this season, proved to be a strength Saturday when the Cavaliers unofficially defeated the Naval Academy 13-8 in a preseason scrimmage. And although it was only a scrimmage, for Virginia it was hesitantly deemed a success by head coach Dom Starsia. "There were good things going on, although I'm glad it's only February," Starsia said.
It was again business as usual for No. 10 Virginia as it easily dispatched No. 22 Tennessee 6-1 to maintain its perfect start to the season.
After leading throughout the second half of the matchup with N.C. State, Virginia lost the lead with 48 seconds left and was eventually denied the road win 62-56 last night. The Wolfpack's Kendra Bell gave N.C.
Patrick Mitchell The majority of the regular season already has passed for the Virginia Swimming and Diving team, and now it is time to prepare for the post-season.
The rocky road through ACC play hasn't been very smooth for the Virginia men's basketball team. Coach Pete Gillen thinks his offense is turning out, but the defense -- well, if anyone finds it roaming lost around Charlottesville, Gillen probably would be grateful for its safe return to University Hall. The Cavaliers quickly have turned a 9-2 start into a 10-9 (1-7 ACC) struggle with eight games left to play.
It turned out to be a good thing that I waited until the spring of my third year to start on my language requirement.
To sports enthusiasts and journalists, following sports is like following the ebb and flow of the tide: The college sports season starts with football in the fall, slowly eases into basketball in the winter and eventually ends with baseball in the spring. However, actual athletes follow a completely different schedule, one in which they are rarely afforded the luxuries of off days and down time. Saturday, the Virginia men's lacrosse team will emerge from an eight-month "hibernation" to take on the fourth-ranked Naval Academy at 1 p.m.
Ask any basketball players what crowd-pleasing move they would use to change a game's momentum and grabbing a rebound would probably not crack the top ten. Although far less flashy than an alley-oop, dunk or no-look pass, rebounds routinely make the difference for many teams, especially in the ultra-competitive world of ACC women's basketball. Nobody is more keenly aware of this fact than Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, who has molded her team into a rebounding force over the past several games.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- When Donnie McGrath saw a hole, he pounced. The junior guard peeped nine in Virginia's zone defense last night, and he made the Cavaliers pay for every one. McGrath scored 27 points on nine for nine shooting from beyond the arc to lead his Providence Friars past Virginia, 98-79, at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence. "Shooting nine for nine is tough to do when no one's in the gym," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said. McGrath had Virginia's zone defense to thank for his performance, which tied an NCAA record for three-point percentage in a game. "I think we attacked the zone pretty well," McGrath said.
Junior Doug Stewart earned ACC Tennis Player of the Week after serving up two individual wins and helping the Cavaliers rack up two 7-0 victories against 44th ranked Minnesota and 59th Old Dominion. Stewart, ranked 19th in the nation, had a tough matchup to open the season against 7th ranked player Iwar van der Merwe of Old Dominion.
The defending national champions were picked first in Lacrosse Magazine's preseason poll. In second place is Princeton, the two-time defending champ that Virginia took down in the 2004 NCAA tournament. Virginia will return nine starters this season looking to defend its crown.
PROVIDENCE, RI Praise for Pete Gillen has been hard to come by in Charlottesville these days. The city of Providence, on the other hand, still has a lot of love for the current Virginia head coach. When Gillen was introduced before tip-off last night, he received a warm reception from the Friar faithful.
It's funny what happens when you rest your hopes on the whims of eighteen-year-old boys. Most of these boys have been the center of attention for years.
Next season will officially mark the first year in which Virginia football coach Al Groh has a team that was completely recruited by his coaching staff.
If you follow Virginia sports at all, you've surely heard "coaching change," or some form of that phrase, being tossed around since late December.
