Entering its first weekend of conference play, the Virginia women's volleyball team prepares to face the vastly improved N.C.
From here on out, the phrase "early-season tune up" is being officially retired. The preseason is over
The recent expansion of the ACC has garnered much attention, as a traditionally basketball-oriented conference has stepped up into the elite of the power football conferences with the addition of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College.
I am not one to knock on Major League Soccer. I think it's more entertaining than people give it credit for and the quality of play continues to get better each year.
NORFOLK -- It had to happen sometime. After pitching five straight shutouts to start the season, the Virginia defense finally showed cracks in a seemingly concrete facade.
For the first time this season, the University of Virginia women's soccer team substituted its regular goalie, junior Christina de Vries.
Steve Young had to do it. Tom Brady had to do it. And now Kai Parham's doing it. What did all three of these people have to do?
Don't be fooled by the spandex shorts, the ponytails and the high-fives. If you think volleyball is a sport for the beach or a backyard barbecue, watch Virginia's Stephanie Everett dive for a potential dig, crashing headlong into the team bench and then running right back into the action. You might also notice Sarah Kirkwood, who wrapped up a painful hand injury halfway through last weekend's championship game, not only return to the action, but serve another five aces. These girls might not be playing a contact sport, but they're some of the toughest athletes in Charlottesville. "There's not a lot of person-to-person contact in volleyball, but it is pretty physical because they're always jumping, running, diving for the ball, hitting the floor," volleyball trainer Katie Serenelli said. On the basketball court, players prefer to stay on their feet.
The ACC announced Monday that two Cavaliers received conference Player of the Week honors. Senior kicker Connor Hughes, who contributed nine points to Virginia's 27-24 win at Syracuse, was named Specialist of the Week.
Fifteen schools will participate in the Virginia men's tennis team's fourth annual U.Va. Fall Invitational this weekend.
Southeastern Conference football has always been a large part of my life. Every once in a while, I have to be reminded why it matters so much to me.
It may go down as the most significant 15 minutes of the season for the Cavaliers. The 7-on-7 overtime period against James Madison last Friday would prove the doubters wrong -- or add fuel to the fire.
On the football field, the quarterback is arguably the most important player. He is responsible for distributing the ball to the playmakers of the offense.
Don't blame yourself if you wouldn't recognize Mark Miller walking around grounds. In fact, don't blame yourself if you're not even quite sure just who Mark Miller is.
When athletes speak of opportunity, more often than not, it comes down to winning or losing. Few speak of the opportunity that might determine their future career in their respective sport.
The Virginia men's tennis team brought home two titles from the 2005 Crimson Tide Fall Invitational at the University of Alabama this weekend. Eric Riley and Jarrett Chirico, both sophomores, won their flight championships in the relatively new One-on-One Doubles competition.
The kickoff for the Oct. 1 football game at Maryland has been set for noon. This week, Virginia looks ahead to its homecoming game against Duke at 3:30 Saturday.
Virginia freshman forward Kelly Quinn scored the first goal in Sunday's win over Richmond. From Dublin, Ohio, Quinn comes to the University of Virginia with an impressive record. Quinn was a three-time NSCAA High School All-American, three-time Gatorade and NSCAA Ohio Player of the Year, a former member of the United States U-17 National Team and member of the Dublin Coffman High School state championship team in 2001 and 2003. These accomplishments, however, are only the beginning for Quinn's developing career. "If you ripped open her chest you'd see an awfully big heart," Virginia coach Steve Swanson said.
After the Virginia football team beat another inferior opponent by a slim margin this weekend, I had a vision of the Charles Dickens Christmas Carol and the three ghosts of Virginia Sports Past, Present and Future. Now I know this has the making of a hippy column that causes students in the back of the Chemistry auditorium to whisper, "Who is the crazy columnist that wrote this nonsense?" But stay with me through my vision, and the dim comparisons between the Gillen and Groh empires will become evident. As the Ghost of Wahoo Past, I take you to 2002.
No other player on the Virginia football team can change a game like senior quarterback Marques Hagans. Hagans showcased his versatility Saturday against Syracuse.
