On a chilly, damp night at Klöckner Stadium, Virginia (13-2) defeated Longwood University (1-13) in overtime on a golden goal by senior Matt Oliver.
When I woke up Sunday morning aghast, recalling the 36-3 thrashing the Cavaliers had received at the hands of Florida State the night before, I started to reflect on the Virginia season to date. I had jumped on the bandwagon, thinking the Cavs could actually go into Doak Campbell Stadium and beat the 'Noles, who had struggled against Syracuse. It seemed as if the Syracuse game merely roused a sleeping giant, rather than expose its flaws.
What comes to mind when you think of Duke athletic stars? Images of J.J. Redick's sweet shooting touch, Shelden Williams's stellar moves in the low post and Chris Duhons's ball distribution skills might flash through your head.
It was a tale of two halves for the offense of the women's soccer team in its 3-0 victory over Virginia Tech last night. The fourth-ranked Cavaliers (12-2-1, 4-2-1 ACC) dominated the Hokies (8-7-0, 3-5-0) statistically in the first half but had little to show for it.
He was a three-year starter. He had 60 tackles and six interceptions in his senior year and eight career sacks and tackles for a loss -- impressive numbers for any aspiring NFL cornerback. NFL scouts, however, only saw one number when they looked at Virginia's ball-hawking cornerback Almondo "Muffin" Curry -- "5-foot-8-inch." For all his exploits on the gridiron, Curry was passed over by the NFL in favor of taller cornerbacks to match up with today's towering receivers, a fact not lost on "Muffin." "To me, it's not even a point of how good you are, or what you can do out on the football field," Curry said.
A court date has been set for former women's basketball guard Cherrie Graham. Earlier this summer, Graham was arrested after allegedly assaulting two Charlottesville police officers after a dispute involving her towed car.
If you've been following Virginia volleyball this year, then it won't shock you to learn that a Cavalier freshman is leading the ACC in a statistical category. What might surprise you is that the freshman player is Melissa Caldwell.
Early in the second quarter at Western Michigan in September 2003, a freshman Virginia receiver broke the huddle and lined up in the wideout spot next to junior Ottawa Anderson.
The NCAA Championships/Competition cabinet confirmed the selection of Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage as chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee for the 2005-2006 academic year.
The Atlantic Coast Conference unveiled the seal for its new 12-team conference yesterday. When the ACC adds Boston College for the 2004-05 athletic season, the coastline on the conference seal will extend up to Massachusetts, and a new dot will be added for the Eagles.
It seems in sports these days that the only time a coach gets mentioned is following a poor play call or a deflating loss.
"Welcome to our universe." That was all my father said when he called Saturday night immediately after Florida State blocked Sean Johnson's first quarter punt.
No. 4 Virginia currently faces a critical turning point in its season with three ACC regular season games left on the schedule.
In yesterday's weekly press conference, Virginia coach Al Groh shed some additional light on his actions and decision-making during the Cavaliers' final drive of the first half against Florida State. Trailing 19-3, Virginia's offense orchestrated a 13-play, 74-yard drive to march down to the Seminole five before kicking a field goal.
It's possible the 36-3 dominating defeat the Cavaliers suffered in Tallahassee on Saturday could have a much greater impact than one 'L' in the loss column.
Virginia has a long history of excellence in lacrosse, even when the popularity of the sport never extended much beyond the mid-Atlantic seaboard.
Virginia football's rise toward national prominence this year has enveloped fans in a cozy coat of orange crush defense, "Power V's" and HooVision. But the team's embarrassing blowout loss to the garnet and gold last weekend, coupled with the fact that only two home games remain in the season, might be leaving fans hungry for something new, something fresh, something to fill the lonely void between the end of pigskin play and the start of lacrosse.
Four ACC teams were in the top 25 in this year's first BCS standings. New conference addition Miami is ranked second in the poll that determines which two teams will play for the national championship.
Virginia senior Michael Raab was named ACC swimmer of the week on Monday. The award comes on the heels of Raab's sixth place finish in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2004 FINA World Championships at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Raab, a three-time ACC champion in the event, finished with a time of 1:54.95 in the finals.
The Cavaliers dropped two consecutive decisions for the first time in ACC play, falling on the road to the Tigers (30-19, 30-25, 29-31, 30-28) Saturday and the Yellow Jackets (30-23, 30-20, 22-30, 30-26) Friday.
