Cavs host Pack in battle of slumping squads
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 24, 2008

When last-place Virginia and 10th-place N.C. State square off this afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena, both teams might be mumbling the same thing to themselves: “How did we get here?”

Back in October, at ACC Media Day, UVa was predicted to finish fifth in the ACC; N.C. State was picked third.

While Virginia’s plummet to the league basement has certainly been unexpected, State’s struggles have been even more confounding.

The Wolfpack (15-11, 4-8 ACC) ended last season strongly - advancing all the way to the finals of the conference tournament and upsetting Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech along the way.

This season, State returned four of its five starters, including sophomore Brandon Costner - a matchup nightmare for any opponent because of his length and shooting range.

In addition, Coach Sidney Lowe reeled in one of the top recruits in the land in freshman J.J. Hickson.

However, things haven’t been clicking for Lowe’s bunch, losers of four straight. One reason many point to is the graduation loss of floor general Engin Atsur - an unsung player who was State’s glue.

Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose team has struggled similarly without J.R. Reynolds, called the Wolfpack “very talented.”

“They have one of the best young big guys [Hickson] in America who not just commands a lot of your attention, but does so many other things well like rebound the ball,” Leitao said through a UVa media relations spokesperson. “He also has great presence.

“They also have experience with [Gavin] Grant and [Courtney] Fells on the perimeter, and [Ben] McCauley and Costner. They do a good job and have always done a good job offensively at spreading the wealth and taking advantage of matchups. That’s something we’ve really got to concentrate on.”

It will be interesting to see if Virginia (12-12, 2-9), which had its last game against Georgia Tech postponed because of a leaky roof at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, still has the momentum from its road win over Boston College that snapped a seven-game losing streak.

The rescheduling of the Georgia Tech game for March 3 may cause some headaches down the road, but not having played a game in seven days may have some short-term benefits, according to Leitao.

“I think you want to look at it in a positive way because coming down the home stretch every team has got its bumps and bruises,” he said. “We’ve been that way as well.

“You can get some more rest and kind of revamp yourself not just physically, but emotionally and otherwise so you can attack the rest of the season with a little bit more vigor. That’s the tact we’ll take from an optimistic standpoint.”

Dunks

N.C. State leads the all-time series, 79-53. Virginia, however, won two of the three meetings last season, losing in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, 79-71…UVa senior Tunji Soroye (injured back) did not dress for the aborted Georgia Tech game on Thursday night. There had been some thought of Soroye possibly giving it a go against the Yellow Jackets. Soroye’s status for the rest of the season remains unclear. If he were to get into a game, it would likely remove any chance of his obtaining a medical redshirt.


 

Cavaliers in calm before the storm
Rested U.Va. will play four times in nine days in March
Sunday, Feb 24, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE - By the time they arrive in Charlotte, N.C., for next month's ACC tournament, the Virginia Cavaliers may well be dragging. But fatigue should not be an issue for them in their next two games.

U.Va., which hosts N.C. State today at John Paul Jones Arena, hasn't played since Sunday, thanks to the Thursday-night rainout in Atlanta. After today's game, the Wahoos won't play again until Saturday, when they face Miami at Coral Gables, Fla.

"I think you want to look at it in a positive way," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said, "because coming down the home stretch, every team has got its bumps and bruises. We've been that way as well.

"You can get some more rest and kind of revamp yourself not just physically but emotionally and otherwise, so you can attack the rest of the season with a little bit more vigor. That's the tack we'll take from an optimistic standpoint."

The downside for the Cavaliers is that their late-season schedule is suddenly packed. With the Georgia Tech game rescheduled for March 3, U.Va. will play four times in nine days to start the month. Virginia hosts Duke on March 5. Four days later, U.Va. closes the regular season at home against Maryland.

Neither Virginia (2-9, 12-12) nor N.C. State (4-8, 15-11) has met expectations this season. In the media's preseason poll, the Wolfpack was picked to finish third and U.Va. fifth. The optimism in Raleigh, N.C., was fueled in part by the return of 6-9 Brandon Costner, who made the all-ACC third team in 2006-07. But Costner's production has dripped dramatically this season.

He's averaging only 9.2 points and shooting 37.2 percent from the floor, and 6-9 freshman J.J. Hickson has established himself as State's top frontcourt threat.

The Wolfpack's ACC struggles aside, such players as Hickson, Costner, Gavin Grant, Courtney Fells and Ben McCauley worry Leitao.

"They're obviously very talented," he said. "They have one of the best young big guys in America who not just commands a lot of your attention, but does so many other things well, like rebound the ball. He also has great presence.

"They also have experience with Grant and Fells on the perimeter, and McCauley and Costner. They do a good job and have always done a good job offensively at spreading the wealth and taking advantage of match-ups. That's something we've really got to concentrate on."

State fans know they're not likely to get four seasons out of Hickson (15.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg), a top NBA prospect.

"Just watching him throughout the year and specifically watching him on film, he's got a tremendous feel for what he's trying to do," Leitao said. "He has a pair of the strongest hands you'll see. He swallows every basketball around him. That's what makes him the rebounder he is. He's strong and has a touch. You can put a check mark next to a lot of different categories of things that he does very well, regardless of the fact that he's a freshman."

 

There's no quit in the Wolfpack
As season spirals downward, State still trying to rally

N.C. STATE AT VIRGINIAWHEN: 4:30 p.m. today
WHERE: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Va.
TV/RADIO: FSN, FSN HD/WRAL-101.5
RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked.
RECORDS: N.C. State 15-11, 4-8 ACC; Virginia 12-12, 2-9.
WHAT TO WATCH
Scoring 30 points on the Pack has become somewhat routine lately, and Virginia point guard Sean Singletary is capable of such a game. In State's four-game losing streak, Maryland's James Gist scored 30 points, Boston College's Tyrese Rice and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough each had 32.
Singletary had 34 points this season against Virginia Tech and 27 against North Carolina in a 75-74 homecourt loss on Feb. 12. The Pack had no answer for Rice, BC's dynamic point guard who almost singlehandedly won the game for the Eagles. Singletary surely has studied that game DVD.
Virginia hasn't played since a 79-74 victory at Boston College last Sunday. The Cavs were "rained out" Thursday at Georgia Tech because of leaks in Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The game was rescheduled for March 3.
CHIP ALEXANDER

No intensity.
No team leader.

No team identity.

No heart.

Those are some of the biting comments and complaints about N.C. State's basketball team that recently have been heard, read and said -- on sports talk radio, on online message boards and podcasts, by ESPN analysts, in Triangle eateries and watering holes.

The Pack, which plays today at Virginia, has dropped its last four games, falling to 4-8 in the ACC and into a tie for 10th place. The last loss was the most galling for most State fans: an 84-70 whipping by No. 3 North Carolina on Wednesday at the RBC Center.

No defense.

No passion.

No point guard.

No chemistry.

In preseason, State senior Gavin Grant opined that the Pack might not lose more than four games -- all season. For now, the number of State losses is the same as the number on Grant's jersey -- 11.

No hustle.

No focus.

No fight.

No fire.

Grant gives no validity to such criticism and insisted it doesn't irritate or hurt him.

"I can take it," he said. "I don't pay any attention to that," he said. "They don't know what we're going through."

Nor, Grant said, would he retract anything he said -- with hubris -- before the season.

"That's what I felt," he said in an interview Friday. "I wasn't just saying we were only going to lose four games. I was just saying with the talent and the things we put in place from last year and the guys we added, I definitely thought we could be a team that could go through a season and not lose more than four games and make it to the Final Four.

"And if we get into postseason I still think we're very capable of starting to click on all cylinders and be one of the better teams in the country as far as postseason play. I definitely think we have a good run in us."

Grant pointed back to his freshman season, when the Pack had senior Julius Hodge -- the returning ACC player of the year -- and an experienced team. State was ranked 12th early in the 2004-05 season only to start 3-7 in the ACC.

Again, there was much criticism and the naysayers many.

"I remember how we felt," Grant said. "It's similar to how I feel now, although I'm a bigger part of it. We finished 7-9 [in the ACC] that year, won two games in the ACC Tournament, and we actually got a bid to the NCAA Tournament."

The Pack also advanced to the tournament's round of 16 before losing to Wisconsin in the regional semifinals.

Hodge, ever confident, was the driving force behind that State team. Grant, like Hodge a former star at St. Raymond's High in the Bronx (N.Y)., would like to be the same as his senior season comes to an end.

"I never thought it would be like this, but I'm not upset or mad at anyone," Grant said. "I'm out there battling with my team, playing as hard as I can."

Grant, the only scholarship senior, leads the Pack in scoring in ACC games (15.2 points). He has averaged 16.9 points in the last eight games, with a career-high 26 points against Duke and a team-high 17 against UNC.

"I'm competitive. I want to win every game I'm playing and excel," he said. "But we as a team aren't playing at the level we need to be playing, so I may need to pick it up myself. Maybe what I'm doing is not enough."

Grant said the upperclassmen met with coach Sidney Lowe after the Carolina loss, noting: "We had a good conversation, a good team thing. I think that was good for us. We know now what we've got to do."

Freshman center J.J. Hickson said he hasn't given up on the season or turned fatalistic.

"I'm not a loser, and I don't think anybody on this team is a loser," he said. "We'll get it together. It's our turn to get hot."

Lowe has said he wants to see more fight out of his team. In games against Duke, Maryland and UNC, State was punchless early in the second half, allowing teams to run roughshod and build big leads.

"It's not whether you get knocked down but whether you get up," Lowe said. "Right now, we're not getting up."

And so the negative comments about the Pack continue ...

No concentration.

No fundamentals.

No boxouts on rebounds.

No NCAA Tournament.

 

Wolfpack facing 'must-win game'
By John Delong
JOURNAL REPORTER

Gavin Grant’s senior season at N.C. State is winding down in a way that he wouldn’t have expected.

Grant set the bar high during the preseason, labeling N.C. State as a team capable of reaching the Final Four.

Instead, the Wolfpack (15-8, 4-8 ACC) will take a four-game losing streak into its game at Virginia this afternoon, needing a strong finish to have any chance of pulling out an NCAA Tournament bid.

To Grant, the challenge is clear.

“It’s a must-win game,” he said before the team left for Charlottesville. “We definitely need to get started by winning Sunday’s game and we just need to win out the rest of the season to finish 8-8, and then we play well on neutral courts, so I think we’ll do fine in the ACC (Tournament). So, we’ve just got to get these next four games.”

After today’s game, N.C. State will return home for games against Florida State and Duke, then will close out the regular season at Wake Forest.

Grant, a 6-8 forward and the team’s second-leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, is encouraged by memories of the 2004-05 season, his freshman year.

N.C. State was 13-10 in mid-February before closing strong, making the ACC Tournament final, and squeezing out an NCAA Tournament bid. It then won two NCAA Tournament games before losing to Wisconsin in the regional semifinals to finish 21-14.

“I remember my freshman year, it was probably more urgent than this,” Grant said. “We were 3-7 in the league at one point, we had the ACC player of the year (Julius Hodge). I was just a freshman, I was taking it all in, but I remember how we felt and it’s similar to how I’m feeling now.

“Obviously, I’m a bigger part of it now than I was then, but there’s definitely a sense of urgency. To have the team we have and be picked third in the league and then not perform the way we’re capable of … we definitely need to pick it up.”

N.C. State lost to North Carolina 84-70 at home Wednesday night after leading much of the first half and then getting picked apart by Tyler Hansbrough and Co. for the final 24 minutes. Hansbrough finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds.

N.C. State has also lost to Maryland, Boston College and Clemson during the losing streak, with a trend emerging. Maryland’s James Gist scored 30, and Boston College’s Tyrese Rice scored 32, so the Wolfpack has been unable to shut down opponents’ top guns.

Grant said that topic was discussed during meetings on Thursday.

Virginia is led by guard Sean Singletary, the third-leading scorer in the ACC at 18.8.

“On defense you want to take away the team’s main options and we haven’t been able to do that,” he said. “Gist had 30 for Maryland. Rice had 32. Three guys in the last four games — you don’t want those guys scoring 30 on you. You have to take them out of the game or limit their touches or whatever. It just hasn’t been working for us lately. But I think we’ve got a good chance of winning at Virginia.”

Grant said he’s still optimistic that State can get in sync and play the way he envisioned at the start of the season. In the preseason, he made a comment that he didn’t see N.C. State losing more than four games this season — a comment that has since come back to haunt him.

“That’s what I felt,” he said. “I wasn’t saying we were only going to lose four games, I was basically saying that with the talent and with the things we put in place last year and the guys we added, I thought we definitely could be a team that could lose no more than four games and make it to the Final Four.

“And I think if we get a chance to get into the postseason, we’re still capable of clicking on all cylinders and being one of the best teams in the country as far as postseason play, because we’re very good on neutral courts. For some reason, we’re better when we’re not at home and not on the road. But it is what it is. I think we definitely have a good run in us. We had a good run last year. If we put another run like that together, I think we’ll be all right.”

Virginia hasn’t played since last Sunday, when it won at Boston College, 79-74. Its game at Georgia Tech on Thursday was postponed because of a leak in the roof at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Virginia is 12-12 overall and 2-9 in the ACC, and had lost seven straight before its win at Boston College.

 

Ex-U.Va. star is ready to play, and teams see a bright future for him
Posted to: Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 24, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS

So let's see which way the winds are blowing at the NFL combine, shall we?

Up there at the interview podium is Chris Long, who was coached in a 3-4 defensive scheme at the University of Virginia by Al Groh, who worships his pal and 3-4 mentor Bill Parcells, who now runs the Miami Dolphins, who stunk their way into the first pick in April's NFL draft.

The Dolphins need serious help across the board. Long, a cement-jawed defensive end with talent, will, character and Hall of Fame bloodlines, is a 911 response in a 6-foot-3, 272-pound package, a consensus top-five draft pick.

Hmm. You don't suppose Groh and Parcells have talked a time or three about Long, do you?

Not that Long could cure all that ails Miami by himself. But up there at the podium, powerful paws gripping the sides, casually enduring if not

necessarily enjoying his inquisition, Long looks and sounds every bit the golden boy.

One separated from a rich pro career by a lot less than six degrees.

"Wherever I go and whoever I play for, I'm a football player," Long says inside the Indiana Convention Center. "I enjoy playing football. I enjoy the game, I enjoy being a teammate, and I won't change. I'll be the same guy."

Some reports say that guy - son of the great Raiders' defensive end and current Fox TV analyst Howie Long - could soon be worth $30 million or more of guaranteed money.

Then again, speculating about the identity and destination of the first pick each year fuels a cottage industry. What's certain right now is Miami, St. Louis, Atlanta and Oakland own the top choices, and that Long, the top-rated defensive end in a strong batch, is thick in everyone's mix.

All that... and timing too.

Wouldn't you know, but high-energy, ruckus-raising defensive ends are especially hot right now. The New York Giants spiked that market when ends Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora turned the once-invincible New England Patriots inside out in the Super Bowl.

Long doesn't contend he's their equal yet. But he fixes his gaze and promises this: "I'm relentless. I will play to the whistle, and I'll give it 100 percent in a pass-rushing situation. But there's so much I can learn."

Still, it's hard to coach horsepower, another reason why Long is a buy stock. His much-discussed "motor" comes with no off-switch, similar to that of former U.Va. star end Patrick Kerney, now with the Seattle Seahawks.

"I don't think of myself as doing anything extraordinary with my effort," Long says. "I think that's just the way football is supposed to be played, at a high speed. I'm not a guy who does things half-speed well. So it's been pretty natural for me to go that fast."

Long's cloud of dust can be deceptive, suggests St. Louis personnel boss Bill Devaney, who considers Long more an unforgiving force than a classic pass-rusher.

"A tremendous run-down player," Devaney says, but "an effort pass-rusher. Every play, you have to block him to death and if you let up, that's where he's going to get his sacks from."

By any description, though, people clearly want what Long brings all day long.

"Even if they're just nickel pass-rushers, maybe a linebacker who puts his hand on the ground, they're so hard to come by," Devaney says. "If you have any traits or skills as a pass-rusher, you have to reach for those guys."

Long says he'll happily display his skills Monday when defensive players work out and test for NFL eyes. He won't bench press because of a healing sprained thumb - he'll lift at U.Va,'s on-campus "pro day" next month - but everything else is on the table.

The image Long expects to leave with his captive audience is multi-dimensional, capable at the end of a line or at outside linebacker.

"I can see myself fitting in wherever a team wants or needs me to fit in," Long says. "I think being versatile is a plus. But I'm going to have to work hard and I'm going to have to make some adjustments.

"One thing you have to do is check any expectations at the door. I don't expect to play any position or anything like that. I just want to be a football player."

It's possible, but almost too pat, to think Long would end up being that player with Howie's Raiders. Not that Long would think of shrinking from it.

Playing in Oakland "would mean the same as playing anywhere else, honestly," Long says. "Obviously there's so much more to it there. But I'm not afraid of any situation or any burden with the name or anything.

"I've been dealing with this stuff. It would be taken to another level at a place like (Oakland). It's pressure, but I welcome any pressure with open arms."

That's typical of a guy facing the winds at the top of the draft strong and true, jaw set, humility sure.

"Any opportunity to play in the National Football League," Long says, "is an opportunity I would cherish."

 

No need to hide for Long
A strong combine could make Chris Long the top overall pick, but his future responsibilities could be a challenge.
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
February 24, 2008
 

INDIANAPOLIS - — When Chris Long was a kid, he'd hide along the floorboards of the back seat while his mom drove into Raiders training camp to visit Long's dad, Howie, who was a standout defensive end.

No families were allowed at practice. Young Chris knew his presence could incur the wrath of Raiders president Al Davis.

"Don't tell Al Davis that happened," Long said.

There's no need for Long to worry about such things. It's safe to assume he won't have any trouble getting an open invite to drive his own car through the front gates of any NFL facility these days. No ducking down in the back seat required.

NFL team executives are head over heels for Long. He could position himself to be the top overall pick in the April draft with a strong workout Monday at the NFL combine, which could present new challenges for Long depending on the defensive scheme of his future employer.

Long played end in a 3-4 defense at the University of Virginia, where he was a first-team All-American and finished his career with 43 tackles for losses, including 22 sacks for Al Groh's squad. If Long goes early in the draft, it's unclear whether he'll be able to stay in a 3-4 or if he'll have to learn a 4-3 alignment. Even if he's drafted by a 3-4 team, he still might have to move to outside linebacker.

"I feel that I could play at either scheme," said Long, who measured 6-foot-3 and 272 pounds Saturday at the combine. "Interestingly enough, people talk about what a transition it would be for me to be a 3-4 outside linebacker, but let's not forget that I never played in a 4-3 in college either. I was a base defensive end in a 3-4. Either position would be a fresh start for me and an opportunity to learn and an opportunity for me to progress as a player."

Miami and St. Louis, which own the first and second picks, respectively, are undecided about whether to go with the 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. Miami ran a hybrid 3-4 last season, but the Dolphins no longer are working with the same coaching staff. Atlanta, which has the third draft pick, ran a 4-3 last season. There's no denying Long's potential in a 3-4 scheme.

"There's not a lot of 3-4 college defenses, and the way Chris plays in Coach Groh's defense, he's as NFL-ready as you can be from a 3-4 standpoint," said Kevin Colbert, the director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers. "He plays a very difficult technique and he does it very well, so he's a perfect 3-4 defensive end. Could he stand up and be a linebacker? Absolutely. I'd say he's rare for a college defensive lineman, especially more specific to a 3-4 defense."

Unless his stock drops between now and the draft, it seems unlikely Long will end up on a team that primarily runs a 3-4. Cleveland, Dallas, New England, Pittsburgh, San Diego and the New York Jets are dependent on the 3-4. Arizona and San Francisco also employed the 3-4 quite a bit last season. None of the aforementioned teams has a selection in the top five of this year's draft.

Regardless of the scheme Long winds up playing, many NFL executives are basing his vast potential on his ability to stop the run.

"Every play, you have to block him to death, and if you let up, that's where he's going to get his sacks from," said Billy Devaney, the executive vice president of player personnel for the St. Louis Rams, who previously was an assistant general manager in Atlanta for two seasons. "A lot of guys operate that way. We had a kid in Atlanta, (former U.Va. standout) Patrick Kerney, who was a lot like Long. He's a try-hard guy, a good athlete, but he's relentless. … (Kerney has) the same mentality as Chris Long, or Chris Long is just like Patrick. Against the run, (Long will) be a force."

Long said he'll participate in all parts of the combine workout except for the bench press, which he'll skip due to a sprained thumb. He said he'll do the bench press March 18 at U.Va.'s pro day.

If Miami decides to use its first pick to select Long, he won't be the first U.Va. player to be chosen at the top of the draft. That distinction belongs to Bill Dudley, who was taken first in the December 1941 draft by Pittsburgh.

If Long becomes the latest U.Va. player to get selected first overall, he swears it won't change his blue-collar approach. He has waited too long to drive into an NFL practice facility without fear of being kicked out to start slacking off now.

"It would mean I have to show up and work hard," Long said. "No matter where I was picked, any opportunity to play in the National Football League is an opportunity I would cherish. To be in that position, you have to work even harder and show up with more humility and more of an open mind because people will be looking at you."

 

Cavs edge Seawolves
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
February 24, 2008

Virginia’s men’s lacrosse home opener on Saturday afternoon against Stony Brook had all the makings of a blowout.

No. 3 UVa, which had won all four previous meetings by an average margin of 14 goals, held a 9-2 lead just a couple of minutes into the second quarter.

Red Auerbach cigar time, right?

Not by a long shot.

The visitors from Long Island wound up tying the game late in the third quarter before third-ranked Virginia - thanks to late goals by Peter Lamade and Danny Glading - pulled away for a shockingly-close 15-13 victory in front of 1,471 fans at Klockner Stadium.

“It was an exciting lacrosse game,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia. “I think people got their money’s worth.

“That’s a talented Stony Brook team. We knew they would be dangerous. Thankfully we made a couple of plays at the end when we had to.”

The biggest came when Glading - who scored a game-high five goals - found Lamade wide open in front of the Stony Brook net with just 2 minutes and 48 seconds remaining. Lamade, a senior transfer from Duke, rifled the ball past Seawolves goalie Alex Kajencki for a 14-13 lead.

“They had been pushing out on Danny,” Lamade explained. “My guy slid off of me and I had a pretty close shot. I would have been mad if I didn’t make it.”

The goal provided a collective sigh of relief, but nobody could totally relax until Glading scored just 11 seconds later to provide a comfortable two-goal advantage.

The fact that a former Duke player - a guy who was playing his first home game in a Virginia uniform - scored the game-winner certainly seemed a bit odd.

“He’s one of us now,” said Glading, smiling.

It was Glading who single-handedly terrorized the Stony Brook defense in the first half. The junior scored three first-quarter goals.

“He played very well,” Starsia said. “With Ben [Rubeor] out, he has to pick up more of the load.”

Glading gave Virginia a 9-2 advantage when he zapped a shot over Kajencki’s shoulder - but that’s when Stony Brook awoke.

The Seawolves scored five of the next six goals to make it a 10-7 game at the half.

Just 15 seconds into the second period, Bo Tripodi scored to make it 10-8.

With 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Stony Brook tied the game at 12 on a goal by Kevin Crowley.

Garrett Billings answered to put Virginia back on top, 13-12, before Stony Brook’s Ryan Hughes tied it with 9 minutes and 59 seconds left in the game.

From the first quarter on, the Seawolves were clearly able to expose some weaknesses in Virginia’s defense.

“A lot of it had to do with communication,” said UVa defender Ken Clausen. “It was a combination of things they were doing and then we just didn’t execute.

“This has to be a big learning point for our defense. Giving up 13 goals is never acceptable.”

Late in the third quarter, Virginia goalie Adam Ghitelman was benched in favor of senior Bud Petit. Starsia said the freshman wasn’t seeing the ball as well as he had during the preseason and in last Saturday’s season-opening win over Drexel. He also didn’t like Ghitelman’s body language.

“I thought Bud went in there and gave us a little spark,” Starsia said.

Starsia didn’t seem that disappointed that his team surrendered its early seven-goal lead.

“I never thought we let down,” he said. “We just weren’t stopping them.”

Ground balls

Virginia outshot Stony Brook 40-39 and held a 46-29 edge in groundballs. … Highly touted UVa freshman Shamel Bratton scored the first goal of his career to give the Cavs a 12-10 lead in the third quarter…Virginia hosts Vermont on Tuesday before traveling to Baltimore to play Syracuse on Saturday as part of the Face-Off Classic. That game will be televised on ESPNU.

 

Virginia Holds Off Stony Brook in 15-13 Win
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/23/2008

Virginia scored the final two goals of the game to gain a hard fought 15-13 win over Stony Brook Saturday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. The win is the second in a row for the third-ranked Cavaliers, while the Seawolves dropped their season opener.

Danny Glading paced the Cavalier offense with a career-high five goals and three assists for eight total points, also a career best. Garrett Billings had his second three-goal game in a row.

Ryan Hughes tied his career high with four goals for Stony Brook, while freshman Jordan McBride also tallied four times.

Glading scored three times in the first quarter as the Cavaliers found the back of the net on six of nine shots in the period.

Their torrid shooting continued in the second quarter as Billings scored his first goal of the contest at the 13:36 mark. Following Billings’ goal, Alex Kajencki replaced Rob Camposa in goal. The Seawolves also switched out of a zone defense and went man-to-man the rest of the way.

The Virginia lead grew to 9-2 in the first three and a half minutes of quarter as George Huguely and Glading put shots past Kajencki.

Defenseman Steven Waldeck ended the Cavaliers’ four-goal run with the second goal of his career at the 10:56 mark. Hughes followed 75 seconds later for the first back-to-back goals of the game for Stony Brook.

Billings pushed the lead back to six at 10-4 with a remarkable over the shoulder shot with a little over eight minutes remaining before halftime.

After a slow start, the Stony Brook offense started to gel midway through the second quarter. The Seawolves scored three goals in five shots to close the half and trim Virginia’s halftime lead to 10-7.

The visitors from Long Island opened the second half with a goal by Bo Tripodi off the opening faceoff as they outscored Virginia 6-1 over a span of 11 minutes and 11 seconds.

Midfielder Brian Carroll gave the Cavaliers a little breathing room but Stony Brook pulled closer behind back-to-back goals by McBride; both goals came off nice passes from Kevin Crowley. Virginia’s 11-10 lead was the closest the game had been since the opening minutes.

Freshman Shamel Bratton added the first goal of his career at the 6:10 mark of the third quarter as the Virginia lead grew to 12-10, but Crowley ended the quarter with consecutive goals to tie the score at 12 heading into the fourth quarter. Following Crowley’s goal at the 3:23 mark, UVa head coach Dom Starsia replaced goalie Adam Ghitelman with Bud Petit. Petit gave up Crowley’s third goal of the game with 19 seconds to play in the quarter, but he finished with five saves in the game and gave his team a lift.

Billings scored on a fastbreak opportunity created by Will Barrow on the opening faceoff of the final quarter, but Hughes answered an extra-man goal a short time later to force the second time of the game at 13.

The teams traded possessions for the next seven minutes without any scoring as Petit saved three shots to prevent the Seawolves from gaining their first lead.

Peter Lamade ended the scoreless drought by taking a pass from Glading and beating Kajencki from the right side from eight yards out.

“Throughout the entire game, they (Stony Brook) were pushing out on Danny (Glading) at X,” Lamade said. “At the end of the game, my guy had to slide on to him. It was a pretty close shot. I would have been pretty mad if I did not finish it.”

The Cavaliers won the ensuing faceoff and Glading scored his team’s second goal in an 11-second span. Virginia’s Garett Ince as the Cavaliers ran out the clock for the win.

“I never sensed that we let down. Even early in the game, we just weren’t stopping them,” said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. “They did not have the ball much early, but when they had it, it seemed like they could get some good chances. That was troubling to me, even though we had a lead. I was not happy to be (ahead) 10-7 at halftime and I really didn’t want it to turn into a shootout, but it reached a point in the second half of the game where we just had do what we had to to win.”

Virginia hosts Vermont at Klöckner Stadium on Tuesday (Feb. 26) at 4 pm in the first-ever meeting of the two schools. The Catamounts are coached by former UVa All-American defenseman Ryan Curtis. They lost at Duke 19-7 in their season opener on Saturday.

Stony Brook 2-5-5-1—13 record: 0-1
Virginia 6-4-2-3—15 record: 2-0
att—1471

Scoring (G-A)— SB: Ryan Hughes 4-1, Jordan McBride 4-1, Kevin Crowley 3-4, Bo Tripodi 1-1, Steven Waldeck 1-0, Adam Owens 0-1, Bobby Trenkle 0-1, Michal Trojanowski 0-1. V: Danny Glading 5-3, Garrett Billings 3-2, Brian Carroll 2-1, Shamel Bratton 1-1, Steve Giannone 1-0, George Huguely 1-0, Peter Lamade 1-0, Jack Riley 1-0, Will Barrow 0-1, Tim Fuchs 0-1.

Goalie Summary—SB: Rob Camposa 16:24 mins., 3 saves, 7 goals allowed; Alex Kajencki 43:36, 12 saves, 8 goals allowed. V: Adam Ghitelman 41:37 mins., 3 saves, 11 goals allowed; Bud Petit 18:23, 5 saves, 2 goals allowed.

Shots: SB—39, V—40
Ground Balls: SB—29, V—46
Clearing: SB—17x22, V—20x22
Faceoffs: SB—13, V—19
Penalties: SB—2-4:00, V—6-7:00
EMO: SB—1x5, V—1x1


 

No. 17 Baseball Finishes DH Sweep of Lehigh with 4-1 Win
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/23/2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team finished off a doubleheader sweep on Opening Day Saturday with a 4-1 win over Lehigh at Davenport Field. UVa broke a one-all tie in the seventh inning with two runs to go on to the win.

Virginia (2-0) received a sterling pitching performance from Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.), who went six shutout innings while surrendering just two hits and a walk. He also tied a career high with nine strikeouts. Kevin Arico (Fr., Flemington, N.J.) picked up the win for Virginia is his first college appearance after working 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Michael Schwimer (Sr., Alexandria, Va.) pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the save.

Andrew Grimm took the loss for Lehigh (0-2) after giving up two runs, two hits and a walk in an inning of work. Mountain Hawks starter Greg Angelo matched McAnaney most of the way and gave up just one run, two hits and four walks in six innings while striking out five.

The pitching was dominant for much of the game and neither team scored until Virginia broke the ice in the fifth inning. With two outs, Franco Valdes (So., Miami, Fla.) walked and then moved up on a John Barr (Fr., Ivyland, Pa.) single and Jarrett Parker (Fr., Stafford, Va.) walk. Valdes came home when Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.) coaxed a walk.

Lehigh tied the game in the seventh inning against Cavalier reliever Jake Rule (Sr., Waynesboro, Va.). With one out, Logan Marshall singled and Patrick Groome followed with a bad-hop infield single. After a walk loaded the bases, Billy Goldman singled to score Marshall, but Barr gunned down Groome at the plate to keep the score tied at one.

The Cavaliers responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) ripped a single to left-center to score Barr, who had walked to lead off the inning. David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) then grounded out to second to plate Parker, who had a bunt single earlier in the inning.

Virginia added a run in the eighth inning, as Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) legged out a triple on the first pitch of the inning and then scored on a balk.

The teams are back at 11 a.m. Sunday for another doubleheader. The first game will be seven innings, while the second game will consist of nine innings. Parking will be limited to the Emmet/Ivy Garage because of the men’s basketball game vs. NC State that afternoon. No baseball parking will be available in the University Hall lots.
 

Cavalier Men’s Tennis Sweeps Doubleheader
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/23/2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE– The Virginia men’s tennis team opened a four-game homestand with a doubleheader sweep Saturday at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers downed No. 39 Old Dominion 7-0 in the first match before topping Boston College 6-1 in the nightcap.

“It was a long day playing both of these matches,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “ODU is a good program and we knew they were going to take a lot out of us. Today capped a long week, coming back Monday night into Tuesday morning from Seattle. Playing a doubleheader today may have been a bit of a risk considering our schedule over the past few week, but I thought the guys battled well through it. We now have a week to get ready for two more big matches next weekend.”

In the opener, the Cavaliers swept Old Dominion 7-0. In the doubles, Virginia took all three contests to take a 1-0 lead. Top-ranked Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) and Treat Huey (Alexandria, Va.) won at No. 1 doubles, No. 19 Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) and Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) won at No. 2 doubles and Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Ted Angelinos (Athens, Greece) won at No. 3 doubles.

In singles, Virginia won all six matches in straight sets. Devvarman won at No. 1, Singh won at No. 3, and Angelinos won at No. 6, as all remained undefeated in dual match singles play this season. Also winning for Virginia was Huey at No. 2, Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) at No. 4, and Shabaz at No. 5.

In the second match, the Cavaliers topped Boston College 6-1 in their ACC opener, extending their ACC winning streak to 18 matches. The win was also Boland’s 150th win at Virginia, as he improves his record to 150-40 as the head coach of the Cavaliers.

In doubles, the Cavaliers swept all three matches against the Eagles. Devvarman and Shabaz win at No. 1, Angelinos and Singer won at No. 2, and Huey and senior Andrew Downing (Virginia Beach, Va.), playing in the first dual match of his career, won at No. 3 doubles.

In singles, Virginia got straight set wins from Devvarman at No. 1 singles, Huey at No. 2 singles, Angelinos at No. 3 singles, and Shabaz at No. 5 singles. At No. 4 singles, Singer won in a third-set superbreaker.

The Cavaliers will return to action on Friday as they host No. 5 Texas. The match will either be played outdoors at the Snyder Tennis Center at 2 p.m. or indoors at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at 6 p.m. A determination will be made later in the week. Visit virginiasports.com for the latest information.

No. 1 Virginia 7, No. 39 Old Dominion 0

Doubles:
1. #1 Devvarman/Huey (UVa) def. Seleznev/Igarashi (ODU) 8-5
2. #19 Shabaz/Singh (UVa) def. #50 Souza/Fanselow (ODU) 8-3
3. Singer/Angelinos (UVa) def. Fawcett/Gehrke (ODU) 8-6

Singles:
1. #1 Somdev Devvarman (UVa) def. Aleksandr Seleznev (ODU) 6-4, 6-1
2. #52 Treat Huey (UVa) def. Eidy Igarashi (ODU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Sanam Singh (UVa) def. Tobias Fanselow (ODU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Rodrigo Souza (ODU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Michael Shabaz (UVa) def. Yakov Diskin (ODU) 6-3, 6-2
6. #76 Ted Angelinos (UVa) def. Alex Funkhouser (ODU) 6-0, 6-0

Order of Finish: Doubles- 2,1,3 • Singles- 3,6,2,4,1,5
Records: Virginia (12-0), Old Dominion (7-6)

No. 1 Virginia 6, Boston College 1

Doubles:
1. Devvarman/Shabaz (UVa) def. Kreutzer/Schrist (BC) 8-1
2. Singer/Angelinos (UVa) def. Garber/Rastorgouev (BC) 8-6
3. Huey/Downing (UVa) def. Nolan/Davison (BC) 8-2

Singles:
1. #1 Somdev Devvarman (UVa) def. Thomas Nolan (BC) 6-3, 6-2
2. #52 Treat Huey (UVa) def. Alex Rastorgouev (BC) 6-1, 6-1
3. #76 Ted Angelinos (UVa) def. Erik Kreutzer (BC) 6-4, 6-0
4. Lee Singer (UVa) def. Jason Sechrist (BC) 6-3, 4-6, 10-6
5. Michael Shabaz (UVa) def. Brendon Wong (BC) 6-4, 7-5
6. Brian Locklear (BC) def. Andrew Downing (UVa) 6-2, 6-4

Order of Finish: Doubles- 1,3,2 • Singles- 2,5,1,6,3,4
Records: Virginia (13-0, 1-0 ACC), Boston College (2-5, 0-3 ACC)

 

Virginia Women Crowned ACC Champions
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/23/2008

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Virginia women’s swimming and diving team won the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference championship in spectacular fashion Saturday, besting second-place North Carolina by 228 points on the campus of Georgia Tech. This marks Virginia’s sixth ACC women’s championship, with the last coming in 2004.

Virginia finished the four-day competition with 800 points; North Carolina was second (572) while Florida State placed third (544.5).

UVa comes home with three relay titles and three individual titles; all the individual titles were won by first-years.

Rookie Liz Shaw was the epitome of dominance in the 200 fly on the final day of the event, setting her second ACC meet record in the preliminaries and then breaking it later in the finals. Her winning time of 1:56.07 also broke the conference record she set earlier in the season in the dual meet against North Carolina.

Hannah Davis, Stephanie Glover, Megan Evo, and Jessica Lewis teamed up to set a conference record and an ACC meet record in the 400 free relay, finishing in 3:18.69 to capture the crown. That time was just .3 seconds short of an NCAA ‘A’ standard.

Claire Crippen (1:59.68), Evo (2:00.05), and Katya Bachrouche (2:03.39) were behind Shaw in the 200 fly, placing second, third, and seventh, respectively. While Shaw automatically qualified for NCAAs, Crippen and Evo met the NCAA ‘B’ standard.

Jen Narum surpassed the NCAA ‘A’ mark in the 1650 free, touching at 16:16.26 to place third. Leslie Swinley and Jenna Harris placed sixth (16:31.73) and seventh (16:34.00), respectively, both of which were NCAA ‘B’ times.

In the 200 back, Mei Christensen put in a solid performance, placing second and automatically qualifying for NCAAs with a time of 1:56.27. Amanda Faulkner (2:00.13) and Glover (2:00.59) swam NCAA ‘B’ times, placing fifth and sixth, respectively.

Lewis, swimming in her last ACC meet, led the Cavaliers in the 100 free, placing fifth and touching at 50.16. Her time met the NCAA ‘B’ standard.

Ellie Freeman put some points on the board by claiming second place in the 200 breast with a NCAA ‘B’ time of 2:14.60. Katherine McDonnell placed eighth in the event, finishing in 2:19.42.

Team Standings Points
1. Virginia 800
2. North Carolina 572
3. Florida State 544.5
4. Virginia Tech 362
5. Clemson 350
6. Duke 267
7. Georgia Tech 261
8. NC State 228
9. Maryland 223.5
10. Miami 182
11. Boston College 52