Scott boosts Cavs
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 17, 2009

While Virginia sophomore Mike Scott would rather be in coach Dave Leitao’s starting lineup, he has certainly produced in his last two games as a reserve.

After just missing a double-double in the loss to Florida State on Tuesday, Scott had 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in Sunday’s upset win over No. 12 Clemson.

Scott’s ability to finish around the rim after Virginia had broken Clemson’s full-court press was a big reason why UVa was able to halt an eight-game losing streak.

“He and I have been talking about [paying more attention to detail] and watching more film, and getting him to realize what he needs to do,” Leitao said. “It’s more about activity. He missed a few rebounds in the first half because he was going at it one-handed, and so I told him to two-hand rebound…

“In order for him to be as good as he can be and reach his potential, I think there has to be more understanding on my part and his part on his responsibility as a front-line power forward in this league.”

Scott was more excited about Virginia stopping its slide than his individual accomplishments.

“I think this was our best game,” he said. “It feels real good to beat a real good team like Clemson. It’s a sigh of relief.”

Baker better

Despite a four-point, one-assist, five-turnover stat line, Leitao said junior guard Calvin Baker has been feeling more confident because he is healthier. The former walk-on has been battling a stress fracture in his foot all season.

“I think Calvin’s been feeling a lot better physically the last couple of games — the start of the second half of the Boston College game where he took more of a challenge in guarding [Tyrese] Rice and guarding [K.C.] Rivers [on Sunday],” Leitao said.

Short but sweet

Leitao called junior Solomon Tat’s three minutes of playing time against Clemson “very important.”

“I think he set a tone physically,” Leitao said. “I think it’s good for our team because it creates a standard by which other people need to live up to.”

Tat has scored just two points in his three games as a starter, but that doesn’t seem to bother Leitao.

“It hasn’t really hurt us — in the short term —having him out there,” said Leitao, when asked about Tat’s lack of offensive-mindedness.

No corn rows

When told that Jamil Tucker had suggested that he was going to get corn rows since his hair was getting so long, Virginia freshman Sylven Landesberg smiled. “You can’t listen to anything Jamil says,” Landesberg joked.

Landesberg had vowed not to get a haircut until Virginia had won another game.

 

Cavs coming around
By Jeff White
Published: February 17, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The first signs of progress appeared Feb. 4 at John Paul Jones Arena.

After an embarrassingly inept first-half performance that night, the University of Virginia men's basketball team outscored Boston College 48-38 in the final 20 minutes.

The Cavaliers lost that game, and they lost their next one too, at No. 3 North Carolina, and the one after that, at No. 25 Florida State. But U.Va. played with energy and purpose against the supremely talented Tar Heels, and it led the Seminoles at halftime.

"At the end of the day, the only thing that counts is wins and losses, but I see signs of life," Sean Singletary said Sunday afternoon. "They've been losing, but they haven't been hanging their heads at all."

The Charlotte Bobcats rookie, in town to see his No. 44 retired at his alma mater, made those comments at halftime of U.Va.'s game with 12th-ranked Clemson at the JPJ. The Wahoos led 33-25, but Singletary didn't know if they'd be able to end their eight-game losing streak.

To his delight, they succeeded. U.Va. forced overtime on a late basket by ACC rookie-of-the-year candidate Sylven Landesberg (23 points), then rallied in overtime for an 85-81 victory. For the first time in more than a month, smiles dominated the post-game scene in Virginia's locker room.

"We desperately needed that," redshirt freshman Sammy Zeglinski said. "It was real emotional. From here now, we know we can win these games, and we're a resilient team."

U.Va.'s steady improvement can be traced in part to fourth-year coach Dave Leitao's decision to send Landesberg, Calvin Baker, Solomon Tat, Jeff Jones and Assane Sene out for the second half against BC. That's not Leitao's most talented five, but he wanted more passion and energy from his team, and they delivered.

That same group is expected to start its fourth straight game tomorrow night when U.Va. (2-8, 8-13) hosts Virginia Tech (6-4, 16-8) in Charlottesville. Tat, a defensive specialist whose first career start came against UNC, still doesn't play a lot, but he's part of a rotation that Leitao has reduced to nine players: the starters, plus Zeglinski, sophomore forward Mike Scott, junior forward Jamil Tucker and senior center Tunji Soroye.

Senior swingman Mamadi Diane, who has started 75 games in his U.Va. career, hasn't played in the past three. Neither has junior center Jerome Meyinsse. Sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan has played a total of three minutes.

Even so, Leitao said yesterday, he tells his players, "'If you want to join the party, there's more room for you.' . . . It may or may not stay this way, just based on how things go on a day-to-day basis in practice."

Against Clemson, Virginia played well almost from start to finish. The Cavaliers, the ACC's worst offensive team, shot 53.1 percent from the floor. They're also the ACC's lowest-ranked defensive team, yet they held the Tigers to 43.1 percent accuracy from the floor.

U.Va.'s longest lapse came early in the second half, which Clemson opened with 14 straight points. A month ago, the Cavaliers would have perished in such a tidal wave. This time, though, they persevered and battled back into the game: another sign of progress.

Sylven Landesberg Named ACC Rookie Of The Week
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/16/2009

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Virginia freshman guard Sylven Landesberg (Flushing, N.Y.) is the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for the sixth time this season. Landesberg was honored Monday (Feb. 16) for his play in Virginia’s games with Florida State and Clemson last week.

Landesberg’s sixth ACC Rookie of the Week award ties him with Bryant Stith (1988-89) for the most by a Virginia player and ties him with five players, including Stith, for the third most received by a conference player. Kenny Anderson (Georgia Tech, 1990) and Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina, 2006) both received the award 10 times.

In UVa’s two games last week Landesberg scored 37 points and had 10 rebounds. He was 17-40 from the field and 3-6 from the free throw line in the two games. He also had six assists and five steals in 83 minutes of playing time.

In Virginia’s 68-57 loss at nationally-ranked Florida State on Feb. 10, Landesberg scored a team-high 14 points and had six rebounds. He was 6-19 from the field and 2-4 from the free throw line. He also had three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action.

In Virginia’s 85-81 overtime victory over nationally-ranked Clemson at John Paul Jones Arena on Feb. 15, Landesberg scored a game-high 23 points and had four rebounds. He was 11-21 from the field and 1-2 from the free throw line. He also had three assists and three steals while playing all 45 minutes in the game. Landesberg’s layup with 13.4 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 74-74 and he scored six of Virginia’s 11 points in the overtime period. It’s the 12th time this season he’s scored 20 or more points in a game.

Ty Lawson of North Carolina was named the ACC Player of the Week.


 

Hokies suspend Allen
The power forward will miss the Virginia game to serve a suspension.
By Mark Berman
981-3125

BLACKSBURG -- The Virginia Tech men's basketball team will have to face Virginia on Wednesday night without one of its best players.

Power forward Jeff Allen was suspended for one game by athletic director Jim Weaver on Monday for making an obscene gesture at Maryland fans when he fouled out of Saturday's loss.

TV cameras caught Allen's gesture at Maryland's Comcast Center.

"Jeff Allen's gesture after he fouled out was inappropriate and unacceptable and not reflective of our 'Hokies Respect' campaign," Weaver said in a news release, referring to the sportsmanship effort that Tech launched in 2003.

This is the second time in recent years that a prominent Hokie athlete has made an obscene gesture at opposing fans. Then-Tech quarterback Marcus Vick made a similar gesture in a 2005 game at West Virginia. Vick issued an apology but was not suspended.

This is the second straight year that Allen, a 21-year-old sophomore, has been suspended. The ACC suspended him for two games last season for "deliberately" bumping an official after fouling out in a loss at Georgia Tech.

Allen was not made available to the media after Monday's practice, but he did apologize in the school's news release.

"I would like to apologize to all that were offended," he said in the release. "I know that type of behavior is unacceptable. It was a lapse in judgment during the heat of the moment."

Allen ranks third on the Hokies in scoring (14.5 ppg) and third in the ACC in rebounding (8.8 rpg).

Without him, Tech might have trouble in Charlottesville against a team coming off an upset win over Clemson.

"It's a big body in the paint," forward J.T. Thompson said of Allen. "It's disappointing. We're going to miss him."

Thompson said he, Lewis Witcher, Cheick Diakite and Victor Davila could fill the void.

"One of us is going to step up big," Thompson said.

"One person doesn't bring the team down," guard Malcolm Delaney said.

This is the third time this season that a Tech player has been punished. Coach Seth Greenberg didn't start A.D. Vassallo against Columbia after Vassallo was charged with shoplifting and driving without a license. Greenberg also didn't start Vassallo at Boston College after Vassallo got testy with Greenberg during a loss to Clemson.

Although Greenberg refused to comment on Allen during the ACC conference call Monday, he did say in the news release later in the day that he was "extremely disappointed in Jeff Allen's actions."

Greenberg himself lost his temper in a game last week. He was whistled for a technical foul when he berated an official during a win over North Carolina State -- the 12th technical he has drawn in six seasons at Tech.

Although Thompson has been playing more small forward than power forward this season, it seems likely he will start in Allen's place at UVa. He started for Allen during Allen's suspension last year, playing very well in a win over BC and a loss to Duke.

Thompson is averaging 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds this season.

"I don't think it's going to be too hard for me" to play power forward Wednesday, he said. "I've still got to learn a couple more plays."

Allen, Delaney and Vassallo have accounted for 70 percent of the Hokies' points this season.

Allen was just 3-of-9 from the field and had just eight points in Saturday's loss. Because of foul trouble, Allen also failed to score much in losses to Wisconsin and Georgia this season.

But last week's win over Georgia Tech showed that Tech can sometimes endure without him. Allen played only 10 minutes in the second half because of foul trouble, but the Hokies still outrebounded the Yellow Jackets because other players pitched in on the boards.

"Guards are going to have step up big" on the boards Wednesday, Delaney said.

Saturday was not the first time Maryland fans angered a player this season. The Washington Post reported that Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez swore at his own team's fans in a game last month.

This is the third time in four seasons that one of Greenberg's players has been suspended. Tech suspended Deron Washington one game in 2006 for kicking Duke's Lee Melchionni.
 

Tech suspends Allen for U.Va. game

VIRGINIA TECH AT VIRGINIA

Tomorrow:8 p.m.
On the air:TV -- WTVR-6; radio -- WRVA (1140), WRNL (910), 7:30

By Darryl Slater
Published: February 17, 2009

BLACKSBURG -- For the second time in Jeff Allen's two seasons at Virginia Tech, his unsportsmanlike behavior has earned him a suspension.

Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver yesterday suspended Allen for tomorrow's game at Virginia -- the result of him making an obscene gesture at fans after he fouled out of Saturday's 83-73 loss at Maryland.

"Jeff Allen's gesture after he fouled out was inappropriate and unacceptable and not reflective of our Hokies Respect Campaign," Weaver said in a press release announcing the suspension.

Allen, a 21-year-old sophomore forward, has been a starter since he arrived at Tech. He is the Hokies' third-leading scorer this season (14.5 points per game) and leading rebounder (8.8 per game). The Hokies rank 10th in the 12-team ACC in rebounding (37.3 per game).

With six games remaining in the regular season, the Hokies are 6-4 in the ACC (16-8 overall) and still are trying to strengthen their résumé for the NCAA tournament. After tomorrow, they play five games against four teams currently ranked 20th or higher in the Ratings Percentage Index. Virginia (2-8 ACC) is 90th.

Last season, the ACC suspended Allen for two games for intentionally bumping official Zelton Steed after he fouled out of a game at Georgia Tech. Without Allen, the Hokies lost at home to No. 4 Duke and won at Boston College.

Tech coach Seth Greenberg did not speak after practice about who would take Allen's minutes, but sophomore forward J.T. Thompson expects to fill at least some of Allen's role, as he did when Allen was suspended last season. Thompson is Tech's fourth-leading scorer (4.9 points per game) and averages 3.6 rebounds.

"With Jeff missing, there's going to be a lot of other stuff missing, too, like his intensity on the floor," Thompson said. "So I'm going to try to bring a little bit of that. . . . It's disappointing. We're going to miss him on Wednesday. But he will be back."

Thompson backed up Allen last season at the power forward spot, but he has played mostly small forward this season. He has practiced at both forward positions since sophomore Dorenzo Hudson replaced him in the starting lineup three games ago. Thompson said he still must learn two more plays at power forward.

Before yesterday, Greenberg had not publicly addressed Allen's obscene gesture, which Raycom Sports television cameras caught as Allen walked to the bench with 3:15 remaining.

"I was extremely disappointed in Jeff Allen's actions as he was leaving the court at the University of Maryland on Saturday night," Greenberg said in the release, which mentioned that Tech would have no further comment on the incident. "I, in no way, condone his behavior and will deal with it appropriately. Jeff knows better and is extremely remorseful about the incident and apologizes for his actions."

Said Allen, according to the release: "I would like to apologize to all that were offended by my actions this past weekend. I know that type of behavior is unacceptable. It was a lapse in judgment during the heat of the moment."

Sophomore guard Malcolm Delaney has emerged this season as the Hokies' main leader, and he made it clear yesterday that they would weather Allen's suspension together.

"We're a team," he said. "One person, that doesn't mean nothing. We're a good team, and one person doesn't bring a team down."

 

U.Va. to face Allen-less Hokies
Jeff White
Feb 16, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE—The news out of Blacksburg late this afternoon—that Virginia Tech forward Jeff Allen will serve a one-game suspension for making a less-than-gentlemanly gesture Saturday at Maryland—no doubt has generated considerable discussion in the U.Va. basketball office.

The Cavaliers host the Hokies on Wednesday night, of course, and Allen would have been one of the most talented players on the court at John Paul Jones Arena. The 6-7, 240-pound sophomore leads Tech in rebounds (8.8 per game) and blocked shots (1.5) and is third in scoring (14.5 ppg).

The Hokies showed last month, however, that they can beat the Wahoos without getting much production from Allen. In Tech’s 78-75 win over U.Va. at Cassell Coliseum, Allen was 0 for 7 from the floor and finished with three points and six rebounds in 23 minutes.

Even before Allen’s suspension was announced, Dave Leitao’s biggest concerns probably were Tech standouts A.D. Vassallo and Malcolm Delaney, who combined for 53 points on 19-for-33 shooting from the floor against U.Va. last month.

Another storyline to follow Wednesday: the impact of junior forward Solomon Tat and sophomore guard Jeff Jones for U.Va. Tat and Jones, who have started the past three games, didn’t play Jan. 10 in Blacksburg. Moreover, sophomore guard Mustapha Farrakhan, who came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points against the Hokies, has fallen out of U.Va.‘s rotation. Farrakhan has played a total of three minutes in the past three games.

Jones’ increased playing time has come, to a large degree, has come at the expense of Farrakhan. Nonetheless, Jones told me last week, they remain close friends.

“That’s the best thing about me and Mu,“ Jones said. “On the court, we say we’re going to try to make each other better. ‘I’m going to try to tear you up, you’re going to try to tear me up.’ We’re going to try to make each other better. That’s what friends do.

“When Mustapha’s out there, I’m the loudest one cheering. I know he went through a lot, and it’s good to see him overcome some of the adversity he went through last year.“

 

Virginia downs Bryant
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 17, 2009

Since Bryant University was playing its first-ever Division-I game on Monday afternoon, one of Virginia coach Dom Starsia’s concerns was whether his team would be able to match the Bulldogs’ energy level.

As it turned out, Starsia had nothing to worry about.

Virginia certainly wasn’t at its sharpest against its fledgling opponent from Rhode Island, but the Wahoos more than made up for it with their gritty play.

UVa, behind three goals from Brian Carroll, two goals from freshman Steele Stanwick and great play in goal from Adam Ghitelman, cruised to a 10-4 matinee win in front of a crowd of 1,189 on the frozen tundra of Klockner Stadium — the game-time temperature was 38 degrees.

“I think that the effort that we’ve been putting in has sustained us to this point in the season,” said Starsia, whose team improved to 2-0. “I thought today that Bryant played very hard. You could tell that they were very excited. Give them a lot of credit for what they did out here today, and I thought that our kids played hard.

“We clearly didn’t execute — especially in the third quarter offensively the way we would have liked to, but I thought our effort was always there. We were always on the loose balls and hustling around. We just have to be sharper.”

Virginia, which was coming off a season-opening win over Drexel on Saturday, outshot Bryant, 33-30, and won the ground ball battle, 48-39.

UVa, which travels to Stony Brook this Saturday, jumped out to a 6-1 lead and led 8-3 at the half.

The Cavaliers did an excellent job of holding Duke transfer Zack Greer in check. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer had just two assists on the day.

Whenever Bryant was able to get quality scoring chances, Ghitelman came up big. The sophomore finished with 12 saves.

“Today was a little bit of a coming-out party for Adam Ghitelman,” Starsia said. “It just seemed like Adam stepped up and made the save for us whenever we needed them. That was a terrific day for that young goalie.”

Ghitelman said holding Greer in check was definitely one of the team’s objectives coming into the game. The sophomore turned away one particularly wicked shot by the former Blue Devil in the third quarter.

“You always have to keep an eye on that guy,” he said. “Ryan Nizolek covered him last year when he played for Duke, so I guess he had a little hold on him.

“[Nizolek] did amazing.”

Meanwhile, Carroll, provided a scoring punch on the other end. Two of the junior’s three goals came on left-handed shots.

“They were slow sliding their middies,” Carroll sad, “so I let two of those lefties go and luckily they went in.”

Carroll said that, all in all, the team was pleased to be out of the gates undefeated.

“Both games weren’t as clean as maybe we would have liked,” he said, “but we’re fighting hard — tough on the ground balls. We’ll clean it up and our offense will start working better.”

 

No. 1 Cavs silence Bulldogs’ bark, improve to 2-0 on season
Carroll leads team with hat trick; Stanwick impresses Starsia with excellent play alongside senior attacks, scores twice for Virginia including opening goal
Conor Wakeman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, February 17 2009

Virginia coach Dom Starsia called goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman’s 12-save performance last night a “coming-out party” for the sophomore. The Virginia men’s lacrosse team greeted Bryant College in its first Division I men’s lacrosse game with a sound 10-4 thumping.

The Cavaliers spread the scoring around; seven different players scored for Virginia. Freshman attack Steele Stanwick started the scoring just more than six minutes in the first quarter. Running across the field in front of the goal and pressing against a defender, he flicked a quick shot through Bryant goalkeeper Jameson Love’s feet. Though the freshman has benefited from playing alongside two seniors on the attack, Stanwick has shown poise and an ability to find the back of the cage.

“He’s got a bright future, I think. He’s just a really smart lacrosse player, again, very poised for a young kid,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “And he fits in very nicely with Danny and Garrett, so it’s been a nice match so far.”

Starsia, however, pulled the three attackmen in the third quarter in part because “clearly they weren’t playing well ... [and] if any part of that is fatigue, you just want to get them out and give them a break.”

The Bryant game was the second in 48 hours for the Cavaliers.

“We ask a lot of those three attackmen that were out there,” Starsia said. “Our [midfielders] didn’t play a lot today.”

Stanwick also scored the game’s last goal, streaking from behind the goal into a hole in the defense and finding the far front corner of the net. In between the bookends of Stanwick’s two goals, junior midfielder Brian Carroll worked his way through the Bryant defense three times during the evening.

Carroll converted his first goal during a man-up situation 3:34 into the first quarter. Sophomore midfielder Shamel Bratton dumped the ball to Carroll in front of the goal, and Carroll turned and fired. Of Virginia’s five man-up situations of the game, the team only converted on Carroll’s first goal.

With this season’s personnel, the Cavaliers may need more offensive production from the midfield, of which Carroll’s hat trick provides a good example of a player that stepped up his game, Starsia said.

“Generally our attack is going to do the majority of the scoring,” Carroll said. “We had a pretty bad shooting percentage last game, and I think if our [midfielders] can start shooting a little better — I think they shot better this game — then the middies will definitely become more involved in scoring.”

Virginia put itself up 4-1 before the end of the first quarter, and when sophomore midfielder Rhamel Bratton found senior attackman Garrett Billings for a laser practically parallel to the cage, the Cavaliers led 8-3 going into halftime.

Both teams struggled to find the net in the second half, as neither team seemed to possess the intensity of the first half and both teams needed their defenses to hold the other team back. For the Cavaliers, their early shooting accuracy combined with solid defense kept Bryant at bay. With 5:00 left in the first quarter and the score at 2-0, Bryant had taken nine shots and made zeros saves, while Virginia had three shots and three saves.

Referring to Virginia sophomore goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman, Starsia said, “Today was, I felt like, a little of a coming-out party for him, It’s probably the best he’s played since he’s been here in Charlottesville, and it’s a day when we needed him to do that.”

Ghitelman tallied 12 saves in all, and “he seemed like he had a big save whenever we needed it,” Starsia said. “You just see that he’s got more confidence right now, a little bounce in his step. If he can continue to build on that, then we’ve got a chance to be pretty tough.”

Graduate Zack Greer, the NCAA career scoring leader who followed his former coach Mike Pressler from Duke to Bryant for his last year of eligibility, was limited to two assists, as the Cavaliers always seemed aware he lurked around the net. In the second quarter, Greer found himself with the ball directly in front of the cage, but four white Cavalier jerseys collapsed around him almost immediately.

Although Virginia may not have executed all it sought against Bryant, Starsia said, “It’s the beginning of a long journey, and I think we’re headed in the right direction.”


 

Carroll, Ghitelman Lead Virginia to 10-4 Win over Bryant
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/16/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—Junior midfielder Brian Carroll tied his career high with three goals and goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman made 12 saves to propel Virginia to a 10-4 victory over Bryant Monday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium.

The second-ranked Cavaliers won their second game of the season in just over 48 hours, while Bryant, playing its first game at the Division I level, is now 0-1.

“I thought today that Bryant played really hard. You could tell they were very excited,” said Virginia head coach Don Starsia. “Give them a lot of credit for what they did out here today. And I thought our kids played hard. We clearly didn’t execute, especially in the third quarter offensively the way we would have liked to, but I thought our effort was always there. I thought we were always on the loose balls and we were always hustling around. We’ve just got to be sharper.”

After a back-and-forth opening six minutes, the Cavaliers scored two goals one-and-a-half minutes apart midway through the first quarter to take the lead they would never relinquish.

Freshman Steele Stanwick opened the scoring at the 8:54 mark by converting a nice pass from Danny Glading into the first of his two goals. A minute later midfielder Max Pomper found Steve Giannone cutting toward the goal and hit him with a nice lead pass for an easy goal to give the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead.

Attackman Kevin Hoagland, Bryant’s leading returning scorer, tallied the first of his two goals with less than five minutes to play in the first quarter to cut Virginia’s lead in half.

The Cavaliers answered with four goals over the next 10 minutes to build a 6-1 lead midway through the second quarter. Carroll scored twice during the run, while John Haldy and Glading scored once. The teams traded goals the rest of the half with Virginia enjoying an 8-3 advantage at halftime.

Bryant matched Virginia shot for shot (19) in the first half, but only scored three times as Ghitelman consistently turned Bulldog shots aside. He made seven of his 12 saves in the first half.

“Today was a little bit of a coming out party for Adam Ghitelman,” Starsia said. “It just seemed like Adam stepped up and made the saves for us whenever we needed them. That was a terrific day for that young goalie.”

While Ghitelman’s play certainly highlighted an outstanding effort by the Cavalier defense, he also got tremendous performances from the defenders in front of him. Ken Clausen snared a career-high 10 ground balls and caused four turnovers, while Matt Kelly and longstick midfielder Mike Timms each finished with three ground balls. Ryan Nizolek held Zack Greer, the NCAA’s all-time leading goal scorer, to just two assists and forced him to miss all five shots. In five previous games against Virginia while playing at Duke, Greer scored 13 goals on just 25 shots.

Virginia plays its first road game of the season Saturday at Stony Brook. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 pm.

Bryant 1-2-0-1—4 record: 0-1
Virginia 4-4-1-1—10 record: 2-0
att—1189

Scoring (G-A)— B: Kevin Hoagland 2-0, Bryant Amitrano 1-0, Gary Crowley 1-0, Zack Greer 0-2, Matt Larson 0-1. V: Bryan Carroll 3-0, Steele Stanwick 2-0, Danny Glading 1-2, Garrett Billings 1-1, Chris Clements 1-0, Steve Giannone 1-0, John Haldy 1-0, Rhamel Bratton 0-1, Shamel Bratton 0-1, Adam Ghitelman 0-1, Max Pomper 0-1.

Goalie Summary—B: Jameson Love 60 mins., 9 saves, 10 goals allowed. V: Adam Ghitelman 60 mins., 12 saves, 4 goals allowed.

Shots: B—30, V—33
Ground Balls: B—39, V—48
Clearing: B—18x26, V—24x27
Faceoffs: B—10, V—8
Penalties: B—5-4:00, V—3-2:30
EMO: B—1x3, V—1x5

 

U.Va. keeps tennis crown
NO. 5 VIRGINIA 4, NO. 3 GEORGIA 1
ITA National Team Indoor
STAFF REPORTS
Published: February 17, 2009

CHICAGO -- The Virginia men's tennis team yesterday won its second consecutive ITA National Team Indoor Championship with a 4-1 victory over Georgia at the Midtown Tennis Club.

The Cavaliers improved to 12-0 and handed the Bulldogs (8-1) their first loss.

"This was a great match, what a championship match should be," Virginia coach Brian Boland said. "Both Virginia and Georgia fought the whole match and gave it everything they had. I am so proud of this team, and I am proud to be national champions again."

Virginia led 1-0 after winning a tight doubles point. After Michael Shabaz and Dominic Inglot beat Christian Vitulli and Borja Malo 8-4 at No. 2 doubles, the Cavaliers needed to win one of the other two matches, both of which went to a tiebreaker. At No. 1 doubles, third-ranked Houston Barrick and Sanam Singh topped Nate Schnugg and Jamie Hunt 9-8 to clinch theopening point.

"That doubles point was critical today," Boland said. "We knew it was going to be a battle in singles, which it was, so getting the doubles point was key."

In singles, the Cavaliers doubled their lead as Barrick downed Malo 6-4, 6-0 at the No. 4 slot. At No. 1 singles, the Bulldogs got on the board whenSchnugg defeated Inglot 6-3, 6-4 to make the score 2-1. Virginia extended its lead to 3-1 when Steven Eelkman Rooda completed a 6-3, 6-2 win over Drake Bernstein at No. 5. The matchwas clinched in the No. 6 match in which Drew Courtney rallied for an 0-6, 6-0, 7-5 win over Josh Varela.

"The bottom of the lineup came through for us today," Boland said. "We have been so strong at No. 1, 2, and 3 all season, but Georgia has some firepower at the top of their lineup as well. The guys at the bottom played so well and our first-years at No. 5 and 6 stepped up big today. They have developed so much in a short time and carried us to this win."

"

Last season, the Cavaliers won the ITA National Indoor title to become the first ACC team to win a tennis national team crown (ITA Indoor or NCAA).

 

Virginia Repeats as National Team Indoor Champions
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/16/2009

CHICAGO – The Virginia men’s tennis team captured its second consecutive ITA National Team Indoor Championship with a 4-1 victory over Georgia in Monday’s final at the Midtown Tennis Club. The Cavaliers improve to 12-0 on the season while handing the Bulldogs (8-1) their first defeat of the season.

“This was a great match, what a championship match should be,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “Both Virginia and Georgia fought the whole match and gave it everything they had. I am so proud of this team and I am proud to be national champions again.”

Virginia took a 1-0 lead by winning a tight doubles point. After Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) and Dominic Inglot (London, England) won 8-4 over Christian Vitulli and Borja Malo at No. 2 doubles, the Cavaliers needed to win one of the other two matches, both of which went to a tiebreaker. At No. 1 doubles, third-ranked Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) topped Nate Schnugg and Jamie Hunt 9-8 to clinch the opening point.

“That doubles point was critical today,” said Boland. “We knew it was going to be a battle in singles, which it was, so getting the doubles point was key.”

In singles, the Cavaliers doubled their lead as Barrick downed Malo 6-4, 6-0 at the No. 4 position. The Bulldogs got on the board at No. 1 singles where Schnugg defeated Inglot 6-3, 6-4 to make the score 2-1. Virginia extended its lead to 3-1 when Steven Eelkman Rooda (Amersfoort, The Netherlands) completed a 6-3, 6-2 win over Drake Bernstein at No. 5 singles. The match was clinched at No. 6 singles where Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) rallied for 0-6, 6-0, 7-5 win over Josh Varela.

“The bottom of the lineup came through for us today,” said Boland. “We have been so strong at No. 1, 2, and 3 all season, but Georgia has some firepower at the top of their lineup as well. The guys at the bottom played so well and our first-years at No. 5 and 6 stepped up big today. They have developed so much in a short time and carried us to this win.”

In the decisive match, Courtney shook of some early struggles and rallied to force a third set. The final set was tied 5-5 when Courtney broke Varela before closing out the match on his serve.

“In the first set, I was playing tight and was not hitting shots well,” said Courtney. “He was playing well and I was letting him take control of the points. After that set, I brushed it off and decided to be more aggressive. I tried to put the pressure on him and that seemed to work. In the final set, we both were playing our best and it was a matter of who wanted it more. I was able to hit some big shots when I needed them in order to win some key points at the end.”

Last season, the Cavaliers won the ITA National Indoor title to become the first ACC team to win a tennis national team championship (ITA Indoor or NCAA).

The Cavaliers return to action on Saturday as they host a pair of matches at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Virginia will play Boise State at noon and Boston College at 6 p.m. The matches are part of a tennis quadruple-header as the women’s team hosts Marshall at 9 a.m. and Richmond at 3 p.m.

No. 5 Virginia 4, No. 3 Georgia 1

Doubles
1. #3 Barrick/Singh (UVa) def. #40 Schnugg/Hunt (UGA) 9-8
2. #27 Inglot/Shabaz (UVa) def. Vitulli/Malo (UGA) 8-4
3. Courtney/Singer (UVa) vs. Garrapiz/Bernstein (UGA) 8-8 DNF

Singles
1. #18 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. #43 Dominic Inglot (UVa) 6-3, 6-4
2. #24 Sanam Singh (UVa) vs. #35 Jamie Hunt (UGA) 6-7, 7-5, DNF
3. Javier Garrapiz (UGA) led #11 Michael Shabaz (UVa) 4-6, 6-3, 5-4 DNF
4. #68 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Borja Malo (UGA) 6-4, 6-0
5. Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) def. Drake Bernstein (UGA) 6-3, 6-2
6. #108 Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Josh Varela (UGA) 0-6, 6-0, 7-5

Order of Finish
Doubles: 2,1
Singles: 4,1,5,6

 

UVa repeats as National Indoor champion
By The Daily Progress Staff
Published: February 17, 2009

In recent Virginia sports history, there hasn’t been a team as successful or as dominant as the men’s tennis squad.

And on Monday afternoon in Chicago, coach Brian Boland’s bunch put another notch on its belt.

Virginia won its second straight National Team Indoor Championship, defeating Georgia 4-1 in the final.

UVa improved to 12-0 on the season while handing the Bulldogs (8-1) their first defeat of the season. The Cavaliers also got a little bit of revenge for last spring’s ouster in the NCCA Tournament semifinals at the hands of Georgia.

“This was a great match, what a championship match should be,” said Boland, whose squad became the first ACC team to win a tennis national team championship when it took the indoors last season. “Both Virginia and Georgia fought the whole match and gave it everything they had. I am so proud of this team and I am proud to be national champions again.”

Undefeated Virginia, which hosts Boise State and Boston College on Saturday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club, took a 1-0 lead by winning a tight doubles point.

After Michael Shabaz and Dominic Inglot won 8-4 over Christian Vitulli and Borja Malo at No. 2 doubles, the Cavaliers needed to win one of the other two matches, both of which went to a tiebreaker.

At No. 1, third-ranked Houston Barrick and Sanam Singh topped Nate Schnugg and Jamie Hunt, 9-8, to clinch the opening point. “That doubles point was critical today,” Boland said. “We knew it was going to be a battle in singles, which it was, so getting the doubles point was key.”

In singles, the Cavaliers doubled their lead as Barrick downed Malo 6-4, 6-0 at the No. 4 position. The Bulldogs got on the board at No. 1 singles where Schnugg defeated Inglot 6-3, 6-4 to make the score 2-1.

Virginia extended its lead to 3-1 when Steven Eelkman Rooda completed a 6-3, 6-2 win over Drake Bernstein at No. 5 singles.

The match was clinched at No. 6 singles by freshman Drew Courtney, who rallied for a 0-6, 6-0, 7-5 win over Josh Varela. Courtney shook of some early struggles and rallied to force a third set.

The final set was tied 5-5 when Courtney broke Varela before closing out the match on his serve.

“In the first set, I was playing tight and was not hitting shots well,” Courtney said. “He was playing well and I was letting him take control of the points. After that set, I brushed it off and decided to be more aggressive. I tried to put the pressure on him and that seemed to work.

“In the final set, we both were playing our best and it was a matter of who wanted it more. I was able to hit some big shots when I needed them in order to win some key points at the end.”

Courtney and the bottom of Virginia’s singles lineup really came through.

“We have been so strong at No. 1, 2, and 3 all season, but Georgia has some firepower at the top of their lineup as well,” Boland said.

“The guys at the bottom played so well and our first-years at No. 5 and 6 stepped up big today. They have developed so much in a short time and carried us to this win.”

 

Underclassmen dominate infield, headline promising Cavalier lineup
O’Connor expects high level of continuity from this season to next as only one of the starting eight will be MLB-eligible; four sophomores to compete for time in outfield
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, February 17 2009

Junior third baseman Tyler Cannon played in all but one of Virginia’s games last year and is the only upperclassman returning to the Cavs’ starting lineup. If the ACC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll’s pick for Virginia finishing fourth in the ACC Coastal division is any indication, few baseball minds are giving Virginia any serious thought as an ACC contender this season.

Regardless of this year’s final result, however, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor can take solace in the fact that for the first time since the squad’s 2006 campaign, he has a team that will not lose too many key contributors at season’s end.

In Virginia’s starting eight in the field outside of the pitcher’s mound, only junior third baseman Tyler Cannon could go pro next season. From the pitching staff, senior Andrew Carraway will graduate, and juniors Neal Davis and Matt Packer could go to the MLB.

Outside of these losses, though, the Cavaliers have plenty to look forward to from their young lineup.

“The exciting thing about this team is that I think 95 percent of this team will be back for 2010,” O’Connor said. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to compete this year, but that is exciting.”

O’Connor said there will be many games when he starts three freshmen: Danny Hultzen at first base, power hitter Steven Proscia at shortstop and John Hicks at catcher. The experienced players, including Cannon at third, will fill out the infield. Hultzen, reminiscent of 2007 graduate Sean Doolittle, will double as a weekend starter, likely in the Saturday slot, sandwiched between Carraway’s Fridays and Davis’ Sundays. Power-hitting Phil Gosselin at second and defensive stalwart junior Franco Valdes, competing with Hicks to play behind the plate, also will add their experience to the mix.

In the outfield, the Cavs have four sophomores who will compete for time, all of whom were used early and often last season. The returning team batting average leader Dan Grovatt will see action in right, and Jarrett Parker — who put on 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season while maintaining his speed, O’Connor said — will start in center.

In left, the lefty David Coleman and righty John Barr will both get plenty of innings; Coleman will get the majority of the time for the first month as Barr recovers from off-season shoulder surgery, Coleman said.

In the bullpen, O’Connor said Packer — who has alternated between starting and relieving during his career — will begin the season as the team’s closer to replace 2008 graduate Michael Schwimer. In middle relief, however, youth will once again take over; Virginia has a cluster of players with a year of experience in redshirt freshman Sean Lucas and sophomores Tyler Wilson, Robert Morey and Kevin Arico. None of these players put up impressive numbers last season — Morey is the most experienced of the quartet, giving up 27 hits and 22 runs in 27.2 innings of action last season — but O’Connor said they have fared well in preseason practice.

“I think the four of them who are now second-years are going to be really, really important to our team,” O’Connor said. “Those starters — if they go five, six, seven innings — somebody’s gotta bridge the gap to Matt Packer.”

While many will look at Virginia’s roster and question its youth, the underclassmen carried most of the load last season, when the team went to the NCAA Tournament for a program-record sixth straight year. Four of the top six hitters were freshmen last season; Barr, Grovatt, Coleman and Gosselin all hit more than .300. Packer’s 1.14 ERA was good enough to win the Division I ERA title as a sophomore, and Davis was close behind at 1.58.

“I don’t think [the underclassmen] are [going to] back down from anything,” O’Connor said. “I think they have a lot of confidence.”
For Parker, criticism of Virginia’s youth only adds fuel to the fire.

“That’s us they’re talking about,” Parker said, sticking a finger to his chest. “It fires me up.”

For O’Connor and his players, it is clear that the squad is not looking ahead to next season as its time to shine; the players firmly believe that they can win right now. Win or lose this year, however, next season — when the underclassmen have both experience and fire — could be when Virginia is as good as it has ever been during O’Connor’s era.

 

Thrilling threesome leads highly-touted Virginia team in quest for NCAA crown
No. 4 squad hopes McCulloch, Holden, Weymouth will show leadership, ‘light a spark’
Ben Gomez, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, February 17 2009

Senior midfielder Blair Weymouth, here battling Georgetown in the rain, led Virginia’s starters last year with .833 shot-on-goal percentage. When one thinks about Virginia lacrosse, the triple threat of Danny Glading and Rhamel and Shamel Bratton is often the first thing to come to mind.

The men’s team, however, is not the only successful squad on Grounds; the Cavalier women’s lacrosse team boasts its own trio of superstars in seniors Ashley McCulloch, Jen Holden and Blair Weymouth. During the past three years, the names have become synonymous with winning, and this year so far is no different, as two of the three already were named preseason All-Americans for No. 4 Virginia.

“I think it is an honor and definitely exciting, but it is a new year and you cannot think about that,” midfielder McCulloch said. “You have to play as well as ever.”

While the Cavaliers will accept nothing less than a national championship this season, they will need leadership and determination to achieve such a lofty goal. Virginia coach Julie Myers expects the trio — especially defender Holden and midfielder Weymouth, the team’s captains — to take the reins as the season progresses. Myers said she has great confidence in her players and their abilities to lead the team on and off the field.

“Leadership is going to be big for them,” Myers said. “They will know how to light a spark when things go a little bit flatter and a little quiet and how to ride the emotion when things are going their way. They do a great job of leading by example.”

The Cavaliers, who will kick off their season Wednesday against Virginia Tech, played several preseason exhibition games to help prepare them for the season. They traveled to Florida two weekends ago to take on the U.S. Developmental and Elite teams, as well as the Japanese National team. While Virginia was unable secure a victory against either of the American teams, the squad managed to defeat the Japanese team 18-12.

“Practicing all the time kind of gets boring,” McCulloch said. “Having different people to play against helps a lot. You learn a lot from scrimmages.”

Playing elite competition before the season starts should aid the Cavaliers come NCAA Championship time. The Cavaliers made an early exit in the tournament last season, falling to North Carolina in a first-round upset despite topping the Tar Heels once during the regular season and again in the ACC Tournament.

While Virginia appears to possess the talent and ability to win a national championship, the team must strive for improved consistency compared to last season. And as the season progresses, the Cavaliers also will rely on their depth. The team has its eyes set on reaching Towson, Md., the site of this season’s National Championship, and though the road to the Final Four undoubtedly will present plenty of challenges for the team, Myers said she is confident in her players’ abilities to persevere.

“They are hungry for it,” Myers said. “Everyday they talk about trying to get [a national championship] and being there in the end.”

 

Never a dull moment for Groh
No drama Obama was the mantra of a certain presidential campaign last year. While Virginia football coach Al Groh might prefer such internal harmony, his staff has become the antithesis of no drama.

The latest shake-up, first reported yesterday by the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Jeff White, has defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, who'd been in that role about two months, departing for the same position at the University of Cincinnati.

Diaco is the fifth of nine assistant coaches to exit since the Cavaliers' 5-7 finish last season, their second losing record in three years. Two vacancies remain, and one, according to White's reporting and confirmed this morning, will be filled by former Virginia offensive coordinator Ron Prince.

It was Prince's resignation to become head coach at Kansas State following the 2005 season that led to Mike Groh's ill-fated promotion to OC. Kansas State severed ties with Prince after the Wildcats went 5-7 last season, 2-6 in the Big 12.

Prince's responsibilities upon returning are unclear. Former Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon has been appointed the program's new offensive coordinator, replacing Mike Groh.

Mike Groh, Levern Belin and Steve Bernstein departed the staff in December, at which time Al Groh named defensive coordinator Bob Pruett his assistant head coach and promoted Diaco to defensive coordinator -- always a misnomer at Virginia because Al Groh runs the defense.

Last week, Pruett retired for family health reasons. And now Diaco is headed to Cincinnati, where he reunites with Bearcats head coach Brian Kelly, his boss at Central Michigan in 2005.

Kelly fired his defensive coordinator, Joe Trosey, earlier this month. Cincinnati ranked 25th nationally in scoring defense in 2008, won the Big East and lost the Orange Bowl to Virginia Tech.

Got all that straight? Like a bad soap, no?

Clearly, Kelly has more job security than Groh, which figures to have influenced Diaco. Since Prince was out of work, maybe he's not as picky. Besides, he's a Groh protege.

His return is similar to a twist in Virginia basketball coach Dave Leitao's career. After eight seasons as an assistant under Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, Leitao accepted the head-coaching post at Northeastern, his alma mater. After two years, he bailed and headed back to Calhoun's staff, where he remained for six more years before becoming head coach at DePaul.

This much is clear: Facing an ambitious schedule in a win-or-else season, Groh carries the additional burden of fostering effective staff chemistry and communication amid rampant turnover.

Good luck there.

Posted by David Teel