Groh’s staff comes together
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: February 24, 2009

About a month from spring football practice, Virginia fans should be feeling pretty good about what has transpired with their coaching staff since December.
From this viewpoint, it appears that coach Al Groh has assembled the best staff, top to bottom, he’s had during his eight years at the helm of the Cavaliers.
The staff will feature two former head coaches in offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon (Bowling Green) and special teams coordinator Ron Prince (Kansas State). Completing the staff, though not yet announced, is veteran defensive coach Bob Trott, who has served as a coordinator for five different college programs.
Shifting around
Groh, of course, will be UVa’s official defensive coordinator, a job he has held in an unofficial capacity since the Music City Bowl in 2005.
Former Wahoo grad assistant Chad Wilt will coach the defensive line after getting seasoned as part of a strong Liberty program. Latrell Scott, who coached Tennessee’s wide receivers last season, will fill the same role for Virginia and is a strong recruiting bonus as well.
Add those coaches to Anthony Poindexter — wisely moved from running backs coach to the UVa secondary — along with Dave Borbely on the offensive line, Wayne Lineburg at running backs, and Bob Price at tight ends/recruiting coordinator, and that’s a solid staff anywhere you go.
Just look at the defense. Wilt will add youth and passion to the line, while no one is as passionate as Poindexter in the secondary. He’s unquestionably the fire of the entire staff.
The addition of Trott
Then you’ve got Trott coaching the linebackers and Groh as the coordinator.
Trott, 54, comes to UVa from the Cleveland Browns where he has coached the past four seasons on Romeo Crennel’s staff. Trott, who played at Carolina under Bill Dooley when Groh was an assistant, has 34 years of experience.
While he coached in the NFL for nine years for the Browns, Giants, and Patriots, the guy has been around and is very familiar with the 3-4 defense.
When he was defensive coordinator for Ken Hatfield’s Arkansas team, the Razorbacks won the Southwest Conference title in 1988 and 1989. When he was defensive coordinator at Clemson in 1990, the Tigers led the NCAA in total defense.
Trott also was DC at Baylor, Duke, and Louisiana-Monroe and has coached in 11 bowl games.
And who knows defense better than Groh?
That’s mostly what he has coached his entire career and when most of his defensive staff left for other jobs prior to the ‘05 Music City Bowl game against Minnesota, Groh took over coaching the entire defense.
During that month and afterward, he had players coming up to him expressing that they hoped he would continue to coach them — that they had learned things under his tutelage that month that they never knew.
As a result, when he lured Mike London back from the NFL as defensive coordinator, Groh gave London the day-to-day assignment of running the defense. However, it was Groh that called the defensive plays and chose the strategy.
Ditto for last year, when London took the Richmond head coaching job and Groh lured veteran Bob Pruett out of retirement.
“It wouldn’t have been fair for Bob to have all that responsibility with a system he was unfamiliar with,” Groh said. “We had a great working relationship.”
Now, there’s no one else with the title. It’s Groh’s baby all the way and if he’s willing to burn the midnight oil, Virginia should be better because of his input.
Meanwhile, the defensive staff is already working hard to get on the same page.
While some have questioned if Poindexter is ready to handle the secondary for the first time all by his lonesome, Groh has no reservations. He pointed out that he has been joining Dex and Wilt on a daily basis in reviewing last year’s defensive film and getting on the same page. No doubt Trott will be in those meetings soon.
Offensively, Brandon has pumped so much energy into the program it’s ready to explode. Wide receiver Jared Green said last month that the players on that side of the ball are chomping at the bit to start working the new spread offense.
Meanwhile, Prince will be a great sounding board for all the coaches, including Groh.
Having coached in the wild and wooly Big 12 the past three years, Prince, nicknamed “Big Sexy,” — Ron probably had hoped we would have forgotten that in three years — has been exposed to a lot of football, including facing some of the nation’s most explosive spread offenses.
Certainly he can provide helpful information to Brandon on things he learned about defending those offenses that might help Brandon scheme around those opponents’ plans.
But Prince is here to breathe life into a part of Virginia’s program that really hasn’t done much of anything for the past several years: special teams.
The Cavaliers plan to put more emphasis on that phase of the game than ever before and Prince is a great place to start.
While at Kansas State, his Wildcats led the nation in kickoff returns in 2006 (I still maintain that Chase Minnifield is going to break one for a TD), led the country in punt returns in 2007, and led the nation in blocked kicks last season.
“We definitely need an upgrade there on special teams,” Groh said.
Clearly the Cavs weren’t much to write home about in that department last season when they finished No. 92 nationally (out of 119 FBS teams) in punt returns and No. 70 in kickoff returns.
With Prince having served as offensive coordinator at UVa prior to his Kansas State stint, there’s a great level of trust between he and Groh.
“We made it a practice to speak weekly with one another over the past three seasons, about football in general and about our respective teams,” Groh said.
Maybe Pruett was right when he said a couple of weeks ago, announcing his retirement, that Virginia has good days ahead.
“I believe Virginia’s football future is so bright, that we’re all going to have to wear sunglasses,” Pruett said.
While Pruett’s a hip guy, we’re not sure whether or not he stole that line from Timbuk 3’s song of 1989, but it might just be a prognostication that Wahoo fans will be ecstatic about should it come true.

 

Groh completes staff
Jeff White
Feb 23, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – To fill the final slot on his staff, U.Va. football coach Al Groh apparently has turned to a former colleague.

An official announcement may not come for a few days, but the Cavaliers’ new linebackers coach is expected to be Bob Trott, who spent the past four seasons on the Cleveland Browns’ staff.

Trott, 54, played at the University of North Carolina when Groh was an assistant coach there. They later worked together at the Air Force Academy, under Bill Parcells, and with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

A native of Concord, N.C., Trott has been a defensive coordinator for five college teams: Arkansas, Duke, Clemson, Baylor and Louisiana-Monroe. Moreover, he’s familiar with the 3-4 defense that Groh favors.

Trott, who played safety for then-Tar Heels coach Bill Dooley, has two degrees from UNC: a bachelor’s in business (1976) and a master’s in education (1982). He made the ACC’s all-academic team in 1975.
 

RB Parks hopes to fly at Virginia
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 24, 2009

Quick to the trigger, the timeliness of an early offer paid off for Virginia coach Al Groh.
After becoming the first school to offer West Rowan (N.C.) running back Kevin Parks a scholarship earlier this month, the speedy back was eventually won over with the offer.
On Monday, Parks confirmed his decision before suiting up to play basketball for his school last evening. He becomes the first commitment for the class of 2010.
Virginia’s spread running game attracted Parks, who goes by the nickname “K.P.”
Entering his senior season, the 5-foot-7, 185-pound tailback remains on pace to break the North Carolina prep record for career carries.
Thus far, Parks has 963 career carries for 7,121 yards and 99 touchdowns. Three of those scores came as West Rowan won the state 3A title this season over West Craven.
Parks, who has been clocked at 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, picked Virginia over offers from Illinois and East Carolina. He also drew heavy interest from Clemson and N.C. State.
Parks becomes the second athlete from West Rowan in recent history to play at Virginia. Former men’s basketball player Donte Minter played at UVa before transferring to Appalachian State.
Parker said he maintains a 3.4 grade-point-average.

 

U.Va. football gets commitment for 2010
Jeff White
Feb 23, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Just got off with the phone with Kevin Parks, who today became the first football player in the Class of 2010 to commit to U.Va., as first reported by Jamie Oakes of CavsCorner.com.

Parks, a 5-7, 185-pound tailback from West Rowan High in Mount Ulla, N.C., had a busy weekend. He took unofficial visits to Clemson on Saturday and to East Carolina and N.C. State on Sunday.

When he got home, Parks reached his decision. He also had scholarship offers from ECU and Illinois, but “there was just something about U.Va. that I felt I needed to be there,” he said. “I felt like U.Va. was the school for me.”

Parks was named all-state last season after helping West Rowan win the Class 3-A championship. He rushed for 2,864 yards and 43 touchdowns as a junior.
In the title game, Parks ran for 219 yards and three touchdowns in West Rowan’s 35-7 rout of West Craven. He had an 81-yard TD run on his team’s first play.

West Rowan’s basketball team, for which he’s a reserve point guard, is in the playoffs, and Parks plans to run track this spring. His mind-boggling stats aside, Parks said he has room to improve. When his schedule permits, he’s been lifting weights and running with parachutes.

“I feel like I need to work on my breakaway speed for the next level,” he said.
 

U.Va. football players arrested
Jeff White
Feb 23, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE—I have yet to hear any additional details, but the news broke today that football players Corey Mosley and Ausar Walcott were arrested early Sunday morning. Here’s the official release from the U.Va. police department:

The University of Virginia Police responded to several disorder incidents February 22, 2009 at 1:00 a.m. at a dance held at the Student Activities Building (SAB). Officers charged Mr. Corey Anthony Mosley with disorderly conduct after he became combative during the event and refused to comply with event staff and University Police.

University Police charged Mr. Ausar Amad Walcott with obstruction of justice at the same event after he attempted to interfere with police as they were taking Corey Mosley into custody.

Mosley and Walcott are scheduled to appear in Albemarle General District Court on February 27, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.

Mosley is a Henrico High graduate who started at safety for the Cavaliers as a redshirt freshman in 2008. Walcott, also a safety, will be a redshirt freshman this fall.

Police arrest members of Cavalier football team at SAB dance party
Published: Tuesday, February 24 2009

The list of arrests affecting the Virginia football team grew still larger over the weekend.

Sophomore safety Corey Mosley — the starting safety for much of last season — and freshman safety Ausar Walcott were arrested at 1 a.m. Sunday at a dance party held at the Student Activities Building, according to police reports.

Mosley was charged with disorderly conduct after he became combative at the party and was noncompliant with event staff and police, according to the report. Walcott was then charged with obstruction of justice after he attempted to interfere with police as they attempted to take Mosley into custody, the report states. Mosley and Walcott will appear Feb. 27 in Albemarle District Court at 9 a.m.
Mosley and Walcott join seven current and former Virginia football players in the past year who faced or who are facing charges while members of the team. The list of the other players, their charges and the ensuing consequences include: cornerback Mike Brown, charged with one count each of grand larceny, possession of stolen property with intent to sell, altering serial numbers and possession of marijuana — kicked off the team; linebacker J’Courtney Williams, credit card theft — kicked off the team; quarterback Peter Lalich, unlawful alcoholic purchase and possession — kicked off the team; offensive lineman Dave Roberts, pled guilty to possession of a fake ID — remains on the team.

—compiled by Paul Montana



 

Baker playing hurt
Virginia point guard Calvin Baker had his most productive game in a month Saturday at North Carolina State. But that doesn't mean the chronic pain from a stress fracture in his left foot has eased.

In fact, after the 72-67 defeat, Baker told Daily Press correspondent Neil Amato that he will have offseason surgery.

"Going straight ahead, I'm fine," said Baker, a junior from Woodside High. "It's just cutting that really bothers me."

The pain, Baker told Amato, is "bearable."

During preseason Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao feared Baker's condition would sideline him for the year. But Baker has played at least 12 minutes in each of Virginia's 23 games, starting 17 and sharing time with redshirt freshman Sammy Zeglinski.

Baker's continued presence quieted chatter about the injury, but might it be affecting his play?

"He doesn't move as fluidly or swiftly as he was accustomed to, particularly on defense" Leitao said Monday during the ACC's weekly teleconference.

"He's been a trooper about it," Leitao added. "He hasn't really missed any practices. Sometimes we hold him out of portions."

Baker scored 13 points Saturday, his most since a 16-point effort in late January at Maryland. Combined with a 10-point night in Wednesday's victory over Virginia Tech, Baker has back-to-back double-figure games for only the third time this season.

Baker's five assists against N.C. State were his most since a November loss to Liberty, and his three steals were shy of his career high. But Baker did commit three turnovers, his fifth consecutive outing with multiple giveaways.

More to the point, Baker continued to struggle with his shot, missing six of 10. Since the Maryland game, he is 16-of-56 from the field (28.6 percent) and 5-for-18 (27.8 percent) on 3-pointers.

For the season, Baker is shooting 37.4 percent, down from 41.7 last year. His 3-point accuracy has declined from 37.3 percent to 27.1.

Longer the shot, greater the stress on the foot, right?

With the signing of Bethel High senior Jontel Evans, Baker and Zeglinski will need to improve if they hope to keep Evans out of the lineup.

Posted by David Teel
 

Billings takes school record in typical stride
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 24, 2009

It was shortly after Virginia’s 20-10 win at Stony Brook on Saturday when UVa media relations man Michael Colley approached senior Garrett Billings to tell him he had set the school record for most goals in a game.
“He was pretty nonchalant about it,” Colley recalled. “It was just another day at the office for him.”
And that’s just the type of reaction that anybody who’s ever met Billings would expect.
The soft-spoken Canadian, a very modest sort, said that as the game versus Stony Brook wore on, he began to realize that his goals were piling up.
“I saw the ball was going in pretty well,” Billings said, “so I kept shooting.
“I just think it was the way our offense was playing — so unselfish — and I was getting open shots and they were finding me.”
By game’s end, Billings had scored eight goals, tying the record that was set by Butch McCleary versus Navy in 1958 and Doug Knight against Syracuse in 1996.
Billings added three assists for a career-high 11 points, tied for third in school history. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder also became the 11th player in school history to score 100 career goals; he now has 101.
Tonight, Virginia (3-0) hosts Mt. St. Mary’s at Klockner Stadium before traveling to play at Syracuse on Friday in a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinal game that was won in overtime by the Orange.
“I don’t think we’re going to look past anybody,” said Billings, when asked about the possibility of doing so, “but at the same time, at least for myself — all offseason I was thinking about that last game against Syracuse. I’m looking forward to that a lot.”
Until Saturday, the most goals Billings had ever scored in a college game was five — against North Carolina his freshman year. Billings said the last time he scored eight was probably sometime during his middle school days in Langley, B.C.
Coincidentally, his record-breaking performance on Saturday came against Stony Brook, a team featuring several Canadians, including longtime friends Kyle Belton and Jordan McBride.
“I like playing against any of my friends from home,” Billings said. “That always makes playing the game a little bit more fun.”

 

Men’s lacrosse takes on Mount
Published: Tuesday, February 24 2009

The Virginia men’s lacrosse team returns to Klöckner Stadium tonight to take on Mount St. Mary’s. The No. 2 Cavaliers are looking to build on their strong start to the season and improve their record to 4-0.

Virginia is coming off a 20-10 win against Stony Brook Saturday, a game in which senior attackman Garrett Billings tied a school record for scores in a game, notching an impressive eight nettings. The lethal offensive trio of Billings, senior Danny Glading and freshman Steele Stanwick combined for 10 goals and 11 assists. Sophomore midfielder Rhamel Bratton also added three goals for Virginia, earning his first career hat trick.

Sophomore goalie Adam Ghitelman, meanwhile, who came into the game allowing just 4.88 goals per game, had 10 saves to back up the Cavaliers’ formidable defensive unit, which is led by senior Matt Kelly, junior Ryan Nizolek and junior Ken Clausen. Like Stony Brook, the Mountaineers may have trouble putting up points against the veteran Virginia defense, as four of their five starters on attack are freshmen. Underclassmen occupy 29 of the team’s 43 roster spots, and five of the projected 10 starters are freshmen. Although graduate student Brendan Flanagan and juniors Russell Moncure and Matt Nealis are the foundation of an experienced defense, Mount St. Mary’s is a young team coming off a 2-12 campaign last year. Tonight’s contest will serve as the Cavaliers’ home opener and starts at 7 p.m.

—compiled by Nick Eilerson

 

Cavaliers Play First Night Game of the Season Tuesday
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/23/2009

Virginia begins a stretch that features six games in 18 days tomorrow night at Klöckner Stadium against Mount St. Mary’s. The game is scheduled to faceoff at 7 pm.

The Cavaliers remain No. 2 in the USILA coaches poll behind reigning national champions Syracuse. Virginia is 3-0 this season and has put together impressive performances against Drexel and Stony Brook so far.

Last Saturday they traveled to Long Island and made quick work of Stony Brook with a 20-10 win. Garrett Billings was the star of the game, tying a school record with eight goals, but it was not good enough to win ACC Player of the Week recognition. He joins Butch McCleary (vs. Navy in 1958) and Doug Knight (vs. Syracuse in 1996) as the only Cavaliers to score eight goals in one game. In addition to his eight goals, Billings assisted on three others and finished with 11 total points. His 11 points are tied for third in school history and the most by a Cavalier since Mike Caravana recorded 11 against Loyola in 1983.

“We’ve been playing hard the whole season, but we haven’t been that sharp,” said head coach Dom Starsia after the Stony Brook win. “Today I think offensively we began to demonstrate the team that we can be. I thought our three attackmen (Billings, Danny Glading, Steele Stanwick) in particular were on their game and that’s where we’re going to get our focus from.”

Through three games they have combined to score 22 goals and add 20 assists. Billings leads the country with 14 goals, while Glading is tied for the national lead with eight assists. Stanwick’s 12 points (6g, 6a) are tops among freshmen so far.

Mount St. Mary’s is playing its first game of the season Tuesday night. The Mount is looking to rebound from a tough season last year in which it finished with a 2-12 overall record. Head coach Tom Gravante enters his 14th season at the helm and oversees a roster where 29 of 43 players are freshmen or sophomores. In addition, five of the 10 projected starters this season are freshmen.

Defense will be the team’s strength this season according to Gravante. Graduate student Brendan Flanagan and juniors Russell Moncure and Matt Nealis provide the backbone of the defense, while T.C. DiBartolo looks to build on a strong freshman year in the cage.

Lack of experience characterizes the offense as four of the top-five players on attack are freshmen. Senior midfield starter Geery Grant is the leading returning scorer from a year ago with 13 goals and 15 total points. Sophomore middie Brendan Harrison tallied 11 goals last spring, while sophomore Mark Stapor is the leading returnee on attack; he scored five goals in 2008.

This is the fifth consecutive year the team’s have squared off against each other. Last season Virginia gained a 20-2 win in Emmitsburg. Billings was high man for the Cavaliers with four goals and two assists as Virginia outshot The Mount 65-14. DiBartolo was outstanding in goal for Mount St. Mary’s, making 18 saves in 30 minutes of action in the first half in just the fourth game of his career.

Virginia has a 17-game winning streak going back to 2001 in regular-season mid-week games, including a 10-4 win over Bryant last Monday.

In addition to Billings, several other Cavaliers set or tied their career high for goals Saturday against Stony Brook. Rhamel Bratton, playing not far from his hometown, tallied three times to set a personal best, while fellow middie Brian Carroll equaled his best with three scores. Freshman Steele Stanwick (2 goals) and sophomore Chris Clements (1) also tied their career high, while freshman Matt Kugler scored the first goal of his career.

The Mount is the fourth consecutive opponent to open its season against the Cavaliers so far this season.

Syracuse defense stingy in early going
Posted by Dave Rahme/The Post-Standard February 23, 2009 9:28AM
Categories: SU lacrosse
Dick Blume / The Post-Standard

Syracuse, NY -- With the Syracuse University men's lacrosse team averaging 19.5 goals in its two games heading into Friday night's showdown with Virginia in the Carrier Dome, it is easy to overlook the Orange's work on the defensive side of the ball. That would be a mistake.

The Orange defense is allowing only 4.5 goals per game two games into the season and now has yielded fewer than 10 in 15 of its last 20 under defensive coordinator Lelan Rogers. The performance thus far this season has been especially encouraging considering the team lost two veteran close defenders and two experienced short-stick defensive midfielders following last season's national title run.

"I think the defense did a good job," SU coach John Desko said following Friday night's 17-6 victory over Army in the Carrier Dome. "We wanted to get some bottom-hand pressure on them and create some turnovers, which we did. We knew what they were going to do offensively. They didn't do anything different, but we gave up a couple early, which I was disappointed with. But they settled down, and John (Galloway) did a good job in the goal. We cleared the ball, which we wanted to do against a team like this, a very high percentage of the time to keep the pressure on their defense."

Actually, the percentage on clears was a perfect 22-for-22.

After allowing three goals in the first quarter, the Orange defense stiffened. The SU starters held Army, which had scored 17 goals in its first outing, to a lone tally over the middle two quarters when the game was decided.

"Defensively we calmed down," Galloway said. "We started communicating a little bit better. I have three great guys standing in front of me right now on close defense that really locked down after the first quarter. With the offense taking the pressure off from the second quarter on, and with guys like John (Lade), Sid (Smith), and (Matt) Tierney locking down and forcing a lot of turnovers and groundballs - it really made it a lot easier from the first quarter on."

Army coach Joe Alberici, who always fields one of the nation's toughest defenses, observed in the days leading up to the game that it was SU's defense rather than its much-publicized offense that has paved the way for its 18-2 record over the last 20 games.

"The thing I really see is they don't give you anything," Alberici said. "You have to earn it. They are so athletic. They have a constant, and that is defensive effort and defensive enthusiasm. Some days the offense isn't as good as other days. That's just the way it is in this sport. Some years that may have hurt them, but now with that defensive effort and enthusiasm and being the athletes they are, that is no longer an issue."

That noted, the Cavaliers will pose a tremendous challenge to SU's D this week. They just put up 20 on Stony Brook and have two of the five double-digit outputs SU has allowed since Rogers became defensive coordinator at the start of last season.



 

McCulloch Named ACC Player of the Week
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/23/2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Senior All-American Ashley McCulloch was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, February 22. McCulloch helped the fourth-ranked Cavaliers to a pair of wins over Virginia Tech and Loyola (Md.).

The attacker from Annandale, Va., set a career-high four goals in a 19-3 rout of Virginia Tech, and followed that performance with a new career-high, registering five goals in a 19-8 victory over Loyola (Md.). She recorded eight points in each game, which is tied for first among ACC single-game highs for the young season. McCulloch also leads the league in points per game (8.0), is tied for first in the league in assists per game (3.5), and is tied for second in goals per game (4.5).

Virginia faces Richmond on Wednesday, February 25. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. in Klöckner Stadium.

 

Cavs look for redemption against Tribe after ‘06 loss
Freshman pitcher Roberts to start first game of collegiate career; Virginia posts impressive 0.25 ERA through first four games of 2009 season
Matt Diton, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, February 24 2009

Senior starting pitcher Andrew Carraway was the only player in NCAA Division I to rank in the top-30 nationally in strikeouts and walks per inning in 2008. If revenge is a dish best served cold, the near-freezing temperatures predicted for this afternoon should motivate the Cavalier baseball team. It is the perfect weather to avenge a tough loss to William & Mary last year, as Virginia welcomes the Tribe to chilly Davenport Field.

Although some of the more experienced Cavaliers likely are looking forward to today’s game after last year’s stumble, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said he believes his team will not come out too tense or excited.

“I don’t know if they look at it that way,” he said. “I don’t know if the players remember that William & Mary even beat us last year; you play 56 games. There’s a lot of games, but I know that they’ll be up for it. We’re [going to] practice [Monday], and play Tuesday and take our off-day on Wednesday.”

One member of the Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0) who is probably not concerned with last season’s 6-5 loss to the Tribe (3-1,0-0) is starting pitcher Will Roberts. As a freshman from Richmond, Roberts is making his first career start for the Cavaliers. He has been impressive in his rookie season: In his one appearance out of the bullpen, Roberts faced eight batters and only allowed one hit while striking out three. But Roberts’ success has been the norm for the Virginia staff so far this year. As a team, the Cavaliers have posted a 0.25 ERA. Opposing hitters are hitting just .156 against Virginia’s staff, and O’Connor said he was very impressed with his team after the first series of the season.

“The pitching was outstanding,” he said. “We threw strikes [and] limited the walks throughout the weekend.”

The Virginia hitters also have started their season with a bang. In their first four games, the Cavaliers hit .358 and slugged six home runs. Junior catcher Franco Valdes and freshman third-baseman Steven Proscia have led the charge, each having swat two homers thus far.

As evidenced by the team’s nine doubles and four sacrifice flies, however, the Cavaliers have not needed to rely on the long ball to win games.

“Our approach remains the same. We’re still trying to sac guys in, sac bunt ‘em, steal bags, but every once in a while it’s nice to see a good, well-hit ball,” Valdes said.

Virginia will have to be careful today, as William & Mary bats also have been hot this season, hitting a combined .381 during the first four games. Leading the way for the Tribe is senior outfielder Rob Nickle with a .471 batting average and 14 total bases in 17 at bats. As well as the Cavaliers have started their season at the dish, the Tribe has been comparably effective this year, scoring 46 runs to the Cavaliers’ 36.

“They’re always a very offensive ball club,” O’Connor said. “They put up a lot of runs last year and they’ve always got big physical kids. They had success in the program last year and they’re very well coached. We’re [going to] have to come out and continue to do our things and play good baseball.”

Though the boys of summer must bundle up a little extra today in light of the cold conditions, the Cavaliers hope to keep their bats hot and extend their season-opening winning streak to five games this afternoon.

 

Squad squashes Spiders, quiets Thundering Herd
Virginia doubles tandems go 6-0 during weekend; Guilbeau continues to work on doubles set-up in spite of continued success
Chloe Newschwander, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, February 24 2009

Freshman Emily Fraser had an outstanding weekend, winning all of her doubles and singles matches.

Courtesy Athletic Relations

The Virginia women’s tennis team expected a tough battle going into its double header against Marshall and Richmond Saturday but came out with two big wins instead.

Virginia (6-2) started the day off against Marshall (5-5), defeating the Thundering Herd 5-2. The win helped set a victorious tone for the remainder of the weekend contest, as the Cavaliers won all three doubles matches as well.

“The doubles are a strong point,” Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau said. “They’ve been a very positive part of our season so far. Last year we didn’t have so much success in the doubles points but this year we’re doing a lot better.”

Freshman Emily Fraser and junior Jennifer Stevens have excelled at No. 1 and won their match 8-1 against Marshall’s top-seeded team. In the No. 2 doubles spot, Virginia sophomore Neela Vaez and senior Amanda Rales beat Marshall’s historically successful pair of Kellie Schmitt and Isabell Raich, and freshman Lindsey Hardenbergh and senior Maggie Yahner also saw success at No. 3 doubles.

“We’ve had some good options at No. 3, so now we’re trying to determine what the best pairing down there is at three,” Guilbeau said. “So we not only have done well but have an opportunity to do even better.”

Fraser also made good on her debut at the top of the singles ladder when she played against Schmitt — a noteworthy achievement for Virginia, as the team has struggled against Schmitt in the past.

“[Emily] hit the ball extremely well, and it seems she overpowered Kellie Schmitt, which is a great result,” Guilbeau said. “We’ve never beaten her during the four years that we’ve played against her. She’s been ranked as high as top 15 in the country so that was a great step for Emily.”

It was a hard-fought match on both sides, but with a sweep in the third set, Fraser pushed the final score to 6-4, 2-6, 6-0.

“It was [Emily’s] first opportunity at No. 1 singles and that’s something that the team definitely needs, is leadership up there,” Guilbeau said. “It’s a lot to ask from first-years but it’s something that they should expect and be ready to do, and she’s showing that.”

Rales and Stevens also carried their energy to the singles competition, as both players scored wins against their opponents in their No. 3 and No. 4 positions. And, in the No. 6 singles spot, Vaez battled Marshall’s Catherine Kellner in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 skirmish.

“That match was very up and down,” Guilbeau said. “Neela [Vaez] does continue to give a good effort and work through things, but there’s a lot of points where it’s not quite as efficient or focused as it could be. Neela had defeated Kellner from Marshall very easy in the fall, and it looked like at the very start of the match that it would be the same situation.”

Vaez also seemed to have a problem making the most of her opportunities in Virginia’s second match of the day against Richmond, but Guilbeau said the performance was not entirely negative.

“Our players should have the opportunity to win [three-set matches] because of the training that they do,” Guilbeau said. “Hopefully they’re going to be as strong physically or stronger than their opponent, and three-setters to me are the ultimate test of who really will make adjustments and basically do what tennis is so special about doing and that is being intelligent and making smart decisions. All of that said, I think three-setters are very positive, and we should have an expectation to be the team that comes through and wins most of those.”

Hardenbergh also faced a three-set dual against her Richmond opponent, but the Cavaliers commanded the other five matches and prevented the Spiders from winning a single match. Defeating Richmond 7-0 in the afternoon, the Virginia women did not allow fatigue to get the best of them.

“There are going to be days when you’re playing one dual match against a top, top team in the country, and you’re going to need that same amount of effort that we put into both matches yesterday,” Guilbeau said. “You’re going to need all of that at one time; so that’s a perspective that they need to be aware of. We’ve got to be ready for that kind of effort on a consistent basis.”

One other player who shined for the Cavaliers during Saturday’s matches was freshman Claire Bartlett, who made her season debut against Richmond. At No. 3 doubles, Bartlett and Hardenbergh achieved an 8-2 victory, and at the No. 6 singles spot against Richmond, Bartlett hammered a 6-4, 6-0 victory to add to the Cavaliers’ sweep.

Virginia begins its ACC season next weekend when the team travels to Maryland Friday. During her last season, Rales said she plans to take advantage of every remaining match, especially during conference competition.

“We have to be ready for battle and we hope to be pleasantly surprised,” Rales said. “If we’re doing the right things, it could be easier than we might have thought.”

 

Virginia prepares for rematch against Florida State
Mohammed averages double-double in ACC play; Moorer looks to ramp up her contributions
Abbey Lou Hendricks, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, February 24 2009

Sophomore forward Kelly Hartig and her sister, redshirt sophomore forward Jayna Hartig, are one of two sets of sisters on the team. The Virginia women’s basketball team travels to Tallahassee, Fla. tonight for a highly-anticipated rematch against Florida State. A win for the Cavaliers (21-7, 7-5 ACC) would avenge the team’s loss to the Seminoles (23-5, 11-1 ACC) earlier this season at home. The 80-75 defeat of the Cavaliers about a month ago is among the Seminoles’ 11 ACC wins, contributing to Florida State’s current No. 1 ranking in the ACC. Florida State is “playing together,” Virginia senior forward Lyndra Littles said. “When you win games and you get momentum, you also get a lot of confidence, and I think they’re playing with a lot of confidence.”

A likely source of Florida State’s confidence comes from point guard Courtney Ward, who ranks second in the ACC in assists, dishing out 4.9 per game. Florida State has also been deadly from beyond the arc this season, shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range.

Although both Virginia and Florida State are evenly matched when it comes to points and rebounds per game, the Cavaliers boast a shot-blocker in senior center Aisha Mohammed. Mohammed could not only pose a threat to the Seminole’s post attack, but she could also be difficult to contain on the offensive end of the court, as she is currently averaging a double-double — scoring 14 points while grabbing 10.4 rebounds — per conference game.

The Cavaliers also possess the ACC’s leading scorer in junior guard Monica Wright, who has notched 21.4 points per game this season.
Florida State, however, has two players of its own who have steadily averaged double figures — Jacinta Monroe, averaging 13.5 points per game, and Tanae Davis-Cain, averaging 12.8 points per game.

If Virginia wishes to combat the diverse attack of coach Sue Semrau’s Seminoles, it will need contributions from other players, such as freshman guard Ariana Moorer, who has contributed 20 points in 53 minutes during her past two games.

“Going into the postseason, she’s maturing,” Littles said. “I think she’s a very important part of this turnaround we’re having.”

The No. 21 Cavaliers are coming off an impressive come-from-behind victory against Boston College Sunday. The seniors stepped up to beat the Eagles 90-70 in their last game in John Paul Jones Arena.

The performance against Boston College set the bar high for the Cavaliers as they reach the conclusion of their regular season. Aside from the emotions associated with senior night, the contest also marked a must-win for Virginia.

“It’s huge,” Ryan said. “I didn’t really push it with the players ... I did not [want to] make this a make-or-break game because you just can’t do that, especially with all the emotion that was already in the game.”

Having suffered the heart-breaking loss to the Seminoles at home, the Cavaliers now aim to knock the Seminoles out of the top conference spot.

“We have to go out there and make sure we do all the things that we did in the game when we played them that were right and eliminate the mistakes that we made,” Littles said.

With both teams playing at such a high level heading into tonight’s contest, there will be little room for sluggishness from either team. Although neither team shoots an outstanding percentage from the line, free throws also may very well prove key.

After the match against Florida State, Virginia only has one more game on its regular season schedule: Georgia Tech on Sunday. As the season comes to a close, the outcome of tonight’s showdown could determine each team’s momentum heading into the ACC tournament.

 

Cavs face quick ACC turnaround
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 24, 2009

Monica Wright said she was just along for the ride.
Taking a backseat to Senior Night festivities on Sunday, Wright quietly scored 27 points. Well, as quiet as a 27-point performance from one of the nation’s most athletic players can be.
For 40 minutes against Boston College, Wright wanted the focus to be on Lyndra Littles, Kristen London, Britnee Millner and Aisha Mohammed, the four seniors that she started along aside.
“The start of the first half, the start of the second half, I didn’t have to do anything but just play my role,” Wright said. “We had so much energy from Kris, from Lyndra, from Britnee, from Aisha … it was unbelievable.
“I was just sitting back watching like, ‘I don’t have to do anything.’ We slacked off a little but towards the end of the first half but as soon as the second half started we re-collected it. It was done from there.”
It was “done” as Virginia erupted for 55 points in the second half to cruise past the Eagles for a 90-70 victory.
The enjoyment that surrounded that win was short and sweet — the 22nd-ranked Cavaliers (21-7, 7-5 ACC) boarded a plane Monday en route for tonight’s game at No. 11 Florida State (23-5, 11-1 ACC). The contest, which will be televised in Florida and on some satellite providers elsewhere, will tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Thanks to the win against Boston College, the Cavaliers can relax to a degree. Regardless of tonight’s result, a victory on Sunday at Georgia Tech will guarantee the program the No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament and a first-round contest with a sub-.500 program (Clemson, Miami or Virginia Tech). With two losses to close the regular season the Cavaliers could drop as low as the No. 7 seed.
That is not to say Virginia will take the Seminoles lightly. The Cavaliers lost to Florida State 80-75 in JPJ on Jan. 23 and the Seminoles enter in first place in the league.
“That is one of those games that you wish you could go back and do some things differently,” Littles said. “We have to make sure that we go out there and do all the things that we did in the game that we played them that were right and eliminate some of the mistakes that we made.”
The Seminoles, the second-best 3-point shooting team in the ACC, enter riding a five-game winning streak.
“They are a good basketball team,” Littles added. “They’re playing together and when you win games you also get a lot of confidence. I think they are playing with a lot of confidence.
“They are in a good flow and they have great chemistry going.”