Shooting Woes Haunt 'Hoos
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/28/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- UVa's first-year coach ranks among the greatest outside shooters ever to play college basketball, and it's not unusual to see Tony Bennett on the court after practice, burying 3-pointer after 3-pointer with his textbook left-handed stroke.

When game time comes and Virginia's players are the ones shooting, however, balls clang off the rim much more often than they fall through the net.

Every men's team in the ACC has played at least 13 conference games, so the sample size is large enough to be telling. And the numbers don't flatter the Wahoos (5-8, 14-12) as they head into their Sunday night game with fifth-ranked Duke (11-2, 24-4) at John Paul Jones Arena.

In conference play, UVa ranks 11th among ACC teams in field-goal percentage. At 39.8 percent, Virginia barely leads N.C. State (39.5).

The last time the Cavaliers made more than 38 percent of their field-goal attempts?

Their Feb. 3 win over N.C. State.

The last time the 'Hoos shot better than 41 percent from the floor?

Their Jan. 31 rout of North Carolina.

Virginia has lost six straight since beating the Wolfpack. The Cavaliers' most recent game was a 74-62 loss at Miami. Virginia shot a respectable 41.8 percent in the first half but plummeted to 30.3 percent after intermission.

"It's definitely frustrating," said sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski, who was 2 for 10 against the Hurricanes.

For the game, sophomore swingman Sylven Landesberg was 8 for 14, and junior guard Jeff Jones was 4 for 8. The other Cavaliers were a combined 8 for 35 from the floor, and not because the 'Canes had them blanketed.

"Some of those good looks we got ..." Bennett said afterward, his voice trailing off. "I don't know what to tell you."

As a point guard at Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he played for his father, Bennett made 49.7 percent of his career 3-pointers. That's still an NCAA record.

A season ago, the 'Hoos were the least-accurate ACC team in conference games, shooting 41.1 percent from the floor and 32 percent from 3-point range. Bennett inherited most of the players from that team, and marksmanship remains an issue.

"I always try to look as a coach at the quality of shots we're getting," Bennett said, and his team usually gets plenty of open shots.

"We're trying to shoot a little harder and a little more in practice now, keep working on getting good shots, but I guess it's a stretch you go through," Bennett said.

From the line, the Cavaliers have no such problems. In conference play, they've made 76.3 percent of their free throws, best in the ACC.

From the floor, only senior center Jerome Meyinsse (52 percent) has made at least half of his field-goal attempts in conference games, though accuracy generally hasn't been a huge problem for Jones (46.2), junior forward Mike Scott (45.8) and Landesberg (44.4).

Well below the 40-percent mark, however, are the other players who have been in UVa's rotation: junior guard Mustapha Farrakhan (37.3), senior guard Calvin Baker (30.6), Zeglinski (30.4), freshman guard Jontel Evans (26.7), junior forward Will Sherrill (26.2) and sophomore center Assane Sene (20).

At the other end, ACC opponents are shooting a torrid 44.9 percent against UVa, and that's making a bad situation worse.

"We feel better about ourselves when we're getting stops and we're locking people up," Zeglinski said, "and when we're not getting stops at the defensive end, I think it relates to the offense.

"We haven't been able to get out in transition as much, because we haven't been getting stops. I think as long as we pick it up on the defensive end, our shots will start falling."

Bennett said: "I think there's a confidence factor when you're getting stops, and I think sometimes when you're not getting stops and they're scoring easy, you feel like, 'We gotta score now or we're in trouble, we can't keep up with this deal,' and you might press a little bit. So certainly I could see that, and our defense before had held us in there. And when that's not been the case" recently, UVa's shooting percentages have fallen.

Evans, who's 12 for 38 from inside the arc in ACC games, said he puts up extra shots in practice whenever he can.

"It's been kind of busy with all these road games," Evans said, "but that's something Coach Bennett told me we were going to work on a lot in the offseason, my shot."

Quality shots may be difficult to come by Sunday night. The Blue Devils, who have allowed a league-low average of 62.5 points in ACC games, are famed for their ability to deny passes on the perimeter and for the pressure they put on the ball.

"Obviously they're so well-coached, that goes without saying," Bennett said. "Defensively, their pressure is extreme. They really can take away. They make every pass a challenge. You have to be complete. You have to be able to, certainly, bounce the ball and drive it and make the next play. Then they load up the lane, and they're so good at taking charges with help defense."

On a teleconference Friday night, Bennett was asked about his team's slide. Virginia won its first three ACC games but has since dropped to eighth place in the league standings.

"We got off to a good start, and I was hoping, man, maybe we can bypass or shortcut this part of the process, when you're trying to build up a program and rebuild and going through the painful times," Bennett said. "And we're certainly going through it now. It's a challenge. You work like crazy when it's not going well to try and figure out ways to better it.

"There's not a quick fix. There's not an easy answer. There were some things that were better in the Miami game, but now we go into this Duke game where the competition steps up.

"It's a great challenge, but I have a big-picture view, I really do. I just want to get the most out of this team and fight for, obviously, the kids themselves, because I see that look in their eyes when it's not going well. That's a hard one."

 

Duke, U.Va. both well-rested for tonight’s game
By Michael Phillips
Published: February 28, 2010
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CHARLOTTESVILLE - Tonight's game will be the first in a few weeks for Virginia where the team enters well-rested.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, their opponent will as well, and that opponent is Duke.

The Blue Devils are tops in the ACC and are coming off a nonconference victory Thursday against Tulsa. Meanwhile, Virginia has been resting since a Tuesday loss at Miami finished a stretch of five games in 11 days.

That stretch didn't go as planned for the Wahoos, who are 14-12 and fighting to protect their winning record the rest of the way. Aside from providing a moral boost in Tony Bennett's first season as coach, a .500 record is needed to get invited to one of the postseason events that has cropped up in recent years, like the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

To get there, the Cavs will have to win one of their remaining games - against Duke, Boston College and Maryland - or win two games at the ACC tournament.

Of course, if that's the mission, playing against one of the region's hottest teams isn't necessarily the best way to begin.

"Their communication might be where it starts," Bennett said of Duke. "It's a great strength of theirs. And they have the ability to adapt - you can see that 1 through 5, they can really challenge you."

Virginia also is dealing with a leg injury to star guard Sylven Landesberg, who still is feeling stiff after taking a hit during the Miami game.

"I think he got nailed pretty good," Bennett said Friday. "I think it will be OK, but . . . he's not 100 percent right now."

Also of interest in the final games will be how Bennett juggles his lineup. This is the portion of the season where some coaches turn to young players to give them experience heading into the 2010-11 season. There are two scholarship freshmen on this year's team, forward Tristan Spurlock and guard Jontel Evans.

Bennett said that that he'll play them - to an extent.

"We're still trying to win games," he said. "But yeah, we're searching. Whether it's Year 5 or Year 1 for me, we're searching and we're trying to win the game."

Evans has been an off-and-on starter this year in place of Calvin Baker, but his offensive flaws have kept him from being a regular contributor.

He views the final games as an opportunity to show fans what they can look forward to in coming years.

"I think if we get in and get our chance, we can show what we've got and show what people can expect next year," Evans said.

For Spurlock, any playing time would be an improvement. He's languished on the bench this season because of what Bennett perceives as defensive shortcomings in his game.

Bennett said Friday that he'd base his lineup on how practices went this week and adjust it as needed during the game.

"You try to get a feel for the game flow itself," he said. "We certainly judge practice, then try to read the flow of the game as well."

It's a flow that Bennett would like to keep competitive as the Cavaliers try to steal one from the ACC's top team.

Duke's Krzyzewski and Virginia's Bennett on unfamiliar journeys
David Teel
February 28, 2010

Mike Krzyzewski and Tony Bennett are nationally recognized basketball coaches, but entering their clash tonight, each finds himself and his program on unfamiliar turf.

For Bennett and Virginia, the unfamiliar is most unwelcome. The Cavaliers are reeling like rarely before, and barring a reversal will close the season on their longest losing streak in 50 years.

For Krzyzewski and Duke, the changes are stylistic. The Blue Devils again rank among the nation's top 10, but they are thriving in ways foreign to most Krzyzewski teams.

Other than those subplots, there's little to recommend about tonight's Duke-Virginia game at John Paul Jones Arena. A sellout crowd and four days' rest may sustain the Cavaliers for a spell, but eventually, talent and pedigree ought to prevail.

And when they do, the orange-and-blue faithful may be begging for blindfolds and cigarettes.

Virginia (14-12, 5-8 ACC) is sagging not only from six consecutive defeats, but also four straight by double figures and six in a row of sub-40 percent shooting. The Cavaliers' 74-62 loss at Miami on Tuesday ended a grim five-games-in-11-days stretch, but Bennett isn't sure what role, if any, fatigue is playing.

"I wish I could open up kids' minds and hearts and see what's going on," he told reporters after the Miami contest.

The 2007 national coach of the year at Washington State, Bennett is unaccustomed to leading teams in such straits. Neither of his first two Washington State teams lost consecutive games, and the Cougars' longest skid last season was four.

Bennett's rookie year at Virginia began with similar promise. The Cavaliers won their first three ACC games, five of their first seven, and prevailed at North Carolina State and North Carolina in the same season for the first time since their 1981 Final Four appearance.

Few envisioned the NCAA tournament, much less a prolonged March run, for Bennett's bunch. But the losing, especially consecutive setbacks of 19, 19, and 23 points to Maryland, Florida State and Clemson, has been jarring nonetheless.

After the Miami defeat, Bennett said that Virginia's execution "wanes as the game gets real physical or gets later on, and that's hurt us. We haven't been able to keep up. Seems like we can only go so long and so far, and then it unravels a little bit on both ends."

Bennett has tried darn near everything. He's tightened and expanded substitution patterns; he's juggled the point-guard spot with senior Calvin Baker and freshman Jontel Evans, both former Peninsula District stars; he's scolded and encouraged.

After tonight, the Cavaliers close the regular season with dates against Boston College and Maryland. Then it's off to the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

Absent a victory, Virginia would be saddled with a 10-game losing streak, its longest since an 0-13 stretch in 1960. Which suggests not that Bennett was a misguided hire, but that the Cavaliers are a serious reclamation project.

Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Duke (24-4, 11-2) has won seven straight, leads the ACC and is headed for its 14th consecutive NCAA tournament. But as Krzyzewski noted after last week's victory over Virginia Tech, this is not a typical Blue Devils squad.

"Our identity this year is not like most Duke teams," he said. "It is rebounding and defense."

Indeed, with a towering interior that includes Brian Zoubek and Kyle Singler, the Devils are on pace to lead the conference in rebounding margin for the first time in 21 years. Their per-game advantage of 6.5 is the program's second-best of the last 40 years.

Duke's opponents average 62.1 points, and if that norm dips another two-tenths, it will be the Devils' best defense since the ACC's 1953 debut. Plus, opponents are shooting 40.5 percent, the third-lowest in Krzyzewski's 30 seasons.

Defense and rebounding saved Duke in two games, versus Connecticut and Virginia Tech, in which it shot a miserable 29 percent.

An offense that's skittish and unbalanced is the Devils' primary flaw. Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Singler account for 67.3 percent of the team's points, 84 percent in the last 21/2 games.

Krzyzewski, an eight-time national coach of the year, said his aim is not to let top-heavy scoring "impact in a negative way our defense and rebounding. One of these games, we're just going to break out. … Those three players are really good. As long as they keep playing well, you've got to go with what you've got, right?"

As March beckons, he has no other choice.

Virginia assistant Ritchie McKay sees step down as a step up
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 28, 2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Entering the lobby of a Charlottesville hotel in April 2009, Ritchie McKay spotted the local newspaper. Tony Bennett's photo was splashed across the front page.

It caused a moment of introspection for McKay, who's in his first season as Virginia's top assistant after 13 years as a head coach at five schools. The photo, which ran with a story on the hiring of Bennett as the Cavaliers men's basketball coach, represented both the life McKay prepared to leave and the life he prepared to join.

"For however many years, and for five press conferences," McKay said, "it was my picture."

McKay went from Portland State to Colorado State to Oregon State to New Mexico to Liberty during the past 13 seasons. Never with a year in between, always with the pressure that accompanies such a position.

"I thought: 'You know what? It wouldn't be bad to kind of not be in the spotlight all the time,' " he said.

It's not rare for a longtime head coach to become an assistant coach, "but sometimes it's not your choice," said Lorenzo Romar, the head coach at Washington and a friend of McKay's. "It's like going from owning your own home to going back to living in an apartment. When it's an apartment and your dishwasher breaks down, somebody has to fix it. When it's your own home, you're responsible for everything."

In late March 2009, McKay received a phone call from Bennett, a longtime friend who was then the coach at Washington State. Bennett vacillated about taking the job at Virginia, and McKay served as an adviser. After spending two seasons just an hour down Route 29 as Liberty's coach, McKay knew about recruiting the region, the Cavaliers' roster and the program's facilities.

"I thought the first thing that had to happen was for him to get the job and the next thing was talk to my wife about moving again," McKay said. "We've moved a lot. As it unfolded, my friendship with Tony is what led me to Charlottesville."

McKay and his wife, Julie, met with Bennett and Bennett's wife, Laurel, soon after Bennett was hired. They discussed the job over room service. Around 10 p.m. that night, the McKays were taken on a tour of John Paul Jones Arena. As they neared the men's basketball offices, McKay encountered a giant photo on the wall of former coach Dave Leitao that had not yet been taken down. McKay estimated it was 10 feet high.
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The photos of Bennett in the newspaper and Leitao on the wall stayed with McKay. He would make a firm decision the next day.

"Had I not committed to doing that, I probably would not have been at Virginia," McKay said. "I probably would have chosen comfort over being stretched."

He talked with Julie, who weighed whether the family should move their two children again. It did not matter that their new home would be only an hour away. There would be a new house with a new school and new friends.

"I was probably thinking about the reality that we could quite possibly be thrown into the upheaval of being on the basketball roller coaster puts us on," Julie said. "I was thinking how much really I wasn't sure I wanted to do it, in terms of moving again, leaving a place I would love, and a team we loved, how that affected the kids."

Julie knew the rigors of the head coach lifestyle -- "When you're in it, you're just in it. You're just grinding," Ritchie said -- and was also aware of how life would be different if Ritchie had more time. She witnessed how Ritchie's view of the world was affected by a recent trip to Kenya, and how it opened his eyes to life beyond basketball.

"Having the assistants I had for 13 years," McKay said, "I just thought it was to be a part of something that was bigger than myself. Not many people choose to voluntarily leave to be an assistant. We just felt led to it."

As McKay puts it, he wanted to serve after years of being served. He said the decision was not financially motivated. McKay received a five-year contract worth $300,000 per season from Virginia.

With this decision came a life different than his previous 13 years. He sells a different coach when he recruits, not himself. He makes suggestions on the sideline, not decisions. The wins do not taste as sweet, the losses do not feel as painful.

McKay is one of three assistant coaches charged with scouting assignments, so he must create the report instead of building off what his assistants produced. He's responsible for recruiting up to 25 players at a time instead of making the final decisions on players recruited by others. He can work individually with players more than he could as a head coach -- guard Sammy Zeglinski credited McKay for shooting refinements -- but he no longer decides what play to call or what disciplinary action to enforce.

McKay accepts this, and has even embraced it. Assistant coach Ron Sanchez praises the lessons learned from McKay, who is regarded almost like a second head coach by the other assistants. Director of basketball operations Brad Soucie, who has been by McKay's side for every stop of McKay's coaching career, has seen McKay take a more active role with player development.

But there's an itch that coaches have, and it never went away. McKay misses creating the blueprint for a program and spending each day as the leader of the building process.

"He has five different programs where he's come in and it's been a rebuilding situation," Bennett said. "That's an invaluable asset for me. To know the things you want to stand out, the things you have to try to establish. The things that are hopefully important for what we're building for the future. He's a constant reminder, a voice in my ear, that these are things that are going to help turn the program in the future to the next level."

At 44, McKay believes he'll become a head coach again, although he said he's not in a rush. McKay pointed out a conversation he had after leaving Liberty with a well-connected reporter who told the coach that he's never had an easy job. McKay said that his next job does not need to be at a major-conference program, but it will have to be one that does need major rebuilding, at the very least.

"I think I want to, with the right situation, in the right place for me and my family, but a program you have a chance to be successful," McKay said. "I'm going to choose it when I feel it's right. The level, I've been at all of them. But having a chance to recruit to a place that you believe in makes all the difference in the world."

Duke next up for UVa
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 28, 2010
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Ideally, no college basketball team wants to face one of the top programs in the country when they’re riding a six-game losing streak.

But that’s the predicament that Virginia (14-12, 5-8 ACC) will find itself in tonight when it hosts No. 5 Duke.

“We wish we had a few more wins under our belt before we went into Duke,” said Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg. “Duke is Duke. That’s like playing North Carolina. You go in with a warrior mentality. It’s all or nothing. You have to leave it all on the line.

“They’re a great team. It’s going to be a battle. Whatever happens, we’ll see.”

On Tuesday night in Miami, Landesberg was the only Virginia player to show up. The sophomore poured in 27 points, connecting on a career-high six 3-pointers.

However, Landesberg suffered a thigh bruise during the game that isn’t yet 100 percent.

“He’s stiff,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said on Friday. “He got nailed pretty good. We call it a knee or corked thigh. I think it will be OK, but it’s very stiff.”

Obviously, Virginia will need a tip-top Landesberg. UVa has lost the last three meetings against Duke. The Cavaliers’ last win over the Blue Devils came during the 2006-07 season on a game-winner by former star Sean Singletary in overtime.

Duke (24-4, 11-2), coming off an 18-point home victory over Tulsa on Thursday, presents all sorts of matchup problems for Virginia.

In the loss to Miami, UVa was badly exposed on the interior. Forward Mike Scott (0 of 7 from the field) had one of the worst games of his career.

Bennett tinkered with his lineup some, benching Scott and Mustapha Farrakhan and playing seldom-used Solomon Tat.

On Friday, Bennett was asked if he had given any thought to giving his younger players more substantial minutes as the team looks toward next season, possibly at the expense of seniors. With just three games remaining, Virginia’s postseason chances are bleak.

“We’re playing every game to win,” Bennett said. “There’s no question. That doesn’t mean you can’t put a younger guy in or get him more minutes.

“I think you try things when it’s not working out. But we’re not at that stage where we’re going to mail it in ... we’re going to fight like crazy, whether it appears that way or not.”

Bennett said there is no “quick fix” for what ails his squad. Short of bringing in five new players — something that will take place next season — he’s probably right.

“There’s not an easy answer,” he said. “But there were some things that were better in the Miami game.

“But now we go into this Duke game where the competition steps up. It’s a great challenge.”

Dunks

Duke leads the all-time series 110-48, including a 35-33 mark in Charlottesville. Duke has won the last three meetings. ... Duke is Virginia’s fourth opponent of the season to be ranked. UVa is 3-0 this season against ranked opponents, with all three games played at home (UAB, Georgia Tech and Miami). ... At No. 5, Duke is the highest-ranked opponent Virginia has played this season. Virginia’s last win over a top-five opponent was an 87-84 win over No. 3 Duke on Feb. 28, 2002 at University Hall.
 

Learning a lesson from Duke’s past
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: February 28, 2010
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With Duke in town for tonight’s game against tailspinning Virginia, this columnist couldn’t help but remember Mike Krzyzewski’s start in Durham.

The late Tom Butters hired Krzyzewski, who was coming off a 9-17 season at Army, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by Blue Devils fans after three straight NCAA tournament appearances.

After three years, Duke was struggling. One NIT appearance and two losing seasons had caused rumblings within the fan base. Krzyzewski’s refusal to stray from what he believed in — an aggressive man-to-man defense — in favor of a zone, in order to merely win a few more games, didn’t sit well with critics.

Coach K has joked on occasion about the situation, noting that’s when a segment of the school’s fundraising arm, the Iron Dukes, became the “Very Concerned Iron Dukes.”

The taste of those struggles has never left Krzyzewski’s mind.

Remembering 38-47

After coaching his 1,000th game at Duke recently, the Blue Devils’ mentor recalled those days.

“I always remember being 38-47,” Coach K said. “I coach every game remembering I was 38-47 my first three years. That’s a long way to 1,000.

“And, if it had kept going that way, the record wouldn’t have been very good. But the record’s pretty damn good,” Krzyzewski pointed out.

Butters had the good sense to support his coach in the face of adversity, realizing that Krzyzewski not only could coach and motivate, but could recruit. The athletic director extended the contract and the rest is history.

Duke has been in the NCAA tournament every year since except for the 1995 season, when Krzyzewski was struck down with back problems and subsequent surgery, causing him to sit out more than half the season.

Patience is the word

I’m not comparing Duke’s situation in the early 1980’s to Virginia’s current situation, but rather advising that Cavalier fans should display the same kind of patience.

First-year coach Tony Bennett’s team is struggling, entering tonight’s game in a six-game nosedive. There’s no guarantee the Cavs’ can joystick their way out of that dive with Duke, a trip to Boston College, and a regular-season home finale against Maryland remaining before the ACC tournament.

There have been some rumblings about UVa’s 5-2 start and why the team has collapsed over the past couple of weeks.

During a conversation with Cavalier assistant Ritchie McKay a few days ago, the veteran coach made a good point about how two overtime losses against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, piggy-backed by five games in 11 days, have taken a toll on the squad.

“It’s like driving along the freeway and you’re in a bus, and you run over a boulder and get a flat tire,” McKay said. “Not only are you going to lose control of [the bus], but you’re going to have to pull off to the side.

“That’s exactly what we’re doing right now,” he explained. “We ran over a rock and our bus is on the side. We’re trying to repair it.”

McKay noted that the only way to make that repair is practice time, which the five games in 11 days in five different cities afforded UVa little preparation or practice time. The other way to repair the situation is to have players that fit the system, and that’s a work in progress with help on the way in the form of five solid recruits for next season.

Had anyone told most Wahoos before the season that there was a chance to finish with a non-losing record, most would have taken it right then and there.

The fact that Bennett has gotten the Cavaliers to this point is somewhat amazing for a program that really only has a couple of standout players on the roster.

Even McKay has been impressed and he’s been around college basketball for a long time.

“It was a new system to learn, a new language to comprehend, there’s a new level of expectations,” McKay said of the adjustments that Virginia’s players had to make in coming off a 10-win season in 2008-09.

“We had no business having as quick a start as we had,” McKay added. “We weren’t ready for that. Hats off to Tony and our guys. They merged and we were fortunate to gain a lot of confidence early and was probably playing a little better than we really were.”

Still, there’s no question that this team is well coached and basically fundamentally sound. There’s a higher quality of defense being played with very little offensive firepower to match.

Bennett has already displayed that he can recruit, the real key to turning a program around, but like Krzyzewski, Bennett has resisted any thoughts of straying from his blueprint on how to slowly, patiently build the kind of program that some day Wahoo fans will be proud.

Patience is the key word. Just ask Krzyzewski.
 

'Hoos Pass Final Test Before Syracuse Showdown
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/27/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When the final second ticked off the clock at the University Hall Turf Field late Saturday afternoon, the calendar turned over for the UVa men's lacrosse team.

Welcome to Syracuse Week.

"I think the lacrosse world really looks forward to Syracuse-Virginia, and we do too," Hall of Fame coach Dom Starsia said Saturday after his team beat 18th-ranked Stony Brook 13-8 before a capacity crowd of 1,689.

The second-ranked Cavaliers (3-0) host the top-ranked Orange (1-0) next Sunday at 1 p.m. If enough snow melts, the game will be played at Klôckner Stadium. If not, it will move to the Turf Field.

Wherever it's played, the annual meeting between these perennial powers promises to be high-scoring and highly entertaining. At the Carrier Dome last year, UVa edged the 'Cuse 13-12 before a crowd of 16,565.

"Playing up there last year was one of the most exciting athletic experiences I've ever had," Virginia defenseman Ryan Nizolek said. "I just can't wait to get them down here."

The 2007 and '08 regular-season games between UVa and Syracuse were played in Baltimore as part of the Face-off Classic. The Orange hasn't visited Charlottesville since 2006, when the Wahoos won a 20-15 shootout at Klôckner.

In their workmanlike victory Saturday, the 'Hoos never trailed against the Seawolves (1-1). the score was 4-3 after one quarter, 8-4 at halftime and 11-5 heading into the final period.

Sophomore attackmen Chris Bocklet and Steele Stanwick each had three goals and an assist for UVa. Equally important were the Cavaliers' defensive effort and sophomore Ryan Benincasa's dominance at the faceoff X.

Junior attackman Jordan McBride, who had eight goals and two assists in Stony Brook's opener, had no points Saturday. Sophomore Matt Lovejoy blanketed McBride, and UVa's last line of defense -- goalie Adam Ghitelman -- was difficult to breach.

Ghitelman, a junior, had not looked especially sharp in Virginia's wins over Drexel and Mount St. Mary's, but he made 13 saves Saturday.

"I thought Adam played as well maybe as he's played since he's been here at UVa," Starsia said.

Without question, it was Benincasa's finest performance as a Cavalier. In 2009, he took only 54 faceoffs -- 10 fewer than Garett Ince and 278 fewer than Chad Gaudet, who was competing as a graduate student.

Gaudet's departure left a void that Benincasa is eager to fill. Against Stony Brook, Ince and Brian McDermott between them won only 2 of 9 draws. Benincasa won 12 of 16.

"Faceoffs mean everything, especially to a team like us that wants to attack quickly," Starsia said. "If we can win faceoffs after scoring goals, then we can really seize the momentum of a game. And the inverse is also true. When you give [a goal] up, if you have a chance to win the faceoff back, you get to slow the other team down.

"I felt like when we started to go with Benincasa, late in the second and into the third, and he started to win those faceoffs, that's when we took control of the game.

"I felt like we could have buried them if we'd hit a couple more shots, but [Benincasa] gave us a shot, and we just kept coming at 'em, coming at 'em, coming at 'em and got enough to win the game."

Had Gaudet, who played at Dartmouth as an undergraduate, not transferred to UVa, Benincasa's role would have been larger in 2009.

"But to be honest, he probably would have gotten beaten up a little more as a freshman," Starsia said. "He's much more confident, much more fit than he was a year ago, and I think it's made a lot of difference."

Benincasa's classmates include Bocklet, who was also a heralded recruit coming out of high school. Already at UVa, however, were star attackmen Danny Glading and Garrett Billings, as well as Gavin Gill, also a senior in 2009.

Stanwick won a starting job as a freshman, but Bocklet played sparingly.

"It was actually a good experience," Bocklet said. "I learned a lot from guys like Danny Glading and Garrett Billings, and I feel like it improved me a little bit as a player, just practicing with them and watching them."

Bocklet, who's from New York, attended John Jay High, a school that also has lacrosse alumni in the Syracuse program.

"I'm really excited," Bocklet said. "It's going to be a fast-paced game. It was a lot of fun watching last year, and I can't wait to be out there now playing [against the Orange]."

Benincasa agreed. "It doesn't really get any bigger than that."

Defensive midfielder Max Pomper, who took a medical redshirt in 2006, is the only player left from the UVa team that faced Syracuse at Klôckner that season.

"I thought today was definitely important heading into next week," Pomper said. "Next week, I think, in the big scheme of things, is a week that we circle on our calendars. Syracuse Week is always an important one for Virginia lacrosse. The rivalry is kind of unmatched, and I think it was great for us to get some momentum."

 

Bocklet and Stanwick Lead No. 2 UVa over No. 18 Stony Brook
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/27/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Chris Bocklet and Steele Stanwick each scored three goals to pace the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (3-0) to a 13-8 victory over the No. 18 Stony Brook Seawolves (1-1), Saturday afternoon in front of a 1,689-capacity crowd at the University Hall Turf Field.
"We gave them a couple of goals over the course of 60 minutes but I thought we played very well, especially at the defensive end of the field," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "Adam [Ghitelman] kept us in the game early, and Matt Lovejoy, Max Pomper, [Chris] LaPierre, and a couple of the other guys played very well. I've told them, we're going to have these days on offense where we're going to have struggle to make things happen, and on those days our defense has to play well to give our offense opportunities."

Rhamel Bratton (Huntington Station, N.Y.) wasted no time putting Virginia on the board at 12:38 with an unassisted goal. After winning the ensuing faceoff, Bocklet (South Salem, N.Y.) found LaPierre (Medford, N.J.) at 12:23 to put UVa up early, 2-0.

Stony Brook would cut its deficit in half, 2-1, after a Kyle Belton unassisted score at 10:01. Stanwick (Baltimore, Md.) tallied his first goal of the contest a couple minutes later, unassisted at 7:50, pushing the UVa lead back to two goals, 3-1.

Tom Compitello answered right back at 3:56 for Stony Brook with an unassisted goal, cutting the UVa advantage back to one goal, 3-2.

Stanwick attacked right back for UVa, scoring unassisted at 2:28. Tim Hawkins, however would score the man-up goal at 1:05 after UVa's Bray Malphrus was whistled for unnecessary roughness. Hawkins' score closed out the first quarter, where UVa held to a narrow 4-3 lead.

Bocklet single handedly provided some separation in the second quarter, scoring three straight goals, extending the UVa lead to four goals, 7-3. Bocklet goals came unassisted at 10:14, via a Stanwick helper at 7:51 and finally on transition from Harry Prevas (Towson, Md.).

Compitello ended the streak with his second goal of the game at 3:33, cutting the Seawolves' deficit to three goals, 7-4.

Garett Ince (Oakville, Ontario) won the ensuing faceoff and found Bratton 15-yards out who rifled home his second goal of the game, capping all first half scoring and sending UVa into the intermission up by four, 8-4.

Stony Brook outshot UVa 25-18 in the first half, while the Cavaliers won the ground ball war 22-19.

Brian Carroll (Towson, Md.) started the second half scoring with an unassisted goal at 11:36, pushing UVa's lead to five goals, 9-5.

Stony Brook answered at 8:34 when Kevin Crowley scored his first goal of the game. UVa retorted quickly after Ryan Benincasa (Old Greenwich, Conn.) won the faceoff and found Stanwick streaking for the sophomore's third goal at 8:28. Benincasa won the ensuing faceoff and LaPierre picked up the ground ball and scored on transition at 8:18, giving UVa the 11-5 advantage.

John Haldy (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) scored his first goal of the season on a Tim Fuchs (Merrick, N.Y.) assist at 14:25 in the final quarter, giving UVa a 12-5 lead.

Steven Waldeck scored at 9:11 for Stony Brook, bring the UVa advantage down to 12-6. Matt White (Ridgefield, Conn.) scored the man-up goal from Fuchs at 8:13 after Stony Brook's Vonzell LeGall was penalized for holding. White's goal ended UVa's scoring for the day, giving the Cavaliers the 13-6 lead.

Crowley scored his second goal at 6:52, followed by a Robbie Campbell scored at 4:50, capping Stony Brook's scoring on the day. With the 13-8 advantage, Benincasa won the faceoff and UVa was able to run out the clock over the final minutes of play.

Virginia outshot Stony Brook 45-36 and won the ground ball war 46-30. After going perfect on clears at Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday, UVa went 15-of-17, failing twice in the second quarter.

Ghitelman (Syosset, N.Y.) saved 13 shots for UVa and allowed eight scores.

"It was really important that Adam played well today against Stony Brook which is a very good offensive team," said Starsia. "I thought Adam had one of his finest games he's had yet at UVa."

Charlie Paar notched 13 saves and allowed 13 goals for Stony Brook.

"The Stony Brook goalie played very well, and part of that is us," said Starsia. "We have to be able to finish some of those chances. We created a lot of chances but didn't finish enough. I thought our offensive end was stronger in the second half than in the first. We're going to have these games once in a while, we just have to keep working at it."

No. 2 Virginia will return to action on March 7 when they host No. 1 Syracuse. Faceoff is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN360 and delayed on ESPNU.

Virginia 4-4-3-2-13 record: 3-0

Stony Brook 3-1-1-3-8 record 1-1

Att-1689 (Capacity Crowd)

Scoring (G-A)- SB: Tom Compitello 2-0, Kevin Crowley 2-0, Kyle Belton 1-0, Robbie Campbell 1-0, Steven Waldeck 1-0, Tim Hawkins 1-0, Timmy Trenkle 0-1 V: Chris Bocklet 3-1, Steele Stanwick 3-1, Rhamel Bratton 2-0, Chris LaPierre 2-0, Brian Carroll 1-0, Matt White 1-0, John Haldy 1-0, Tim Fuchs 0-2, Ryan Benincasa 0-1, Garrett Ince 0-1, Harry Prevas 0-1

Goalie Summary- SB: Charlie Paar 60 mins., 13 saves, 13 goals allowed V: Adam Ghitelman 60 mins., 13 saves, 8 goals allowed

Shots: SB-36, V-45

Ground Balls: SB-30, V-46

Clearing: SB-12x17, V-15x17

Faceoffs: SB-11, V-14

Penalties: SB-5-3:00, V-3-3:00

EMO: SB-1x3, V-1x5
 

Cavs stop Seawolves
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 28, 2010
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The Virginia men’s lacrosse team’s last experience on the University Hall Turf Field had not been a pleasant one. During the 2006-07 season, UVa was shocked in its home opener by Drexel. The Cavaliers lost after allowing two goals in the final 10 seconds.

On Saturday, No. 2 Virginia — due to the snow still littering the field at Klockner Stadium — was back on the turf for its season opener against Stony Brook.

This time around, things went a little bit smoother.

On a cold and blistery afternoon, UVa — thanks to three goals apiece from Steele Stanwick and Chris Bocklet — defeated Stony Brook, 13-8, in front of a crowd of 1,689. The stadium was so full that ushers were forced to turn spectators away at the door.

“You wonder what the venue is going to do to the game,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, whose team had hardly practiced on the field. “It concerned me ...

“There’s a tendency to think that it feels more like a practice than a game, but I thought we had a nice crowd. Everyone was into it, and I thought our guys were playing hard, even though we weren’t quite sharp enough early in the game.”

Virginia and Stony Brook each had spells of sloppiness, finishing with 17 turnovers apiece.

“It’s a little different surface for us to play on,” said Virginia defender Ken Clausen. “I think it’s a lot different than playing on the FieldTurf. But no excuses. You’ve got to be able to adapt and make changes on the fly.”

Eventually, Virginia (3-0) did.

UVa led only 4-3 at the end of the first quarter, but was able to turn it on in the second. Bocklet scored three straight goals to put UVa up 7-3.

Bocklet’s last tally came after defender Matt Lovejoy made a beautiful strip and was able to batt the ball ahead to teammate Harry Prevas, who found a streaking Bocklet.

“His game is a lot like Garrett Billings’ game,” said Starsia, referring to the former Wahoo attackman. “He’s very skilled, good with the loose balls, gets open without [the ball] and is a good shooter.

“There wasn’t a place for him last year, so he wasn’t able to get a lot of time.”

Bocklet has made the most of his increased playing time. He has a team-leading nine goals through the first three games.

“I learned a lot from guys like Danny Glading and Garrett Billings,” Bocklet said. “I feel like just practicing and watching them improved me as a player.”

Coming into the contest, Starsia had been concerned about containing Stony Brook’s offense. The No. 18 Seawolves (1-1) had scored 21 goals in their season-opening win over Siena.

However, Virginia did a good job of holding the fort.

“I thought today was a really fine effort at that end of the field against a very good Stony Brook offensive lacrosse team,” Starsia said.

In goal, Virginia junior Adam Ghitelman made 13 saves, many of the spectacular variety.

“I thought [he] played as well as he has since he’s been here at UVa,” Starsia said.

Overall, Starsia — whose team hosts top-ranked Syracuse next Sunday — seemed satisfied with the Cavaliers’ effort, although he said there’s plenty of things to work on.

“I felt like we left a lot of goals out there that we could have had,” he said. “We could have buried this game earlier had we been a little sharper offensively — but these things are going to happen.”

With more snow being called for in the area, Virginia could very well find itself back on the turf for its annual showdown with the Orange.

“It will be fine if it’s what we have to do,” Starsia said. “But hopefully the weather will give us a little break and we have a chance to get up to Klockner.”

 

Seven Cavaliers Score to Lead No. 12 Virginia to Upset Over No. 6 Syracuse
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/27/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 12 Virginia women's lacrosse team used a balanced attack and stingy defense to upset No. 6 Syracuse, 14-13, Saturday afternoon at the UHall Turf Field. The loss marks the first for the Orange this season, as they fall to 2-1, while the Cavaliers improve to 2-1.
Senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein paced the Cavaliers throughout the entire field - tallying two goals and two assists, in addition to winning nine draw controls to tie a career-high for the school's career record holder. Her total also moves her career mark to 214 - breaking the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time record of 205 held by Maryland's Dana Dobbie from 2007-08.

Sophomore Julie Gardner led the Cavaliers' attack with three goals and two assists for a career-high five points, while sophomore Charlie Finnigan contributed three goals and an assist. Three Cavaliers tallied two goals - Kalkstein, senior All-American Kaitlin Duff (2 goals, 1 assist) and redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker (2 goals), while senior Caity Whitely and sophomore Josie Owen rounded out the scoring with a goal each.

For Syracuse, Halley Quillinan scored a game-high four goals and tacked on an assist for five points. She also won four draw controls and caused four turnovers. In cage, Liz Hogan stopped a game-high nine shots for the Orange.

For the first time this season, the Cavaliers gave up the first goal of the game, as Syracuse scored 1:08 into play.

Kalkstein got Virginia on the board at 25:47 with an unassisted score, but the Orange responded with two-straight goals to take a 3-1 lead at 23:45.

Owen won the ensuing draw control and weaved a pass to Gardner who found Finnigan for a score at 23:35. Kalkstein followed up the goal with her second of the game to knot the score at three all.

Syracuse scored three of the next four goals - UVa's lone score came from Duff - before Virginia went on a four-goal scoring spree to close the half. Finnigan converted a free position shot at 8:50 and Baker fired her first goal of the season into the net 20 seconds later.

Gardner then found Finnigan at the 3:57 mark to give Virginia its first lead of the game, before Gardner tallied a score herself with four ticks remaining on the clock before halftime, giving Virginia a two-goal cushion, 8-6, heading into the intermission.

Owen started the second half scoring with a goal at 27:49 and Duff extended Virginia's run to six-unanswered goals with a score at 25:44.

Syracuse halted the streak by calling a timeout and regrouping to score four-straight, evening the score at 10-10 with 16:42 to play.

Gardner converted an 8-meter shot at 12:20, before Gardner slipped a pass to Baker who fired a shot past Syracuse's keeper at 11:12, extending Virginia's lead back to two, at 12-10.

The Orange rallied to knot the score at 12 with back-to-back goals, but Whiteley netted her first goal of the game to keep Virginia on top.

Syracuse tied the game for a seventh time at 5:39, but it was the Cavaliers' offense that prevailed as they won the draw control and fought for loose balls before Kalkstein was able to find Finnigan for the game-winning goal at 1:33.

Defensively, Duff led the Cavaliers with three caused turnovers, while junior Liz Downs scooped up three ground balls. Duff and junior Marghi Walters each won three draw controls to help lead Virginia to a 20-9 advantage in the category.

The Cavaliers will look to extend their two-game win streak next week as they head on the road for back-to-back contests. Virginia will play at No. 2 Maryland before heading to State College, Pa., to face No. 14 Penn State.

 

ACC CHAMPS! Virginia Wins 13th Conference Championship
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/27/2010

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Virginia men's swimming and diving team won its third consecutive and 13th overall Atlantic Coast Conference title and junior Scot Robison was tabbed the meet's most valuable swimmer Saturday at Koury Natatorium in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Cavaliers finished with 806 points en route to its 11th title in the last 12 years. Virginia claimed first-place honors in eight events, including four of the five relays.

"I'm really proud of the team," said coach Mark Bernardino. "To come into this facility and swim against a team that was as ready and on fire as North Carolina was. I think we took their best shot. I am really proud of them. It is not easy to win a championship in any sport and to think that we've won 11 in the last 12 years and to keep the focus and avoid the complacency that can go with success, that says a lot about our swimmers."

Robison, a native of Charlotte, N.C., won three individual events over the course of the meet: the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle and set ACC and meet records in both the 100 and 200 free races. He was also a member of all four of UVa's winning relay teams. It marks the third consecutive year a Cavalier has been named the most valuable swimmer of the championships; classmate Matt McLean earned the award in 2008 and 2009.

"He has a deep-rooted desire, not just in the ACC, but hopefully to be one of the best in the world," said Bernardino about Robison. "We'll see how he does in this next step. At the NCAA Championships he will be one of the favorites in a couple of events. So we'll see if he is up to facing the pressure of competing against so many Olympians from so many different countries. He's a very special young man. We're lucky he is on our side."

Robison defended his title in the 100 free, finishing with a mark of 42.58. Earlier in the day, he set a league and meet record in the event with a prelim time of 42.42, both NCAA 'B' standards. Teammate Peter Geissinger also picked up all-conference honors with his third-place performance, finishing in 43.61.

"The team championship means more to me than that (MVP)," Robison said. "I'm flattered that the coaches would select me for that. I worked really hard this season and I'm glad it is paying off.

"This championship means a lot because in 2007 Virginia came in here and finished second to Florida State. I wasn't on the team then, but I was here and I saw the looks on those guys faces and saw how disappointed they were. To have the past three years like we have, to come back in this building and kind of avenge that loss and have a complete redo of it is amazing."

Virginia capped the meet with a victory in the 400 free relay. The team of Robison, Geissinger, John Azar and McLean finished with an NCAA 'A' time of 2:52.11. After tying for second in the opening relay of the championships, the 200 medley relay, the Cavaliers took first-place honors in the all four of the remaining relays.

McLean and senior Daniel Johnson both earned spots on the podium and earned all-conference honors. McLean placed third in the 1650 free with an NCAA 'B' time of 14:56.91, while Johnson was also third in the 200 back with a 'B' mark of 1:44.00.

A trio of Cavaliers went 3-4-5 in the 200 breast, led by Azar's third-place finish. Azar, a senior, finished in 1:57.87, ahead of teammates Simon Norstedt (1:57.94) and Tom Casey (1:58.17). All three times were NCAA 'B' standards.

Matt Houser recorded a third-place performance in the 200 fly, touching in 1:45.20, an NCAA 'B' time. Senior Dan McMahon was eighth in the event with a mark of 1:50.69.

Juniors John Snawerdt (15:01.31, 'B') and Taylor Smith (15:09.48, 'B') finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the mile, while Darren Ankosko (15:28.11, 'B') was 10th overall.

Matt Murray recorded a fifth-place finish in the 200 back (1:45.23, 'B') while David Wren took seventh (1:45.96, 'B') and Eric Olesen was 12th (1:46.96). Tim Hayes also had a 12th-place showing in the 200 breast, finishing in 2:01.11.

"Our depth was critical," Bernardino said. "We didn't win a lot of races today, but we were able to place two and three athletes in the finals of all the events. That, and the strength of our relays, was probably the difference. We just refused to buckle under pressure. Because of that, we were able to be successful."

The Cavaliers will compete in the 2010 NCAA Championships March 25-27 in Columbus, Ohio.

2010 Men's ACC Championships

Final Team Standings

1. Virginia 806
2. North Carolina 656.5
3. Florida State 566.5
4. Virginia Tech
417.5
5. Georgia Tech 308.5
6. Duke 305
7. Clemson 254
8. Maryland 197
9. NC State 169
10. Boston College
67
11. Miami (diving only) 31



 

Men’s Tennis Sweeps Tripleheader
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/27/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The top-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team played a tripleheader Saturday at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club, winning all three matches to extend its home winning streak to 59 matches. The Cavaliers downed Wofford, Liberty and Longwood all by 7-0 scores.

In all three contests, the Cavaliers (14-1, 2-0 ACC) won the doubles point, losing just one match in the process. Virginia used five different doubles combinations on the day, including the team Philippe Oudshoorn (Apeldoorn, The Netherlands) and Steven Eelkman Rooda (Amersfoort, The Netherlands), who posted doubles wins in all three matches.

In singles, Virginia won every match in straight sets as 10 different Cavaliers saw action. Oudshoorn and Santiago Villegas (Bogota, Colombia) both won three singles matches on the day, while Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.), Rooda, Julen Uriguen (Guatemala City, Guatemala) and Milo Johnson (Tulsa, Okla.) each won twice. Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.), Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), Brian Fang (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) and Dino Dell’Orto (Hong Kong, China) also recorded a win for Virginia.

“Our first years, Julen, Dino and Brian, really stepped up and led the way today,” said head coach Brian Boland. “Every day in practice they show a great work ethic, a desire to develop, a passion for this program and a willingness to do what it takes to make our program better. Today was a great day and a tremendous reward for them for all their hard work.”

The Cavaliers will return to action on Friday, March 5, when they host a doubleheader against Georgetown and Old Dominion.

No. 1 Virginia 7, Wofford 0

Doubles:
1. #41 Singer/Courtney (UVa) def. Bartholomy/Donald (Wof) 8-0
2. Oudshoorn/Rooda (UVa) def. Robertson/Wood (Wof) 8-2
3. Johnson/Uriguen (UVa) def. Superstein/Van Wyk (Wof) 8-3

Singles:
1. #72 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Tinus Van Wyk (Wof) 6-1, 6-3
2. Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) def. Stuart Robertson (Wof) 6-2, 6-0
3. #120 Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) def. Alan Donald (Wof) 6-1, 6-4
4. Julen Uriguen (UVa) def. Paul Bartholomy (Wof) 6-0, 6-4
5. Milo Johnson (UVa) def. Drew Superstein (Wof) 6-0, 6-1
6. Santiago Villegas (UVa) def. Michael Schecter (Wof) 7-5, 6-1

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 1,3,2
Singles: 2,5,4,1,3,6

No. 1 Virginia 7, Liberty 0

Doubles:
1. Oudshoorn/Rooda (UVa) def. Tuus/Stayt (Lib) 8-5
2. Villegas/Dell’Orto (UVa) def. Steyn/Wirth (Lib) 7-6(4)
3. Fang/Barrick (UVa) def. Lemmi/Simpson (Lib) 8-2

Singles:
1. #15 Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Siim Tuus (Lib) 6-2, 6-4
2. Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) def. Tristan Stayt (Lib) 6-3, 6-4
3. Julen Uriguen (UVa) def. Giancarlo Lemmi (Lib) 6-0, 7-6(0)
4. Milo Johnson (UVa) def. Chad Simpson (Lib) 6-2, 7-6(1)
5. Santiago Villegas (UVa) def. Benjamin Wirth (Lib) 6-3, 6-1
6. Dino Dell’Orto (UVa) def. Louis Steyn (Lib) 6-1, 6-4

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3,1,2
Singles: 1,5,3,6,2,4

No. 1 Virginia 7, Longwood 0

Doubles:
1. Oudshoorn/Rooda (UVa) def. Ferrigno/Heird (Long) 8-6
2. Cardoso/Tanaka (Long) def. Johnson/Uriguen (UVa) 8-4
3. Villegas/Dell’Orto (UVa) def. Halabi/Barajas-Alexander (Long) 8-1

Singles:
1. #55 Lee Singer (UVa) def. Nobu Tanaka (Long) 6-2, 6-1
2. #72 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Marc Ferrigno (Long) 6-4, 6-1
3. Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) def. Billy Heird (Long) 6-3, 6-1
4. #120 Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) def. David Cardoso (Long) 6-0, 4-0 ret.
5. Santiago Villegas (UVa) def. Adham Halabi (Long) 6-2, 6-2
6. Brian Fang (UVa) def. Milo Barajas-Alexander (Long) 6-1, 6-3

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3,2,1
Singles: 4,3,1,5,2,6
 

Cavaliers slug past Rams
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 28, 2010
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Stephen Bruno started Saturday’s game in the same spot that he had assumed in the previous five games — on the bench.

That changed after Virginia’s exploded in the early running, turning the contest with Rhode Island into a laugher that included three home runs.

It was Bruno, however, that slapped the exclamation point for the top-ranked Cavaliers in a 22-2 rout over the Rams at Davenport Field.

The rookie shortstop, who stands at just 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, made his first collegiate hit a memorable one, belting a grand slam over the wall in right-center field.

“It is a dream come true,” Bruno said. “I just stepped up to the plate and tried to make the most of my opportunity.

“I got a 2-0 pitch and I was being aggressive and that’s our philosophy — be aggressive on fastballs.”

The homer came in the sixth inning, which gave the Cavaliers a 20-2 lead, long after Virginia coach Brian O’Connor had started turning to reserves.

It was one of 26 hits recorded by the Cavaliers (5-1), the most during the O’Connor era.

“I thought we swung the bats really well,” said O’Connor, now in his seventh season. “Guys were aggressive, they were on fastballs and, fortunately, we got a couple of balls up in the wind to drive them out of the ballpark.”

The offensive explosion was more than enough support for starting pitcher Robert Morey. Nevertheless, the junior turned in a gem, scattering four hits and two earned runs over seven full innings.

It looked odd that Morey (1-1) remained in the game with a 19-run lead in the seventh, but O’Connor wanted to stretch out his hurler.

“We felt it was important to get Robert Morey to around 100 pitches,” he explained. “No matter what the score is, he needs to get his work in to continue to build up his endurance.

“I thought he threw a very good ballgame. His command was a lot better than it was last weekend [in a loss at East Carolina]. Hopefully, he continues to push forward as we move into the coming weeks.”

Morey had to maintain his mental toughness and spent time warming up in the bullpen as Virginia recorded lengthy innings at the plate, including an eight-run fifth inning that included eight singles and a two-run double by Tyler Cannon.

“It is a good feeling when the offense is going out there doing their thing. It makes your job easier when you are on the mound,” Morey said. “It is a long time to wait but you just have to stay prepared and relax and even go to the bullpen.”

Virginia also got home runs from John Hicks and Steven Proscia, who finished 3 for 4 with four runs and three RBI.

The two teams will close out the series today as Virginia looks for a sweep of Rhode Island (0-5).


 

No. 1 Virginia Baseball Routs Rhode Island, 22-2
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/27/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The top-ranked Virginia baseball rolled to a 22-2 victory over Rhode Island Saturday afternoon at Davenport Field. Every Virginia starter had at least one hit by the fourth inning as the Cavaliers piled up 26 total hits - most in the seven-year tenure of head coach Brian O'Connor. UVa also scored its most runs since a 27-1 win over Coppin State on Feb. 28, 2008.
Every Virginia starter had at least one hit by the fourth inning, and 13 Cavaliers recorded hits. UVa's eight- and nine-hole hitters each earned four hits, as Kenny Swab (Jr., Kernersville, N.C.) set a career high with four hits, while Keith Werman (So., Vienna, Va.) tied a career best with four knocks.

Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.), Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) and Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) each had three hits. Proscia homered, scored four times and drove in three, while Cannon posted four RBI and three runs scored. Stephen Bruno (Fr., Audubon, N.J.) added a grand slam.

Robert Morey (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) started for the Cavaliers and worked seven innings, allowing two earned runs, four hits and two walks while striking out four. He earned his first win of the year and improved to 1-1. Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.) and Branden Kline (Fr., Frederick, Md.) each pitched a scoreless inning to wrap up the game. UVa pitchers have allowed two runs and 10 hits while fanning 23 in the first two games of the series.

URI starter Ken Graveline (0-1) worked four innings, allowing eight runs (six earned) and 11 hits while striking out two.

Virginia (5-1) scored in six of its eight opportunities at the plate. The Cavaliers went scoreless in the first inning but exploded over the next six frames.

In the second inning, UVa scored three runs. Parker and Cannon hit back-to-back doubles to start the inning to give UVa a 1-0 lead. John Hicks (So., Sandy Hook, Va.) then hit a rocket into the trees in left-center field for his first home run of the year.

Rhode Island (0-5) scored its first run of the weekend in the third inning when Dan Haverstick homered to right field.

Virginia countered with three runs in its half of the third. Cannon started the scoring with a single to score Proscia. After a Rhode Island error loaded the bases with one out, Werman hit a sacrifice fly to score Parker, and Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) singled to plate Cannon.

The Cavaliers added a pair of runs in the fourth on a two-run home run into the left-field bleachers by Proscia and then poured it on in the fifth by sending 12 batters to the plate in an eight-run outburst. UVa racked up nine hits in the frame, highlighted by RBI singles from Chris Taylor (Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.), Proscia, Parker, Werman and Gosselin and a two-run double by Cannon.

Virginia added five scores in the sixth inning, with four coming on Bruno's first career home run - a grand slam to deep right-center field. UVa tacked on a run in the seventh when Reed Gragnani (Fr., Richmond, Va.) grounded into a fielder's choice to score Tyler Biddix (Jr., Richmond, Va.), who doubled to lead off the inning.

Virginia goes for the three-game series sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday.

 

Virginia Beats GW 6-0 to Conclude Cavalier Invitational
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/27/2010

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Virginia softball team (4-7) beat George Washington 6-0 on Saturday to conclude play at the Virginia Invitational in Newport News, Va. Senior Nicole Koren threw a complete game with seven strikeouts in the winning effort.

Earlier in the day, the Cavaliers were defeated by Notre Dame, 9-0. Virginia finished tournament play with a 2-2 record.

Virginia outhit George Washington 8-4, highlighted by freshman Kristen Hawkin's three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning. Sophomore Clara Kendall and Koren each had a pair of singles while Giannina Cipolloni, Sarah Tacke and Lauren McCaskey also recorded singles.

The Cavaliers went up 1-0 with a run in the top of the second. Tacke singled to left and Lauren Didlake was called upon to pinch run. A groundout moved Didlake over to second and she came around to score on McCaskey's single up the middle.

UVa added a pair of runs in the fifth. Taylor Williams reached on an error, stole second then moved to third on a wild pitch. Kendall singled to right to score Williams and took second on the throw. Kendall advanced to third on a Koren single and scored on a Sarah Tacke sac fly.

Virginia led 3-0 heading into the final inning when Hawkins blasted the ball over to the fence to score Koren, who singled and Ales Skinkis, who walked.

Against the Fighting Irish, Williams led Virginia at the plate with two singles. Cipolloni, Koren and Skinkis also had hits for UVa. Notre Dame outhit UVa 12-5 in the contest. The Irish improved to 8-4 this season.

Virginia is back in action Wednesday at Hampton. A doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.

 

Wright takes final JPJ bow
By Jay Jenkins
Published: February 28, 2010
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There have been numerous times over the past four years that Virginia fans collectively held their breath as Monica Wright went to the floor.

The All-American guard took charges. She took elbows to the body and even ran into countless screens. Most recently, Wright took a spill Friday night in a late-night loss at Duke after cramps came simultaneously in her calves.

Yet magically, Wright has returned the following game each time to play for 21st-ranked Virginia.

That luxury will soon expire.

Today at 1 p.m. against Virginia Tech, Wright will be honored for Senior Day as she completes her storied career at home, playing in her final basketball game at John Paul Jones Arena.

“It’s definitely going to be emotional,” she said. “I am really proud to be able to celebrate the last game at JPJ with my teammates and coaches. It is going to be emotional when I look back and think about everything that I have been through.”

Wright became the all-time leading scorer in program history on Jan. 11 against Maryland, surpassing Dawn Staley’s long-standing mark. She enters today’s game ranked third in league history with 2,447 career points.

The game itself, however, has just as much meaning as the tribute for Wright — UVa (20-8, 8-5 ACC) can secure the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in next week’s ACC tournament with a win over Virginia Tech (15-13, 4-9).

“Overall, I just want to clinch the third seed in the ACCs and to have that bye in the tournament,” said Wright, who averages an ACC-best 22.9 points per game this year. “I know we definitely need this win, as a team, for this season and what we want to accomplish.

Virginia can also secure a bye and a automatic trip to Friday’s quarterfinal round today with a loss by No. 22 Georgia Tech (22-7, 8-5) at N.C. State or with a loss by Wake Forest (17-11, 7-6) at Clemson.

The Cavaliers could have locked up a bye and the No. 3 seed in the tournament, but were whipped in the second half Friday at sixth-ranked Duke en route to a 83-65 setback.
 

Charlotte Christian boys advance to state final
By Alex Bass
Special Correspondent
Posted: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010

GREENSBORO The Charlotte Christian boys defeated Raleigh Ravenscroft 52-45 Friday in the second N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A semifinal at Greensboro Day.

The Knights have a chance to reverse the outcome of the school's last state final appearance in 2006 at Greensboro Day, against the host Bengals.

Christian (29-3) will meet three-time defending champion Christ School tonight at 8. The Knights dropped a three-point decision to the Greenies at the Chick-Fil-A Classic in Columbia in December.

"Our defense is what's going to carry us through this tournament," Christian coach Shonn Brown said.

The Knights, after squandering an 11-point third-quarter lead as the Ravens evened the score at 42 midway through the fourth quarter, surrendered just one field goal over the last 4 minutes, 37 seconds.

The defensive stretch included Christian's use of a 2-3 zone and a charge drawn by Corbin Harris with 1:07 to go that induced a fifth foul on Ravenscroft point guard Luke Davis (10 points).

"(Davis) struggled to distribute the ball to shooters," Brown said of the zone. "We felt like we could control that and cover everything else."

The Knights' defense offset the team's 8-for-21 free throw effort, including 7-for-18 in the fourth period.

Akil Mitchell, however, converted Christian's last two free throws for two of his game-high 22 points (10 in the third quarter) to cement the final margin.

Ravenscroft (23-6), which fell in the 2009 final, got 10 points from Anton Gill. Anthony Gill scored 15 for the victors.

Among girls, reigning champion Providence Day dispatched Ravenscroft 43-27. The Chargers will meet Hickory Grove - a 35-33 winner against Charlotte Christian - at 6 p.m.
 

3rd-quarter drought ousts Knights
By Langston Wertz Jr.
lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010

LEWISVILLE Charlotte Christian's chances at an N.C. Independent Schools 3A state championship disappeared in the third quarter Saturday.

The Knights, who had not lost since December, didn't score for nearly six minutes in the eight-minute period. That opened the door for Christ School to take a commanding 17-point lead and win 78-59.

Christ School, located in Arden, N.C., won its fourth straight state title. The Greenies (37-1) have won five of the past six NCISAA 3A championships. Christian ends its season 29-4. The Knights tied a school record with their 20th straight win in Friday's semifinals but saw the streak snapped in the finals.

Christian was in the game early, taking a 10-2 lead, on eight points from junior center Anthony Gill. But Christ School, ranked No. 16 by USA Today, began to wear on the Knights with superior size and depth.

"I feel like we went away from what we'd been doing all year," Christian coach Shonn Brown said. "They forced us into a faster tempo than we really wanted and they controlled the game."

That was especially true in the third quarter, when Christ School outscored the Knights 18-7, opening a 37-30 lead at halftime.

Junior 7-foot center Marshall Plumlee dominated the middle defensively. He had six points and nine blocks. Tony Kimbro led Christ School with 18 points and five assists.

Gill finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds for the Knights. Virginia recruit Akil Mitchell added 15 points and nine rebounds. But Saturday, especially with the third-quarter struggles, it wasn't enough.

"These guy are warriors. They're hard workers," Brown said. "They had a little bit of a letdown today, but it's an unbelievable season we've had.

"We all thank God for the wins. You learn more from the losses. Now we'll take a great break and rock and roll and get ready for the next season that comes around next winter."
 

Tigers turned away
Elsinore rallies from 16-point, third-quarter deficit before falling in semifinals
LANDON NEGRI - lnegri@californian.com | Posted: February 27, 2010 12:37 am | No Comments Posted | Print

IRVINE ---- James Johnson's transfer to Elsinore gave its basketball team such a boost this season. Neither Johnson nor his teammates were ready for Friday night's letdown.

Elsinore's hopes of reaching a CIF Southern Section final for the first time since 1974 were stopped short by a collection of missed free throws and a determined opponent that would not give in during the fourth quarter. Instead, Santa Ana Foothill earned the chance to play for a section championship after the Knights held off the Tigers for a 68-62 victory in a Division IIIAA semifinal at Irvine Northwood High School.

"We wanted to win this game so bad," said Johnson, who is committed to play at the University of Virginia next year, "but you don't always get what you want."

The 6-foot-9 center, originally from western Alberta, Canada, tallied 20 points and 16 rebounds. But the Tigers couldn't overcome a horrific first quarter from the foul line, and, as they tried to rally from a 16-point, third-quarter deficit, they were suffocated by Johnson trying to play most of the fourth quarter with four fouls.

Still, Elsinore cut a 44-28 deficit to 57-55 on a rebound and bucket from Johnson with 3:32 left before fading down the stretch.

"I'm proud of our kids," said longtime Elsinore coach ---- and former player ---- Pete Rettinger. "They came a long way (back) and played their hearts out. I'm just sorry for the team and for the school that we couldn't get to the CIF Finals."

A lot of that had to do with Foothill, the No. 2 seed to Elsinore's No. 3. The Knights did not trail after taking a 16-15 lead early in the second quarter, and they rode a 21-point night by senior swingman Mike Atwater ---- including 10 in the fourth quarter ---- to next weekend's section championships.

Atwater was a Tiger-killer when it mattered most. He hit a huge 16-foot jumper with 2:03 left to extend Foothill's lead to 62-57, and his two free throws with 1:35 remaining heightened the spread to seven.

"He made a big shot with that jumper," Rettinger said.

From there, the Tigers couldn't catch up. Foothill's Myles Carrillo (11 points) and Cooper Pickell (14 points) combined for four free throws down the stretch, while Johnson fouled out with 29 seconds left.

However, there might not had been such a hole had it not been for Elsinore's free-throw adventures.

Directly facing the girth of the Foothill crowd in the first half, the Tigers shot 2-of-9 from the charity stripe in the first quarter, and overall, they were 23-for-37.

"You definitely noticed them," Johnson said of the Foothill crowd. At one point, he tried double-clutching to throw them off, and that only resulted in a lane violation. "But I thought our guys did a good job trying to keep our focus."

On defense, the Tigers didn't trap as much as they had earlier in the playoffs, and they didn't pressure shooters as much as Rettinger would have liked.

As a result, Foothill shot 67 percent from the field in the second quarter to build its 12-point, halftime lead.

"I thought we really didn't get after it until the third period," Rettinger said.

But Elsinore didn't go away. Point guard E.J. Twyman (21 points) was effective in driving into the lane to draw fouls, and the Tigers used the ensuing free throws to extend the game and rally into the fourth quarter.