UVa headed for CBI
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 17, 2008

And, in the first round of the first-ever College Basketball Invitational, the Virginia men’s basketball team plays…

As of 11:58 EST on Sunday night, nobody had a clue. (Visit www.dailyprogress.com for potential updates).

This much is known: Virginia (15-15), which did not qualify for the NCAA or NIT, is expected to host a first-round game on Tuesday.

If UVa were to win, it would play in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 24.

The semifinals are slated for Wednesday, March 26. Interestingly, the finals - set for March 31, April 2 and April 4 (if necessary) - is a best-of-three series with the higher-seeded team having home-court advantage.

UVa had previously accepted a bid to the fledging CBI, but only if it didn’t make the NIT - something that came to fruition around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday

Tickets for Tuesday’s game are available online at virginiaSports.com or by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
 

CBI leaves U.Va., UR in waiting game
Field, pairings not issued, though slots for both teams seen
Monday, Mar 17, 2008 - 12:07 AM

The inaugural College Basketball Invitational is expected to involve the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond. But as of midnight, the field and pairings had not been announced by tournament organizers.

The Cavaliers (15-15) and Spiders (16-14) are projected to be among 16 teams that will participate in the CBI, which will become Division I's third postseason tournament. The NCAA tournament includes 65 teams. The National Invitation Tournament involves another 32.

The Gazelle Group, the sports marketing firm that organized the CBI, recognizes the new tournament as "an important opportunity for more deserving programs to have a postseason experience."

U.Va. and UR, which could meet in Charlottesville, last played early during the 2005-06 season. Virginia won 59-43 at the Robins Center.

Virginia, as a No. 10 seed, was bumped last week in the ACC tournament's first round by Georgia Tech. The Spiders were eliminated in the Atlantic 10 Conference quarterfinals by Saint Joseph's. Richmond went 9-7 in the A-10 and earned the league tournament's fourth seed after being picked in preseason to finish 12th in the 14-team conference.

Richmond hasn't qualified for a postseason tournament since making the 2004 NCAA field as an at-large entry, and before this season, posted three straight losing seasons.

Log on to inRich.com throughout the day for updates. - John O'Connor
 

Cavs forge ahead with plans for CBI
Spurned by the NIT, Virginia sets its sights on the new tournament.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

With the announcement of the National Invitation Tournament field, Virginia was able to move ahead Sunday night with plans for the College Basketball Invitational.

UVa officials had announced Saturday that they had agreed to serve as host of a first-round CBI game if an NIT bid was not forthcoming.

Virginia had advised the Gazelle Group, which sponsors the CBI, that it could host a game Tuesday night. John Paul Jones Arena will not be available Wednesday, when Michael Buble will be in concert.

There has not been a third postseason college tournament since 1974, when Indiana won the Conference Commissioners Association championship. Virginia never participated in that event.

The Gazelle Group announced in November that it would be getting into the postseason business and made no secret of its eagerness to compete with the NIT, which is now operated by the NCAA.

"Competition is good and makes everything better," Gazelle Group president Rick Giles said at a news conference. "To date there hasn't been a choice and we'll make this a viable choice."

"It will be us inviting the teams, and we'll do the bracketing and seeding. We will be 100 percent accountable. You might not agree with us, but we will be accountable."

Virginia, coming off a 21-11 season and an NCAA trip in 2006-2007, dropped to 15-15 this season. The Cavaliers won four of six games going into the ACC Tournament, where they were 94-76 losers to Georgia Tech in the first round.

The Gazelle Group had asked for a commitment from the Cavaliers by Friday but the Cavaliers did not want to remove themselves from NIT consideration. UVa reached agreement with the CBI on Saturday, but no opponent had been announced as midnight approached Sunday.
 

Cavaliers roll past Tar Heels
By Bart Isley / risley@dailyprogress.com | 978-7240
March 17, 2008

For 30 minutes, Virginia goalie Kendall McBrearty didn’t see but two shots on goal while the Cavaliers built a formidable seven-goal halftime lead against North Carolina.

In the second half, the Tar Heels unleashed a flurry of shots early. McBrearty was ready.

“When Kendall is on, the whole team is on,” said Virginia’s Blair Weymouth. “It crushes a team to go down there and not get a goal.”

McBrearty’s 10 second-half saves on 14 shots on goal helped prevent North Carolina from putting together any kind of rally as the Cavs cruised to a 16-5 ACC victory.

The senior goaltender made three fantastic saves in a short span early in the second half after allowing a goal two minutes into the break. The series of stops kept North Carolina from stringing together points, which in turn allowed Virginia to reel off three-straight goals and take a commanding 11-2 lead.

“That’s one of the most complete games she’s played,” said Virginia coach Julie Myers. “They had several point-blank looks and Kendall just made save after save.”

Virginia’s high-powered offense took care of the rest, with Weymouth leading the way. The junior midfielder finished with four goals and three assists. Weymouth notched her first with a nifty dodge before unleashing a left-handed shot to put Virginia up 6-1 in the first half.

Her next two were both unassisted shots between the two UNC goalies’ legs and Weymouth’s fourth came after she scooped up a loose ball near the cage with 11:11 left in the contest.

Ashley McCulloch, the Cavs’ leading scorer, was on the receiving end of a pair of Weymouth passes that McCulloch buried for her two goals. The junior midfielder also dished out a pair of assists of her own, but it may have been her work in transition that helped Virginia most.

McCulloch made several tough catches on long passes by the Virginia defense that led to critical clears in the first half. If McCulloch hadn’t hauled in those catches, Virginia would not have been able to keep the ball in the offensive zone and controlled the action in the first half.

“We touched on that in the locker room and we were like, ‘we don’t know how you make those catches, but we want you to keep doing it,’” Weymouth said.

Jenny Hauser and Kaitlin Swagart both finished with hat tricks in the victory. The seasoned attackers helped keep the pressure on North Carolina’s goalies with eight combined shots.

Virginia performed well on ground balls, scooping up 19 while North Carolina only managed to run down six. The Cavs also converted on four of their six free-position chances.

Freshman Corey Donahoe led North Carolina with two goals and an assist.

Two former Central Virginia standouts saw time for North Carolina. Albemarle graduate Logan Ripley tended goal for the Tar Heels for a big chunk of the second half while St. Anne’s-Belfield alum Meg Freshwater started and had two draw controls and a ground ball for the Tar Heels.

 

Weymouth has big day as Cavs stomp Heels
Junior's four goals and three assists lead offense; defense limits North Carolina's potent attack to just seven shots
Ryan Williams, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

The Virginia women's lacrosse redeemed its tough conference loss against Maryland March 4 by defeating another of the four ACC programs in the national top 10, North Carolina. In their most dominating performance of the season, the No. 2 Cavaliers controlled possession for much of the game against the No. 7 Tar Heels.

North Carolina senior attacker Julia Ryan opened the Tar Heel attack with a goal 1:09 into the contest. Less than a minute later, fifth-year senior attacker Kaitlin Swagart put in the tying goal, scoring the first of her three. Six minutes later, sophomore Kaitlin Duff scored her only goal, gaining a lead that Virginia never relinquished. After the Tar Heels' initial score, Virginia (6-1, 2-1 ACC) went on an 8-0 run to end the first half, leading North Carolina 19-7 in shots.

North Carolina's high-powered attack had an uncharacteristic first half according to Virginia coach Julie Myers, and Virginia knew what to expect coming out of halftime.

"We always go into halftime thinking the score is 0-0 and try to keep the momentum going from the first half," senior goalkeeper Kendall McBrearty said. "We know they hadn't shot much in the first half, and UNC is a shooting team. We knew they were going to come out shooting."

North Carolina (6-2, 0-1 ACC) began the second half, 2:44 in, with a goal from freshman attacker Corey Donohoe, the team's leading scorer. At that point, McBrearty took over, keeping the Tar Heels from finding momentum. After Carolina scored that first goal of the half, she put together a string of big saves, with 11 saves for the game, including 10 in the second half.

Junior attacker Blair Weymouth then capitalized on Virginia's momentum produced by the defense, scoring her third of four goals on the day. She also added three assists, leading all scorers with 7 points. A two-time All-American, Weymouth produced big offensive numbers despite battling a tough bone bruise on her left ankle.

Despite three more goals in the half for North Carolina, the Tar Heels could never mount enough momentum against the Cavaliers for a comeback because of a strong defensive performance.

"They were all over it," said McBrearty of the defense in front of her. "We always felt like we were a step ahead of them. Our defense covered all the bases."

Virginia added seven more second half goals, bringing the final tally to 16-5 in its favor.

"I think they did a great job. In warm-ups you can kind of sense the emotion," Myers said of her players. "When [freshman midfielder] Molly Millard sang the national anthem, you could tell our team was just excited. We were excited to be back home and we were feeling good."

Despite North Carolina's quick goal to open the game, Myers said, the Cavaliers held together and fought back.

Swagart, Duff and Weymouth were not the only players to contribute on the offensive end of the field for Virginia. Junior attacker Jenny Hauser also added three goals, while junior midfielder Ashley McCulloch put in two goals and had two assists. Senior captain and attacker Megan O'Malley contributed two goals and an assist, while sophomore midfielder Brittany Kalkstein scored one and assisted on one.

After losing to Maryland in its last ACC matchup, Virginia was happy to get back on the right track in the conference.

"To come back out here, with home-field advantage, is definitely a nice ACC win," said Weymouth. "As well as we played today, it's definitely a nice confidence booster going into the rest of the season."

 

Towson win keeps men's lacrosse streak alive

The Virginia men's lacrosse team defeated Towson 18-13 during the weekend and extended the nation's longest winning streak to eight games. For the second time in as many games, 13 Cavaliers scored, demonstrating the depth of Virginia's offense.

The Tigers remained neck-and-neck with the second-ranked Cavaliers through the second quarter; the teams entered their respective locker rooms at the half with the game tied at 7. Much like they did against Princeton, the Cavaliers went on a scoring run early in the third. Junior attacker Gavin Gill, midfielder senior Will Barrow and midfielder sophomores Mike Thompson and Brian Carroll each scored in the opening four minutes of the second half to put Virginia up 11-7.

Before Saturday afternoon's game, Virginia coach Dom Starsia predicted his defense would be tested by Towson's veteran offense. Although the Cavaliers allowed Towson to come within 2 in the middle of the fourth, Virginia held the Tigers at bay as freshman goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman recorded 10 saves in the second half for a career-high total of 14.

"I thought we did a better job defensively in the second half," Starsia said. "Ghitelman seemed like he had his eye on the ball a little better, and I thought we were much more alert on the defensive end of the field."

--compiled by Megan McDonald

 

Men's tennis continues to rip through schedule

The top-ranked Virginia men's tennis team stayed perfect this weekend, tallying its second conference victory 7-0 against the No. 50 Maryland Terrapins in College Park.

The victory for the Cavaliers (16-0, 2-0 ACC) snapped Maryland's five-match winning streak and was the first loss at home for the Terrapins (9-3, 1-2 ACC).

Virginia took the doubles point after the top-ranked tandem of seniors Somdev Devvarman and Treat Huey defeated the No. 11 team of juniors Andrew Orban and Boris Fetbroyt 8-5 at No. 1 doubles, and the No. 18 duo of freshmen Sanam Singh and Michael Shabaz defeated senior Michael Coleman and sophomore Alex Aksanov 8-1 at No. 3 doubles. The only blemish on the day for Virginia came at No. 2 doubles when No. 17 pair junior Dominic Inglot and sophomore Houston Barrick was upset by freshman Amit Inbar and junior Nickolai Nielsen.

The Cavaliers continued their stellar singles play, dominating Maryland in each of the six matches. The Cavaliers are 17-1 in singles play in their last three dual matches, and Saturday all Virginia players registered victories in straight sets. Devvarman, senior Teddy Angelinos and Singh all extended their singles-match win streaks. Devvarman's 6-2, 6-2 victory at the No. 1 position extended his winning streak to 18 matches. Angelinos took his match at the sixth position 6-0, 6-3 to extend his match win streak to 13 matches, and Singh won his match 6-0, 6-1 to extend his win streak to 15 matches.

Next up for Virginia is a trip to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech Wednesday afternoon.

 

Virginia baseball loses series to Duke

The Virginia baseball team continued its struggles in ACC play this weekend, dropping two of three games to Duke. Virginia's record dropped to 14-4 (2-4 ACC).

In the first game, the Cavaliers rallied from a fourth-inning 6-2 deficit to pull ahead in the seventh inning?, but the Blue Devils scored three runs in the eighth against senior pitcher Jake Rule. Junior second baseman David Adams did his best to help the Cavs' cause, going two for five with two runs batted in.

In the second game, senior lefthander Pat McAnaney tossed his first career complete game in leading Virginia to a decisive 10-1 victory. Sophomore catcher Franco Valdes continued his strong hitting of late, going three for five with four runs batted in, and freshman rightfielder Dan Grovatt also chipped in three RBIs.

The Cavaliers also were helped by a wild pitch from Duke's sophomore starter Will Currier.

The third game of the series saw Duke jump out to an early three-run, first-inning lead from which Virginia never recovered. Freshman center fielder Jarrett Parker drove in the Cavaliers' only run on one of Virginia's six hits in the game. Virginia will next face Stony Brook for a two-game set Tuesday and Wednesday at Davenport Field. Both games will start at 4 p.m.

--compiled by JP Stroman

 

Duke downs Virginia
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 17, 2008

DURHAM, N.C. - Had Duke charged admission Sunday, athletic department officials could have incorporated a throwback theme.

The baseball game was played without a scoreboard and the home plate umpire started the contest without a device to track balls and strikes.

Duke also dove into the past, upending Virginia 4-1 to claim the program’s first series win over the Cavaliers since sweeping in 1998.

Yet when the final out was recorded, the Blue Devils casually strolled out of the dugout with an all-business approach to taking two of the contests in the three-game set with the nation’s 16th-ranked program.

That in itself made Duke coach Sean McNally a proud man.

“Coach kind of wants us to act like it is something that should happen with our program,” said Duke’s starting pitcher Grant Monroe, who earned the win after allowing just one run over seven innings. “We are not to the level that Virginia is at ranking-wise and everything, but I think this series helped show us something.

“Virginia is a good baseball team, but coach is trying to instill into us to play it cool and act like you have been there before even though we haven’t for a very long time.”

It was Duke (16-3, 3-3 ACC) that played like the team that has hosted an NCAA Regional three of the past four seasons, a fact that Virginia coach Brian O’Connor reminded his players of during a very lengthy post-loss meeting in the right-field grass at Jack Coombs Field.

“We got what we deserved because we played soft,” O’Connor said. “Losses are going to happen, it is part of the game of baseball, but it is how we lose that is disappointing and frustrating to me.

“We have some guys that need to grow up and grow up in a hurry. Duke wanted it more than we did and that’s why they won.”

Virginia (13-4, 2-4) fell behind just minutes after the contest started as the Blue Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the first off starter Andrew Carraway.

After allowing a leadoff single and hitting a batter, the Cavaliers’ pitcher gave up an RBI single down the right-field line to Jeremy Gould.

With runners on the corners, Carraway got his first out as Kyle Kreick popped up to UVa catcher Franco Valdes.

Carraway inched closer to escaping the jam after striking out Jake Lemmerman, but Valdes’ errant throw to nail Gould as he stole second eluded Virginia second baseman David Adams and trickled into center field, which allowed Duke’s second run to score with ease.

“It was a low throw and David made the choice to try and come get the ball to make sure the run from third didn’t score and it unfortunately snuck underneath his glove,” O’Connor said. “Those things happen but Andrew put us in that situation. You put yourself in that situation too often on the road and it is going to come back and bite you.”

Carraway, who actually retired 10 batters straight from the second to the opeing of the fifth inning, also allowed a two-out run-scoring double in the opening frame to Duke’s Jonathan Nicolla.

“Our starting pitcher didn’t do the job at the start of the game and didn’t execute, just like our starting pitcher (Jacob Thompson) didn’t on Friday, and you fall behind and the wind is blowing in … you can’t afford to give up three runs in the first inning on the road,” O’Connor said. “It put us in a hole, but I am just disappointed in our toughness and our competitiveness not to be able to come back.”

Virginia scored its lone run in the top of the second - rookie center fielder Jarrett Parker slapped an RBI double to left to plate shortstop Phil Gosselin - but failed to solve Monroe or Duke closer Alex Hassan over the game’s final seven innings.

“The opponent doesn’t matter,” O’Connor said. “Duke has a good team and they proved that this weekend. The toughness and competitiveness that our program has been built on, we are just not showing it right now.

“We can’t make a bigger deal out of it than it is, but some of the guys have to figure it out and go out and get the job done.”

For the game, Virginia had just six hits and left six runners on base.

It is not the first time that UVa has struggled out of the gate in league play under O’Connor - the Cavaliers opened 2005 by dropping 10 of their first 15 league games, before a late-season rally.

Adams, a team captain, said he is hopeful the program will shake its rough start.

“I hope [the postgame talk] sends a message to us,” Adams said. “I think Coach is getting on us and that’s going to send a message to a couple of guys. I have nothing to say. It is shocking, but when you come out soft you can’t expect more than that.

“I think, ultimately, if you go out and play the game the right way you will win the game. Duke did that this weekend and they deserved to win. We didn’t come out ready to play and we got beat and that’s the way baseball goes sometimes.”

Virginia returns to action Tuesday against Stony Brook at home at 4 p.m. and will host Boston College and Virginia Tech in consecutive weekends.

“That’s one bright spot,” O’Connor said. “We have played two series on the road and now we get our chance at home. Duke is in the same shoes we were four years ago trying to prove themselves and they proved themselves the last two weekends beating Carolina once and now beating Virginia twice.

“It proves that this league is getting better.”


 

UVa to learn NCAA seeding
By Jay Jenkins / Jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 17, 2008

At some point in the near future, Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena could be used to host a regional in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The school has already placed a bid for several years, only to be shunned due to the commitments in place with other venues attached to the ACC.

Tonight, however, JPJ will be used in a different manner in relation to the sport’s biggest postseason event: the arena will house a party that Virginia coach Debbie Ryan has essentially waited three years to hold.

Virginia (23-9) will learn its seeding in the NCAA Tournament tonight at 7 p.m. (ESPN) and has elected to open the doors at John Paul Jones Arena at 6:30 p.m. for what Ryan called a simple reason.

“I think the fans are just as much a part of this as we are and we want everybody to be able to share in the excitement,” she said. “It is a great way to share the whole thing together.”

Where Virginia is headed or will be ranked is a major mystery, even to Ryan, a women’s basketball guru.

“I have no idea,” Ryan said when asked to predict. “I have no idea where we are going to be seeded and it is hard to tell because our RPI is so high and our strength of schedule is so hard. It truly is hard to tell.”

The Cavaliers entered Sunday with the nation’s 15th-best RPI, a mathematical formula the selection committee uses to rank the country’s best teams, and the 11th toughest schedule.

While the math would equate that to a No. 4 seed, most prognosticators have the Cavaliers pegged as a No. 6 seed. That projection has some merit based upon Virginia’s inability to upend one of the nation’s elite - the Cavaliers went 1-7 against opponents ranked with an RPI of No. 25 or better.

In the latest projection by ESPN.com, Virginia will land a No. 6 seed and head to Stanford, Calif., to play Temple, which just happens to be coached by former Cavalier great Dawn Staley.

Too much irony?

In Virginia’s last trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2005, the Cavaliers traveled to Minnesota to play in-state rival Old Dominion.

That is not an option this weekend - the Monarchs are one of eight hosts for the opening round of action.

The Cavaliers could also land a fan-friendly spot in College Park, Md., but Ryan said she was indifferent.

“It doesn’t matter to me where we play,” she said. “It would be great for the fans if it is close, but if not we have been in that situation, too, and we will go do it.”

After back-to-back trips to Women’s NIT, which may now parallel with the newly-created CBI on the men’s side as far as attention, Ryan is just happy to be dancing in March and have her senior point guard, Sharnee Zoll, back in the NCAA Tournament.

“This is a big step for us and we worked hard for it,” Ryan said. “I think it will be great [tonight], but we know we will have to get back to work and get started for preparations.

“The players will be really excited for the tournament and really hungry to play regardless of where it is.”

Admission and parking for tonight’s viewing party will be free.