Murky picture for U.Va. hoops
Jeff White
Mar 15, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE—Late in the 2008 football season, when I e-mailed Craig Littlepage to ask about Al Groh’s status for ‘09, U.Va.’s athletic director left himself no wiggle room in his reply.

“Al Groh will be our head coach,” Littlepage said.

The response I received early Friday afternoon from Littlepage was not so unequivocal. The previous night, of course, a dismal season for the Virginia men’s basketball team had ended with a first-round loss to Boston College at the ACC tournament in Atlanta. So Friday morning I e-mailed Littlepage to ask about Dave Leitao’s status for 2009-10.

My understanding had been that Leitao would return for a fifth season, though almost certainly with a revamped staff, but I thought it wise to check with his boss.

“Dave’s our coach,” Littlepage replied in an e-mail.

My question, though, was not about Leitao’s current status, but whether he’d still be U.Va.’s coach in 2009-10. So I followed up with Littlepage, who wrote back, “Yes, Jeff. He’s our coach.”

Words matter. Littlepage had an opportunity to say, “Dave will be our coach next season,” or offer another version of the unambiguous statement he’d made about Groh in early November. That Littlepage chose not to do so gave me pause.

I still believe it’s likely that Leitao will coach the Cavaliers next season, but I know that many influential donors, as well as some powerful people at U.Va., question whether he’s the man for the job. If a change were made before next season, I would no longer be shocked.
 

One 'L' of a season
By Norm Wood | 247-4642
March 15, 2009

ATLANTA - As tears streamed down Calvin Baker's face Thursday night after Virginia's 76-63 loss to Boston College in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament opening round, his emotions accurately depicted the frustrations of an entire team.

Baker, a Woodside High graduate, is one of 12 players slated to return next season for the Cavaliers. After finishing this season 10-18 overall, including 4-12 in the ACC, the areas in which U.Va. must improve in are vast: shooting, rebounding, turnover margin, low-post defense, ball-handling and turnover margin. It could be embattled coach Dave Leitao's most important offseason.

"No one in this locker room wants to have another year like we had this year," Baker said in U.Va.'s locker room after the BC loss.

"I understand now that to be a good team you have to prepare before (preseason practice). We have to start building our team over the summer."

Leitao is about to enter his fifth season at U.Va. In his first four seasons, he has compiled a record of 63-60 in the ACC, and he has led the Cavaliers to a postseason tournament every season except this one.

Other than the 2006-07 season in which U.Va. finished tied with North Carolina for first place in the ACC regular season, the Cavaliers have finished in the bottom half of the conference under Leitao.

This season, U.Va. was 11th in the ACC and had its worst ACC record in Leitao's tenure. The last time U.Va. had fewer overall victories than it had this season was in the 1967-68 season, when it went 9-16.

U.Va. enjoyed home-court victories against No. 12 Clemson, Virginia Tech and Maryland in the last three weeks of the regular season. The Cavaliers had just one ACC road victory this season — a December win at Georgia Tech, the ACC's last-place team — and endured an average score margin of minus-9.9 points on the road in the ACC.

"Late season, we realized we can beat most of the teams in this league, if not all the teams ... Clemson was probably the high point," said forward Mike Scott, who averaged 10.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

After losing to BC in a game in which U.Va. shot just 37.5 percent from the floor, Leitao's message to the team was one that could've been repeated throughout the season.

"He just preached that we waited too long," Scott said. "That was the story of our year."

Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg's play was one of the few bright spots for U.Va. He averaged 16.6 points and six rebounds per game on his way to winning the ACC's rookie of the year award. If U.Va. hopes to give Landesberg a little more support next season, it's going to need better production at a few key positions.

Baker, who averaged 8.4 points per game and shot just 39.2 percent from the floor, and Sammy Zeglinski had just 162 assists combined to go along with 140 turnovers at the point guard position. Those numbers explain a big reason why U.Va. is 10th in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.8). At center, 7-foot freshman Assane Sene (2.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game) was often manhandled by more experienced players and often got into foul trouble.

Bethel High's Jontel Evans, who will be a freshman at U.Va. in the fall, may have a chance to compete for immediate playing time at point guard. He'll join 6-foot-7 forward Tristan Spurlock from Word of Life Academy in Springfield as U.Va.'s newest additions.

U.Va. also is in the conference's bottom third in scoring offense (11th; 70 points per game), scoring defense (11th; 72.5 points per game), scoring margin (12th; minus-2.5), field-goal percentage (12th; 41.7), field-goal percentage defense (12th; 43.8), 3-point field-goal percentage (12th; 31.6), rebounding (ninth; 36.8 per game), turnover margin (ninth; minus-.75), steals (ninth; 6.4 per game) and blocked shots (10th; four per game).

Getting off to a better start in the ACC next season will be essential. After beating Georgia Tech, U.Va. had an eight-game ACC losing streak. Another repeat of those kinds of struggles could make next season Leitao's last in Charlottesville.

"It was frustrating," Baker said of this season. "You could see the talent everyday when you were working out.

"You always have to find some positives. We were a young team. Next year, we'll be a little older, and we have some good players coming in."

Reliving it all
A look at the Virginia Cavaliers' 10-18 season:

High point
Feb. 15:The Cavaliers stun No. 12 Clemson 85-81 to snap an eight-game losing streak.

Low point
March 3: Clemson's 75-57 rout at Littlejohn pretty much summed up U.Va.'s season.

Looking back
The Cavs had their worst season in 41 years for many reasons. The 14.8 turnovers per game were crucial.

Looking ahead
Sylven Landesberg is one of 12 players slated to return. If Bethel's Jontel Evans can shore things up at point guard, U.Va. could be respectable.

Calvin being Calvin
Paul Montana
Published: Monday, March 16 2009

Virginia junior guard Calvin Baker averaged 8.4 points, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season. He started in 22 of the Cavaliers’ 28 contests. They might not want to admit it, but for many members of the Virginia men’s basketball team, the end of this season and the prospect of starting another must be a relief.

There are some obvious players for whom this may hold true. Freshman Sylven Landesberg has to be looking forward to getting a little more help next year. One would think sophomore Mustapha Farrakhan is looking for a fresh start after riding the bench for much of the year — again. Fellow sophomore Jeff Jones must be excited about a potential season in which he never has DNP next to his name. Senior Mamadi Diane finally got his 1,000 career points after riding the bench much of his final season, and he, along with senior Tunji Soroye, are probably ready to move on.

You can, however, be guaranteed of this: No one is more ready to redeem himself and his team after the past season than junior Calvin Baker.

As the Wahoo nation vented its frustrations about Virginia’s sometimes unbearable performances, Baker often was the focal point. While Virginia’s poor sequences were numerous all season, Baker’s were the most obvious and often the most puzzling. He was booed at home by fans and he was slammed on message boards. When Virginia coach Dave Leitao was criticized for overvaluing experience on a losing team, Baker’s name was among the first ones mentioned.

I don’t agree with Leitao about everything, but when it comes to Baker, I absolutely take Leitao’s side. Baker’s game isn’t pretty, but the good outweighs the bad.

First, let me recognize the bad. He does not have the ball-handling ability of an ACC point guard. His turnovers are not only numerous — 2.5 per game to be exact, including seven conference games with four turnovers or more — but also diverse. At any moment, he might step out of bounds or travel with no one around. He often tries to “thread the needle” with his passes, as the cliche goes, but the needle ends up stuck in the fabric seemingly as often as it makes it through. As his arm flies out to an absurd degree, he shoots sub-40 percent from the field and sub-30 percent from three-point range, which includes floaters in the lane and NBA-range threes that could end up hitting any part of the basket, backboard included. And, most painful of all to a guy like me who loves the pure point guard, he is too selfish in transition — rather than dishing to a teammate in a numbers-up situation, he just loves to pull up for a 12-15 foot jumper.

In other words, he does a lot that just makes you go, ‘What is this guy thinking?’ — as a point guard, mind you.

So why does he play? Because he has an upside, much of which isn’t measurable by numbers.

His scoring isn’t terrific — he was third on the team at 8.4 points per game — and his shooting percentage doesn’t help. But, the way he scores cannot be undervalued. Other than Landesberg, he was the only Cavalier who could regularly get into the teeth of the defense — a quality desperately needed in Leitao’s offense, which relies heavily on dribble penetration.

And yes, his 39.2 percent shooting is poor — but then again, the majority of guys on this team cannot brag that theirs was better. Four players who had at least four shots per game, in fact, had percentages worse than Baker — Farrakhan, Jones, Diane and freshman Sammy Zeglinski — all of whom also averaged fewer points. So despite the shooting percentage, the fact that Baker could get his team a bucket here and there was certainly a plus for the often scoring-starved Cavs.

On defense, Baker was also up and down — but when it was up, it was way up. When Leitao went to man-to-man on defense, he often assigned Baker to D-up the opposing team’s best guard. In Virginia’s 62-55 loss to Miami, he played Jack McClinton — who is third in the ACC at 19.3 points per contest — nearly perfectly, holding him to 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Had McClinton missed one of his few open looks of the night — a three that put the Hurricanes up five with under a minute remaining — we might be talking about how Baker’s defense won the game.

But Baker’s most important quality is one that is entirely intangible: passion. He doesn’t just leave all of his energy on the floor, but his heart and soul along with it. If Baker could leave a kidney in exchange for a win, he’d probably do that too.

The only way to prove this point is by results. Through the first half of the ACC season, as Virginia was getting embarrassed both at home and on the road, Leitao claimed the problem was that his team wasn’t into the game. His Cavaliers needed energy and were lacking in passion, he cried. They needed to change how they approached the way they were playing.

It sure sounded like a whole lot of coach-speak. A reaction I often heard was, “How about a few good players instead?”

The player who most often preached Leitao’s sentiment, both on the court and in postgame interviews, was Baker; the thing about it, though, is it made him all the easier to criticize. How can a guy who hands the ball over in gift-wrapping to the opposing team turn around and get on his teammates for not playing hard enough?

But with the manner in which Virginia began to pick up wins, Leitao and Baker proved the point. The turnaround began when he threw in a revamped starting lineup for the second half against Boston College, which included the seldom-used junior Solomon Tat at power forward and Baker at point. Talent-wise, it certainly wasn’t the best five Virginia had to offer; sophomore Mike Scott, for instance, found himself coming off the bench in subsequent games. But, as Leitao put it, “I wasn’t really interested in playing anybody who wasn’t [going to] play the game the right way.”

With Baker as the emotional leader of this group, Virginia first started getting competitive, and then started winning. Leitao started essentially the same starting lineup for the remainder of the season, taking three of its four conference wins, and remaining competitive in nearly every game the rest of the way.

The only exception was a blowout loss at Clemson March 3, a 75-57 defeat. And it was this blip against Clemson in Virginia’s overall positive trend to end the season that presented a microcosm of Baker’s value to the team.

He first showed that knack for scoring, keeping his team in the game during the first half, hitting 5-of-7 field goals for 12 first-half points, including nine of Virginia’s first 11.

Baker can create his own offense, but he is no offensive juggernaut, and he predictably did not match those first half numbers in the second. He went cold and his teammates continued to play poorly, as Clemson opened up the half with a 28-9 run.

During that stretch, Baker was livid. After making a typically head-scratching turnover — he picked up his dribble at half-court and got tied up by a Clemson defender — he slammed the ball on the floor in frustration and got called for a technical foul. Oh, Calvin.

Then, in an ensuing timeout, Baker went off. Though my media seat was across the gym from the Virginia huddle, Baker was obviously crucifying his teammates. His angry gestures had his arms flying in all directions as he yelled and screamed his frustrations.

This happened after he cost his team possession and two free throws after a technical foul that followed a turnover — it sure seemed a bit hypocritical. Just Calvin being Calvin.

But then, on senior day, Virginia rebounded with a win against Maryland and an emotional send-off for Diane.

Perhaps that tongue-lashing, and even the technical foul, as humorous as it may have been, was exactly the spark that Virginia needed. Yes, the turnover and the free throws were costly. But his emotion and the passion in that sequence, though not quantifiable, more than made up for two points and possession. After the game, I asked him if he regretted the technical, and he said absolutely not, because his team needed something to get them fired up.

That, in a nutshell, is Calvin Baker.

“Calvin, through thick and thin, has been booed at home, doesn’t always play pretty for a guy who’s playing out of position, and turns it over more than a point guard should,” Leitao said. “But he plays the game with heart and spirit. That’s what we’re trying to get from everybody, every game. So, the things that he does not do, I sometimes live with, because what I’m looking for, he’s one of the guys that gives it to us.”

So Wahoo fans, the next time you see Baker step out of bounds, or dribble off his foot, or pull up in the lane for a shot that hits nothing but backboard, hold your tongue. On a team filled with youth, if there is one guy players should look toward next year for fearless leadership and guidance about how to approach basketball the right way, they need look no further than Calvin Baker.

 

Perfect Cavaliers stifle sloppy Seminoles
Squad braves elements Friday to trump Florida State 15-2; remaining two games of series cancelled because of poor weather
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Monday, March 16 2009

Sophomore right fielder Dan Grovatt knocked in three runs on two for five hitting in Virginia’s home victory against Florida State Friday night. 106-23.

It may take a moment to process this score’s lopsidedness, but it is indeed the margin by which the undefeated No. 14 Virginia baseball team has outscored its opponents the last seven games. In the Cavaliers’ latest game against Florida State — the preseason No. 6-ranked team nationally and a perennial baseball powerhouse — the result also was familiar, as Virginia cruised to a 15-2 victory at Davenport Field Friday.

“I don’t know what’s going on offensively — I can’t explain it,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “We’re just in one of those streaks right now where we’re just swinging the bats really, really [well] throughout our lineup.”

The Cavaliers (15-0, 4-0 ACC) and the Seminoles (9-6, 1-3 ACC) were scheduled for a three-game series, but games two and three were cancelled because of wet field conditions.

With Friday’s win and top-ranked Georgia’s first two losses of the season in a weekend series against Alabama, Virginia stands as the only undefeated team in the nation. After entering the season unranked and picked to finish fourth in the Coastal Division of the ACC, the No. 18 Cavaliers will surely climb still higher in this week’s poll, which comes out Tuesday.

“We’re just trying to ride this as long as we can,” sophomore right fielder Dan Grovatt said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Almost as impressive as the Cavaliers’ explosive offensive production has been the pitching of freshman Danny Hultzen, who improved to 4-0 on the season with his most impressive outing to date. Hultzen rarely let the Seminoles put the ball in play, allowing just one earned run on four hits and striking out 13 in seven innings of work. The 13 punchouts included 11 swinging, and seven consecutive strikeouts from one out in the first to two outs in the third.

“When he has command of his off-speed pitches, and then can throw his fastball with the velocity he does and the command he does, that’s a special pitcher,” O’Connor said. “He’s not perfect, but he’s been pretty close to perfect this year up until this point.”

Although Hultzen had thrown 98 pitches and held a 13-0 lead through six innings on a chilly evening at Davenport Field, O’Connor had Hultzen toeing the mound in the seventh. While Hultzen appeared to have enough energy left for another inning, O’Connor said, he also wanted to test the freshman’s stamina, who chose to attend Virginia after being drafted in the 10th round of the MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“There’s gonna be games that he’s gonna need to go 110 pitches,” O’Connor said. “I wanted to see what he still had left in the tank in the seventh inning, and he still had it.”

Offensively, Virginia compiled 14 hits, as every ball the Cavaliers made contact with seemed to fall. Following a scoreless first inning, the Cavaliers made their first offensive surge against Florida State starting pitcher freshman Sean Gilmartin in the bottom of the second. With Virginia runners on second and third with one out, freshman catcher John Hicks popped what appeared to be a routine fly ball to shallow centerfield. With the Florida State infield in and sophomore centerfielder Tyler Holt playing deep in cavernous Davenport Field, however, the ball fell harmlessly in front of Holt, scoring one runner and moving the other to third.

Hicks then moved to second after junior catcher Franco Valdes grounded into a fielder’s choice to score another run, and sophomore left fielder John Barr smacked a two-out line drive to right to score Hicks for the final run of the inning.

The Cavaliers followed with 10 runs combined in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but it was the three-run second that was the springboard for the rest of the night.

“Once we got through the lineup once and started to figure [Gilmartin] out a little bit, we were able to get a few knocks in and some scoring opportunities, and drive some guys home,” O’Connor said.

The Cavaliers also managed to hit two homeruns — both two-run shots — as Grovatt hit his third of the year in the fifth inning and Hicks followed with his third of the season in the sixth.

With the two long balls, the Cavaliers added to their vastly augmented power numbers. Virginia already has 17 homeruns this season, after knocking just 25 out of the park in last year’s 61-game season.

What O’Connor is most pleased about, however, is that his team has remained eager to put runners on and advance them in any way possible, in what he has referred to as an “opportunistic offense.”

“The thing I really like about our offensive ballclub is that we still haven’t lost what we do well too, and that’s steal bases and put pressure on the other team,” O’Connor said. “We need to continue to play that style of offense, and also knowing that we can also step up and hit a three-run homerun when we need to, too.”

Gilmartin got his first loss of the season, giving up four earned runs on six hits in four-plus innings after entering the evening with a 3-0 record and a 2.31 ERA. Poor fielding didn’t help the Seminoles’ cause, as they committed five errors.

“I think defensively, that’s very uncharacteristic of Florida State,” O’Connor said. “It being 35, 38 degrees might have something to do with it.”

The lopsided loss to Virginia will not help Florida State in the national rankings, as the team continued one of the worst starts in program history. This is the second straight conference series loss for the Seminoles, who dropped two of three games to then-unranked Boston College in Tallahassee the previous weekend — their first opening ACC series loss in school history. These struggles also have occurred in the context of a dark time for Florida State athletics, as baseball was among 10 sports found to have committed academic violations, resulting in a four-year probationary period for the athletics department, according to a report released by the NCAA March 6.

Virginia, meanwhile, will look to continue rolling against Marshall Tuesday and Canisius Wednesday at Davenport Field.

 

No. 1 Cavs wait out rain delay to edge Longhorns in 4-3 thriller down South
Published: Monday, March 16 2009

The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team traveled to Austin, Texas, Sunday where it defeated No. 10 Texas 4-3. Virginia’s scheduled match Friday against Baylor was cancelled because of rain.

The two teams took a 3-3 tie into doubles to decide the match. For Virginia (18-0, 3-0 ACC), the No. 23 tandem of senior Dominic Inglot and sophomore Michael Shabaz struck first with an 8-6 win against the No. 32 pair of junior Dimitar Kutrovsky and junior Josh Zavala of Texas (11-3). The Longhorns tied the doubles round, however, with an 8-6 win in the No. 3 spot. The match was then decided in the No. 1 slot, in which Virginia’s No. 2 team in the nation, sophomore Sanam Singh and junior Houston Barrick, defeated No. 35 sophomore Ed Corrie and sophomore Kellen Domico.

In singles, the Longhorns took five of the first six sets. Freshman Steven Eelkman Rooda won his first set 7-5, but lost the next two to No. 121 junior Oliver Sajous, 7-6, 6-3.

Texas took the first point of the match in No. 1 singles as No. 17 Kutrovsky defeated No. 18 Inglot, 7-5, 6-4. The Longhorns prevailed in the No. 2 spot as well, as No. 68 Corrie upset No. 16 Shabaz in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Freshman Drew Courtney took the first point for the Cavaliers, winning his 13th consecutive singles match. Courtney bounced back from a 4-6 loss in the first set to junior Josh Zavala, taking the next two, 6-0, 6-3.

Singh tied up the match at 2-2 in another three-set battle. After dropping the first set to No. 125 Kellen Damico, Singh won the next two, 6-3, 6-3 to take the point.

Virginia took a brief lead with its third consecutive point after Barrick triumphed against senior Miguel Reyes Varela in three sets, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3. The Longhorns, however, quickly tied the match with the win against Rooda.

—compiled by Andrew Seidman

 

Men’s Tennis Wins 4-3 Thriller at No. 10 Texas
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/15/2009

AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team rallied for a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 10 Texas Sunday afternoon at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center. The Cavaliers fell behind in five of six singles matches and in two of three doubles matches, but overcame the adversity to improve to 18-0 on the season.

“This match was just such high level tennis,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “Once the weather cleared, both teams came out and played phenomenal and we just won a few key points that were the difference. There were so many momentum changes. We get down and singles and battle back to get it to 3-3 going to doubles. Then doubles was just back and forth. This was the type of match we needed and all kinds of credit should go to Texas, who played a great match.”

After nearly a two-hour rain delay, the match opened with singles play and the Longhorns came out strong, winning five of the six first sets. Texas took a 1-0 lead as Dimitar Kutrovsky defeated Dominic Inglot (London, England) 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 1 position. The Longhorn lead was extended to 2-0 as Ed Corrie topped Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles. Virginia cut the lead in half, 2-1, when Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) rallied from losing the first set for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Josh Zavala at No. 6 singles. The Cavaliers drew even as Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) capped his own comeback, rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Kellen Damico at No. 3 singles. The Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead with another come-from-behind victory, as Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) topped Miguel Reyes Varela 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 at No. 4 singles. Texas drew even as Oliver Sajous rallied for a three-set win, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, over Steven Eelkman Rooda (Amersfoort, The Netherlands) at No. 5 singles.

The dual match would come down to the doubles point. The Cavaliers took an early advantage as Shabaz and Inglot rallied from down a break for an 8-6 win over Kutrovsky and Zavala at No. 2 doubles. Texas drew even as Sajous and Reyes Varela topped Courtney and Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) 8-6 at No. 3 doubles. The match came down to the No. 1 doubles match, where Barrick and Singh were serving for the match at 7-6, but the Texas team of Corrie and Damico broke to draw even at 7-7. The Cavalier duo broke right back and served out the match for a 9-7 win that clinched the 4-3 dual match win.

“Those were great wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles,” said Boland. “Our guys just kept fighting. At No. 1, Sanam had match points serving a 7-6, got broke, but he and Houston refocused and came back and broke Texas at love in the next game. Then Houston served for the match, and it was a long game with at least five match points before they finished it. To keep fighting and to keep your composure in that type of situation, with that pressure, is impressive. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

The Cavaliers will return home to resume ACC play this weekend. Virginia hosts Clemson on Friday and Georgia Tech on Sunday. Both matches are slated to be played outdoors at the Snyder Tennis Center.

No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 10 Texas 3

Singles
1. #17 Dimitar Kutrovsky (UT) def. #18 Dominic Inglot (UVa) 7-5, 6-4
2. #68 Ed Corrie (UT) def. #16 Michael Shabaz (UVa) 6-3, 6-4
3. #12 Sanam Singh (UVa) def. #125 Kellen Damico (UT) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. #54 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Miguel Reyes Varela (UT) 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3
5. #121 Oliver Sajous (UT) def. Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) 5-7, 7-6, 6-3
6. Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Josh Zavala (UT) 4-6, 6-0, 6-3

Doubles
1. #2 Barrick/Singh (UVa) def. #35 Corrie/Damico (UT) 9-7
2. #23 Inglot/Shabaz (UVa) def. #32 Kutrovsky/Zavala (UT) 8-6
3. Sajous/Reyes Varela (UT) def. Courtney/Singer (UVa) 8-6

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

 

Team moves match indoors, handles in-state foe Hokies
No. 18 Virginia opens season with 3-0 conference record for first time in program history with home win
Chloe Newschwander, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Monday, March 16 2009

Senior Amanda Rales earned a victory at No. 4 singles to assist the No. 18 Cavaliers as they blanked No. 45 Virginia Tech Sunday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The win keeps the team undefeated in conference play this season. The weekend’s rainy weather failed to stop the Virginia women’s tennis team from extending its recent win streak as the No. 18 Cavaliers beat No. 45 Virginia Tech 7-0 Sunday in Charlottesville.

The match against the Hokies was Virginia’s (10-2) sixth consecutive victory and marks the first time in program history the squad has started conference play 3-0.

Originally scheduled to be played at the Snyder Tennis Center, the match was moved to the Boyd Tinsley Tennis Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Because of the fast nature of the indoor play, the Cavaliers had to reevaluate their playing strategy. The team proved itself capable of handling tougher challenges as it swept the in-state rival Hokies, but the Cavaliers’ dominance was not evident until after the doubles matches.

“Virginia Tech really came out with more intensity than we did to start the match,” Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau said. “The doubles was quite impressive from their end. Sometimes you have to ask your kids for a little more, and they responded well. I think they see the positives and all the benefits that come from really taking care of the details, being intense, and giving their best effort.”

The team’s response led to three close doubles matches that all ended in the Cavaliers’ favor. The No. 1 Virginia doubles team of junior Jennifer Stevens and freshman Emily Fraser took down Virginia Tech senior Jessica Brouwer and sophomore Holly Johnson 9-7 while the Cavaliers’ No. 2 pair of sophomore Neela Vaez and senior Amanda Rales held on through a tiebreaker to put away freshman Martha Blakely and senior Inga Beermann 9-8 (3). At the No. 3 spot, Virginia freshman Claire Bartlett teamed up with senior Maggie Yahner to defeat Hokie sophomore Yasmin Hamza and senior Abbey Walker 8-4 to secure the doubles point for the host team.

In the singles competition, Fraser guarded her spot at No. 1 on Virginia’s ladder by producing a 6-3, 6-4 win against Virginia Tech’s Beermann. Fraser has continued to show that her minimal amount of college play compared to other players on the squad does not reflect her level of ability.

“I don’t really think about the age or the year of any of the players I’m playing against,” Fraser said. “I try to put all the little details aside and bring everything I have, and hopefully I’ll do well.”

Performing well at the No. 1 position usually is no easy feat for an athlete new to the collegiate world, but Fraser’s persistent attention to detail has aided in the transition. The freshman has been working with the Virginia coaching staff to strengthen every aspect of her game, focusing most on her serve.

“Coming into school, I struggled a lot with my serve,” Fraser said. “Under [Guilbeau’s and assistant coach Troy Porco]’s coaching, it’s really starting to come together more and I’ve been working on it a lot on my own.”

Another freshman who got a taste of victory against the Hokies was Bartlett, who topped her singles opponent Johnson 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 5 slot. Despite her success, Bartlett’s spring season has been a bit more challenging than her teammates’, after only competing in a limited number of matches this fall.

Bartlett “has been everything we were hoping for her to be,” Guilbeau said. “It’s tough because she has to come in here quickly not having quite as much preparation but she’s been unbelievable. What a lot of folks don’t know that aren’t directly involved in the program is the extra work that she’s doing outside of our day-to-day practice.”

In addition to Bartlett and Fraser, Stevens, Hardenbergh, Rales and Vaez all defeated their Virginia Tech opponents in singles competition.

The Cavaliers’ conference schedule continues next weekend as the team faces Georgia Tech and Clemson on the road.

Women’s Tennis Blanks Hokies 7-0
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/15/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The No. 18 Virginia women’s tennis team opened its ACC season with a 3-0 record for the first time in school history as they shut out No. 45 Virginia Tech 7-0 Sunday at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers improve to 10-2 overall this season.

In doubles play, the Cavaliers swept all three matches for the first point of the match. At No. 3 doubles, Maggie Yahner (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Claire Bartlett (Chattanooga, Tenn.) topped Yasmin Hamza and Abbey Walker 8-4. Jennifer Stevens (Miami, Fla.) and Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) clinched the opening point with their 9-7 win at No. 1 over Jessica Brouwer and Holly Johnson. Neela Vaez (Perrysburg, Ohio) and Amanda Rales (Bethesda, Md.) completed the sweep with a tiebreaker win at No. 2 over Martha Blakely and Inga Beermann.

In singles, the Cavaliers won two matches quickly to make the score 3-0. Rales topped Hamza 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4 and Bartlett defeated Johnson 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 5 position. Fraser clinched the victory with her 6-3, 6-4 win over Beermann at No. 1. Stevens added a 7-6, 6-4 win over Brouwer at No. 2 singles and Vaez downed Courtney Rauscher in three sets at No. 6. Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) completed the sweep with her 4-6, 7-6, 10-3 win over Blakely at No. 3 singles.

“It is a great step for our program to get this win over Virginia Tech, especially where, to their credit, they came in with great intensity and had a great start to the match,” said Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau. “Our team responded well and have continued a very steady process of improving and competing. We are happy to be where we are at this point of the season. We are excited and determined to make the most of this upcoming stretch as we play some of the best teams in the country. I am proud of the team and pleased with their effort.”

Virginia will return to action on Saturday as they visit No. 7 Georgia Tech.

No. 18 Virginia 7, No. 45 Virginia Tech 0

Doubles
1. #51 Stevens/Fraser (UVa) def. #63 Brouwer/Johnson (VT) 9-7
2. #59 Vaez/Rales (UVa) def. Blakely/Beermann (VT) 9-8(3)
3. Bartlett/Yahner (UVa) def. Hamza/Walker (VT) 8-4

Singles
1. #83 Emily Fraser (UVa) def. Inga Beermann (VT) 6-3, 6-4
2. #72 Jennifer Stevens (UVa) def. Jessica Brouwer (VT) 7-6(5), 6-4
3. Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) def. Martha Blakely (VT) 4-6, 7-6(2), 10-3
4. Amanda Rales (UVa) def. Yasmin Hamza (VT) 6-0, 6-2
5. Claire Bartlett (UVa) def. Holly Johnson (VT) 6-0, 6-1
6. Neela Vaez (UVa) def. Courtney Rauscher (VT) 6-4, 0-6, 6-2

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

UVa Uses Record-Setting Effort to Win LSU Classic
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/15/2009

Baton Rouge, LA – The No. 4 Virginia women’s golf team won the second tournament championship in the program’s history in record-setting fashion Sunday. The Cavaliers took first place at the LSU Golf Classic by five shots, turning in the best tournament score in school history. During the final round, Virginia shot 4-under 284, equaling the lowest single-round score in team history, to set an all-time low tournament scoring mark of 8-under 856. UVa’s previous best tournament score was 8-over 872 at last year’s ACC Championships.

“We’ve worked very hard this winter and the girls were very anxious to get the spring season underway,” said second-year coach Kim Lewellen. “We came into the tournament as the highest ranked team and I think that pushed everyone to play well. They really wanted to take home the trophy. Today, they came to the course with the attitude that they wanted to win and do so in convincing fashion. They did not hold anything back. It was a very exciting couple of days for us.”

Tulane, which shot 10-under 276 during the final round, was second at 861. Its final-round score was the best 18-hole team total in the tournament’s history. No. 11 LSU was third at 867. The 18-team field included 15 schools ranked in the top-50 of the current Golfweek standings.

Virginia sophomore Calle Nielson tied for first-place overall, but lost the medalist title in a three-way playoff that was claimed by Arkansas’ Lucy Nunn on the second hole of extra play. Nielson finished with a score of 7-under 209, the second lowest 54-hole total for a Cavalier.

“I’m very excited for Calle,” Lewellen said. “She played great golf all weekend. To see her finish first as just a sophomore, that’s tremendous for her development and enhances her reputation as one of the top underclassmen in the country. She’s a real fighter and did a great job for us this weekend.”

Whitney Neuhauser posted her third top-five finish in six tournaments this year by placing fifth overall at 3-under 211. After shooting 74 Friday to open play, she responded by tying the school single-round scoring record (67) on Saturday and shooting 2-under 70 during Sunday’s play.

Jennie Arseneault finished 16th for UVa at 217, Lene Krog moved up to 25th overall at 219 and Joy Kim was 76th at 230. Kristen Simpson, playing as a non-scoring individual, shot her best round as a collegiate, posting a 68 Sunday to move up to 43rd at 222, which was the lowest tournament score during her career.

Simpson was not the only Cavalier posting personal best numbers during the tournament. Virginia’s top four finishers all set or equaled career scoring marks during the tournament. Nielson set single round (67) and tournament marks (209), Neuhauser posted a new low single round (67) and Krog equaled her low 18-hole score (70). Arseneault’s 217 tied her best tourney score.

Virginia’s final score proved to be the best in the history of the tournament and was the third lowest 54-hole total in the 10-year history of events being held at LSU’s University Club. Duke set the course record with its 844 during the 2007 NCAA East Regional. That same season UCLA shot 846 at the event.

The Cavaliers return to action March 27-29 at Georgia’s Liz Murphey Collegiate.

LSU Golf Classic
University Club
Baton Rouge, LA
Par-72, 6,424 yards
Final Results

Team Results
1. Virginia 285-287-284-856
2. Tulane 289-294-278-861
3. LSU 287-297-283-867
4. Arkansas 298-284-287-869
5. Wake Forest 284-296-290-870
5. North Carolina 287-296-290-870
5. Louisville 296-294-280-870
8. TCU 290-301-289-880
8. Kentucky 293-299-288-880
10. Colorado 296-301-287-884
10. South Carolina 292-305-287-884
12. Notre Dame 296-301-288-885
13. Furman 293-305-292-890
14. NC State 304-298-290-892
15. UNC Wilmington 290-308-296-894
16. Mississippi 300-303-293-896
17. Col. Of Charleston 300-307-293-900
18. Mississippi State 308-304-306-918

Individual Leaders
1. Calle Nielson, Virginia 67-71-71-209
1. Lucy Nunn, Arkansas^ 72-68-69-209
1. Benedicte Toumpsin, S. Carolina 70-71-68-209
4. Nannette Hill, Wake Fores 72-70-68-210
5. Daniela Holmqvist, Tulane 70-74-67-211
5. Whitney Neuhauser, Virginia 74-67-70-211
7. Jaqueline Hedwall, LSU 68-74-70-212
7. Allie White, North Carolina 68-72-72-212
9. Cindy LaCrosse, Louisville 71-72-70-213
10. Alyssa Randolph, Kentucky 72-74-68-214
^ Won two-hole playoff for medalist

Virginia Results
1. Calle Nielson 67-71-71-209
5. Whitney Neuhauser 74-67-70-211
16. Jennie Arseneault 71-73-73-217
25. Lene Krog 73-76-70-219
76. Joy Kim 77-80-73-230
43. Kristen Simpson* 77-77-68-222
* Non-scoring individual

 

Tough defense tames Tigers in rainy weather
Tigers slip, fall to No. 1 Cavaliers 11-2 in downpour Saturday; Shamel Bratton, Stanwick lead scoring with three goals apiece
Blair Capps, Cavalier Daily Gameday Editor

Sophomore midfielder Shamel Bratton led the Virginia attack with three nettings against Towson in poor weather conditions Saturday at home. The country’s top-ranked squad pushed its record to 9-0 on the year. Sophomore midfielder Shamel Bratton and freshman attack Steele Stanwick tallied three goals apiece during the No. 1 Virginia men’s lacrosse team’s 11-2 victory against Towson at home Saturday.

The Cavaliers (9-0) took an early lead, scoring on three of their first four shots, and never surrendered the advantage during Saturday’s rainy game. Stanwick scored the first two goals of the match, followed quickly by a goal from Bratton. Senior attack Gavin Gill added another before the end of the first quarter, bringing Virginia’s lead to 4-0.

“I feel like we came out in the beginning of the game and played very well in the first quarter,” coach Dom Starsia said. “But then I thought we made a couple of little mental errors in the second quarter. We let them control the ball for the most part.”

Towson (1-4) did mount a small rally during the second quarter. The Tigers scored two quick goals on back-to-back extra-man situations, which marked their only goals of the game. Virginia, however, was unable to capitalize when the extra-man advantage went the other way.

“They weren’t able to run by us, so we just needed to stay out of the penalty box,” Starsia said. “They were a dangerous team on the extra man. At the other end, we’ve been pretty good on extra man, but I feel like we haven’t been sharp enough.”

Bratton added two more goals before the half to give the Cavaliers a 6-2 lead.

The Cavaliers’ dominant defense held Towson to only 19 shots all day. The only area of the game in which the Tigers performed noticeably better than their opponent was face-offs, as the visitor won 12 compared to Virginia’s five. Towson proved unable to make something of that statistical advantage, though, committing a season-high 32 turnovers as players struggled to gain their footing on the muddy surface.

“I think [the weather] probably was more beneficial towards the defense,” senior defender Matt Kelly said. “It seemed like guys were slipping all over the place and luckily we were able to hold our ground and play good defense.”

Virginia came out strong in the third quarter, with senior midfielder Steve Giannone notching two quick goals to atone for a foul in the first half. Stanwick added his third, and senior attack Garrett Billings got on the board before the third quarter ended. Senior attack Danny Glading contributed another goal midway through the final quarter to round out the scoring.

“We just wanted to keep playing our game,” Stanwick said. “We knew the shots were going to fall and coach just told us to execute. That was the real goal — just execution.”

Virginia now moves to a less-busy schedule with only one game per week. Its next opponent, however, may require all the Cavaliers’ extra time for preparation. Virginia visits perennial lacrosse powerhouse Johns Hopkins next Saturday in Baltimore, Md.

“We will probably enjoy this win, and we will check out the film,” senior defender Chad Gaudet said. “Coach will put together a good game plan for practice this week.”