London Looks Ahead to Spring Ball
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/05/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A small group of reporters peppered Mike London with questions Friday afternoon at Scott Stadium, asking him about the football team he took over in December.

On many topics, London can speak with authority. This is his first year as UVa's head coach, but he had two stints as an assistant under his predecessor, Al Groh, so London is not unfamiliar with the program or the University.

Some questions, though, he's not yet able to answer.

"I'm like you guys," London told his audience. "I'm waiting to see, too, how we're going to look and how they're going to run around and move, and I'll see that on March 15."

That's when spring practice starts for the Cavaliers, who went 3-9 in their final season under Groh. It concludes April 10 with the Spring Football Festival at Scott Stadium.

Noteworthy dates in between include March 27, when the Wahoos will play an intrasquad scrimmage at Old Dominion University's Foreman Field.

London wants his program to "to get out there, to be accessible, to be available, to get out in front of people, and that's part of that," he said of the visit to Norfolk. "And hopefully next year [and] the year after that, there are opportunities to go somewhere else in the state."

Several players, including defensive end Matt Conrath, safety Corey Mosley and tailback Dominique Wallace, are recovering from injuries and won't fully participate in spring drills, London said.

Several other 'Hoos have new positions. On defense, UVa is switching from Groh's trademark 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme, and Cameron Johnson and Jeremiah Mathis have moved from outside linebacker to end. Justin Renfrow and Brent Urban, formerly ends, are now tackles. Ausar Walcott and LoVanté Battle have shifted from safety to outside linebacker, London said.

On offense, London wants to use a traditional fullback. New at that position are Terence Fells-Danzer, an inside linebacker under Groh, and Max Milien, formerly a tailback.

The only quarterback in the program who's taken a snap in a college game is Marc Verica, who'll be a redshirt senior in the fall. Verica started most of the 2008 season and had several stellar games. He was a backup for most of '09, however, and struggled when he played, completing only 44.4 percent of his passes.

The Cavaliers' roster includes two players who were admitted midyear: defensive end Will Hill in January 2009 and quarterback Michael Strauss this January.

"The important thing to me is that the ones we do get in in midyear," London said, "that they do well, because then that may lend itself to having opportunities later on down the road."

Hill has distinguished himself at UVa. If Straus does well, too, then perhaps the admissions department will "look upon us favorably" when the football staff presents another candidate for midyear enrollment, London said.

At his introductory press conference in December, London was asked about the talent level in UVa's program. Too early to say, he replied. The same question Friday drew a similar response.

"I'll get back to you on that," London said, smiling.

Some other highlights of the session, which lasted about 45 minutes:

On the quarterback situation:

"I'm excited to see Marc Verica and the rest of the quarterbacks play under a system where, hopefully, we can make throws, based on everybody's ability, be able to get the ball downfield, be able to get the ball to the playmakers, throw it to the backs coming out of the backfield. Do some things to try to utilize everyone's skill and spread the field out, but not have a spread-offense type of approach."

On whether the coaches need to boost Verica's confidence level:

"That's a large part of it. Quarterbacks are human like everybody else, and listening to the criticism and things like that, you ask him did it affect him, and he'd tell you on the outside, no. But anyone of us in this room, if you got ridiculed and things like that, had people throw stuff at you, it would affect you. But I think the thing now with Marc is, we've had a chance to go through some early-morning runs and lifts and things like that. He's emerged as a leader ... And I think being an older guy, having played the position, understanding some of the aspects of playing the position, he sees this as a new lease on life, and we welcome that."

On whether the transition to linebacker will be difficult for the 6-4, 220-pound Walcott:

"I don't think tough at all. I think it's something he welcomes, because Mother Nature's still working on him, and it's hard sometimes to be a DB and try to keep your weight down when he's 6-4-plus and you're starting to lift ... I think he welcomes the position. It's more natural to him being able to run, come off the edge. He's got safety cover skills as a linebacker, which provides us hopefully with an edge."

On the decision of Ras-I Dowling, an All-America candidate at cornerback, to return for his senior year:

"He's the biggest recruit we had in the 2010 class. He was a five-star signee ... He's a great young man. He is emerging as our team leader. We're so proud to have him back and be one of our leaders."

On UVa's tailbacks, a group that includes Dominique Wallace, Torrey Mack and Perry Jones:

"I see speed and I see athleticism."

On Strauss' progress in the program:

"Michael's doing well now, getting adjusted to college life. We've had a couple early-morning workouts, and he's overslept on two of them. He hasn't got up at 5:30 in the morning much, but we're training him to be ready at any time, and we're excited about seeing what he can do also."

On the 6-4, 260-pound Johnson's move to defensive end:

"He's a great, great young man. Again it goes back to Mother Nature saying, 'You're going to be a big man,' and he's going to be a big man before it's all said and done. I think Cam relishes the opportunity to put his hands down on the ground and come off the edge. He welcomes the change, he welcomes to opportunity to start there Day One, going out there with the defense and doing what he can do. And I think it's going to help him pass rush-wise also ... He's one of the players defensively that we're going to look for big things from."

On whether the 6-7, 270-pound Conrath will stay at defensive end:

"With Matt's foot injury, it's kind of precluded him from developing his lower body. It's hard to squat and power clean when you're having foot problems as a lineman. He just had his surgery not too long ago, and so now it's going to be interesting to see his strength, growth and development, whether that takes him to the weight of a defensive end or the weight of an inside defensive tackle. Over the summer will be an important barometer for him about where he's going to end up."

On whether John-Kevin Dolce, at 250 pounds, is big enough to play defensive tackle:

"In spring practice we'll see. We'll put guys at different positions to make sure they're at the right position, and then we'll go from there.

"He's probably one of the strongest guys on the team. John has worked hard, as all these guys have, and the fun part about it, again, is we get to evaluate them coming in like we don't know who's who. And then we'll see who's who."

On outside linebacker Jared Detrick, who took a medical redshirt last season:

"It appears he's 100 percent. When I recruited him out of high school, he was running track, he was a hurdler, a sprinter. And now, barring any other injuries, he's back to running around like he used to."

On the need for playmakers:

"Defensively, you gotta have guys that can rush the quarterback, hit the quarterback, and those are [linemen]. And then if you have that, the cover guys .... I think Ras-I Dowling is just chomping at the bit to play bump coverage, to get up in somebody's face and dare 'em to throw the ball over him, instead of playing off. So we're going to try to do some things to utilize what his skills are. If you can do that and find those playmakers in some of those key areas, then I think you have a chance. I think we have some of those players in those skill areas, so we'll see what happens [in spring practice]."

On offensive tackle Oday Aboushi, who was in for 95 snaps as a true freshman in 2009:

"I'm just gonna go out on a limb to say this: I think he's going to be really, really good, really special ... I think Aboushi's got the skills to be a left tackle, right tackle. He's going to be in the mix as one of the five [starting linemen].

"The best about competition is the best player plays there. I'm excited about that left tackle position, because I think there's some candidates there that could be pretty good.

"It'll be great to see those guys out there competing, because you can imagine Cam Johnson and Aboushi going against each other. That's going to be a pretty good matchup there."

 

Very few surprises on UVa roster
Starting center Jack Shields is not returning along with two linemen who didn't play in 2009.
Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Given the lackluster showing that preceded Virginia's coaching change, nobody could have blamed new man Mike London for commissioning a spring housecleaning.

Maybe London is waiting for the spring thaw, but there were relatively few surprises on a revised 91-player football roster released by the Cavaliers on Friday. The Cavaliers begin spring practice on March 15, concluding with the spring game on April 10.

UVa has known for two months that two-year starting center Jack Shields has decided not to play as a graduate student in 2010, and the only other scholarship casualties were offensive lineman Billy Cuffee and defensive lineman Buddy Ruff, neither of whom played in 2009.

London did not mention Cuffee and Ruff by name but indicated there were two players who had not met academic requirements. There was no evidence of players bailing out after a 3-9 season and it does not appear as if the new staff has run anybody off.

One of London's first orders of business after taking the job was to talk to each player and apparently he liked what he heard "or maybe it was vice versa," said London, who was head coach at Richmond for two years before returning to UVa, where he previously had served as defensive coordinator.

"Maybe they liked what they heard prior to me coming in. Having been here is a benefit. If the players know who you are and what you stand for, the players are the best people to say, 'Know what? I think something special can happen here.' "

The Cavaliers didn't lose any underclassmen to the NFL Draft, as they had on a fairly regular basis. London, hired Dec. 7, learned early in his tenure that talented cornerback Ras-I Dowling would be returning for his senior year.

"He's the biggest recruit we had in the 2010 class," London said. "He was a five-star signee. He's emerging as a team leader. I've told everybody that we need to promote him nationally because he's that good."

Virginia loses its top four rushers, including quarterback Jameel Sewell, although 2009 back-up Marc Verica started nine games in 2008. Under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, UVa will employ a pro-style attack that may suit Verica better than last year's spread.

"Being an older guy and having played the position, he sees this is as a new lease on life and we welcome that," London said. "We're going back to the things that he can do well. We're excited about him and I know he's excited about being a leader on this team."

Virginia played a 3-4 defense under London's predecessor, Al Groh, but London's base defense at Richmond was a 4-3 and that's what new defensive coordinator Jim Reid prefers.

Cam Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder who will be a junior, started the last 10 games of the 2009 season as an outside linebacker. Johnson will move to defensive end on the side opposite two-year starter Matt Conrath, who is coming off foot surgery.

"I think Cam relishes the opportunity to put his hands on the ground and come off the edge," London said. "It goes back to Mother Nature saying, 'You're going to be a big man.'

"He welcomes the change; he welcomes the opportunity to start there from day one. He's one of the players on defense that we're looking for big things from."

Another young player that has London excited is 6-6, 310-pound Oday Aboushi, a sophomore offensive tackle. Aboushi backed up Landon Bradley on the left side; now, Aboushi could move to the right side and take over for four-year starter Will Barker.

"I'm just going to go out on a limb and say he's [Aboushi] going to be really, really good," London said. "He's got the skills to be the left tackle [or] right tackle. He's going to be in the mix to be one of the five."

The biggest question mark on the offensive line has to be center, where Shields started 23 of the past 24 games. Shields played 689 plays last year and back-up Anthony Mihota played 25, although he did start in the 2008 finale at Virginia Tech.

"Anthony Mihota is the next guy," London said. "There's no place to go to get another center. I feel, skill-level wise, that we have the guys who can step in."

n UVa officials say the Cavaliers will hold an intra-squad scrimmage at 1:30 p.m. on March 27 at Old Dominion University's Foreman Field. The Charlottesville school says it worked with ODU to hold its final open-to-public practice in Norfolk in an attempt to foster good will in the region.

London called the venture an experiment and said that if it is successful the Cavaliers might target other venues around the state in future years.

All-Tidewater players head Tech walk-on list
Timing right for George Wythe’s Lester and UVa
By Doug Doughty

Sometimes I have to check myself and wonder how much the respective college fanbases care about invited (or uninvited) walk-ons.

But, then, the name Cody Grimm comes to mind. Grimm, the leading vote-getter among linebackers on last fall’s All-ACC football team, went to Virginia Tech as an invited walk-on.

That’s not to say that every invited walk-on has a chance to be the next Cody Grimm, but it’s clear that recruiting for the Class of 2010 did not end Feb. 3.

In the print edition of The Roanoke Times this week, it was reported that Virginia had received commitments from walk-on candidates Drew Lester, a first-team All-Timesland offensive lineman from George Wythe High School in Wytheville, and Colby Rhodes, a second-team All-Timesland defensive back from Jefferson Forest outside Lynchburg.

They will join Nick Koutris, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound offensive lineman from Oakton who was rated the No. 74 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times.

Earlier, it had reported that quarterback Derek “D.J.” Dinardo from Cox High School in Virginia Beach had committed to Virginia Tech as an invited walk-on.

Dinardo, named first-team All-Tidewater by The Virginian Pilot as an athlete, was selected Beach District offensive player of the year and made first-team all-district at quarterback and second-team all-district at defensive back.

Dinardo was rated the No. 91 prospect in the state by The Roanoke Times and the Hokies also got the No. 100 prospect on that list, 5-11, 175-pound Willie Byrn from First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach.

Byrn made second-team All-Tidewater in the same spot, “athlete,” as Dinardo. Byrn made first-team All-Beach District as a punt returner and drew raves from First Colonial coach Bill McTyre when I called him to inquire about another player, Nick Dew, after Dew committed to the Hokies in September.

ANOTHER DECORATED player who will be coming to Blacksburg as a walk-on is 6-2, 240-pound Bradley Tallman from Tennessee High in Bristol. Tallman was named to the All-Bristol Herald Courier first team as a defensive end.

Tallman, named Big Eight Conference Player of the Year, had 12 tackles for loss and 6 ½ sacks as a senior.

The Hokies also have taken a commitment from 5-11, 200-pound workhorse Riley Beiro, a first-team All-Northern Region running back from McLean High School who had 47 carries for 284 yards in a late-season game with Langley. Beiro had 23 touchdowns during the regular season.

Blane Mason, another Hokie walk-on candidate who was mentioned in last week’s Notebook Plus, was named first-team All-Northwest Region on defense and second team on offense. Mason was also named second-team All-Group AA by virginiapreps.com.

The Hokies have their usual collection of kicking candidates, including place-kicker Conor Goulding from Gulf Coast High School in Naples, Fla., and punter Ethan Keyserling from East Chapel Hill (N.C.) High School.

Snapper Joe St. Germain from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., has accepted a walk-on offer from the Hokies after taking official visits to Tech, Colorado and Florida.

RETURING TO THE CAVALIERS, George Wythe football coach H.S. Ingo had an interesting tale to share about Lester, whose father, Steve, played at Richmond in the early 1980s.

Drew Lester had taken an official visit to Drake, which plays non-scholarship Division I-AA football in the Pioneer Football League, which includes Davidson.

“Drew, myself and his dad were sitting down after his visit to Drake,” Ingo said. “I just asked what his No. 1 choice was and he said he wanted to go to UVa. He wants to be a pre-med major.

“I said, ‘Well, let’s try this.’ Virginia has a new recruiting coach for this area, coach [Scott] Wachenheim. I picked up the phone and called him. I got a voice message and then he called me back 10 minutes later.

“I filled him on Drew and we had a discussion. He wanted to know if he had film. Turns out, they did. He said he’d get back to me. A lot of time, when recruiting people tell you that, you don’t hear back from them for quite a while, if at all.

“About 15 minutes later, while we were still sitting there, he called back and he said, ‘This kid can play.’ And, I said, ‘That’s what I’ve been telling everybody.’ Everybody thought he was too short because he was only 6-2.

“He said they’d actually had another walk-on walk out on them that day and that they had a spot if Drew could get in school, which wasn’t going to be a problem because Drew was a 4.06 student.

“Right now, they’re talking him about being a center. He went down to Fork Union for a tryout and they moved him to center, which I thought they would because of his height. He had played some center previously and could shotgun snap.

“He’d been making our line calls for four years.”

From start to finish, the process of Lester becoming a Wahoo lasted maybe one hour.

Lester’s dad had played at Richmond at the same time as new UVa coach Mike London, “but, it’s funny; that really didn’t help a whole lot when we tried to get Drew into Richmond,” Ingo said.

SPEAKING OF FORK UNION, postgraduate coach John Shuman reports that two players in The Roanoke Times Top 100 will be coming his way, including Taylor Evans, a 6-4, 275-pound offensive lineman from Broad Run High School in Loudoun County.

Evans, a first-team All-Group AA selection, was rated the No. 61 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times. Shuman also landed the No. 46 player on the list, Andrew Cordasco, a 6-5, 250-pound tight end from Jamestown High School in Williamsburg.

Cordasco made an in-season commitment to Richmond but re-opened his recruiting in hopes of attracting Division I-A attention. Shuman was careful in his pursuit of Cordasco because new Richmond coach Latrell Scott is one of his former assistants.

Virginia sets spring football schedule, including scrimmage at ODU
By Norm Wood | 247-4642
March 6, 2010

When Virginia coach Mike London recently spent time pondering unique ways to promote his football program within the state, he thought about taking the show on the road.

On March 27, London and the U.Va. football team will pack up on a few buses in Charlottesville and head for Norfolk, where it will run through a spring football scrimmage open to the public at Old Dominion University. Considering he'd never heard of a school practicing in the spring on another campus, London needed to get approval from the NCAA watchdogs before going forward with his plan. He got the thumbs-up sign.

"A lot of our players are from down around that area, so we'll see if it turns out to be a good idea," said London, a Bethel High graduate who was hired away from Richmond in December to be U.Va.'s coach. "I think if compliance has approved it, and it's going to serve a lot of aspects for us in terms of recruiting, relationships traveling around the state (and) partnering with another (Football Championship Subdivision) school down there, then I'm all for it."

After the 1:30 p.m. scrimmage at Foreman Field, fans will have the chance to meet U.Va.'s coaches and players. U.Va., which went 3-9 last season in coach Al Groh's final season, open spring practices March 15. The annual spring game is slated to be played at 2 p.m. April 10 in Scott Stadium.

"I think part of (practicing at ODU) is in the future we'd like to kind of do things throughout the state like this later on," London said. "(ODU football coach) Bobby Wilder and I are friends. The Tidewater area is very important to us in terms of recruiting and being visible down there. … I think it'll be good for recruiting. I think it'll be good for trying to revitalize and energize our fan base. For ODU, it's a win-win for them, also, because they get to practice right after us."

Key dates
March 15: U.Va. begins practice (open to public)

March 27: Scrimmage at ODU's Foreman Field at 1:30 p.m.

April 10: Spring game at Scott Stadium at 2 p.m.

Spring practice nears for Cavaliers
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 5, 2010
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When Mike London was introduced as Virginia’s new head football coach a couple of months ago, he was asked about the talent on hand in the Cavaliers program, to which he essentially said he’d get back to us on that.
Ten days before UVa’s spring football practice begins, the same question was posed to London during a chat with state media on Friday and his answer had a familiar ring.
“I’ll get back to you on that,” London chuckled. “Some guys are shorts team All-Americans, but then you put the pads on and you’ve got to hit and people hit back. We’ll see how they react to someone physically getting after them. We’ll be able to tell real soon.”
The new coach and his staff have spent the last several weeks evaluating film of returning personnel, but there’s nothing like the real thing, seeing their players in practice and scrimmage situations in order to make a true evaluation.
Spring practice begins March 15 and the first seven practice sessions are open to the public, including a March 27 scrimmage that will be held at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. The spring game will be held on April 10 at Scott Stadium, although the final practice (closed) is scheduled for April 12.
The open practices in Charlottesville are all set for 3:50 p.m. with one exception: March 15, 17, 19, 20 (10:20 a.m.), 22, 24. A starting time for UVa’s scrimmage at ODU is set for 1:30 p.m.
Moving one scrimmage to another part of the state was part of London’s brainstorm to gain more exposure around the Commonwealth. Essentially, the Cavaliers will scrimmage one another that day at ODU’s facility and hold a clinic in conjunction with the event.
ODU will likely scrimmage after UVa’s practice and also take part in the clinic. London said he hopes to move the scrimmage around the state to other FCS schools in the years to come, but that starting in Norfolk was by design.
“The Tidewater area is very important to us,” London said, clearly referring to his intentions of recruiting more players from that talent-rich region of the state.
London and members of his staff will host a free “Meet and Greet” for Cavalier fans today at John Paul Jones Arena, following Virginia’s men’s home game against Maryland. The football event will start approximately 3:30 p.m. and London will address the crowd at 4 p.m.
Fans attending the basketball game will have the opportunity to meet the football coaching staff on the arena floor after the game. Fans without tickets to the game will be admitted to the football portion following the conclusion of the basketball game.
 

Virginia Announces Spring Football Schedule
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/05/2010

Charlottesville, VA - Under the direction of first-year coach Mike London, the Virginia football team starts its spring football practice period Monday, March 15 and will hold the annual Spring Football Festival on Saturday, April 10 at Scott Stadium. The Cavaliers' first seven spring practices will be open to the public (see schedule below). Including the Spring Game, Virginia will hold 15 practices over a four-week period.

The final open practice will be a scrimmage on Saturday, March 27 at Old Dominion University's Foreman Field in Norfolk, Va. Following the scrimmage fans will have the opportunity to meet the members of the UVa football team and coaching staff. The scrimmage will start at 1:30 p.m. Additional information regarding other fan activities at the event will be announced at a future date.

"I am excited about the opportunity to bring the team down to the Norfolk area and practice at Old Dominion University," London said. "We are reaching out to area coaches, fans, and alumni to come and see us in action this spring. We will also be having a coaches' clinic in partnership with the Old Dominion Football staff. The "757" area is very important to us in many aspects. This is something we will continue to look at and perhaps in the future hold events like this in other areas of the state."

This year's Spring Football Festival will get underway at noon at Scott Stadium and include interactive activities on the field and at the west side of the stadium. The Spring Game will start at 2 p.m. A complete rundown of this year's Spring Football Festival will be announced prior to the event.

"We are looking forward to the annual Spring Football Festival at Scott Stadium and our spring game," London said. "That is a fun day for our fans and a great opportunity for our players to perform at Scott Stadium. Our intent is to have a complete game provided we have the depth at all of the positions to be able to field two teams to compete against each one another."

The Cavaliers return 42 letterwinners from the 2009 team including 19 on offense, 18 on defense and five specialists. The offense features six returning starters while seven starters return on the defensive side.

Virginia football open practice schedule:

Monday, March 15, 3:50 p.m. - UVa football practice fields

Wednesday, March 17, 3:50 p.m. - UVa football practice fields

Friday, March 19, 3:50 p.m. - UVa football practice fields

Saturday, March 20, 10:20 a.m. - UVa football practice fields

Monday, March 22, 3:50 p.m. - UVa football practice fields

Wednesday, March 24, 3:50 p.m. - UVa football practice fields

Saturday, March 27, 1:30 p.m. - Old Dominion University Foreman Field

Saturday, April 10, Noon - UVa Spring Football Festival


Mike London Meet and Greet at JPJA March 6

Virginia football coach Mike London and the members of his staff will hold a free Meet and Greet event at John Paul Jones Arena Saturday following the conclusion of the UVa men's basketball game against Maryland. Tipoff time is 1:30 p.m. The Meet and Greet is scheduled to start at approximately 3:30 p.m. and coach London will address the crowd at approximately 4 p.m.

Fans attending the basketball game will have the opportunity to meet the football coaching staff on the floor of the arena. Fans without tickets will be admitted to JPJA for the event following the conclusion of the basketball game. Parking will be available starting at 2 p.m. in the Emmet-Ivy Garage and any open spaces at the JPJA or University Hall parking lots for fans who only wish to attend the Meet and Greet.

 

London makes position changes, prepares to begin spring practice

Just finished up with Coach Mike London, who's ready to get going for the beginning of spring practice on March 15. There will be updates between now and then, but let's knock some of the news out of the way first...

- There are some position changes, as expected, with more on the way. Among the most notable...
- Terence Fells-Danzer moved to fullback from linebacker
- Cam Johnson moved to defensive end from fullback
- Ausar Walcott moved to linebacker from safety
- Brent Urban moved inside to defensive tackle from defensive end

"You look at the roster as it is now, and obviously it's going to change, but part of this evaluating process in changing to different schemes is finding who can play what," London said. "We projected players to move to different spots, but until we actually start practicing and assessing players' skills, we'll see whether they stay there or not."

- Some personnel updates...
- Guard Billy Cuffee and defensive tackle Buddy Ruff are no longer on the roster. Running back Keith Payne is back on the roster, but must meet requirements to remain on the team in the fall.

"There's two individuals that had not met the academic expectations of them that are not here with us," London said. "There are some guys on the roster that based on my expectations of them as a student-athlete and in the community, that will be contingent on whether or not they return next year. It's a spring practice full of trying to evaluate the talent we have on the team, evaluate those who have a fifth-year opportunity, whether or not the expectations of being a good student and doing the right things, if that comes to fruition and whether that happens, they may be on the team next year. There are a couple different elements going on right now about how the team will finally look next year."

- Some health updates...
- Running back Dominique Wallace is back running after a foot surgery ended his season, but will not be available for the spring.
- Defensive end Matt Conrath had a bone removed from his foot and will be hampered -- and possibly not involved -- in spring practice.
- Corey Mosley had shoulder surgery, and will likely be not allowed to participate in spring practice.

By Zach Berman

'Hoos Hope to Send Seniors Out on High Note
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/06/2010
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For Maryland, the stakes could not be much higher. A win Saturday afternoon would assure the No. 22 Terrapins (12-3, 22-7) at least a share of the ACC regular-season title in men's basketball.

UVa's goals are more modest. With a victory in the regular-season finale, the Cavaliers (5-10, 14-14) would end an eight-losing streak and salvage a measure of pride in a challenging season. A win would also stamp a happy ending on what promises to be an emotional day for Calvin Baker, Jerome Meyinsse and Solomon Tat at John Paul Jones Arena.

"You want to see those seniors leave on a good note, fighting hard," Tony Bennett, Virginia's first-year coach, said after practice Friday night.

In the traditional Senior Day ceremony, Baker, Meyinsse and Tat will be honored before the 1:30 p.m. game.

"It'll be special," Meyinsse said. "It's here quicker than I thought. I'll just try to enjoy the moment, and hopefully we can get a victory and end this losing streak."

When the Wahoos headed to College Park, Md., last month, the mood around the program was not nearly as somber. UVa had lost two straight -- in overtime to Wake Forest and by five points at Virginia Tech -- but Bennett's team appeared capable of knocking off the Terrapins.

Instead, the 'Hoos unraveled, losing 85-66 to the Terps in a game that wasn't that close.

"They probably beat us as thoroughly as anybody during this poor stretch," Bennett said. "Their offensive efficiency and their aggressiveness offensively will sort of knock you back on your heels if you're not ready."

For whatever reason, the loss at Comcast Center sent the 'Hoos into a freefall from which they've never recovered. Since leaving College Park, Virginia has lost by 19 to Florida State, by 23 to Clemson, by 12 to Miami, by 18 to Duke and, most recently, by 13 to Boston College.

"I think through this stretch of adversity, the inconsistency has really shown," Bennett said, "and I think some discouragement has certainly set in, and that's hard to battle. But battle it you must. And with one [regular-season] game left, I hope there will be a renewed sense of fight.

"As a coach I always believe, and I tell them this, right or wrong, that if they somehow can come together, I think they can be competitive and have a chance. I told them that before the BC game, I told them that in the locker room before [Thursday's] practice.

"I may be a hopeless romantic, but I still think there's more in his room than has been exhibited on the floor in the last few games. I think a number of reasons have led to us not being as competitive as we'd like, but I still am hopeful."

The other Cavaliers would be wise to follow the examples set by Tat and Meyinsse. Tat, a 6-5 swingman from Nigeria, rarely plays, but even if he's on the bench, his support of his teammates is unwavering.

"He's a warrior," Bennett said. "He's got the best attitude I've seen, really, seeing his situation, in all my years of coaching ... I'm so glad I've gotten to experience being with a guy like Solo because of his work ethic, but also because of his attitude, and that's going to carry him far beyond [basketball]."

Meyinsse, a 6-9 center from Baton Rouge, La., has averaged 15.3 points in his past three games. He was named to the all-ACC academic team this month, as was UVa junior Will Sherrill, and Meyinsse recently was selected as one of 36 student-athletes from the ACC who will receive postgraduate scholarships.

"He's a great role model off the court, on the court, great character kid," Bennett said. "He's just gotten better and better, and he's become a bit of a presence for us inside. I couldn't be happier for Jerome, who, again, represents all the right things."

The ACC tournament starts Thursday in Greensboro, N.C. Where UVa will be seeded depends on the outcome of the Duke-North Carolina game.

If the fifth-ranked Blue Devils win Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Virginia will be the No. 9 seed in Greensboro, no matter what happens Saturday afternoon at JPJ. If UNC wins, UVa will be seeded 10th.


 

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UVa in need of a senior moment
By Whitey Reid
Published: March 5, 2010
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On Senior Day last season, Mamadi Diane had a performance that Virginia fans won’t be forgetting anytime soon. The senior, who had been MIA, exploded for a season-high 23 points, leading UVa to a win in its regular-season finale over Maryland.
No doubt, first-year Virginia coach Tony Bennett wouldn’t mind a couple of Diane-like performances right about now.
Today, UVa (14-14, 5-10) will bid farewell to seniors Jerome Meyinsse, Calvin Baker and Solomon Tat when it hosts Maryland on Senior Day. Bennett’s bunch will be looking to snap an eight-game losing streak, which matches the program’s longest since 1962.
At this point, Bennett would probably settle for a competitive outing against No. 22 Maryland. The Wahoos’ last six losses have been by an average of 17 points, including a 68-55 setback on Wednesday night at Boston College.
“I felt like we weren’t ready to compete,” Bennett said after the loss.
Maryland (22-7, 12-3), riding a six-game winning streak, is coming off a win over Duke that moved it into a first-place tie in the ACC with the Blue Devils.
Per Senior Day tradition, Meyinsse, Baker and Tat figure to get starting assignments against the Terps. Lately, Meyinsse and Tat have been bright spots — Meyinsse for his ever-improving play and Tat for his energy and team-first attitude.
Earlier in the week, Meyinsse and teammate Will Sherrill were named to the All-ACC Academic Team. It’s the third year in a row that Meyinsse has earned the honor.
This season, Meyinsse has made some of the greatest strides of any Virginia player. The Baton Rouge, La. native has averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds in his last three games against Miami, Duke and BC. In the loss to the Eagles, Meyinsse was 6 of 6 from the floor.
“There’s an example of a guy who has paid his dues, worked hard and he’s improved,” Bennett said. “He’s a great role model off the court, on the court. He’s just a great character kid.
“He’s just gotten better and better, and has become a bit of a presence somewhat for us inside.”
Tat, due to visa issues and a subsequent marriage that enabled him to stay in the country, arrived at Virginia with plenty of hoopla. While he never made much of an impact on the court, he certainly made his presence felt off it.
“He’s a warrior,” Bennett said. “He’s got the best attitude I’ve seen…in all my years of coaching. He’s urging the team on and all about the right stuff. That’s why I named him [one of the captains]. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know and experience a guy like [him].
“Even in the hard times, he’s been a voice of encouragement for our players, our staff and I respect that greatly.”
Perhaps no player has experienced as much of a roller coaster during his career than Baker. The Newport News native arrived at Virginia as a walk-on transfer from William & Mary. Through hard work, Baker earned a scholarship and was a key contributor under former coach Dave Leitao.
But this season, Baker was hurt before the season even started. When he returned, he wasn’t happy with his role on the team and let everyone know about it, which led to a one-game suspension on Feb. 6 at Wake Forest. That loss marked the start of the team’s current
eight-game slide.
Baker was a DNP against BC on Wednesday.
“Calvin’s a battler and competitor,” Bennett said. “He’s kind of had an up-and-down season. I feel bad for him that, in his senior year, he’s had to deal with the injuries he’s had to deal with…
“He’s been through the wars.”
During the losing streak, the Cavaliers have gotten down big — and quickly. To their credit, they haven’t completely given up in the games. However, Bennett is looking for the trend to stop this afternoon.
“I don’t know why we have to get in that spot,” he said after the BC loss. “That’s why we made some substitutions. I’m going to play the guys that are going to fight and battle, and that’s kind of where we are.”
 

Bennett looking for passion from a lackluster bunch
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: March 5, 2010
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Tony Bennett talks a lot about character and the like to his basketball team. He has challenged them with a couple of “gut check” scenarios.
The first-year Virginia basketball coach has tried every coaching trick in the book to get a response from a Cavalier team that may have flat-lined back in early February.
Bennett has shuffled the starting lineup, put starters on the bench, started walk-ons, gone away from his sticky man-to-man for a change of pace. He’s worn a tie, gone tie-less.
He’s chastised his team privately, he’s pushed them in practice.
Nothing.
The young coach’s frustration was oh, so evident on the sidelines in a near-empty gym at Boston College on Wednesday night when his team lost for the eighth straight time. Bennett couldn’t believe his eyes as his team committed one blunder after another.
It’s essentially the same team that drove former UVa coach Dave Leitao to the brink.
Leitao tried every tactic from locking them out of their own dressing room until they showed enough pride to earn a return to not allowing them to have their dinner boxes for a bus ride home after one road loss.
Lumped together, last year’s squad and this year’s team have gone 24-32 over the past two seasons, 9-22 heading into this afternoon’s regular season finale against the ACC’s hottest basketball team, Maryland, which has won 22 games already this season.
The question is, will Bennett get more of the same from his squad that includes three seniors playing for the last time at John Paul Jones Arena, or will the visiting Terrapins just roll to a likely win, which would allow them to finish no less than tied for the ACC regular season title?
Virginia had better bring its “A Game,” if it can still find one because Maryland would relish in blowing the Cavaliers out of their own gymnasium.
Coach Gary Williams, likely the ACC Coach of the Year, doesn’t have any trouble finding motivation from his troops, thanks largely to senior guard Greivis Vasquez, likely the ACC Player of the Year. At least both of them have my vote.
Vasquez, sometimes referred to as the most polarizing player in the ACC, is a guy opposing fans love to hate. Heck, sometimes in the past, even Terp fans have drawn his ire.
Still, no one in the league plays harder than the flashy guard from Venezuela, a kid, who upon arriving in College Park to play roundball for one of the game’s most volatile coaches, was said to have walked into Williams’ office, saluted, and said “Reporting for duty.”
Now, that is the attitude, the commitment, that every coach wishes he had from a player. Bennett is certainly looking for that kind of passion from his team.
Last year, thanks to an inspired Mamadi Diane, who put on one of the best Senior Day shows ever by a Cavalier basketball player, Virginia found a way to bushwhack Maryland in the finale. Perhaps it will require another Diane-esque moment by some Wahoo in order to repeat the magic.
Otherwise, today is just another page in a lost cause.
If Virginia loses today it will be the team’s ninth straight setback. That hasn’t happened in Hooville since the early 1960’s.
Has Virginia basketball been reduced to that kind of insignificance?
If memory serves, former ACC commish and UVa AD Gene Corrigan once told me about those days when there was no money in the Virginia athletic department budget even though the school had been a member in the conference for at least five years.
Billy McCann was the head coach and he really didn’t have enough money for a full-time assistant coach and Corrigan either volunteered or was volunteered.
Again, if memory serves, I think Corrigan told me the Cavaliers used to travel to ACC road games in a few cars or station wagons and packed crackers and sandwiches.
That’s a far cry from how the Wahoos roll nowadays. Except for one thing. They keep losing.
When will the frustration end?
 

Tat a rock in turbulent times at U.Va.
By Michael Phillips
Published: March 6, 2010
Updated: March 6, 2010
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CHARLOTTESVILLE Solomon Tat has been the toast of the team recently, and it's not hard to see why.

Today is senior day at U.Va., and the last four years have been tumultuous for the Cavalier basketball program. Of the four freshmen who arrived as part of this class, two will take the court today, and they're playing for a different coach. In addition, they enter on an eight-game losing streak.

So it's no wonder that Tat's encouraging presence has been a rock the team has leaned on all season. He's rarely seen the lineup, but that hasn't quieted his steady beat of verbal encouragement and praise from the bench.

"Playing time doesn't define who I am," he said Thursday. "My mom told me to always maintain a winning attitude - in order to be successful, you have to have that attitude."

Coach Tony Bennett called it the best attitude he's seen in his years of coaching. Tat will be honored along with three other seniors today in a pregame ceremony.

Of former coach Dave Leitao's recruiting class, only he and Jerome Meyinsse remain. Calvin Baker transferred in from William and Mary midway through his career, and walk-on Tom Jonke joined mostly as an extra body to have for practices this season. This would be senior day for Jamil Tucker, but he was dismissed from the team in the fall for academic reasons. Will Harris transferred to Albany.

Through all that, the players who survived the changes have remained tight. Baker and Tat are roommates, and all three are friends.

"Those are the guys I went to war with," Tat said. "It's not just something that's on the court or at the University, but it's for life."

Tat was perhaps the most unlikely to end up at Virginia. He was born in Nigeria, but his parents currently live in Atlanta - they'll be on hand for today's game. He described coming to U.Va. not knowing what to expect, having not even been to Charlottesville.

In the classroom, he's a foreign affairs major, but he's most notable for being the team's encouraging presence.

"Even though he hasn't played much, he always comes to practice and gives 100 percent and tries to get us better," Meyinsse said.

Baker is another player who has worked to develop himself as a leader, taking a longer path to get there. After being benched earlier in the season for a freshman, Bennett didn't bring him to Wake Forest for a road game there. What followed was a renewed commitment to the game, one that has resulted in Baker playing his way back into the starting lineup.

He's also fought through numerous injuries in his career, missing the start of this season after having knee surgery. He played most of his junior season with a foot injury that also required surgery.

"I feel bad for him in his senior year, to have to deal with the injuries he's had to deal with, the amount of surgeries and things like that," Bennett said. "I know how much he desperately wants to play - probably hasn't gotten as much of that as he's wanted, but that's all part of it."

Meyinsse has received more attention throughout the year, as he bloomed into a regular contributor, something he hadn't been in previous seasons. He's also made his mark academically, and is the only ACC basketball player to receive one of the conference's postgraduate scholarships.

For all three of the seniors, they've seen a coaching regime come and go. And if Bennett is the one who leads U.Va. to national prominence, these will be the players who can say they were there when it all began.

"It's been great, because both coaches have had a huge impact on my life," Tat said. "Coach Leitao and coach Bennett both had their own style. Working with coach Bennett has been great not just for me, but for the whole team."

Terps are wary of letdown at Virginia
Maryland hopes to avoid repeat of last season's loss to Cavaliers in regular-season finale
By Jeff Barker | jeff.barker@baltsun.com
March 6, 2010

COLLEGE PARK - - If the No. 22 Maryland Terrapins require any additional motivation against Virginia today, they need only remember how dazed and depressed they were as they trudged off the John Paul Jones Arena court one year ago after losing to the Cavaliers.

Last season's Virginia team had lost four games in a row when it upset the Terps, 68-63, dealing what seemed at the time to be a devastating blow to Maryland's chances of making the NCAA tournament. The Terps earned a berth a week later on the strength of their performance in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Like last season, today's matchup in Charlottesville, Va., is both teams' last regular-season game. And like last season, Virginia is reeling - the Cavaliers (14-14, 5-10) have lost their past eight games.

But that's where the similarities end, say the Terps (22-7, 12-3), who are tied with Duke atop the ACC standings.

"Last season we were struggling a little bit closing games out, and that's what caused us to be on the bubble a lot," said sophomore guard Sean Mosley (St. Frances). "This year we're just playing. We've got inside presence from Jordan [Williams] and Landon [Milbourne] and Dino [Gregory] and James [Padgett]."

Maryland could claim the top seed in next week's ACC tournament with a win and a Duke loss to North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight. But the No. 4 Blue Devils are 16-0 at home and beat the Tar Heels by 10 points earlier in the season. Duke holds the tiebreaking advantages if it finishes with the same record as Maryland.

If it is the No. 2 seed, Maryland would open the ACC tournament Friday night against the winner of the game pitting the No. 7 and No. 10 seeds.

Maryland coach Gary Williams has the luxury of having three senior starters - Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Milbourne - who know all too well the danger of letting down against lesser teams. The Terps are coming off a 79-72 win over Duke on Wednesday night that was their biggest win of the season.

"That's the great thing about having seniors," power forward Jordan Williams said. "They've been in that situation before."

The freshman said the Duke win created a discernible buzz on campus. "The atmosphere is crazy still around campus. People will come up to you and say, 'Good job,' and [send] Facebook messages. It's cool.," he said.

Today won't be the first time, Gary Williams said, that the Terps, who have won six in a row, have needed to quickly come down from an emotional victory. He cited the buzzer-beating win over Georgia Tech, which was followed four days later by a victory over Clemson on Feb. 24.

"We've been in some games this season that were hard to describe. And we've been able to get ready for the next game," the coach said. "That's our job as a team is to realize that you have to complete a season. You can't prepare for 15 games and not prepare for 16 games. That's what we have to do."

Virginia is led by sophomore Sylven Landesberg (17.3 points per game). The 6-foot-6 guard has been battling a thigh injury and scored 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting in a loss to Boston College on Wednesday night.

Landesberg scored 12 points in Virginia's 85-66 loss to Maryland at Comcast Center on Feb. 15. Last season, he had 14 points in the win over the Terps.

"Virginia, they just wanted it more than us last year," Mosley said.

"We came out flat and [were] trying to come back from being down. [It was] Senior Night for them, too. This year is kind of different. We're more focused."

No. 2 Virginia men's lacrosse prepares for No. 1 Syracuse

Once basketball season and the NCAA tournament concludes, Cavaliers Journal will delve into men's lacrosse, baseball and spring football. But Sunday's lacrosse game between No. 2 Virginia and No. 1 Syracuse cannot be ignored, considering it's likely to be the top game of college lacrosse's regular season and just might be a precursor a rematch in Baltimore on Memorial Day weekend.

"This is the fifth time I played against Syracuse, and it's been an unbelievable rivalry throughout my career," senior defenseman Ken Clausen said. "It doesn't get much better than one versus two, and it's the first time we've had them in Charlottesville [in Clausen's career], so I'm very excited to have them down here and for the contest."

The snow is expected to be cleared from Klockner Stadium and weather forecasts have Charlottesville reaching 58 degrees on Sunday, so it has the makings of a good afternoon for lacrosse. Both Syracuse and Virginia are traditionally high-scoring teams and because it's early in the season and Virginia Coach Dom Starsia and Syracuse Coach John Desko are learning their personnel, the early-season matchup is usually more of a players' game.

Starsia tells his players that there are no big games, which is his way of ensuring the team is ready for anyone -- whether it's Stony Brook or Syracuse. But there's no denying that "Syracuse Week" takes on a different tone.

Because both teams should be among the nation's elite at the end of the season, the game does not carry serious postseason implications. Instead, it's the rivalry that will make the matchup exciting. Since 1994, the teams have played each other 22 times. Each team has won 11 games, while Virginia has scored 305 goals to Syracuse's 304 goals.

"It's going to be our first big test, so to say, for the season," Clausen said. "It's for the overall No. 1 ranking in the country -- not to say that's a huge focus of ours -- but definitely something in the back of our minds."

By Zach Berman

No. 2 UVa and No. 1 Syracuse to Tussle on Sunday at Klöckner Stadium
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 03/05/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Cavaliers, ranked No. 2 this week in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and USILA coaches poll, host the Syracuse Orange, ranked No. 1 overall in the same polls, Sunday at the Klöckner Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Live stats will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
Sunday, baseball and lacrosse parking will be available in the University Hall, John Paul Jones Arena and Cage lots as well as the Emmet-Ivy Garage. Fans are encouraged to arrive early because large crowds are anticipated to attend both events.

The game will also be broadcast in the Charlottesville area on WINA AM 1070 with John Freeman calling the action and Jamie Leachman doing the color broadcast. ESPN360 will televise the game live, followed by a tape delay on ESPNU. Eamon McAnaney will call the play-by-play for ESPN360 and Quint Kessenich will provide the color.

Virginia remained at No. 2 in both polls this week after sweeping both games they played during the week, including a 13-8 triumph over No. 18 Stony Brook in the home opener on Saturday. UVa also traveled to Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 23, leaving with the 15-7 victory.

Sophomore Chris Bocklet led UVa with seven goals and two assists on the week, including three straight against Stony Brook, which gave UVa the separation it needed in the second quarter to pull away to victory.

Saturday's game will be the first at Klöckner Stadium this season. Record snowfall in the Charlottesville region forced Virginia to host its home opener at the University Hall Turf Field, the first men's lacrosse game at the facili¬ty since the 2007 home opener. UVa has won 10 straight games at Klöckner Stadium and 11 home games overall, dating back to the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

This is the 16th consecutive season the Cavaliers have faced the Orange, who is coming off back-to-back NCAA national championship seasons. Syracuse is currently ranked No. 1 in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and the USILA coaches poll, marking the second straight season these two programs have faced each other in a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup. Head coach John Desko enters his 12th year at Syracuse where the Orange have won five NCAA national championships under his direction.

Syracuse's Chris Daniello and Cody Jamieson lead the way for the Orange on offense. Both have six points, as Daniello and Stephen Keogh lead the team with five goals. John Galloway has been stellar between the pipes, allowing 6.69 GAA and saving .667 of shots against him.

In the last meeting, UVa midfielder Shamel Bratton scored four goals and five points in helping Virginia become the first visiting program to win three straight games in the Carrier Dome, as the Cavaliers defeated No. 1 Syracuse 13-12, Feb. 27, 2009. Sunday's contest marks the first time in four years the teams have faced each other at Klöckner Stadium and the fifth time UVa has faced Syracuse with a 3-0 record or better (1995, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010).

Sunday's game also marks the third year in a row both squads have featured unblemished records at game time (during the regular season). Like the outcome of the last meeting, UVa holds the narrow 13-12 advantage in the all-time series. Ben Rebeor and Matt Ward each scored three goals and five points helping UVa on a 9-1 run en route to a 20-15 victory over Syracuse in the last meeting at Klöckner Stadium, March 4, 2006. The victory was Virginia's first home win over the Orange in 10 years and second all-time.

Bocklet leads UVa with nine goals and 13 points. Steele Stanwick has seven goals and 12 points to help lead the attack. Rhamel Bratton and Brian Carroll each have four points coming from the midfield, including Carroll's two man-up goals. Goalie Adam Ghitelman is coming off a strong performance against No. 18 Stony Brook. After scoring 21 goals in its season opener, Stony Brook was held to only eight scores against the UVa goalie. In the opening half, Stony Brook won 10 of the game's first 14 faceoffs, took 25 shots in the first half, yet only scored four times before the break on UVa and Ghitelman. On the season Ghitelman has a 7.27 GAA and is saving .556 of shots taken against him.

Tickets for Virginia lacrosse games can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com, by phone at (800) 542-8821 or in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Virginia lacrosse season tickets for 2010 are $30 (adult general admission) and $20 (youth, senior, faculty/staff general admission).

Single-game tickets to lacrosse games are $7 (adult general admission), and $5 (youth, senior, faculty/staff general admission).

All reserved seats are sold out for the 2010 season.

 

Wright State Knocks Off No. 1 Virginia Baseball, 2-1
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 03/05/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Wright State scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning on a squeeze bunt and made it stand in a 2-1 win over the No. 1-ranked Virginia baseball team on Friday at Davenport Field. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Cavaliers.
The contest was a pitchers' duel throughout, with starters Danny Hultzen (So., Bethesda, Md.) of Virginia and Alex Kaminsky of Wright State battling for seven innings before the bullpens took over.
Kaminsky (1-1) pitched seven strong innings while allowing just one earned run, seven hits and a walk while fanning seven. Greg Robinson then came on in the eighth inning and pitched two scoreless frames to earn his first save.
Hultzen (2-1) was equally exceptional, working seven innings and allowing two runs (one earned), five hits and no walks while striking out nine. It marked just the second loss in Hultzen's career (11-2). Tyler Wilson (Jr., Midlothian, Va.) blanked the Raiders over the final two innings.
Dan Grovatt (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.) and Franco Valdes (Sr., Miami, Fla.) each had a pair of hits for UVa (6-2). Tristan Moore led the Raiders (3-5) with three hits.
In the first inning the Cavaliers jumped out to the early lead. Phil Gosselin (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) led off with a double to left-center and scored two outs later on a single to left by Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.).
UVa, which came into the game with three errors through seven games this season, committed three Friday. The first led to Wright State's third-inning run. Gerald Ogrinc grounded to shortstop Tyler Cannon to lead off the inning, but the throw was short and skipped past first base for an error. After a Cameron Fagg sacrifice and a R.J. Gundolff strikeout, Jake Hibberd singled up the middle to plate Ogrinc and tie the game. The Raiders went on to load the bases before Hultzen struck out Casey McGrew looking to end the threat.
The Raiders grabbed the lead in the sixth inning. Moore and Quentin Cate started the inning with consecutive singles. McGrew then reached on a fielder's choice, moving Moore to third, and Garrett Gray followed with a well-executed suicide squeeze bunt to score Moore.
UVa had a key opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, as Grovatt singled to lead off and promptly moved to second on an errant pickoff throw. He moved to third on a deep flyout by Proscia, but Kaminsky rebounded to strike out Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) on a 3-2 pitch, and Cannon was thrown out by a half-step on a slow grounder to shortstop to end the threat.
Wright State loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but Wilson rebounded to strike out Gray looking and then forced Ashe to pop out to shortstop to end the inning.
Virginia next plays at 3 p.m. Saturday when it entertains Dartmouth. Wright State and Dartmouth open play tomorrow with an 11:30 a.m. contest at Davenport Field. Sunday, UVa will play twice, taking on Dartmouth at 11:30 a.m. and Wright State at 3 p.m.
 

Men’s Tennis Opens Outdoor Season With Doubleheader Sweep
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 03/05/2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The top-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team opened the outdoor portion of its schedule with a doubleheader sweep Friday afternoon at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers topped Old Dominion 8-0 and Georgetown 9-0, as both matches were played using alternative scoring that included extra singles matches.

Virginia (16-1, 2-0 ACC) opened the day with an 8-0 win over Old Dominion (10-4). The Cavaliers swept the doubles point with wins by Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) and Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) at No. 1, Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.) and Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) at No. 2, and Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Santiago Villegas (Bogota, Colombia) at No. 3.

The first match included seven singles matches, all won by Virginia. Shabaz, Courtney, Barrick, Singer, Philippe Oudshoorn (Apeldoorn, The Netherlands) and Steven Eelkman Rooda (Amersfoort, The Natherlands) all won in straight sets, while Jenkins won in three sets at No. 2.

In the second match, the Cavaliers downed Georgetown (4-4) by a 9-0 score. The Cavaliers again swept the three doubles matches for a 1-0 lead as the teams of Oudshoorn/Rooda, Jenkins/Singer and Villegas/Dino Dell’Orto (Hong Kong, China) recorded wins.

Eight singles matches were played between the Hoyas and Cavaliers, all won by Virginia. Courtney, Oudshoorn and Rooda won their second match of the day in straight sets. Milo Johnson (Tulsa, Okla.), Villegas, Dell’Orto, and Brian Fang (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) also won in straight sets and Barrick won in three sets to complete the sweep.

The Cavaliers will host No. 4 Texas on Sunday at noon at the Snyder Tennis Center. Admission is free. Texas is the highest ranked opponent to visit Charlottesville for a non-tournament match during the Brian Boland era.

No. 1 Virginia 8, Old Dominion 0

Doubles:
1. #21 ShabazCourtney (UVa) def. Chomette/Fanselow (ODU) 8-1
2. Jenkins/Singer (UVa) def. Diskin/Musalewski (ODU) 8-5
3. Barrick/Villegas (UVa) def Fahoum/Ochagavia (ODU) 8-1

Singles:
1. #2 Michael Shabaz (UVa) def. Tobias Fanselow (ODU) 6-1, 6-4
2. #27 Jarmere Jenkins (UVa) def. Benjamin Chomette (ODU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-0
3. #45 Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Yakov Diskin (ODU) 6-2, 6-4
4. #64 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Krzysztof Muzalewski (ODU) 7-6(4), 6-1
5. #102 Lee Singer (UVa) def. Albert Ochagovia (ODU) 6-1, 6-1
6. #122 Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) def. Fahoum Fahoum (ODU) 6-3, 6-3
7. #112 Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) def. Alfredo Rodriguez (ODU) 6-1, 6-1

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 1,3,2
Singles: 7,5,1,6,3,2,4

No. 1 Virginia 9, Georgetown 0

Doubles:
1. Oudshoorn/Rooda (UVa) def. Bruhn/Miller (GU) 8-5
2. Jenkins/Singer (UVa) def. Tan/Lowell (GU) 8-1
3. Villegas/Dell’Orto (UVa) def. Caris/Tillem (GU) 8-5

Singles:
1. #45 Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Anthony Tan (GU) 6-0, 6-1
2. #64 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. David Tillem (GU) 6-3, 5-7, 6-0
3. #122 Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) def. Bryan Miller (GU) 6-0, 6-4
4. #112 Steven Eelkman Rooda (UVa) def. Will Lowell (GU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Milo Johnson (UVa) def. Andrew Bruhn (GU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Santiago Villegas (UVa) def. CharlieCaris (GU) 6-1, 6-1
7. Dino Dell’Orto (UVa) def. Tim Walsh (GU) 6-1, 6-2
8. Brian Fang (UVa) def. Rafael Notorio (GU) 6-2, 6-2

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 2,1,3
Singles: 7,3,6,1,8,5,4,2
 

No. 9 Cavaliers Drop ACC Opener to No. 2 Maryland Benner stops seven shots for Virginia

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 2 Maryland Terrapins used seven unanswered goals to erase a one-goal deficit and pull away from the No. 9 Virginia women’s lacrosse team, 11-5, Friday evening at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. The loss drops the Cavaliers to 2-2 on the season, while the Terrapins remain unblemished at 4-0.

Senior All-American Kaitlin Duff led the way for Virginia, notching two goals, while senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein, senior Caity Whiteley and redshirt sophomore Ainsley Baker each had one goal.
Sophomore Josie Owen rounded out the scoring for the Cavaliers, dishing out one assist.

For Maryland, Karri Ellen Johnson paced the attack with four goals.
Caitlyn McFadden chipped in three, while Sara Mollison had two scores and three assists.

The first half was a battle, which featured five tie scores, en route to a one-goal halftime advantage for the Terrapins. Baker won the opening draw control for the Cavaliers, in which they patiently maintained possession before Whiteley got the scoring started at the 27:37 mark.

Maryland responded at 25:26 to even the score and spark a flurry of goals within the next one-and-a-half minutes. Kalkstein converted a free position shot in the span, before Maryland notched the first consecutive scores of the game, at 24:58 and 24:04, giving the Terrapins a 3-2 lead.

Owen won the ensuing draw control and Duff was able to knot the score for the third time, with a goal at 21:40.

Maryland then added another tally at 17:38, before back-to-back goals for the Cavaliers - from Duff and Baker - pushed Virginia ahead 5-4 with
9:43 to play.

The Terrapins responded with two-unanswered goals of their own, before the Cavaliers inserted redshirt junior Lauren Benner into the cage – who came up with two crucial saves to maintain the 6-5 score heading into halftime.

The Cavaliers opened the second half by winning the draw control and running the first six minutes off the clock. A Terrapin save and then turnover gave the ball back to the Cavaliers, before controversial calls following a Virginia goal at the 19-minute mark sparked confusion on both sides. The Cavaliers had their goal erased due to a crease violation, while Maryland was called for an off side penalty. Kalkstein was able to earn the possession back for the Cavaliers, but Maryland forced a turnover and capitalized on it at the 18:04 mark with a goal.

The Terrapin attack tacked on three more unanswered scores, while Maryland’s defense held Virginia scoreless the remainder of the game, accounting for the final margin of 11-5.

Kalkstein won four draw controls for Virginia, leading the Cavaliers to a 10-8 advantage in the category, but the Cavaliers struggled throughout the midfield, especially in the second half, failing to clear the ball on three of six occasions.

In goal, Benner picked up a season-high seven saves for the Cavaliers, while Brittany Dipper had four saves for Maryland.

Virginia will look to rebound on Sunday as they head to State College, Pa. for a 1 p.m. contest against the No. 13 Nittany Lions.
 

Pack runs past Cavaliers
By Jay Jenkins
Published: March 5, 2010
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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Monica Wright’s final trip to the ACC Tournament ended up being her shortest.
It was not her fault.
Despite a 32-point effort from the league’s player of the year, third-seeded Virginia was bounced prematurely from the tournament in the quarterfinal round with a 66-59 loss against sixth-seeded North Carolina State inside the Greensboro Coliseum.
The setback leaves Virginia (21-9) in a lengthy wait-and-see mode — the Cavaliers will not learn their destination in the NCAA tournament until the selection show on March 14.
“All of the credit goes to N.C. State,” Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. “We just didn’t get enough from other players in the game.”
After a foul-plagued first half, Wright attempted to single-handedly reel in the Wolfpack in the second half.
Virginia’s all-time leading scorer dropped in 22 of her game-best total as the Cavaliers tried to chip away at a deficit that reached 14 just nine minutes into the second half at 49-35.
“I was just trying to get into a rhythm in the second half,” Wright said. “In all, I just think we stopped ourselves offensively.”
Wright, who had played in two games in every previous trip to the ACC tournament, needed more help — the rest of the Cavaliers combined for just four field goals and 13 points after halftime.
“She tried to will this team to win,” Ryan said of Wright.
N.C. State (19-12), which advances to face seventh-seeded Boston College today in a semifinal, was paced by a 15-point performance from guard Marissa Kastanek. It marks the first time in league history that the No. 6 seed will face the No. 7 seed in the semifinals.
Nikkitta Gatrell (12 points), Brittany Strachan (11) and Bonae Holston (10) also finished in double figures for the Wolfpack.
For the game, Virginia shot just 33.9 percent from the field, missing 41 of 62 attempts. The four players that started alongside Wright combined to go 6 for 25 and added only 17 points to the team’s total.
Virginia had chances to cut into N.C. State’s lead in the final three minutes of the game, but missed numerous opportunities from the field. The most costly was an errant pull-up jumper by Lexie Gerson that barely touched the front of the rim.
The Wolfpack made the forced jumper hurt, as Gartrell connected on a 3-pointer with 1:45 left to push the lower-seeded team up 58-51.
The Wolfpack exploded out of the locker room following halftime, using a 22-11 run to go up 14 points. The scoring spree included a pair of 3-pointers from Kastanek.
“We kind of used that shot to propel us in the second half,” Kastanek said.
Both teams struggled from the field in the opening half , combining to miss 40 shots from the field.
The Cavaliers faired slightly better, connecting on 11 of 30 (36.7 percent) attempts, but sophomore guard Ariana Moorer had four points on 1-for-8 shooting.
The toughest blow for Virginia, however, came with 4:11 left in the session when Wright was called for her third personal foul. The call, made by Mark Hardcastle, came after the Cavalier guard made minimal contact with a Wolfpack, but it landed Wright on the bench for the remainder of the half.
“I can’t really put myself in that position as a senior and the leader of this team,” Wright said.
N.C. State took advantage and took a 27-24 lead into the intermission after Kastanek nailed a 3-pointer from the wing as the first-half buzzer sounded.