U.Va's marquee teams have dipped, but not other squads
By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 29, 2009

There went the neighborhood, Brian O'Connor likes to joke.

When a house on his street came on the market three years ago, the University of Virginia baseball coach knew just the person to call: his hall mate at U.Va.'s McCue Center, men's tennis coach Brian Boland.

Boland bought the house, and now he and O'Connor are neighbors, as well as friendly rivals.

"We rib each other pretty good," O'Connor said.

O'Connor has the better lawn - he's a baseball guy, after all. But Boland has the higher-ranked team. His tennis squad is No. 1 in the nation, 10 spots ahead of O'Connor's baseball team.

At Virginia this spring, they've had plenty of company in that elite neighborhood. Men's lacrosse, which enjoyed an extended run at No. 1, is ranked fourth in the nation this week. The women's lacrosse team is No. 9. The women's golf team is No. 3 going into next week's NCAA regionals, and the women's rowing squad is 15th. Men's track and field came out of nowhere this month to tie Florida State for the ACC championship.

True, the marquee sports in Charlottesville have fallen on hard times. The football team won just five games last season and the men's basketball team went 10-18 and finished 11th in the ACC.

But with their across-the-board success this year, the Cavaliers have been kings of the spring.

"This spring has been astonishing in a lot of ways," said Dom Starsia, the longtime men's lacrosse coach. "It does create a competitive atmosphere that is healthy for everybody."

"All of us have had a lot of success of late," O'Connor said. "You obviously root for your other coaches and teams to do well. It seems we've all set pretty high standards."

Virginia has set them across the board - and put its money where its mouth is.

"If there's a common thread, it's that we've been able to provide the necessary support in terms of what it takes to have a successful sports program generally," athletic director Craig Littlepage said.

All of Virginia's programs are fully funded, with the maximum number of coaches and scholarships allowable. The Cavaliers have also spent generously on facilities, raising all the necessary money through private donors.

Boyd Tinsley, violinist for the Dave Matthews Band, was the primary benefactor of a $7.5 million expansion of the school's indoor tennis facility. Two anonymous donations of $2 million funded construction of a new baseball stadium completed in 2002. The golf teams have an $850,000 short-game practice facility.

All represent major investments in sports that were on shaky ground less than a decade ago. How shaky? In the spring of 2001, a university task force was recommending the school drop baseball and men's tennis to club status. That recommendation wasn't followed, and that same year, women's golf was added as a varsity sport.

While improved facilities have helped those teams thrive, the sports have also benefited from an injection of energetic young coaching talent. Littlepage hired Boland in 2002 and O'Connor in 2004. Women's golf coach Kim Lewellen is in her second year. Men's track coach Jason Vigilante is in his first.

Starsia, who came to Virginia in 1993, is the graybeard of the bunch, at 57. With three national championships, he's also the coach the others flock to for advice.

"I wanted to learn everything I could from Dom," Boland said. "Even though our sports are different, we're both still in the same business in terms of working with young people, managing players, recruiting, trying to accomplish things around the grounds."

Starsia joked that he saw Boland more in recent years than he did his wife. Their offices are next to one another in the McCue Center. O'Connor's was across the hall until he moved to University Hall.

Boland "is an emotional, energetic guy - a bit of a bull in a china shop," Starsia said. "You've got to move the china out of the way and give him room to operate."

Boland's team, which couldn't crack the top 75 when he took over, has won three straight ACC titles and grabbed the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament Tuesday.

Other teams at Virginia are also gearing up for postseason play. With so many teams among the nation's elite, Virginia appears poised for a strong showing in the national director's cup, which is rewarded annually to the school with the best overall athletic program. The Cavaliers were 19th following the winter season after finishing 17th last year and 13th in 2007.

Littlepage said a top-10 showing is the goal this year. He calls the cup the "gold standard" for overall excellence.

At the same time, he acknowledges it's not always the standard fans look to. Given a choice, many would undoubtedly take a single BCS bowl game or a men's basketball Final Four appearance over any number of track or tennis championships.

"There are fans who would measure a program's success by how you're doing in football and how you're doing in men's basketball, and I understand that," Littlepage said. "Certainly, those are the sports that drive the engine in terms of generating revenue for your entire program, and you have to have success in those sports over the long haul."

Virginia's working on it, having made a coaching change in men's basketball and overhauling the assistant coaching ranks in football, including hiring a new offensive coordinator.

The goals of being good in football and men's basketball and in the "non-revenue" sports as well are not mutually exclusive, and most fans recognize that, said Richard Litton, Tidewater district chair for the Virginia Athletics Foundation, the athletic department's fundraising arm.

"If you look at the numbers year by year, it's self-evident that people aren't putting their wallets away just because the football team has a bad year," he said.

Starsia said he realizes that when the marquee sports are down and other programs are thriving, some could get the idea that the school has misplaced priorities.

"People want to deride the director's cup sometimes," he said. "I think we should explain it in terms of championships. Over the last seven-eight years, I believe we have the most ACC championships overall.

"Whether you're a football guy or not, you can appreciate championships."

 

Virginia No. 1 Seed for NCAA Tennis Tournament
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/28/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team is the No. 1 seed for the 2009 NCAA Tournament and will host first and second round action at the Snyder Tennis Center next week. The Cavaliers will meet Navy in a first round match on Friday, May 8, while South Carolina will play North Carolina in the other first round match in Charlottesville.

It is the second consecutive season that the Cavaliers are the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Last year Virginia became the first ACC team to receive the top seed.

The selection marks the sixth consecutive year that the Cavaliers have received a seed and hosted a regional. Virginia is the only school to be a top eight seed in the NCAA Tournament in each of the past six seasons. In each of the past five years, Virginia won first and second round matches at home to advance as one of 16 regional winners to the NCAA Championships. This year, Texas A&M will host the NCAA Championships.

Virginia enters the tournament with a 29-0 record after completing its second consecutive undefeated regular season. The Cavaliers earned the ACC’s automatic bid to the tournament by winning the ACC Tournament two weeks ago in Cary, N.C. Navy is 18-7 this season and won the Patriot League Tournament. South Carolina (15-10) and North Carolina (16-10) both received at-large selections.

The North Carolina-South Carolina match will begin at 10 a.m. on May 8 with the Virginia-Navy match to follow at 1 p.m. The winners will meet in the second round on Saturday at 1 p.m.

NCAA First Round – Friday, May 8
10 a.m. South Carolina (15-10) vs. North Carolina (16-10)
1 p.m. Virginia (29-0) vs. Navy (18-7)

NCAA Second Round – Saturday, May 9
1 p.m. First round winners

 

U.Va. top seed in NCAA men’s tennis tournament
By Staff Reports
Published: April 29, 2009

The 64 teams invited to the NCAA's Division I men's tennis tournament include three from this state, led by No.1 seed Virginia (29-0).

Virginia Tech and Big South champion Radford also made the field, which was announced last night.

U.Va. entered last year's NCAA tourney unbeaten, too, and advanced to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Georgia. The Cavaliers also reached the final four in 2007.

The tournament opens May 8. Virginia hosts Navy (16-7) at 1 p.m. in Charlottesville, Virginia Tech (14-7) meets UNC Wilmington (19-5) in Athens, Ga., and Radford (20-3) faces Duke (15-8) in Knoxville, Tenn.

The NCAA men's and women's team champions will be crowned May 19 at College Station, Texas.

The Division I women's tournament also comprises 64 teams. Three are from this state, and all three will open the tourney May 8 or 9 in Durham, N.C.

U.Va. (13-9) and Virginia Commonwealth (18-9) clash in the first round, as do Atlantic 10 champion Richmond (17-5) and Duke (23-3). The winners will meet in the second round.

Duke, the ACC champion, is the tourney's No. 3. seed. Northwestern is the top-seeded women's team. - Jeff White

 

Virginia nabs bids to NCAAs
By Whitey Reid
Published: April 29, 2009

Last spring, when the Virginia men’s and women’s tennis teams gathered to watch the NCAA tournament selection show on ESPN, there was a touch of awkwardness in the air.

While the men, as expected, made the tournament, the women did not.

On Tuesday evening at the Boar’s Head Sports Club, the atmosphere was much different.

The No. 1-ranked men earned the top seed in their draw and will host Navy next Friday. The women, ranked 27th, earned an at-large bid and will play VCU in Durham, N.C., either next Friday or Saturday.

“We’re honored to be the No. 1 seed,” said Virginia coach Brian Boland, whose team finished 29-0 after winning the ACC championship. “It’s something that is extremely well-deserved. The guys have worked hard all year and been consistent, and I feel like we can improve even more in the next 10 days.”

If UVa can get past the Midshipmen, it would take on the North Carolina-South Carolina winner next Saturday.

After last season’s heartbreaking loss to Georgia in the NCAA semifinals, Virginia senior co-captain Dom Inglot can’t wait to get going.

“It really didn’t matter who we have to play,” said Inglot, the team’s No. 1 singles player. “I feel everybody is really confident whoever the opposition is.”

Meanwhile, the women’s team (13-9) is glad to have finally put last year’s NCAA snubbing in its rearview.

“I think we’re all tired of talking about last year,” said Virginia women’s coach Mark Guilbeau. “That was an anomaly and shouldn’t be the norm here.

“But give the kids credit. They knew last year wasn’t where we wanted to be and we had to step up.”

Senior Amanda Rales and her teammates broke into wide smiles when they saw “Virginia” pop onto the television screen.

“We pretty much knew that we would be in,” Rales said, “but it’s definitely nice to see that draw.”

Virginia will play the Duke-Richmond winner on either Saturday or Sunday.

“It was a team goal to make it to the Sweet 16,” Rales said. “That’s something I really want to do in my last year. We’ll have to go through VCU and probably Duke to get there. That will be tough, but I want to give it everything I have to make that happen.”

Two years ago, Virginia defeated the Rams in the first round of the tournament before losing to Clemson.

The men will likely have an easier go of things since they get to play their first two matches in the friendly confines of the Snyder Tennis Center.

“It will be a strong field here in Charlottesville,” Boland said. “Hopefully our great fans will come out like they always have and continue to support us and give us that home-court advantage.

“We’re excited to play and will do everything we can to be prepared.”

 

Cavs add touted recruiting class
By Whitey Reid
Published: April 29, 2009

Most college tennis pundits would agree that Virginia men’s coach Brian Boland already has the most talented roster in the country.

That’s why, right about now, coaches around the country just have to be shaking their heads.

On Monday, Boland landed a downright scary recruiting class for next season. Quite possibly, it’s the best of his tenure — and that’s saying something when you consider two-time NCAA champion Somdev Devvarman once played for Boland.

Boland went to all corners of the globe in landing recruits Dino Dell’Orto (Hong Kong, China), Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.), and Julen Uriguen (Guatemala City, Guatemala).

“I have signed some outstanding classes over the years,” Boland said, “but this particular group certainly ranks up there as one of the best.”

Jenkins, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound right-hander, is the coup de grace. He will be the top-ranked American junior player to enter college this fall and has been ranked within the top 20 in the world ITF rankings.

In December, he won the Orange Bowl doubles title while reaching the singles final. In February, he won the doubles title at a USTA Futures Circuit event in Texas, defeating former Cavalier All-American Treat Huey and Wake Forest All-American Todd Paul in the final.

Last year, Jenkins played in the junior US Open, junior Wimbledon and junior French Open. In 2006, he reached the doubles final of the US Open Junior Championship.

“Brian is a great guy and a great coach. Next year, with all the players we have, we’re going to be just great,” Jenkins said. “Having the best team and a great coach is a great situation for me heading into college.”

Jenkins picked Virginia over Texas A&M and Georgia.

“I had good chemistry with [coach] Steve Denton at Texas A&M, but I just think with Virginia, Brian is a little bit more like my coach now [Stephen Koon].”

Jenkins, whose older brothers played at Northwestern and Clemson, said he labored over his decision.

“We had conference calls from, like, 7 at night to 1 in the morning,” he said. “There were times when I walked away from the call and I thought for sure I was going to Texas A&M, and then there were times when we walked away and it was Virginia.”

Boland, who has turned Virginia into a tennis power in his eight years on grounds, was tireless in his efforts to land Jenkins.

“Any time you recruit against the top programs in college tennis, it’s always a battle,” he said. “Jarmere is a kid who has so much going for him and would have an immediate impact anywhere in the country.

“I think he was impressed with how our players have grown and developed throughout their careers.”

Next season, Boland will lose only senior Dom Inglot to graduation. Theoretically, Jenkins could come right in and battle Sanam Singh and Michael Shabaz for the No. 1 singles spot.

Last month, Uriguen, an American citizen who lives in San Antonio, made his Davis Cup debut for Guatemala at the age of 17. He joins Singh (also ranked as high as No. 4 in the ITF rankings) as the highest ranked junior player to join the Cavalier program.

Dell’Orto has been ranked as high as No. 87 in the ITF junior rankings. He has competed in the main draw of both the Australian Open Junior Championships and the Orange Bowl tournament. He is currently the No. 1 ranked junior in Hong Kong.

Regardless of who plays where, Virginia figures to have a lineup in which just about any player would be the No. 1 at any other school.

Boland is thrilled about all three additions. He called Jenkins “an ideal fit, both on and off the court.”

“He has goals and aspirations to play tennis at the next level and I believe we have an environment that will help him meet his goal,” Boland said.

Jenkins actually gave serious thought to bypassing college and turning professional.

“It’s been one of my goals since I was 4,” said Jenkins, who idolized Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras as a kid. “I was strongly considering it, but in the end I realized the best thing to do was to go to college.

“The main factor that went into my decision to come to Virginia was the team,” he continued. “I get along great with the guys that are here. Coach Boland is a really good coach and the athletic program is top-notch. I feel comfortable with the academics and the school is beautiful. It is a great place for me to grow and improve my tennis.”

 

Virginia handles Liberty
By Jay Jenkins
Published: April 29, 2009

Thirteen was not an unlucky number.

Virginia sophomore Jarrett Parker mashed a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning off the flag pole in left-center field, propelling the Cavaliers to a 5-2 victory over Liberty on Tuesday at Davenport Field.

Parker’s mammoth shot, which helped improve No. 11 Virginia to 35-9-1 overall, was his 13th of the season.

“I heard it, but I didn’t see it,” Parker said. “Liberty had just tied up the game so I was just trying to start something up. I was trying to drive something and that is what I did.”

The game was, in fact, tied at two after Liberty (29-14) scored in the fifth and sixth innings.

For that reason, Virginia starting pitcher Matt Packer was thankful for Parker’s home run, even if it drifted to the wrong part of the ballpark for his liking.

“It was a bomb,” Packer chuckled. “I was hoping that it would stay a little closer to center so we could finally see a ball go over in center. I think it would have cleared it by a long shot.”

The homer, coupled with a two-run single by catcher John Hicks, helped give Packer the win on the mound. The left-hander allowed seven hits in 6.1 innings of work before turning the game over to Tyler Wilson and Kevin Arico.

In amazing fashion, Packer threw just 76 pitches in the outing.

“Every time I threw it up there they put it in play,” said Packer, who walked one batter, fanned just one and benefited from three double plays. “My defense just made plays behind me. I wanted to attack the strike zone and make them swing at pitches that they didn’t want to hit.

“They were swinging at them and putting them into the ground.”

It was the second quality start in a row for Packer, once Virginia’s closer.

“I thought Matt Packer looked really good tonight,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “It was great to see him pitching into the seventh inning. Liberty has a very good club, they are very offensive and I thought he did a nice job with clutch pitches when runners were on base.

“He was efficient and his pitch count has a lot to do with Liberty. They are very aggressive. They get up there and attack. They don’t have a lot of strikeouts this season, and that is why.”

Virginia finished the contest with 11 hits. Danny Hultzen, Steven Proscia and Tyler Cannon led the charge with two hits apiece.

Liberty starter Tyler Light took the loss on the mound, allowing eight hits and five earned runs.

With an exam break looming, the Cavaliers will not return to action until May 8, when they entertain Duke at Davenport Field.

 

No. 11 Baseball Douses Flames, Wins 5-2
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/28/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) hit the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning and Matt Packer (So., Germantown, Tenn.) tossed 6.1 strong innings as the No. 11 Virginia baseball team defeated Liberty, 5-2, Tuesday at Davenport Field.

Parker hit his 13th home run this season to move into sole possession of eighth place on the UVa single-season home run chart. Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.), Tyler Cannon (Jr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) and Steven Proscia (Fr., Suffern, N.Y.) each had two hits. John Hicks (Fr., Sandy Hook, Va.) added a key two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning.

Packer (3-4) started and allowed two earned runs, seven hits and one walk while striking out one as he won his second straight Tuesday start. He kept the ball down all night with 16 of his outs coming via ground balls. Tyler Wilson (So., Midlothian, Va.) bridged the gap with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief before Kevin Arico (So., Flemington, N.J.) pitched the ninth to nab his sixth save.

Tyler Light (1-3) started for Liberty and pitched well before giving up three runs in the sixth inning. He went 5.1 innings, allowing five earned runs and eight hits while fanning four.

The Cavaliers’ defense was at its best, turning a season-high four double plays.

Virginia (35-9-1) broke a third-inning scoreless tie when Corey Hunt (R-So., Charlottesville, Va.) singled up the middle to score Cannon, who had singled to lead off the inning.

In the fourth inning, UVa added a run. Hultzen led off with a double to right-center and scored one out later when Proscia hit a grounder toward shortstop that took a wicked hop and bounced high over shortstop Matt Williams’ head for a single, scoring Hultzen and giving the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead.

The Flames (29-14) got on the board in the fifth inning with a two-out rally. Tim Rotola beat out a infield single, then stole second. He scored on the next pitch on a single by Trey Wimmer.

Liberty tied the score in the sixth inning. With one out, Errol Hollinger doubled down the left-field line to score Williams. Packer then walked Cody Brown, but rebounded to get Tyler Bream to hit a comebacker to the mound for a 1-4-3 double play to end the threat.

The Cavaliers wasted no time in taking the lead back, as Parker led off and hit a towering home run to left-center on the second pitch of the inning. The ball sailed just to the left of the Blue Monster in center field.

Virginia did not stop there, with Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.) ripping the next pitch to center for a single. Hultzen then laid down a perfect bunt down that died on the grass for a single. Dan Grovatt (So., Tabernacle, N.J.) sacrificed the runners to second and third and with two out, Hicks shot a single up the middle to score two runs and give Virginia a 5-2 advantage.

Packer left in the seventh inning with one out and a runner on second base. Wilson walked Wimmer but bounced back to get P.J. Jimenez to ground into a double play. The Flames did not move a runner past first base the rest of the way.

Virginia now goes on a nine-day hiatus for final exams before returning to the field May 8-10 when it takes on Duke in a key ACC series at Davenport Field.


 

Ex-Hokies agree to plea over alleged soda theft
The Roanoke Times
© April 28, 2009
By Mark Berman
CHRISTIANSBURG

A plea agreement has been reached in The Great Dr Pepper Caper.

Former Virginia Tech basketball players A.D. Vassallo and Chris Tucker, charged with misdemeanor shoplifting in December over the alleged theft of a 12-pack of Dr Pepper, entered not-guilty pleas Monday in Montgomery County General District Court. However, they stipulated there was sufficient evidence to find them guilty.

District Court Judge Gino Williams agreed to take their cases under advisement for one year and place them in an alternative program for shoplifters. The program, run by New River Community Corrections and Pretrial Services, involves taking a class.

Vassallo and Tucker were arrested by a Virginia State trooper Dec. 18 near a Stop-in Food Stores convenience store in Christiansburg.

The trooper, G.A. Syres, said in an interview after Monday's hearing he witnessed Tucker take the Dr Pepper from a display outside the store and get into a car driven by Vassallo.

He said Vassallo was charged because he was driving and because Syres believed Vassallo knew the Dr Pepper was stolen.

Syres said he was in uniform and getting gas for his unmarked police car when he noticed on the cold and windy night that Vassallo's car was at the end of the parking lot with its passenger door open.

Syres said Tucker kept watching the clerk after Tucker came out of the store.

"When the clerk... went behind the aisle where he couldn't see outside anymore, that's when he grabbed the Dr Pepper and jumped in the car and it took off," Syres said.

Syres stopped the car.

"I asked them, 'Why would you do that?' 'Just being stupid, sir' - Tucker's the one that said that," Syres said. "They said they didn't have any money to pay for it. They bought cigars, but they didn't have any money to pay for the Dr Pepper."

Vassallo, who auditioned for NBA scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational this month, and Tucker declined to comment after Monday's hearing.

Vassallo, a 2009 All-ACC third-team pick, concluded his Hokies career last month as the fifth-leading scorer in Tech history. Tucker was a senior reserve on the 2006-07 Hokies.