Virginia falls to Georgia in NCAA semis
By Whitey Reid
Published: May 20, 2008

TULSA, Okla. — The Virginia men’s tennis team’s dream of an undefeated championship season ended with a thud on Monday night at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Make that a cramp.
Tied at 3 with Georgia, Virginia’s hopes all came down to Sanam Singh’s No. 4 singles match against Jamie Hunt.
The freshman from India won the first set, but began cramping en route to dropping the second set. Singh was crushed in the third.
Hunt’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 triumph paved the way for a 4-3 Georgia win. The Bulldogs, who became the first team to defeat Virginia this season, will play Texas in the NCAA finals tonight at 7 p.m.
For No. 1-ranked UVa (32-1), it was a bitter ending to an otherwise storybook season — especially when you consider that the Cavs won the opening doubles point.
“I thought it was a great match,” said Virginia coach Brian Boland. “It didn’t end the way we expected it to, but at the same time I think my team left everything on the court and I’m really proud.
“It was unfortunate the way it had to end. I feel badly for Sanam, but that’s college athletics. This is when young men build character.”
The match featured some of the most entertaining doubles of the season. After Houston Barrick and Singh lost at No. 3, Virginia needed to win at both No. 1 (Somdev Devvarman and Treat Huey) and No. 2 (Dom Inglot and Michael Shabaz) to earn the point.
Devvarman and Huey were cruising along until Huey ran into serving problems. Up 7-4, Huey double-faulted four times in the game. Georgia’s Hunt and Nate Schnugg looked poised for a momentum-changing break, but Huey somehow righted himself and closed out the match.
Attention quickly turned to the next court where Inglot and Shabaz were up two breaks on Luis Flores and Javier Garrapiz and serving for the match at 7-4.
However, Inglot, who had been playing lights out, suddenly got a case of the heebie jeebies and lost his serve.
Leading 7-6, Shabaz had a chance to close out the Bulldogs, but he too was broken.
At that point, with the match tied up, all of the momentum seemed to be going Georgia’s way.
But that’s when Inglot and Shabaz broke right back to go up 8-7.
Inglot, with another chance to serve out the match, double-faulted on the first point. However, the Englishman bounced back and — with the help of two perfect poaches from Shabaz — closed out Georgia to earn the point.
At that juncture, Boland certainly liked his chances.
“I really thought we had the momentum,” Boland said. “It has been several years I think since we won the doubles point and lost the match.
“To say I’m surprised would be an understatement, but at the same time you have to give Georgia credit.”
Virginia started very poorly in the singles, dropping five out of the first six opening sets. The most stunning match was Devvarman’s at No. 1. Virginia’s co-captain played some of his worst tennis of the season in losing the first set, 6-2, to Travis Helgeson. However, he was able to bounce back and win the next two sets.
Devvarman’s victory, coupled with Ted Angelinos’ win at No. 6, kept UVa — which had lost at No. 2 (Huey), No. 3 (Inglot) and No. 5 (Shabaz) — alive.
Unfortunately for Virginia, Singh’s leg began cramping up with the match tied at 3 in the second set.
When the set was over, he was allowed a 10-minute break because the game-time temperature had reached over 90 degrees. Singh then took a three-minute medical timeout.
“He did everything he could,” Boland said, “but there just wasn’t enough in the tank.”
Hunt said he would have rather played a healthy Singh.
“It takes a little about away from the victory because I wanted us to play when we were both 100 percent,” he said. “I think it would have been an unbelievable match. It just would have been so much fun.”
At the post-match press conference, Devvarman — who finished the dual meet season undefeated — looked devastated.
“Our record speaks for itself,” said Devvarman, speaking in hushed tones. “It was a special year. This obviously wasn’t where we wanted it to end, but this is how it is. This is the reality of it.”
Devvarman, Huey and Inglot will begin play in the individual portion of the tournament that begins Wednesday.
Boland said nobody should be hanging their heads.
“These are special people,” he said. “In my 12 years of coaching, nothing compares to these men. They’re the real deal. I lived the dream as a coach. I’m a blessed person.”


 

Virginia Upset in NCAA Semifinals by Georgia 4-3
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/19/2008

TULSA, Okla. – Top-seeded Virginia suffered its first loss of the season Monday night, falling to No. 4 Georgia 4-3 in the NCAA Semifinals at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The Cavaliers won the doubles point, but the Bulldogs rallied to win four singles matches to advance to the NCAA final for the third consecutive year.

The Cavaliers (32-1) took the doubles point for a 1-0 lead in the match. After Georgia (26-3) took an early edge with an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles where Travis Helgeson and Christian Vitulli topped Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India), the Cavaliers took the other two matches. At No. 1, top-ranked Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) and Treat Huey (Alexandria, Va.) topped Jamie Hunt and Nate Schnugg 8-4. With the opening point on the line, Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) and Dominic Inglot (London, England) took a 7-4 lead at No. 2 doubles against Luis Flores and Javier Garrapiz. However, the Bulldog duo fought back to tie the match at 7-7. In the ensuing game, the Cavalier team broke Garrapiz’s serve and Inglot held his in the next to secure the 9-7 win.

Georgia came out strong in singles, going up a break early in all six matches. In only one match was Virginia able to rally to take the first set, as Singh won his first set against Hunt at No. 4.

Of the five matches Georgia won the first set in, the Bulldogs won three of those matches in straight sets, with Flores (No. 3), Schnugg (No.2) and Garrapiz (No. 5) recording victories. Virginia rallied to win in three sets in the other two matches as Angelinos topped Vitulli 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6 singles and Devvarman defeated Helgeson 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 singles.

In the final match on the courts, Hunt rallied to win the second set at No. 4 after Singh had won the first. In the final set, Singh was hampered by cramps and Hunt took the decisive set to win the match.

Angelinos’ win was his 24th consecutive victory, as he ends his senior season with a 33-3 overall record and a 24-0 dual match record. Devvarman extended his school record singles win streak to 30 matches, as he improves to 38-1 on the year.

The Cavaliers end the season in the semifinals for the second consecutive year, the only two NCAA Semifinal appearances in ACC history.

Three members of the team will begin play in the NCAA Individual Championships on Wednesday in Tulsa. Devvarman, Huey and Inglot are in the 64-player singles draw and Devvarman and Huey are in the 32-team doubles draw.

No. 4 Georgia 4, No. 1 Virginia 3

Doubles:
1. #1 Devvarman/Huey (UVa) def. #17 Hunt/Schnugg (UGA) 8-4
2. Shabaz/Inglot (UVa) def. Garrapiz/Flores (UGA) 9-7
3. Helgeson/Vitulli (UGA) def. Barrick/Singh (UVa) 8-5

Singles:
1. #1 Somdev Devvarman (UVa) def. #4 Travis Helgeson (UGA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. #15 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. #28 Treat Huey (UVa) 6-4, 6-2
3. #59 Luis Flores (UGA) def. #17 Dominic Inglot (UVa) 6-2, 6-1
4. #38 Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Sanam Singh (UVa) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
5. #121 Javier Garrapiz (UGA) def. Michael Shabaz (UVa) 7-5, 6-3
6. Ted Angelinos (UVa) def. Christian Vitulli (UGA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Order of Finish: Doubles- 3,1,2 • Singles- 3,2,5,6,1,4
Records: Virginia (32-1), Georgia (26-3)

 

Adams battles with slump
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 20, 2008

Jacob Thompson, an All-American, just shook his head in disgust and disbelief.
As was the case for every pitcher on Virginia’s pitching staff, retiring David Adams was nearly impossible during the fall.
For Adams, the lynchpin of the Cavaliers’ batting order, that seems like an eternity ago.
As the draft-eligible junior enters the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, his batting average stands at a pedestrian .279.
Hard shots seem to find gloves. Would-be extra-base hits for Adams have hung in the air long enough for him to be erased.
Heading into Wednesday’s game against third-seeded North Carolina, Adams is mired in a career-worst 0-for-19 slump — and he knows it.
“Absolutely, it’s noticeable. It’s frustrating when you go from .380 to .280,” Adams said. “It is embarrassing, but it is just baseball and you have to grind it out. It’s one of those things, you are going to run into a lot of downs, but if you keep working hard you will have ups.”
It is not the first slump in Adams career, but by far it is the longest.
“The past two years I had a one-month stretch where I have fallen off, but I have always picked myself back up,” Adams said. “I have never had anything like this before. It has been three months of down, down, down.
“All the guys are helping me out, the coaches are helping me out but nothing is working.”
On Saturday before the last regular season game, Virginia associate head coach Kevin McMullan told Adams to simply his approach. Perhaps the ball would look bigger. Perhaps his hands would stay in a better spot.
The results? Adams went hitless in five at-bats, but crushed a pair of offerings from Georgia Tech pitchers.
“I was glad to see him hit the ball on the screws,” McMullan said. “That’s baseball and I think David has enough maturity about him to handle it. He understands that, but like anything, our society is so result-conscious and players that are 21 wear it a little bit.
“My first thing is to ask, ‘How do you feel?’ I want the hitter to tell me how he is feeling and as a coach you have to adjust to that.”
While struggling through the lengthy rut, Adams has had the added pressure of fielding calls from Major League Baseball teams
sizing up his contract
demands to sign after the upcoming draft on June 5 and 6.
The in-season discussions are unique to baseball in college athletics, but Adams has been through the process before.
As a senior in high school in Florida, Adams was projected as a borderline first-round pick, but had a definite price tag that organizations avoided. To handle it, Adams leaned on his family for support and guidance.
“I think we were all overwhelmed,” Adams said. “We had no idea what was going on. It’s an overwhelming experience — just ask a couple of guys on this team now that are going through it.
“You have all these guys calling you and wanting to talk to you, and not only that, but you have the pressure of performing for them. I just need to go out and have some fun.”
Virginia’s coaching staff monitors the times that the third-year players are available to talk to teams, and coach Brian O’Connor said Adams has handled the process better than most.
“It is part of the process and you have to be mature enough to handle it,” the skipper said. “I don’t think that has been a factor at all for David. It’s a lot of pressure, but I don’t think he is putting pressure on himself because of the draft.
“I just think he just
hasn’t had a few hits drop. Maybe that first one will come in Wednesday’s game and that could give him the confidence that he needs.”
That is the type of production that Virginia will need to make a run in the ACC Tournament as it sits in a loaded pool with UNC, Florida State and Wake Forest.
“He has confidence in himself and I have confidence in him that he will get it going in the right direction,” O’Connor said. “If he stays positive and continues to work like I know he will work, maybe he will have that monster tournament that we need him to have.
“David is a winner and he has done great things for us and he will do great things in the tournament. He is our leader and, hopefully, he will play his best baseball at the most important time.”
Those around the program are all but certain that it will be the final ACC Tournament for Adams and Thompson, and possibly first baseman Jeremy Farrell and shortstop Greg Miclat.
If that is the case, Adams is hopeful that the group finishes in a positive light and helps the program secure a fifth-straight bid to the NCAA tournament.
“Either way, my heart has always been in baseball and if I get the opportunity, I am going to take it with open arms,” Adams said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I am just looking forward to a good ACC Tournament and hopefully getting a good regional and finishing on a good note.”
Extra bases …
… Virginia’s rotation for the ACC Tournament appears set in stone. Junior RHP Andrew Carraway is slated to start the opener against the Tar Heels and will be followed by junior RHP Jacob Thompson (vs. FSU) and senior Pat McAnaney (vs. Wake Forest). … North Carolina is expected to counter with its ace, Alex White, on Wednesday.


 

Miclat, McAnaney Named to All-ACC Baseball Team
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/19/2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia’s Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.) and Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) have been named to the 2008 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Team, the league office announced today. Miclat was a first-team selection at shortstop, while McAnaney earned second-team honors as a starting pitcher.

Miclat is batting .332 this season and leads the ACC with 29 stolen bases. With 82 career stolen bases, Miclat is one shy of the Virginia career record and ranks 21st in ACC history. Miclat is the only Virginia player to start and play in all 55 games this season and has reached base safely in 52 games.

McAnaney is 4-4 in 2008 and owns a 3.09 earned run average. He ranks first in the league in complete games (three) and innings pitched per game (6.56). He also ranks among the league leaders in innings pitched (78.2), strikeouts (91) and opponent batting average (.223).

Virginia, the No. 6 seed, begins the 2008 ACC Baseball Championship at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Jacksonville, Fla., when it battles No. 3-seed North Carolina.

2008 ALL-ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASEBALL TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
1B Yonder Alonso, Jr., Miami
OF Tim Fedroff, So., North Carolina
RP Jimmy Gillheeney, So., NC State
SP Chris Hernandez, Fr., Miami
SS Ryan Jackson, So., Miami
SS Greg Miclat, Jr., Virginia
SP D.J. Mitchell , Jr., Clemson
DH/UT Kyle Parker, Fr., Clemson
C Buster Posey, Jr., Florida State
OF Jack Rye, Sr., Florida State
SP Clayton Shunick, Jr., NC State
3B Mark Sobolewski , So.,Miami
OF Blake Tekotte, Jr., Miami
SP Elih Villanueva, Jr., Florida State
2B Jemile Weeks, Jr., Miami
SP Alex White, So., North Carolina

SECOND TEAM
1B Dustin Ackley, So., North Carolina
OF Charlie Blackmon, RS-Jr., Georgia Tech
SS Tony Delmonico, Jr., Florida State
SS Derek Dietrich, Fr., Georgia Tech
SP David Duncan, Jr., Georgia Tech
SP Eric Erickson, So., Miami
SP Matt Fairel, So., Florida State
C Tim Federowicz, Jr., North Carolina
3B Brad Feltes, Sr., Georgia Tech
RP Carlos Gutierrez, RS-Jr., Miami
DH/UT Alex Hassan, So., Duke
OF Marcus Jones, Jr., NC State
SP Pat McAnaney, Sr, Virginia
OF Matt Payne, Sr., NC State
2B Kyle Seager, So., North Carolina
RP Rob Wooten, Sr., North Carolina

Player of the Year – Buster Posey, Florida State
Pitcher of the Year – Alex White, North Carolina
Freshman of the Year – Chris Hernandez, Miami
Coach of the Year – Jim Morris, Miami

 

Defined by defense
With 3 teams allowing fewer than 8 goals per game, this weekend could be marked by low-scoring affairs
By Edward Lee | Sun reporter
May 20, 2008

The four teams left in the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament have gotten defensive.

Top seed Duke (18-1), third seed Syracuse (14-2) and fifth seed Johns Hopkins (10-5) rank in the top 20 in the country in average goals allowed -- with all three teams surrendering fewer than eight goals per game.

Second seed Virginia (14-3) is allowing 9.5 goals a game, but the Cavaliers gave up just one goal in the second half in Saturday's 8-7 win in overtime against seventh seed Maryland.

Opponents are averaging fewer than 34 shots against the final four, with Syracuse permitting just 27.6 shots.

Five of the past eight national champions have surrendered single-digit goals in the tournament final, and ESPN analyst and former Army coach Jack Emmer said he wouldn't be surprised if that trend continued after this weekend.

"I think teams that have been on top of late have been more outstanding defensive teams," Emmer said. "That would include the Hopkins and Princetons of the world from the last decade. But Virginia has always emphasized offense first. Syracuse has done that, too, but this year, they've got a better balance. They've put more of their eggs in the defensive basket, I think, even though they've got that offensive firepower. ... So I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is the year of the offense."

Here are some more observations about the quarterfinals and the final four:

Key figure to watch
Of the four goalkeepers expected to start this weekend, only Duke senior Dan Loftus has considerable tournament experience.
Virginia senior Bud Petit was a backup until usurping freshman Adam Ghitelman as the starter against North Carolina on April 5. Johns Hopkins sophomore Michael Gvozden (Severna Park) and Syracuse freshman John Galloway are close to wrapping up their first seasons as full-time starters.

This could put even more pressure on the Cavaliers, Blue Jays and Orange.

Spreading it around
Three of the four teams have strong similarities in the sources of their scoring.
Duke relies heavily on its starting attack of seniors Matt Danowski and Zack Greer and sophomore Max Quinzani - a trio that has combined for 54.9 percent of the Blue Devils' goals (162 of 295) and 54.0 percent of their points (252 of 467).

Virginia's history is built on imposing attacks, and this season is no different with senior Ben Rubeor (Loyola) and juniors Garrett Billings and Danny Glading recording 45.2 percent of the Cavaliers' goals (99 of 219) and 47.1 percent of their points (171 of 363).

Similarly, Syracuse's attack of senior Mike Leveille and juniors Greg Niewieroski and Kenny Nims has scored 43.6 percent of the Orange's goals (96 of 220) and 46.2 percent of the team's points (154 of 333).

On the flip side, the midfield of seniors Paul Rabil and Stephen Peyser and sophomore Michael Kimmel has paced Johns Hopkins. Rabil, Peyser and Kimmel have scored 38.3 percent of the Blue Jays' goals (61 of 159) and registered 40.8 percent of their points (95 of 233).

Looking to next year
The final four may look like a replay of previous years, but up-and-coming programs are threatening to break up the exclusive club.
Sixth seed Notre Dame had a 9-8 lead with 10:03 left in the fourth quarter before falling to Syracuse. Ohio State made its first appearance in a tournament quarterfinal, and Patriot League champion Colgate and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titlist Canisius qualified for the tournament for the first time.

"I think these teams -- with the exception of Duke -- really had to struggle to get here," Emmer said. "There's a very fine line now, and I think we're going to see more teams get to the final four. It looks the same on paper, but Virginia beats UMBC in the first round by a goal and wins by a goal in the second round. It hasn't been an easy road for them. Syracuse was taken to the end by Notre Dame."