Virginia unhappy about night games in ACC tourney
By Jeff White
Published: May 21, 2009

In Durham, N.C., a seemingly interminable wait finally ends tonight for the University of Virginia baseball team.

The eight-team ACC tournament began yesterday afternoon at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. By the time the sixth-seeded Cavaliers take the field for their 8 p.m. opener, four teams (Georgia Tech, Miami, Boston College and Florida State) will have played two games apiece in the tourney. Two others -- North Carolina and Duke -- will have played once.

"Clemson's in the same boat as we are," U.Va. coach Brian O'Connor said. "It is what it is, and you just handle it."

Virginia (39-12-1), ranked No. 16 by Baseball America, faces No. 13 Clemson (39-17) tonight. The Wahoos will play at 8 p.m. tomorrow (against North Carolina) and Saturday (against Duke), too.

"I'm not crazy about playing all 8 o'clock games, three days in a row, but you can't do anything about it," O'Connor said. "It's just the way the schedule works out. Somebody has to do it."

The eight teams were split into two groups. Virginia is in Division B with No. 2 seed UNC, No. 3 seed Clemson and No. 7 seed. The division winners will meet in the ACC championship game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Junior left-hander Matt Packer (3-4, 3.97 ERA) will start on the mound for Virginia tonight. UNC will face U.Va.'s best pitcher, lefty Danny Hultzen (7-1, 2.28), who this week was named ACC freshman of the year.

At last year's ACC tourney in Jacksonville, Fla., the Cavaliers won their division and advanced to the title game, where they fell to Miami. Then came U.Va.'s fifth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.

A sixth consecutive trip to the NCAAs is assured for the Cavaliers. Whether they'll spend the first weekend of that tournament in Charlottesville or on the road may be determined by how they fare in Durham.

"We're here because we want to win it," O'Connor said. "But along with that is just playing good baseball and trying to get hot at the right time. I think if we play good solid fundamental baseball, we'll have a chance. Outside of that, I don't really know. People have asked me, 'What do you got to do at this tournament to host a regional?' and things like that.

"We're an NCAA tournament team, and I'm not even going to worry about what we've got to do to control something that's out of our hands."
 

No. 14 Cavaliers Open ACC Baseball Championship Thursday
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/20/2009

DURHAM, N.C. – The Virginia baseball team begins postseason play at 8 p.m. Thursday when it faces Clemson in the 2009 ACC Baseball Championship at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. UVa is seeded sixth in the tournament, while Duke is the No. 3 seed.

Virginia (39-12-1, 16-11-1 ACC) also is slated to face No. 2-seed North Carolina at 8 p.m. Friday and No. 7-seed Duke at 8 p.m. Saturday. The other pool consists of No. 1 Florida State, No. 4 Georgia Tech, No. 5 Miami and No. 8 Boston College.

For the third year in a row, the tournament will be conducted with two pools of four teams each competing in a round robin within their own pools. The winners of the two pools will square off for the championship at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Here is the television information for Virginia’s games:
Thursday, 8 p.m.: FS South, FS Florida, CSN Mid-Atlantic
Friday, 8 p.m.: SportSouth, FS Carolina, CSN Mid-Atlantic, FS Florida JIP at 10:00pm
Saturday, 8 p.m.: SportSouth, FS Carolina, Sun Sports, The Comcast Network; CSN Mid-Atlantic will air tape-delayed coverage at 10 a.m. Sunday
Sunday (championship game), 1 p.m.: SportSouth, FS Carolina, CSN Mid-Atlantic, Sun Sports

Virginia, also seeded sixth in 2008, reached the ACC Championship game last year before falling to top-seeded Miami, 8-4, in the title game. Virginia last won the ACC tournament title in 1996.

Clemson holds a 100-39 edge in the all-time series with UVa, although the Cavaliers have won 11 of the last 14 meetings. UNC, Virginia’s most frequent opponent all-time (259 games), has a 167-87-4 series edge. Virginia owns a 80-52-1 series advantage over Duke.

ACC Championship Preview
By Matt Clements
Inside Carolina
Posted May 20, 2009

The Diamond Heels head into this week's ACC Championship at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park as the No. 2 overall seed and open play Wednesday at 8 p.m. against Duke. Inside Carolina takes a closer look at UNC's three scheduled opponents.

Game Schedule:
Wed. 5/20 8 p.m. - UNC (Adam Warren, Sr. RHP 6-2, 3.49 ERA) vs Duke (Christopher Manno, Jr. LHP 5-5, 4.72 ERA)

Fri. 5/22 8 p.m. - UNC (Alex White, Jr. RHP 7-2, 3.38 ERA) vs Virginia (Danny Hultzen, Fr. LHP 7-1, 2.28 ERA)

Sat. 5/23 4 p.m. - UNC (Matt Harvey, So. RHP 6-2, 5.86 ERA) vs Clemson (Starter TBD)

Previewing Duke: Duke heads into the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2005. The Blue Devils are 37-18-1 on the season (15-15 ACC). Duke won two of three against UNC at Boshamer Stadium in March – UNC’s first series loss against the Blue Devils since 2001.

Duke will send junior southpaw Christopher Manno to the mound to face the Tar Heels. Manno was named ACC Pitcher of the Week earlier this month for his six inning shutout stint against Virginia and has gone 4-2 with a 3.25 ERA in his last 8 starts. Manno lost his start against the Tar Heels earlier this season, giving up five earned runs in a 3.2 inning start.

Senior Nate Frieman has tied for the Duke career record with 42 home runs – he has 19 this season and is sporting a .692 slugging percentage. Two-way player Alex Hassan has excelled in both roles -- as right fielder, not committing an error this season while batting .348, and as the Blue Devils’ closing pitcher, leading the squad with eight saves on the season and striking out 34 batters in 26.1 innings pitched.

Duke is fundamentally sound playing defense - leading the ACC at a .980 clip along with being the only team in the ACC that has turned more double plays than committed errors. The Blue Devils also have limited opposing baserunners to a .593 success rate stealing bases, while senior catcher Matt Williams has thrown out 16 baserunners this season - second in the ACC.

Previewing Virginia:

Virginia enters the ACC Tournament with a 39-12-1 record (16-11-1 ACC). The Cavaliers lost their ACC series to the Tar Heels in late March and both losses occurred as the Tar Heels scored in their final at bat. The Cavaliers are coming off a series loss to Virginia Tech.

The Cavaliers had five players named to the All-ACC Team this season. Freshman first baseman/starting pitcher Danny Hultzen was honored on the first team in addition to being announced as the ACC Freshman of the Year. Hultzen is 7-1 on the mound with a 2.28 ERA with 80 strikeouts, in addition to batting .331. Joining Hultzen on the first team were sophomore second baseman Phil Gosslen (.322), junior shortstop Tyler Cannon (.366) and sophomore outfielders Dan Grovat (.372) and Jarrett Parker (.380, 15 HR).

Virginia has been active on the basepaths this season, stealing 100 bases on opponents in 122 attempts.

Senior Andrew Carraway (12 starts on the season) is coming off of a disappointing outing against the Hokies, giving up four earned runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings pitched. Hultzen (11 starts this season) won the Wahoos’ last game in a three-inning relief stint, while Robert Morey gave up four earned runs in five innings, allowing 10 hits earlier in that game. Meanwhile freshman right hander Will Roberts is coming off a shutout in his last start against Virginia Commonwealth.

In the pool play format, the Tar Heels’ second and third opponents face each other in their opening game. Virginia will need to find a starter to get off to a strong start against Clemson on Thursday night or else the bullpen depth could be depleted for Friday night’s game against UNC.

Previewing Clemson:

Clemson heads into the ACC Tourney with a 39-17 record (19-11 ACC), coming off of a sweep of NC State. Clemson lost its ACC series with North Carolina in early March, losing two of the three close contests. Clemson has won the ACC Tournament nine times and been in the finals in 21 of the previous 35 tournaments.

Clemson expects to use one of its pair of left handed pitchers against the Tar Heels - either freshman Chris Dwyer (4-4, 5.03) or sophomore Casey Harman (7-3, 4.01). Dwyer earned ACC pitcher of the week honors in April for his complete game two-hitter against Miami. He gave up three earned runs in four innings pitched against the Tar Heels on four hits and three walks. Dwyer leads the Tigers in innings pitched and in strikeouts this season.

Harmann has struck out 67 batters in 67.1 innings this season, while walking 11. He started the season as a relief pitcher but entered the rotation against Wake Forest on March 13. Harmann pitched in relief against the Tar Heels on March 6, allowing one base hit and no runs in a 2/3 of an inning.

Sophomore outfielder Jeff Schaus earned ACC first team honors this year batting .337 with a .440 on base percentage. Clemson has three batters tied for the team lead with 11 home runs - Ben Paulsen (.369), Schaus and Kyle Parker (.270).






 

Cavs’ closer gains confidence
By Whitey Reid
Published: May 21, 2009

In Virginia’s seven-overtime win against Maryland in March — the longest game in NCAA history — UVa midfielder Brian Carroll took matters into his own hands.
Carroll, who was being defended by the Terrapins’ top short-stick defensive midfielder, drove hard to his right and fired a missile over the shoulder of goalie Brian Phipps for the game-winner.
The move displayed great
athleticism. It showed tremendous skill. But mainly, the move reeked of confidence.
The funny thing? It was the kind of play Carroll never would have tried last season.
“As he’s gained some confidence and experience in himself, what has happened is that he’s made some things happen for himself,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia. “He’s been willing to take some more risks and initiate some things on his own.
“In the past, I think he was sort of satisfied to play more of a background role, but this year he’s been much more of a force going to the goal and forcing teams to guard him. It’s made a big difference in us becoming a much more dangerous offensive lacrosse team.”
As Virginia prepares to face Cornell in the NCAA semifinals in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday, Carroll figures to be, like he has all season, an important cog in an offense that ranks No. 1 in Division I (13.41 goals per game).
This season, the junior has exploded for 29 goals and 10 assists. His 39 points rank fifth on the team. Carroll has three game-winning goals.
“I think I’m becoming more comfortable playing within the six-on-six offense and also playing throughout the whole field,” said the midfielder, when asked about his increased success. “I’ve played more defense this year than I have in the past.
“Last year, almost half my goals were on [extra-man-opportunities]…I think this year I realized that I needed to be a little more forceful on the offensive end and try harder to create things and make some things happen.”
In Virginia’s first-round victory over Villanova, Carroll had a team-high five goals.
“I think he’s just matured as a guy on our team,” said Virginia junior Max Pomper. “He’s stepped into more of a leadership role. He’s the elder statesman of the midfield. He’s been a rock there for us.”
Carroll has scored on 35 percent of his shot attempts. Among the team’s top five scorers, that is the second-best mark.
Starsia says Carroll is one of the best shooters he’s ever been around. According to Starsia, the Towson, Md., native has textbook form.
“For young players in the game, you should be looking at Brian Carroll if you want to see how to shoot the ball,” Starsia said. “It’s the same shot every time. When he comes out to practice on his own beforehand, he shoots the same shot with the same motion, over and over again. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.”
Carroll, whose twin brother, Kevin, also plays for Virginia, was actually a swimmer growing up. When he was around 12, he switched to lacrosse and football, eventually deciding to focus on lacrosse, a sport his father, Dennis, had played at Guilford College.
When it came time for college, Carroll chose Virginia over Princeton and Georgetown.
Coming into this season, UVa’s biggest question mark was in its midfield. Carroll says the unit took that perceived weakness as a challenge.
“I think we realized that our midfield needed to be more productive this year for our offense to be where we wanted it to be,” he said. “We’ve all tried to step up. I think out middies stepping up and scoring more has definitely been one of the positives of our offense in comparison to the last two years.”
Carroll can’t wait for this weekend.
“It’s so much fun to play in the Final Four,” he said. “This whole week leading up to it is a lot of fun, and a great thing to be a part of.
“With the way the first two games have gone, it seems like we may be hitting our stride, which everybody is really excited about, too.”
 

Timms proving to be big asset for Virginia
By Brian Delaney • bdelaney@gannett.com • Staff Writer • May 21, 2009

With all the attention paid to Virginia's stable of scorers, the contributions of fifth-year senior Mike Timms can sometimes go unnoticed.
"I've said to people earlier in the year, I thought for a large part of our season he may have been our MVP," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters.
That's hard to believe, considering Timms - a longstick midfielder - stands 6-foot-5 and generally defends the opponent's best midfielder.
In Saturday's matchup with Cornell, that means two-time first-team All-American, and Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, Max Seibald.
Timms had the upper hand in these two teams' first go-round March 8 in Charlottesville, holding Seibald to one meaningless goal late in the fourth quarter. Virginia pulled away in the second half and won, 14-10.
"We obviously watched a lot of film going into that game, and everyone knows he's a great player and what he's capable of doing," Timms said by phone on Tuesday. "We just executed our game plan. We slid when we needed to slide and it was definitely a team effort."
Timms' size, mobility and length were major factors in another key area - wing play on faceoffs. He's having an All-America type season, with 59 ground balls and a team-high 31 caused turnovers.
"Even when you run by him he seems to get a poke check or a trail check and bother the shot enough to have success," Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni said.
Emergence of the poles
Timms is one of four outstanding poles playing at Foxborough, Mass., this weekend.
He'll be joined by the likes of Syracuse's Joel White (4-3-7), Cornell's Pierce Derkac (5-0-5) and Duke freshman C.J. Costabile (7-5-12).
Costabile's reputation as an elite pole was solidifed a couple weeks ago, when he was named MVP of the ACC Tournament.
Tambroni said there's been an evolution at the position in recent years.
"Now the defensive poles are better athletes," he said. "They're offensive-minded, and Joel White is becoming the prototypical pole versus five or six years ago when you had a little bit more of a defensive mindset, system-oriented pole. These guys now, they're just as good in the offensive end as they are in the defensive end.
"I think this weekend you'll certainly see that with Timmsand Derkac, I'd put him right in there, and certainly White. I'm as impressed with White as anybody that's played that position."
Uprooted
With university officials setting up Schoellkopf Field for graduation weekend ceremonies, Cornell's turf baseball field - Hoy Field - has become the Big Red's de facto practice facility.
After a morning practice, the team will depart today for Foxborough.
News and notes
Since the 2003 season, Cornell is 21-4 in one-goal games. The four losses have been to Navy (6-5) in the 2004 NCAA quarterfinals; to Syracuse (12-11) in April, 2006; to Massachusetts (10-9) in the 2006 NCAA first round; and to Duke (12-11) in the 2007 NCAA semifinals. ... No team has won back-to-back titles since Princeton won three in a row from 1996-1998. Syracuse won the title last year. ...

 

Back and forth on lacrosse Final FourComment Email Print Share By Kyle Harrison and Brett Hughes
Special to ESPN.com

Editor's note: Each week, 2005 Tewaaraton winner and four-time Major League Lacrosse all-star Kyle Harrison and former Virginia Cavaliers All-American and MLL all-star Brett Hughes will use this space to debate their thoughts on the sport. And these Southern California roommates have a lot on their minds.

Brett Hughes: Well, the elephant in the room had to be the score of the battle of our alma maters: the Johns Hopkins-Virginia quarterfinals game. I don't know who could have seen Virginia's 19-8 pounding coming. There were some glaring holes in the Hopkins team; clearing was an issue, as well as matchup problems, both due to the Blue Jays' athleticism.

With that said, Hopkins will always bounce back and will be in the hunt again next year.

Kyle Harrison: You're an elephant in the room.

I'm not thrilled about the Hopkins-UVa score, and I definitely didn't see that coming. I was actually able to watch the entire game Monday night (Sunday's game was replayed on ESPNU), and I'd have to say the most dominant player was definitely Shamel Bratton. When he gets going early in the game, the only things you can do as a defender are: (1) hope he misses the shot, or (2) trip him.

People criticized Bratton last year for having all of the moves in the world but not being able to finish, but the move Bratton put on Charlie Wiggins in the third quarter Sunday was absolutely ridiculous. What was so impressive about this play was that not only was the dodge out of control (Wiggins literally didn't touch him), but he ran through the sliding defender, through a fake and finished on the crease. If he plays the same way Saturday, Cornell is in trouble.

Cornell's Max Seibald, Duke's Ned Crotty and Virginia's Steele Stanwick, Garett Billings and Danny Glading all had big games in the quarterfinals, as well, but I was most impressed with Shamel.

Brett Hughes: Really funny what you said about me being an elephant. You better hope you're home tonight, otherwise I'm drinking your Capri Sun and throwing your belongings in the ocean.

Now, I think Adam Ghitelman was the dominant performer of the weekend; he was just incredible for Virginia. After that game, he should be hot in the Final Four.

But even more than Ghitelman, Cornell defenseman Matt Moyer was outstanding. Moyer absolutely locked up Princeton's Jack McBride in their quarterfinal, and without McBride, Princeton was just not a threat. That was the key to the game -- allowing a talent like McBride to put up only one point on his only shot that was actually on cage. Impressive considering the stage.

KH: So, this weekend's semifinals got me thinking about my all-time favorite Final Four performance. It's a tough call for me (and you actually) because I didn't watch too much lacrosse when I was younger, so my NCAA tournament memories are fairly recent.

I'm sure Doug Knight (Virginia '97), A.J. Haugen (Johns Hopkins '00) and Casey Powell (Syracuse '98) all had great Final Four performances in their college careers. But a memory from the Final Four that sticks out in my head is Mike Powell during his freshmen year at Cuse. Down by one with a minute left in a 2001 semifinal against Princeton, the Orange chose to put the ball in Powell's stick against All-American defender Damian Davis, and Powell took him right to the hoop.

The following year, Cuse won the national title and Mike took home the Tewaaraton Award, but that memory of his freshmen year is one of my all-time favorites.

BH: Mike Powell's performance that year was pretty ridiculous because everyone in the stadium knew exactly what he was doing, and he just went right around and got under Damian. That was unreal.

Tillman Johnson might have had the best Final Four weekend of any player ever in lacrosse history when Virginia won it all in 2003 … but my favorite semis memory might be Jesse Hubbard when Princeton won the title over Maryland in '98, just because he did everything when everyone expected him to. Hubbard never looked like he was going at more than 8 percent speed, but he was always ahead of everyone -- and the way he skipped in the game-winner was just unreal.

As far as this weekend's Final Four, I think there are some keys to the games.

For Virginia to defeat Cornell, the Cavaliers need a big day on defense. Their offense is out of control right now and their attackman are putting up crazy numbers, but their defense could get Cornell's heads spinning. That would take the entire Cornell team out of its confident run 'n' gun-style offense.

Cuse's goalies are in a strange situation against Duke because starter John Galloway was out with the flu in the quarterfinals and Al Cavalieri came out of nowhere to stand on his head. But Duke's goalie needs to keep the Blue Devils right on course. Rob Schroeder has been so solid, even if not showstopping, but the Orange's Dan Hardy, Kenny Nims, Abbott & Co. just know how to bring it.

KH: The biggest key for Cornell has to be faceoffs. Max Seibald and John Glynn have to dominate the X to keep that ball away from a Virginia offense that scored 37 goals in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. No matter how good a defense is, with the way those Cavs are playing, I'm not sure anyone's stopping them when they've got the ball. So the best thing Cornell can do is consistently win draws and keep the pressure on Virginia's defense.

As for Saturday's first matchup, Cuse has to find a way to neutralize Crotty. Duke goes as Crotty goes, and if you let him get hot (2 goals and 6 assists against North Carolina in the quarters), there's no chance you're beating Duke. The Orange have to force someone to beat them and not let Crotty stand behind the goal and pick them apart. Neutralize that kid, and Cuse comes out with a W.

It should be an exciting weekend, and I'll actually get to see the games Saturday in person. So while I'm gone, Brett, stay out of my room and don't touch any of my stuff. Seriously.

Brett Hughes is the lacrosse editor of ESPNRISE.com, ESPN's high school sports site. Check out his blog.
 

Second helpings
Cornell's No. 2 midfield line has jelled nicely
By Brian Delaney
bdelaney@gannett.com

ITHACA - One of the many ways the 2009 Cornell men's lacrosse team differs from its Final Four brother of 2007 is the maturation process of its second midfield line.

Two years ago, the line of Casey Lewis, Rocco Romero and John Espey was set in stone almost from Day 1, with no need for change as the season progressed. The unit was a masterful backup to Max Seibald, John Glynn and Brian Clayton, combining for an unusually balanced 47 points over the course of 16 games.

The importance of that unit's potency was emphasized by the ineffectiveness of last year's second midfield, which accounted for a combined 16 points over 15 games. It was one of several reasons why Cornell was ousted in the NCAA first round.

Injuries and a shuffling of positions had initially cast doubt on Cornell's lot this year, but over the past few weeks those questions have been answered.

The trio of sophomore Jon Thomson, junior Chris Ritchie and senior George Calvert has provided the Big Red an undeniable boost so far in the NCAA tournament. They'll need to be even better on Saturday against Virginia at Gillette Stadium at Foxborough, Mass.

"I would say clearly it was a one-two punch," Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni said. "Neither punch was a knockout punch, but both did their job (last weekend). We're going to have get a lot more production from both groups if we're going to have success this Saturday."

Sustaining possessions and creating scoring opportunities while the first unit is resting is one thing. Finishing those chances is quite another.

Cornell's second line has compiled four points in two playoff games, with two goals coming in Saturday's 6-4 quarterfinal conquest of Princeton.

"That was definitely a huge key to our success," Glynn said. "Any team that has two solid midfield lines putting up points like that, you're going to go deep into the playoffs."

There was more than one eyebrow raised in the press box Saturday when the second line took the field on Cornell's second possession - and then was used liberally the rest of the way.

"They played, I would say, probably 40 percent of the game," Tambroni said. "They don't have the star power of Max Seibald and John Glynn, but they're doing a great job of working together. They've developed a wonderful chemistry throughout the last three weeks."

Calvert spent the last two years as a starting shortstick defender before switching positions. He's anchored the unit with 10 goals. His replacement at shortstick, freshman Roy Lang, has seven goals - six more than Calvert netted a year ago.

Ritchie started at attack in 2008, but was displaced by Ivy League Rookie of the Year Rob Pannell and was asked to assume a new role.

Like so many of his teammates, past and present, he accepted the demotion.

"You talk to anybody, they would give anything to win a national championship, and do whatever they need for the team" he said. "That's different. That's what's different with our team. We genuinely care about each other. If Coach T came up to me and said, 'You're not going to start for the rest of the year. You're going to be a practice guy.' That would be fine."

With Calvert and Ritchie on board, the missing piece was Thomson.

A 6-foot-2 Canadian lefthander with a tremendously accurate shot honed in years of playing box lacrosse, Thomson hails from the town of Orangeville in the province of Ontario. His younger brother, Ben, has committed to the Cornell hockey program for 2011.

On the second day of practice in February, Jon was hit by Calvert in a drill and suffered a broken jaw. He sat out seven weeks and missed the team's first five games.

But he ascended the depth chart quickly upon his return, joining the extra-man unit and later the second midfield line. He scored a key goal in each win over Princeton this year.

"He was probably our best second-line middie before he got hurt," Tambroni said.

Virginia boasts arguably the deepest team in the country.

The Cavaliers have high school All-Americans on all three midfield units, Tambroni semi-joked Tuesday during an NCAA coaches conference call.

Since Cornell can't match up with Virginia's true athleticism, the players hope their chemistry trumps individual talent.

"We have such great team chemistry; it makes up for some of the skill they have over us," Thomson said. "We work so hard, I have no doubt in the future that the same thing will happen - guys will step up."

 

Cavaliers Remain in Ninth Place at NCAA Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/20/2009

Owings Mills, Md. – The third-ranked Virginia women’s golf team stayed in ninth place after the second round of play at the NCAA Championships at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md. The Cavaliers shot 14-over 302 for a 36-hole total of 607 at the midway point of the tournament.

Second-ranked UCLA shot the lowest round of the tournament, a 5-over 293, to wrestle the lead away from Denver. At 589, the Bruins are seven shots ahead of cross-town rival USC, the 2008 NCAA Champions. Denver shot 16-over 304 and dropped back to third place at 598. Among the other ACC schools in the field, North Carolina is tied for fourth at 600 while Wake Forest is seventh at 603. Duke finished the second round in 12th place at 609.

The Cavaliers’ second-round score was three shots better than their opening round effort. Virginia used birdies by Lene Krog, Kristen Simpson and Calle Nielson on the par-5 17th hole to finish the round on a strong note.

“We played better than we did yesterday, but saying that, I feel there are some strokes out there and I still don’t think we’ve put it together as a team,” said Virginia coach Kim Lewellen. “We have two more days to do that.”

Virginia was led Wednesday by Krog who shot 2-over 74. UVa’s top finisher at last year’s NCAA Championships, Krog started her round with a double-bogey but then reeled off seven pars and a birdie on the remainder of the front nine. She bogeyed holes 10 and 12, but managed birdies on 13 and 17 to get back to 1-over before ending the round with a bogey.

“It was nice to see Lene play well,” Lewellen said. “She definitely has the game to play well. Coming off of knee surgery in November and a couple of other injuries she has had, I think she has not gotten the rhythm of playing week to week without having to take some time off. She’s been able to do that recently and I’m hoping in the next two days she will get more comfortable on the course and we’ll see some low scores from her.”

Krog’s second round score was a four-shot improvement on her opening round 78. She is in 37th place on the leaderboard at 152. She is one shot behind teammates Nielson and Whitney Neuhauser. For the second straight day that duo matched scores, shooting 4-over 76. They opened the tournament with 75s. They are tied for 28th place after 36 holes.

Simpson improved her second-day score by a stroke, shooting 76 to stand 48th at 153. Joy Kim improved on her first-round score by two shots and is now 79th at 156.

By virtue of their ninth-place standing, the Cavaliers will join the tournament’s other leaders in the third round’s afternoon wave. Virginia will be paired with Wake Forest and LSU and will start at 12:50 p.m. from the 10th hole. Of the 12 teams playing among the leaders, nine are ranked in the top-10 of the current Golfstat rankings.

“I think playing in the last wave gives you a little confidence,” Lewellen said. “It allows you to see who you’re trying to beat. You’re playing with some really good players that you can feed off of. I think it gives you confidence to know you’re in that top half during the last two days.”

Lewellen’s team has made several strong finishes during tournament play this year and hopes to see similar results starting Thursday.

“We definitely do better towards the end of tournaments and it is usually on the last day,” she said. “I think we play with an attitude of confidence and excitement and that we’ve got nothing to lose. I think we play very well with that attitude. Will it start tomorrow? Hopefully we’ll say this is the second half and we’ll get out there and get some strokes back.”

The NCAA will webcast the 16th, 17th and 18th holes of the championship starting Thursday. The webcasts are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the morning wave and 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for the afternoon wave. Visit the women’s golf page on NCAASports.com for the link to the webcast.

Live scoring of the NCAA Championships is online at Golfstat.com. The 72-hole tournament concludes Friday.

NCAA Championships
Caves Valley Golf Club
Owings Mills, Md.
Par-72, 6,443 yards
Second Round Results

Team Results 1. UCLA (2) 296-293-589 2. USC (4) 301-295-596 3. Denver (14) 294-304-598 4. Oklahoma State (5) 303-297-600 4. Arizona State (1) 302-298-600 4. North Carolina (10) 299-301-600 7. Wake Forest (12) 303-300-603 8. LSU (7) 302-304-606 9. Virginia (3) 305-302-607 9. Alabama (6) 305-302-607 9. Purdue (9) 306-301-60712. Duke (11) 308-301-60913. Pepperdine (13) 312-298-61013. Michigan State (17) 307-303-61015. Arizona (20) 310-305-61516. Tulane (29) 312-305-61717. Tennessee (24) 307-313-62018. UT Chattanooga (44) 316-307-62318. Georgia (15) 316-307-62320. New Mexico (22) 311-314-62520. Texas (38) 314-311-62522. TCU (27) 314-316-63023. Ohio State (26) 323-311-63424. UC Irvine (18) 320-316-636Number in parenthesis is Golfstat rankingIndividual Leaders1. Maria Jose Uribe, UCLA 75-66-1412. Nannette Hill, Wake Forest 72-71-1432. Lisa McCloskey, Pepperdine 74-69-1432. Stephanie Sherlock, Denver 70-73-1435. Jennifer Song, USC 72-73-1456. Stephanie Connelly, UCF* 72-74-1466. Maria Hernandez, Purdue 74-72-1466. Pernilla Lindberg, Oklahoma State 74-72-1469. Ginny Brown, Tennessee 72-75-1479. Sydney Crane, North Carolina 75-72-1479. Catherine O’Donnell, North Carolina 70-77-1479. Dawn Shockley, Denver 77-70-1479. Marta Silva, Georgia 75-72-147*Individual competitorVirginia28. Calle Nielson 75-76-15128. Whitney Neuhauser 75-76-15137. Lene Krog 78-74-15248. Kristen Simpson 77-76-15379. Joy Kim 79-77-156
 

A Raven to root for
Sixth-round draft choice Peerman is humble, knows value of hard work
Kevin Cowherd
1:20 PM EDT, May 20, 2009

 Tired of spoiled athletes dominating the headlines? Then you want to hear about Cedric Peerman.

Peerman is the University of Virginia running back who was taken by the Ravens in the sixth round of the NFL draft.

He's been at the team's minicamp in Owings Mills this week, busting his butt in every drill, accelerating up and down the field like he's turbo-charged.

When the 2 ½-hour practices are over, he puts in an extra 25 minutes of agility work on a back field.

Then, tired and hungry, he comes off the field and patiently does an interview, looking the reporter in the eye and answering each question thoughtfully.

I know, I know . . . what's wrong with this guy?

Doesn't he know he's ruining the image of pampered jocks everywhere?

Wait, it gets worse.

In the course of interview, you also find out this about the man:

He grew up on a tobacco farm in Gladys, Va., plowing fields, planting crops and lugging hernia-inducing piles of tobacco.

He's an ordained minister whose mission in life is to spread the Word and help the less fortunate.

And here's the one that really galls: instead of rolling up to practice in the usual tricked-out Escalade or show-room shiny Benz, he's driving a '96 Ford Contour.

Me, I never even heard of a Ford Contour.

Turns out it's a small 4-door sedan made between 1995 and 2000, when it was discontinued on account of chronic national disinterest.

It's the kind of car your grandma would drive, but only if your grandma was a nun.

"And I'm gonna drive it 'til the wheels fall off," Peerman says with a smile.

Is this guy getting on your nerves, or what?

Actually, the 22-year-old Peerman is the kind of player you should root so hard for that your lungs turn to sandpaper.

"I love to play the game," he says. "I'm going to go out there and play my hardest and the Lord is going to bless me the way He sees fit."

As a sixth-round draft choice, even with the Lord in his corner, he's probably even-money to make the team as a third running back or special teams player. But don't tell him that. (Peerman, I mean, not the Lord.)

1 2 At 5-9, 220 pounds and built along the lines of a small chimney, he ran a sizzling 4.34 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in February, best at his position.

That kind of speed tends to get you noticed, even if the knock on Peerman was his durability after leading the Cavaliers in rushing with 774 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

"I just put the pedal to the metal and play as fast as I can on every play," he said. And that kind of effort hasn't gone unnoticed.

"Cedric Peerman is really working hard," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "And he sticks his face in there." I didn't ask Harbaugh where Peerman was sticking his face, since it's a non-contact camp. But wherever he was sticking it, it was a good thing.

At this minicamp, the Ravens do a drill where running backs and receivers run downfield and try to catch the ball one-handed with the other hand held behind their back.

Peerman didn't exactly shine at this one, quickly dropping a couple of passes.

But as you might suspect, this was not the end of the world for a guy who spent blistering Virginia summers loading tobacco bales onto trucks.

"We never did that (drill) in college," Peerman said. "(The coaches) were always saying 'Two hands on the ball!' I got small hands, so it's really good to work on something like that."

Oh, yeah, this guy has a major attitude problem.

Actually what you have here is a guy from a big-time college program who's never thought of himself as big-time. He still preaches at Hills Creek Baptist Church in Gladys and talks to school kids about following the Lord.

And even though the work could have crippled a mule, he has fond memories of that dusty tobacco farm.

"Yeah, that's where I developed a lot of my strength," he said. "Lower body strength from walking up and down dirt fields all day long. And that's where I developed my leg strength and ... probably a little bit of speed.

"I thank God for that, the place I grew up in."

And he still drives the '96 Ford Contour.

Which might be the only one left in the entire country.

 

Devlin departs
Jeff White
May 20, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Andrew Devlin’s decision to transfer to Pittsburgh leaves Virginia with little experience at defensive end, a pivotal position in Al Groh’s 3-4 scheme.

The projected starters are sophomore Matt Conrath and senior Nate Collins, who spent virtually all of his time at nose tackle in 2006, ’07 and ’08.

Backups are likely to include sophomore Zane Parr and some or all of these true freshmen: Will Hill, Justin Renfrow, Jake Snyder and Brent Urban.

Hill graduated from Williamsburg’s Lafayette High in December and began classes at U.Va. in January. That allowed him to go through spring practice with the football team, and Hill figures to be well ahead of Renfrow, Snyder and Urban when training camp opens in August.

Another possibility at end might be Kevin Crawford, but his status remains unclear. Crawford, who wasn’t at U.Va. in 2007-08, returned to school in 2008-09. But he missed spring practice for academic reasons this year and might not rejoin the team.

Devlin, who’s from Pittsburgh, played in all 12 games for U.Va. as a redshirt freshman in 2008, catching three passes for 22 yards as a tight end. He moved to defensive end after the season, in part because the Cavaliers’ new spread attack won’t feature tight ends as prominently as did their former offense.
 

Inglot and Singh Advance in NCAA Singles Tournament
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/20/2009

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Two members of the Virginia men’s tennis team won their first round matches as the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship began Wednesday at the Mitchell Tennis Center. Dominic Inglot (London, England) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) advanced to the second round of the tournament, while Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) fell in three sets in his first round match.

Inglot, a 9-16 seed in the tournament, defeated Bassam Beidas of Pepperdine 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6) in his opening round match. He will meet Devin Britton of Ole Miss in the second round on Thursday.

Inglot took the opening set by breaking Beidas in the fifth game. He hit six of his 13 aces on the day in his five service games of the first set to take the early lead. In the second set, the players remained on serve until Beidas broke Inglot in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead before serving out the set in the next game. Neither player could even manage a break point on the other’s serve in the final set to set up a tiebreaker for the match. Inglot went up two mini-breaks at 5-2 and later had three match points at 6-3. Beidas rallied to win the next three points to draw even at 6-6. Inglot hit a service winner to take a 7-6 lead and when Beidas’ groundstroke on the next point went into the net, Inglot advanced to the second round.

"It was certainly a tough match," said Inglot. "I served well in the first set and just had one bad service game in the second set. The conditions were difficult and the ball took a lot of kicks. That allowed both of us to dominate our service games. It then came down to a breaker and if you can win a couple of points on the other guy's serve, you should be fine."

Last season, Inglot made his NCAA Singles Championship debut and fell in the first round in a third-set tiebreaker to Justin Kronauge of Ohio State.

"I feel confident in tiebreakers," said Inglot. "I think in my career at Virginia I have won a lot more than I have lost. I lost the one last year, so I was confident that I would win this one. I was able to get up a mini-break early and that allowed me to attack and put him under more pressure."

Singh was making his NCAA Singles Championship debut on Wednesday and cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Christoph Müller of Rice. He will play Dimitar Kutrovsky of Texas in the second round after the Longhorn upset No. 9-16 seed Jonas Berg of Ole Miss 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Wednesday.

“It is always good to start off a tournament with a good win,” said Singh. “I never really let him into the match. It was nice to win in straight sets, but I know I have to be ready for a tough match tomorrow.”

Singh and Müller remained on serve in the first set until the two played multiple deuces in the fifth game before Singh broke to take a 3-2 lead. He later broke Müller again in the ninth game to close out the opening set 6-3. In the first game of the second set, Singh fought off two break points against him before holding serve before using that momentum to break Müller in the next game. Singh kept rolling through the second set to take it 6-1 and seal his place in the round of 32.

“That happens all the time,” said Singh of the start to the second set. “You hold a tough game and then make a few balls in the next game and then you are up a break instead of being down a break. It just changes the momentum. I was able to grind out some tough service games in the second set and I was able to win some points on his serve to break him a few times.”

Shabaz also was making his first NCAA Singles Championship appearance and fell to Rudolf Siwy of Fresno State 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in his first round match. Both players served well throughout the match and there was only one break in each of the three sets. With Siwy serving for the match at 5-3 in the third, Shabaz fought off three match points and had two break point chances in the game before Siwy took advantage of his fourth match point opportunity.

The round of 32 is scheduled for Thursday at the Mitchell Tennis Center. In addition, the NCAA Doubles Championship will begin on Thursday with two Cavalier teams in the field of 32. The team of Inglot and Shabaz drew the No. 1 seed, Jonas Berg and Bram ten Berge of Ole Miss in the first round. The team of Singh and Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) will play No. 4 seed Nate Schnugg and Jamie Hunt in the first round.