U.Va. rallies to win ACC baseball tournament, 6-3
JAY JENKINS MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: May 25, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. -- The third time was the charm.

Displaying its trademark never-say-die mentality, Virginia mounted its third rally in four games, capturing the ACC baseball championship with a 6-3 victory over top-seeded Florida State at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Perfect in four games, the Cavaliers claimed just their second ACC tournament crown and their first under sixth-year coach Brian O'Connor.

Virginia completed its comeback and miraculous run in the ninth inning as freshman left fielder John Hicks (Goochland High School) delivered the game-winning hit, a one-out, bases-loaded single that plated two runs.

"I'm so proud of our players. This is all about them," said O'Connor, whose team lost title games in 2005 and 2008. "I think sometimes as a coach you get a lot of credit, but the players play the game."

As was the case in tournament victories over Clemson and Duke, the Cavaliers trailed early.

Florida State scored two runs in the first, and after Virginia answered with one in the second, the Seminoles chased senior starter Andrew Carraway with another run in the third.

In a reversal from Friday, O'Connor summoned junior Matt Packer from the bullpen with runners at first and second and two outs in the third.

Packer was roughed up by Clemson on Thursday before Carraway kept the Tigers at bay, providing time for Virginia's offense to rally.

Packer escaped the jam in the third and scattered three hits as he worked through the sixth inning.

"It is countless the amount of times Carraway has saved me over the last three years," said Packer, who recorded one strikeout. "As soon as he was struggling, I knew that I could come in and help him out."

The Cavaliers scored two runs in the fourth off Florida State starter Mike McGee as catcher Franco Valdes delivered a one-out single to plate Tyler Cannon and the junior later scored on a wild pitch, one of five recorded by the Seminoles' pitching staff.

The contest remained tied 3-3 until Florida State threatened Virginia reliever Tyler Wilson, a former star at Midlothian High School, in the bottom-half of the eighth.

The Seminoles loaded the bases with one out, but Wilson (8-3) struck out pinch hitter Tommy Oravetz on a pitch that struck the batter in the knee. The ball bounced away from Valdes, but seeing the ball hit Oravetz as he swung, home plate umpire Steve Manders called the play dead, sending McGee back to third.

Wilson proceeded to get out of the inning by forcing Jack Posey to lift a lazy fly to right fielder Dan Grovatt.

That set the stage for Virginia's late-game heroics, something it managed in a 6-5 victory over Clemson on Thursday and in an 11-7 win over Duke late Saturday night.

Virginia designated hitter Phil Gosselin, who had been 2 for 15 in the tournament, drilled a fastball from FSU reliever Sean Gilmartin to left field for a one-out single.

Things promptly went awry for the Seminoles defensively.

With Gosselin moving on a 3-2 pitch, Danny Hultzen hit a routine grounder to FSU second baseman Jason Stidham that bounced away from his glove for the first of two errors in the frame for the Seminoles.

After Grovatt, the tournament's most valuable player, walked to load the bases, Hicks had a chance at redemption.

The freshman from Goochland had struck out six times in his first 17 plate appearances in the tourney.

"Today, I just tried to forget about it. My teammates were on my side."

. . .

The NCAA tournament starts this weekend, and the 16 sites that will host regions were announced yesterday. Despite winning the ACC tournament, U.Va. was not one of the four ACC schools (North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Clemson) awarded regions.

The 64-team field and pairings will be announced today. The Cavaliers are headed to the NCAA tournament for the sixth consecutive season.
 

Against all odds: UVa baseball beats Florida State to win ACC crown
Virginia rallies once again to beat Florida State and win the ACC crown.
Associated Press

DURHAM, N.C. -- No obstacle was insurmountable for a Virginia baseball team that Sunday won its third conference championship in more than 50 years of ACC play.

Sixth-seeded UVa became the lowest-seeded team to win the ACC baseball title, scoring three runs in the ninth inning to defeat top-seeded Florida State 6-3.

Virginia's victory came in the same stadium, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and against the same championship-game opponent as its last ACC title in 1996.

The Cavaliers (43-12-1) couldn't be sure they would be in Sunday's final until they defeated Duke 11-7 in a game that started after 8 p.m. Saturday and did not end until the stroke of midnight.

Virginia's first three games in the tournament were scheduled for 8 p.m. starts. By the time UVa opened play Thursday, Florida State already had won two games and was guaranteed a spot in the final.

The Seminoles had the luxury of saving pitcher Mike McGee for the final game by using a less established starter Saturday in a 9-2 loss to Georgia Tech.

Florida State (42-16) jumped out to a 2-0 lead Sunday on a two-run homer by Jason Stidham in the first inning, but that was nothing new for the Cavaliers.

They had trailed 4-0 in the fourth inning against Clemson on Thursday and 3-0 in the fourth inning Saturday against Duke.

In those games, Virginia made up deficits in the middle innings. The Cavaliers never led Sunday until freshman left fielder John Hicks, who was 0-for-4 and had struck out twice, hit a one-out, two-run single in the ninth inning.

Virginia added an insurance run on Florida State's second passed ball of the game -- the Seminoles also had five wild pitches -- but the Cavaliers didn't need it.

UVa closer Kevin Arico needed only 13 pitches to strike out the side in the ninth inning, taking off his glove and slamming it to the ground after setting down Steven Cardullo for the final out.

Sophomore Tyler Wilson (8-3) got the win after working out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning.

"The way our program is based is on finishing everything," said UVa sophomore Dan Grovatt, naming tournament MVP after reaching base four times Sunday and batting .571 for the weekend. "I think that is what paid off this weekend."

It may have paid off in an ACC championship but Virginia was unable to sway the NCAA selection committee, which did not name UVa as one of the hosts for first-round subregionals.

Those teams were identified before the ACC championship game was completed and included Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina.

Virginia, which has the highest winning percentage in the ACC, won four games over the weekend and no other team won more than twice. Georgia Tech and Clemson each went 1-2.

"This team has battled all year long and has felt like they have had something to prove, maybe because of our youth," said UVa coach Brian O'Connor, who started four freshmen and three sophomores against Florida State.

"This is not a young team anymore. We've proven time and time again that we can step up and battle with anybody and win a game."

It was UVa's third appearance in the title game in O'Connor's six seasons. In 2008, the Cavaliers lost to Miami 8-4 after playing until 1:09 a.m. the previous night.

"That has probably been the knock on us for five or six seasons -- that we haven't won a conference championship or a regional championship," O'Connor said. "Now, we have proven to ourselves what we are capable of doing."
 

U.Va. beats Florida State for its first baseball ACC title since '96
Staff and wire service reports
7:09 PM EDT, May 24, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. - Virginia's long wait for an Atlantic Coast Conference baseball title is over, thanks to a clutch hit from a freshman.

John Hicks' two-run single keyed a three-run ninth inning that lifted Virginia past Florida State 6-3 on Sunday in the ACC championship game.

"This team has battled all year long and has felt like they have had to prove something, maybe, because of our youth," coach Brian O'Connor said. "This is not a young team anymore. We've proven time and time again that we can step up and battle with anybody and win a game."

Steven Proscia and Franco Valdes each added RBI for the sixth-seeded Cavaliers. They went 3-0 in round-robin play to reach the title game for the second consecutive year, then won it for the first time since 1996 and claimed the league's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. The Cavaliers also won the ACC title in 1972 before there was a postseason tournament.

It is the sixth ACC title this school year for U.Va. -- the most in the ACC this year. It also ties a school record for ACC titles in one school year.

"Now we have proven to ourselves what we are capable of doing in this program," O'Connor said.

Virginia loaded the bases with one out in the ninth off Sean Gilmartin when Hicks' single got past a diving Stephen Cardullo to bring home Phil Gosselin and Danny Hultzen and break a 3-3 tie.

Dan Grovatt advanced from first to third and Hicks made it to second, prompting Florida State coach Mike Martin to replace Gilmartin with Jimmy Marshall. Grovatt later scored on a passed ball.

Virginia closer Kevin Arico struck out the side in the ninth.

Winning pitcher Tyler Wilson (8-3) allowed one hit in two scoreless innings with two strikeouts for the Cavaliers (43-12-1). Gilmartin (11-3) retired only one of the five hitters he faced in the ninth.

Jason Stidham homered and drove in three runs for the Seminoles (42-16). The tournament's No. 1 seed was playing in its first title game since winning it in 2004 but fell to 4-4 in those games.

Florida State was awarded one of the NCAA's 16 host sites for the four-team regional tournaments that begin later this week.

"We're obviously disappointed, but we're also very excited about the fact that we will be hosting next week," Martin said.

Virginia's rally came an inning after Florida State had a chance to regain the lead. The Seminoles loaded the bases with one out in the eighth before Wilson struck out pinch-hitter Tommy Oravetz and got Jack Posey to fly out.

"The kid has big guts," O'Connor said of Wilson. "I would have had to pry the ball out of his hand to take him out of that situation."

Stidham's two-run shot in the first put Florida State up 2-0, and his RBI single in the third pushed the Seminoles' lead to 3-1.

Proscia had an RBI double in the second and Valdes had a run-scoring single in the fourth for Virginia.

 

FSU falls to Virginia in ACC baseball title game
Cavaliers score 3 in 9th, win crown
By Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER

DURHAM, N.C. — Three errors, eight stranded runners, five wild pitches and two passed balls.

Those are the things that a good, but not great, hitting team can ill-afford to do in the postseason and still win.

Florida State didn't Sunday in the ACC championship game, which was won by Virginia 6-3.

But FSU coach Mike Martin said he is not worried about any of the low points from back-to-back losses in the ACC tournament carrying over into the NCAA postseason.

"None whatsoever," Martin said. "None whatsoever. We are facing exceptional clubs."

FSU, hitting .254 in its four games of the ACC tournament but still sporting an overall .313 batting average, came away empty in the eighth inning of a dead-locked game after loading the bases with one out. But Virginia, after an error helped load the bases, took advantage of its opportunity in the ninth when John Hicks' two-run single snuck past shortstop Stephen Cardullo into left field.

The Cavaliers added a third run on a passed ball for a 6-3 lead and then struck out the FSU side in the bottom of the ninth to deny the Seminoles their first ACC title since 2004.

Even trailing by three runs, a team that has made a name for itself with walk-off victories this season, believed it could still win.

"I don't think (the eighth) was necessarily the turning point," said Stidham, who along with Mike McGee was named to the all-tournament team. "I still think we were in the ballgame coming in the ninth."

Stidham delivered his fourth extra-base hit — a two-run homer into the right field bleachers — to give FSU a two-run advantage after one inning. Virginia countered with one run in the second.

After FSU took a 3-1 lead in the third, Virginia parlayed two wild pitches from starter McGee, a passed ball and two hits to tie the game in fourth.

FSU went into the championship game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park with just one error after three tournament games. Then came the three errors Sunday as well as five wild pitches and two passed balls.

One of those errors came in the ninth when Stidham misplayed a ball that could have started a double play. Instead, Virginia ended up scoring three runs.

"I wish I could put a finger on it but it must improve," Martin said.

Martin had reason to leave the championship game feeling good about relievers John Gast and Geoff Parker, who combined to limit Virginia to just three hits while striking out four in 41/3 innings.




 

Cavaliers claim ACC baseball title
UVa rallies in 9th to beat FSU
BY JAVIER SERNA - Staff writer
Published: Mon, May. 25, 2009 05:56AMModified Sun, May. 24, 2009 11:02PM

DURHAM -- Virginia didn't earn the right to host a regional.

But with a 6-3 win over Florida State, it won the ACC Baseball Championship final at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Sunday.

"That's been the knock on this team, that it didn't have a title," said Virginia coach Brian O'Connor, whose Cavaliers (43-12-1) had been to three title games in the last six years. "Sooner or later you're going to figure out a way to kick that door in."

Coaches, NCAA trying to stop early commitments After leaving men in scoring position all afternoon, the Cavaliers -- who stranded 11 baserunners -- finally broke through with three big runs in the top of the ninth inning as overcast skies also dumped rain.

With the bases loaded and one out, Cavaliers freshman John Hicks lined a single to left field for his first hit of the game, scoring Danny Hultzen and Phil Gosselin to break a 3-3 tie. The third run would score later on a passed ball.

"I think every at-bat they started me with a breaking ball, and I swung at every one of them," said Hicks, who laid off the first pitch, another breaking ball, on his last at-bat and then lined a 2-1 fastball past the shortstop for his winning hit.

"I saw the ball off the bat, I saw the shortstop diving, and I pumped my fist," Hicks said.

In the bottom of the ninth, righty reliever Kevin Arico struck out the side to clinch Virginia's first ACC Tournament championship since 1996. That year the Cavaliers also beat the Seminoles, who have won it three times since.

The Seminoles were dogged by three errors, a balk, a wild pitch and two passed balls. Only three of Virginia's runs were earned.

"I wish I could put a finger on it, but it must improve," Florida State coach Mike Martin said.

Florida State led early on Jason Stidham's two-run homer in the first.

Virginia scored a run in the top of the second on Steven Proscia's RBI double, which dropped just short of the glove of a diving D'Vontrey Richardson, to cut the Seminoles' lead to 2-1.

But the Cavaliers stranded Proscia at third when Seminoles starter Mike McGee struck out Franco Valdes.

It wasn't the first time McGee got out of a jam. In the top of the third he loaded the bases on walks, but with two outs he struck out Hicks.

The Seminoles (42-16) scored another run in the bottom of the third on Stidham's second hit of the game, a bloop RBI single.
 

ACC champ Virginia ready to travel
Submitted by woodo1 on 05/24/2009 - 21:34
Tags: Balls and Strikes | ACC baseball | Florida State | Virginia

Virginia baseball coach Brian O'Connor won the Cavaliers' first ACC baseball championship since 1996 on Sunday. But even before the Cavaliers had beaten Florida State 6-3 in the title game by scoring three runs in the top of the ninth at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the NCAA had released the list of 16 regional tournament hosts.

No regional in Charlottesville, the NCAA announced about halfway through the ACC title game. No problem, O'Connor said.

"You're disappointed because our league was the most competitive throughout that it's been in my time here," said O'Connor, whose team is 43-12-1 and finished 16-11-1 in the regular season in the ACC. "The team that won the league [Florida State]. Usually, somebody has got 23 or 24. The difference between being in sixth place [where Virginia finished] or second place was a game or two. We unfortunately were a game or two short.

"But I will say this, because you never know, maybe this is the best thing for this team. I feel like this team has had to prove something all year long. Maybe going on the road to win a regional is something that will be really, really positive for this team. We have no other way to take it other than that. ... Our team will handle it just fine no matter where we go."

The Cavaliers, with an RPI of No. 9 before winning the ACC title, could be a No. 1 seed on the road in a regional.

"Obviously, we should be deserving of a No. 1 seed," O'Connor said. "We are [43-12-1] and just went 4-0 in the ACC tournament. [But] I don't know where the committe is feeling where we rank."

Virginia got a monkey off its back with the ACC title.

"This is our third ACC title game in the last six years," O'Connor said. "I think ... our players knew that if we continued to knock on the door and put ourselves in position to win a title ... that sooner or later, you are going to figure out a way to kick that door in. That's what we did today.

"This was a big one for us because we haven't won a title. That has probably been the knock on us for five or six years, that we haven't won a conference championship, haven't won a regional championship. Now, we have proven -- most importantly to ourselves to ourselves -- what we are capable of doing in this program."

Despite not hosting a regional, O'Connor was excited about the the momentum gained in Durham.

"The positive momentum we can take from the way we played this tournament and the way that we battled can carry over to next weekend, no matter where it is," he said. "This was a huge hurdle for us to get over to win this title, and now these players have proven to each other what they can do at championship time."

They played in front of a pro-UNC crowd of more than 6,000 on Friday night and stunned North Carolina and the Tar Heels' ace Alex White with 10 runs in the third inning en route to an 11-1 victory and won four games in four days at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, three of them against regional hosts. The Cavaliers are battle-tested.

"We were the visiting team three of four games in this tournament," O'Connor said. "I don't think there will be any atmosphere that this club will be in awe of.

"There is one thing this club should not lack right now and that is confidence. To do what we did to Alex White, who is one of the best pitchers in the country, in that environment where everything is on the line, this team grows from that. ... Even though we have a lot of young players who haven't been through [an NCAA regional], this experience here this weekend will prepare them to have success next weekend."

For the Cavaliers, it's just more of the same -- tough games on the road. Just like the ACC regular season and just like the ACC tournament title run.
 

Despite ACC title win, Virginia won’t host
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 25, 2009

DURHAM, N.C. — Raindrops fell from the sky late in Sunday’s ACC Championship game between Florida State and Virginia.
That did not damper the Cavaliers’ celebration following a 6-3 title-clinching victory.
News that followed certainly could have.
Virginia, despite winning the ACC tournament, was shunned by the NCAA tournament selection committee — the Cavaliers (43-12-1) and their impressive top-10 RPI will not host a regional this weekend, instead hitting the road for the opening round of postseason play.
“It is disappointing initially because you worked so hard to put yourself in that opportunity,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “I happen to feel like we are one of the better clubs in the country and we are worthy of it.
“We have hosted regionals three of the last five years and have done a good job and gotten nice crowds.”
Unfortunately for Virginia, the announcement in regards to the 16 regional sites came at 3:30 p.m. with the title game knotted 3-3. Thus, the committee’s decision came before the Cavaliers plated three runs in the top-half of the ninth to win the league crown.
Four ACC teams — Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina — did land spots as a regional host.
This season, Virginia went a combined 6-3-1 against those foes.
That only added to the frustration that could have brewed on the happiest day in the O’Connor era.
“You are disappointed because our league was the most competitive throughout that it has been in my time here,” the skipper said.
This season, Florida State finished with the top regular season mark in the league at 19-9, a mark that was less than three games better than the sixth-seeded Cavaliers’ record (16-11-1).
“Usually, somebody has 23 or 24 [regular season wins], so the difference in being in sixth place or second place is a game or two,” O’Connor said. “Unfortunately, we are a game or two short of being towards the top in the regular season.
“But we proved here what kind of club that we have.”
Taking the high road in O’Connor-like fashion, Virginia will approach its upcoming road trip as yet another challenge.
“Maybe this is the best thing for this team because I feel like this team has had to prove something all year long,” O’Connor added. “Maybe going on the road to win a regional will be something really, really positive for this team.
“We have no other way to take it. Our team will handle it just fine no matter where we have to go.”
The most intriguing location based on distance would be at East Carolina, the regular season champion of Conference USA. The Pirates, the team Virginia slated to open the 2010 campaign with, or other regional hosts could even be slotted as the No. 2 seed behind Virginia in a regional that they host.
“I think it will come down to where our positioning is overall in the country,” O’Connor said. “Obviously, we are deserving of a No. 1 seed. We should be. We are 43-12 and we just went 4-0 in the ACC tournament and we beat three teams that are host teams.
“I would imagine that maybe we might go somewhere that maybe the [regional host] is not a No. 1 seed.”
 

No. 14 Baseball Wins ACC Championship, 6-3 vs. No. 7 FSU
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/24/2009

DURHAM, N.C. – John Hicks (Fr., Sandy Hook, Va.) hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to break a 3-3 tie and lift the No. 14 Virginia baseball team to a 6-3 victory over Florida State in the title game of the ACC Baseball Championship Sunday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. Virginia, the sixth seed, is the lowest seed to ever win the tournament crown after winning four games in four days to earn the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. FSU was the top seed in the field.

The tournament championship is the second in Virginia's school history. The last came in 1996 and ironically also came against Florida State in Durham. Virginia also won the ACC regular-season championship in 1972, which was prior to the tournament era.

The ACC championship was the sixth this year for the Virginia Department of Athletics – the most in the ACC this year. It also ties a school record for ACC titles in one season.

Dan Grovatt (So., Tabernacle, N.J.) was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Franco Valdes (Jr., Miami, Fla.) and Danny Hultzen (Fr., Bethesda, Md.). Grovatt went 8-for-15 in the tournament.

The game was tied at three in the ninth inning when Virginia (43-12-1) put together its championship-winning rally. With one out, Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.) singled. He advanced to second when FSU second baseman Jason Stidham booted a grounder by Hultzen. Grovatt then walked to load the bases, and Hicks singled through the drawn-in infield to score two runs. Grovatt and Hicks advanced on an errant throw to the plate by left fielder Mike McGee, and Grovatt later scored on a passed ball by Parker Brunelle.

UVa reliever Tyler Wilson (So., Midlothian, Va.) earned the win and improved to 8-3 with two scoreless innings. He provided the game’s turning point in the bottom of the eighth inning by escaping a bases-loaded, one-out situation to keep the game tied and set up the Cavaliers’ ninth-inning heroics. Kevin Arico (So., Flemington, N.J.) struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning to notch his 10th save – fourth in a single season in Virginia history.

FSU’s Sean Gilmartin (11-3) took the loss after giving up all three runs (one earned) in the ninth inning.

Neither starting pitcher earned a decision. UVa starter Andrew Carraway (Sr., Marietta, Ga.) pitched 2.2 innings, giving up three earned runs, five hits and one walk while striking out three. With his three strikeouts, Carraway now has 229 career punchouts and moves into a seventh-place tie on the UVa career strikeouts ledger with Joe Koshansky (2001-04).

Florida State starter Mike McGee was effectively wild. In 3.2 innings, he gave up three runs (two earned) and three hits while walking four and throwing four wild pitches. He struck out six.

Florida State (42-16) scored the first runs of the game when Jason Stidham clubbed a two-run home run to right field in the first inning.

The Cavaliers cut the lead in half in the second inning. Grovatt led off with a single and advanced to second with two out on an errant pickoff throw by McGee. Steven Proscia (Fr., Suffern, N.Y.) then doubled to left-center field to plate Grovatt.

In the third inning, the Seminoles got three-consecutive one-out singles from Stephen Cardullo, McGee and Stidham to tack on another run and push their lead to 3-1.

Virginia answered with a pair of runs in the fourth. Cannon walked to lead off and moved up on a wild pitch. He moved up on a groundout to second base by Proscia and scored when Valdes blooped a single into left-center field. Valdes advanced on a wild pitch and a Keith Werman (Fr., Vienna, Va.) groundout to second base and scored on a Rafael Lopez passed ball, tying the game at 3-3.

Wilson escaped a huge Florida State threat in the eighth inning to keep the game tied. After loading the bases with one out, Wilson struck out Tommy Oravetz and then got Jack Posey to end the inning with a lazy fly ball to right field to set up UVa’s ninth-inning rally.

Virginia will now await its NCAA Tournament fate. The 64-team field will be announced at 12:30 p.m. Monday on ESPN.


2009 ACC Baseball All-Tournament Team

C-Franco Valdes, Virginia

1B-Dustin Ackley, North Carolina

2B-Jason Stidham, Florida State

3B-Mickey Wiswall, Boston College

SS-Jake Lemmerman, Duke

OF-Dan Grovatt, Virginia

OF-Wilson Boyd, Clemson

OF-Mike McGee, Florida State

UT/DH-Danny Hultzen, Virginia

P-Pat Dean, Boston College

P-Casey Harman, Clemson

All-Tournament Most Valuable Player

Dan Grovatt, Virginia

 

Inglot and Shabaz Reach NCAA Doubles Final
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/24/2009

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Dominic Inglot (London, England) and Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) advanced to the final of the 2009 NCAA Doubles Championship with a three-set semifinal win Sunday at the Mitchell Tennis Center. The Cavalier team rallied from losing the first set to top Clay Donato and Taylor Fogleman of North Carolina 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Inglot and Shabaz become the first Cavalier team to reach the NCAA Doubles final and will play No. 2 seed John-Patrick Smith and Davey Sandgren of Tennessee for the championship on Monday. The win was also the duo’s 40th doubles win of the season, tying the school record set earlier this year by Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) and Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.).

In the first set, the Cavalier team got out to a strong start, breaking Donato’s serve in the first game. They held that one break advantage at 4-3 in the first set before the Tar Heel team won three straight games, breaking serve twice, to take the opening set. Before the second set began, a storm front rolled through College Station and caused a two-hour rain delay.

“I think the rain delay definitely worked in our favor,” said Shabaz. “They broke us twice in a row, including to win the first set, so they had a lot of momentum. The delay gave us a chance to think and regroup and cooled off their play a little. But that is how things go sometimes.”

The teams traded breaks in the first two games of the second set and then remained on serve until 4-4 in the set. In the ninth game, Inglot and Shabaz hit some big returns to break Fogleman’s serve and take a 5-4 lead. Shabaz held in the ensuing game to bring the Cavalier team even and force a decisive set.

“They are a great returning team, so we knew we weren’t going to be able to hold serve easily,” said Shabaz. “When we broke at 4-all and had a chance to serve for the second set, we knew we had to capitalize on that chance and even it up.”

The third set remained close, with both teams holding serve in the first six games. At 3-3, Inglot and Shabaz were able to break Fogleman’s serve for the third time in the match to take a 4-3 lead. In the ensuing game, Shabaz faced a break point on his serve at 30-40, but hit a service winner to get to deuce. The Cavalier team won the next two points to take a 5-3 lead in the final set. After Donato held for UNC, the match was on Inglot’s racquet. The senior used his big serve to hold easily and send the Virginia team into the final.

“In the third set, Dom really played well,” said Shabaz. “He got his first serve in and was able to hold easily. I had to battle to hold in my games, but was able to pull them out. In the game at 3-3, we were able to put together a good game and get the break we needed.”

The match was the fourth time the teams had played in the last two months. Inglot and Shabaz’s win tied the season series between the teams as Donato and Fogleman had won two of the first three meetings.

“It is always tough to play a team that many times,” said Shabaz. “You know each other, your strengths and weaknesses, so well. We are happy to be able to win this one and have a chance to play for a championship tomorrow.”

The final between Inglot/Shabaz and Smith/Sandgren will take place at 10 a.m. CT on Monday. (There will be no television coverge, live or delay, of the NCAA Individual Championships this season). The meeting will be the second meeting of the year between the teams. Inglot and Shabaz defeated the Volunteer duo 8-5 in the final of the UVa Ranked Plus One Invitational in Charlottesville on Sept. 28.

“We played the Tennessee pair last semester,” said Inglot. “Fortunately we won, but I think we were playing different sides then. I was playing on the ‘Ad’ and Mike was playing on the deuce. It’s going to be a little different. I think it might help us – the fact that we have beaten them before. But of course, this is a national championship match, so anything really goes. We know roughly what to expect from that last match. We’re going to go out there, do our best, and try to stick to the game tactics we are going to go over tonight. We kind of hoped we would be here in the finals of the team championship and it was disappointing not to be. This is going to be a chance for us to make up for that.”

On Sunday, the run of Sanam Singh in the NCAA Singles Championship came to an end. Singh fell in the semifinals to No. 9-16 seed Steven Moneke of Ohio State 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Moneke came out strong to take the opening set 6-1. The second set began like the first, with Moneke going up a break and was up 4-2 before Singh rallied to win four straight games to take the set 6-4. Moneke opened the third set strong, going up two breaks with a 3-0 lead. Singh answered to win the next two games and had six break points in a seven-deuce game in the sixth game to draw even before Moneke held for 4-2. The Buckeye held off Singh to take the final set 6-3 and advance to the final.

“I had a very rough start to the match,” said Singh. “Give him credit, he kept the pressure on. He makes a lot of balls. Steven keeps the ball in play a lot and I just had a bad start and couldn’t really get myself into the match. I was down 2-4, 15-40, held a good game and then kind of got into the match. I had a terrible start to the third set again. I was obviously playing from behind in the match, but he kept the pressure on me and I couldn’t get that crucial break in the match at 2-3 in the third. I could have played much better. He stayed in the match the whole time and didn’t lose too much focus. I just didn’t have enough first serves today. Nothing was really clicking. The only thing going for me today was my heart. I told myself, ‘I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep playing.’ I probably hit 15 percent on first serves. I didn’t play that well, but that’s something that I have to fight through. I was playing my best, but he came out on top.”


 

Lewellen, Neuhauser and Nielson Earn Postseason Golf Honors
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/24/2009

Charlottesville, VA – Virginia women’s golf coach Kim Lewellen and two of her players have picked up postseason honors by the National Golf Coaches Association. After leading Virginia to a best-ever eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, Lewellen was named one of three regional coaches of the year.

Neuhauser, a junior from Barboursville, Va. and Nielson, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., were named honorable mention All-Americans. Neuhauser was also named to the All-East Region team.

Lewellen received the East Region coach of the year honor. Purdue’s Devon Brouse was the Central Region coach of the year and Arizona State’s Melissa Luellen was tabbed the West Region coach of the year. Luellen also picked up national coach of the year honors after guiding the Sun Devils to the NCAA Championship.

Having just completed her second season at Virginia, it marks the second straight year Lewellen has received postseason honors. Last year she was selected the ACC Coach of the Year.

Nielson was sixth at the NCAA Championships, shooting 1-under par over the final 36 holes of the event. She led or shared the lead in scoring for UVa in six of its final tournaments of the season.

An All-ACC selection, Nielson was second on the team in stroke average at 73.52. She was 11th at the NCAA East Regional and was named the ACC’s Golfer of the Month for March. She led the team with six top-10 finishes this season.

Neuhauser led UVa with a 73.42 stroke average and earned All-ACC honors this year. She was eighth at the NCAA East Regional and was 54th at the NCAA Championships. She led the team with 11 rounds of par or better.

After finishing the 2008 season ranked No. 248, Neuhauser was named Golfworld’s “Most Improved Player” at the midseason break. She was ranked as high as No. 5 by Golfweek in mid-March.

Here is the complete list of award winners and NGCA All-Americans:

PING NGCA Division I Player of the Year
Maria Hernandez - Purdue University

NGCA Division I Freshman of the Year
Jennifer Song – University of Southern California

Golfstat Cup
Jennifer Song – University of Southern California

Dinah Shore Trophy Award
Amanda Blumenherst – Duke University

NGCA Division I Kim Moore Spirit Award
Missy Farr-Kaye – Arizona State University

Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award
Azahara Munoz - Arizona State University

Division I SkyCaddie NGCA National Coach of the Year
Melissa Luellen - Arizona State University

Division I SkyCaddie NGCA Regional Coaches of the Year
East Region: Kim Lewellen - University of Virginia and Cathy Mant - Georgia State University (co-recipients)
Central Region: Devon Brouse – Purdue University
West Region: Melissa Luellen - Arizona State University

NGCA Assistant Golf Coach of the Year
Jo Jo Robertson – Purdue University

Duramed NGCA Division I All-American Teams
1st Team
Jane Chin - University of California Irvine
Carlota Ciganda - Arizona State University
Jodi Ewart - University of New Mexico
Caroline Hedwall - Oklahoma State University
Maria Hernandez - Purdue University
Stephanie Kono - UCLA
Azahara Munoz - Arizona State University
Lizette Salas - USC
Candace Schepperle - Auburn University
Jennifer Song – USC
Maria Jose Uribe – UCLA

2nd Team
Amanda Blumenherst - Duke University
Nannette Hill - Wake Forest University
Cindy LaCrosse - University of Louisville
Maude Aimee Leblanc - Purdue University
Jennie Lee - Duke University
Pernilla Lindberg - Oklahoma State University
Megan McChrystal - Louisiana State University
Belen Mozo - USC
Juliana Murcia - Arizona State University
Stephanie Sherlock - University of Denver
Glory Yang – UCLA

Honorable Mention
Kathleen Ekey - University of Alabama
Pia Halbig - University of California Berkeley
Mallory Hetzel - University of Georgia
Tiffany Joh – UCLA
Alice Kim - University of California Davis
Laura Kueny - Michigan State University
Camilla Lennarth - University of Alabama
Caroline Masson - Oklahoma State University
Lisa McCloskey - Pepperdine University
Erica Moston - San Jose State University
Whitney Neuhauser - University of Virginia
Calle Nielson - University of Virginia
Jennifer Osborn - Arizona State University
Natalie Sheary - Wake Forest University
Marta Silva - University of Georgia

NGCA All-East Region Team

East Region
Marina Alex - Vanderbilt University
Stephanie Connelly - University of Central Florida
Katie Kempter - University of Denver
Camilla Lennarth - University of Alabama
Nathalie Mansson - University of Tennessee
Whitney Neuhauser - University of Virginia
Brooke Pancake - University of Alabama
Candace Schepperle - Auburn University
Stephanie Sherlock - University of Denver
Dawn Shockley - University of Denver


 

A supporter of women’s athletics
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: May 24, 2009

Back in the 1980’s, Debbie Ryan changed one facet of women’s collegiate athletics nationally, but not without some give and take with then-senior associate athletic director Jim West.

West, who died last week, was known as an administrator who would get his coaches whatever they needed if — and sometimes it was a big if — the coaches could convince him they really needed it.

In those days, there was a fledgling company called Jogbra that had created the only sports bra in the world. Ryan, the UVa women’s basketball coach, had received information that explained women who played high-impact sports — or sports in general — should be wearing a sports bra to protect against tissue damage.

“I went up to Jim’s office, which was essentially one office divided into two and I told him I was asking for sports bras for the entire department of women’s sports,” Ryan recounted.

“Jim looked at me puzzled and said, ‘What in the hell are you talking about?’”

Ryan explained that all women needed them. West asked how much they cost. When Ryan informed him they ranged between $32 and $35 each, West shook his head and said there was no way, that he couldn’t buy them for one team, let alone the whole department.

Ryan wasn’t one to take no for an answer. She asked the company to send her research about how damaging it was for female athletes to go without this particular piece of equipment.

“I made another appointment to go see him and in the meantime I got all our coaches to sign a petition,” Ryan said. “So I go back up there armed with all this information.”

She walked in and West wasn’t alone. AD Dick Schultz was there as well, at West’s request.

“I needed reinforcement,” West said to Ryan, knowing she wasn’t going to go away easily.

She handed West the research and her petition.

“I’m not sure if we actually got all the signatures,” she giggled. “I had George Welsh and Terry Holland on there. I may have forged them, I don’t know.

“When Jim saw those two names on the list, he said, ‘What are their names doing on here?’

“I told him they were supporting my cause, to which Jim said, ‘Baloney, they’re not supporting you.”

West handed all the papers to Schultz, who was a no-nonsense guy. He looked them over and told Ryan it couldn’t be done. West seconded the motion.

Ryan asked why.

“I said, ‘You would do it for men’s jocks, why can’t you give us Jogbras?’” Ryan remembered. “They said, ‘Because jocks only cost five dollars and Jogbras are $35. There’s just no way.’”

She almost gave up. But as she was walking out the door, Ryan stopped. Both West and Schultz must have known they were in trouble.

“I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I turned back and said, ‘So, if jocks cost $32 and Jogbras cost $5, would you not give the men their jocks?’”

West and Schultz looked at each other and West turned around and said, “All right, you can have them.”

Ryan said UVa was the first program in the country to have them and instantly became famous with the other women’s coaches — such as Tennessee’s Pat Summit — who were calling asking how she convinced the school to buy them.

“I guess you could just call it the Jogbra caper,” Ryan laughed. “Jim West was one of a kind. My players absolutely loved him throughout the years. He actually came to my Hall of Fame ceremony last summer even though he couldn’t even walk. That’s the kind of friend Jim West was.”