Franklin’s late flurry lifts Virginia to 71-69 win in OT over North Texas in NIT second round
By Scott Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
After struggling offensively for the first 30 minutes of Virginia’s second-round matchup with North Texas Sunday, Armaan Franklin caught fire down the stretch. The junior guard scored 17-straight UVA points, bridging the second half and overtime, as the Cavaliers (21-13) held on to win, 71-69, and advance to the quarterfinal round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Jayden Gardner sank two free throws with 13.7 seconds left, giving UVA a four-point lead, 70-66, before North Texas’ Thomas Bell cut it to one on a three-point play with 4.5 ticks to go.
Kihei Clark was immediately fouled and split a pair from the charity stripe, and with no timeouts remaining, the Mean Green (25-7) had to go the length of the floor with a chance to tie or win. UNT’s Tylor Perry got a 3-point attempt off before the buzzer, but his shot bounced off the rim and the Wahoos escaped with the road victory.
UVA will face St. Bonaventure on Tuesday or Wednesday in the NIT quarterfinals (game details TBD).
Senior Kody Stattmann gave the Hoos a lift off the bench Sunday, breaking a 26-26 tie with a 3-pointer to spark a 10-0 Cavalanche to begin the second half.
Reece Beekman followed that with a steal-and-score, Gardner’s ensuing takeaway led to a Beekman 3, and then Clark stripped the ball from Perry and Beekman was there to follow his miss on the other end.
Gardner scored on a tough bucket to give Virginia a 40-31 lead, as the Hoos hit six of eight shots during one stretch. The East Carolina transfer forward notched double figures for the 28th time this season on a drive to the rack with 13:32 remaining to make it a nine-point advantage.
After North Texas cut it to five, Gardner struck again from the baseline, as he converted on four-straight Cavalier baskets. Clark buried an open triple to extend the UVA lead back to 10, 47-37, with 11:13 to play.
Franklin followed with his first basket of the game from downtown to make it 50-41 as the clock went under 10 minutes.
Mardrez McBride knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to trim the Virginia lead to 52-49 with 6:44 to play, but Franklin answered with another triple of his own. That turned out to be Virginia’s last basket of the second half, as the Hoos went scoreless for the final 5:42.
Leading by four, Gardner was called for an offensive foul with 2:58 to go, and then Perry completed a four-point play to tie it at 55-all with 2:32 left, as Kadin Shedrick fouled out on the play.
Bell lost the ball out of bounds with 1:15 left, giving the Hoos a chance to take the lead, but Clark couldn’t get a shot off in time, and the Mean Green got it back with just 8.4 seconds left in regulation. Perry launched one just before the buzzer, but his would-be, game-winning 3-point attempt was off the mark, sending the game to an extra session.
Franklin opened overtime with a trio of 3-pointers, scoring 17 of Virginia’s points in a row and giving the Cavaliers a 64-58 advantage with 2:46 left in OT.
Francisco Caffaro fouled out on the ensuing possession after arguing his fourth personal foul, leaving UVA without a big man for the final 2:31, allowing UNT to trim three points off of the Virginia lead from the foul line.
Gardner answered with a jumper to make it 66-61, and then Beekman came away with a rebound and raced the length of the floor for a layup. McBride made a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to cut it to 68-64, and the Mean Green caught a few late breaks after Beekman and Stattmann both missed the front ends of their one-and-one opportunities in the final 34 seconds.
Virginia shot 48 percent on the evening (26 for 54), 53 percent from 3-point range (9 for 17), and 53 percent from the free-throw line (10 for 19).
Franklin and Gardner each scored 17 points to lead the way, while Beekman added 13 and Clark had 11. Beekman also had a game-high 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Stattmann finished with 9 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
McBride led all scorers with 21 points, while Perry and Abou Ousmane added 16 apiece and Bell had 12, as the Mean Green shot 45 percent (25 for 56) from the field, 36 percent from downtown (8 for 22), and 79 percent from the free-throw line (11 for 14).
FIRST HALF
In the opening minutes, the two teams showed why they’re regarded as two of the top defensive units in the country, combining for just five points in the first five minutes.
McBride nailed a long 3-pointer to give the Mean Green a 7-1 lead, but Beekman answered with the Hoos’ first field goal after missing their first six attempts.
North Texas held a 15-8 advantage when Clark barely beat the shot clock with a triple to cut the UVA deficit to four just past the midway point of the half. Gardner followed with a jumper, and then Shedrick tied it with a jam with 7:47 on the clock.
Clark sank a baseline jumper to knot the score at 17-all after UNT briefly reclaimed the lead, and then Beekman gave the Cavaliers their first lead since it was 1-0 on a nifty reverse layup. Stattmann scored to cap a 13-2 Virginia run, and North Texas coach Grant McCasland called for a timeout with his team trailing, 21-17, with 3:49 until halftime.
The Mean Green scored four in a row out of the timeout to tie it up at 21-apiece, but Gardner connected from the top of the key to put Virginia back in front. Clark’s left-handed layup with 43 ticks showing pushed the Virginia lead to 26-21, but Perry converted a three-point play with 14 seconds to go, and the Hoos led 26-24 at the break. The Cavaliers ended the half making 10 of their last 16 shots.
Team Notes
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
- The Cavaliers improved to 21-13
- UVA is 2-2 all-time in NIT overtime games
- This was UVA’s first overtime contest of the season
- UVA had a 13-2 run to gain a 21-17 lead
- UVA led 26-24 at the half, improving to 16-4 when leading after 20 minutes
- UVA used a 10-0 run to gain a 36-26 lead
- Tylor Perry’s four-point play tied the score at 55-55
- UVA is 9-5 in nonconference action
- UVA has won 21 or more games for the 10th time under Tony Bennett
- Virginia is 144-11 when scoring at least 70 or more points under Bennett
- UVA is 8-1 when scoring 70 or more points in 2021-22
NIT Notes
- The Cavaliers are 19-11 all-time in 14 NIT appearances, including a pair of championships in 1980 and 1992
- UVA is 5-3 all-time in the NIT second round
- The Cavaliers are 4-5 on the road in the NIT
- The Cavaliers are 4-1 in NIT action under Tony Bennett
- Bennett is 4-2 all-time in the NIT, including a 68-57 loss at St. Mary’s as head coach at Washington State in 2009
Series Notes
- The Cavaliers are 2-0 all-time vs. North Texas
Player Notes
- Double Figure Scorers: Armaan Franklin (17), Jayden Gardner (17), Reece Beekman (11), Kihei Clark (11)
- Franklin matched a career-high with five 3-pointers and buried a trio of 3-pointers in overtime
- Clark reached double figures for the 17th time (51st career)
- Gardner reached double figures for the 28th time (102nd career)
- Beekman reached double figures for the 12th time (15th career)
- Franklin reached double figures for the 20th time (34th career)
- Stattmann had a career-high 10 rebounds
- Clark matched a career high with three steals
- Beekman (3 steals) has at least one steal in 31 of 34 games
- Beekman (9 assists) ranks eighth on UVA’s single season assist list with 175
- Beekman played a career-high 45 minutes
- Francisco Caffaro and Kadin Shedrick each fouled out
- Caffaro was assessed a technical foul with 2:31 left in overtime
Gelof goes deep again: #5 Virginia completes sweep of Boston College
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (19-1, 5-1 ACC) completed the sweep of Boston College (7-11, 1-5 ACC) with a 16-8 victory in the series finale on Sunday at Disharoon Park.
The Cavaliers match their best start in school history and have now won 17-straight games at home, the third-longest active streak in the country.
Virginia is 19-1 to begin the season for the second time. The 2009 Cavaliers won a school-record 19-straight games to start the year before dropping a one-run decision against Miami.
Virginia never trailed in the Sunday’s contest and was powered by standout performances by Jake Gelof and Alex Tappen at the plate. Gelof hit his NCAA-leading 12th home run with a two-run shot in the fourth inning. He finished 4-for-4 on the day with three RBI. Gelof went 7-for-11 with three home runs and seven RBI in the three-game series against the Eagles.
Tappen had a career day, reaching base five times and capped his afternoon with a two-run homer in the eighth inning. He finished with a career-high, six RBI in a 4-for-4 effort at the plate. He now has five home runs on the season and has reached base safely in 19-straight games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Virginia scored first for the 17th time this season and plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles by Gelof and Tappen. UVA has scored in the first inning in 11 of its 20 games this season.
- Virginia jumped out to a 6-0 advantage with a four-run, fourth inning thanks to RBI hits from Tappen, Chris Newell and Justin Rubin. Tappen drove in the first run of the frame and stole home after Gelof was caught in a rundown between first and second.
- Boston College pulled within four runs thanks to a three-run fifth inning and went on to make it a three-run ball game in the eighth after a three-run homer by Cameron Leary to make the score 11-8.
- Virginia responded with five runs in its half of the eighth and put the game out of reach. Tappen launched a two-run home run off the light stanchion in the left field bleachers to put the Cavaliers up 13-8. UVA padded the lead with a ground-rule double off the bat of Anthony Stephan and scored two runs on a Boston College fielding error.
FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR
“Last year we only swept one ACC series the whole year against Wake (Forest) here late in in May, and so it was great to see our guys come out this weekend and really play complete baseball all three games. This weekend was a tough weekend to pitch. You got the wind and the heat and the wind blowing out like it was. We knew there was going to be a lot of home runs hit, fortunately we hit a few more than they did. It was just a complete effort- defensively, pitching, on offense that you want to see so great first weekend of ACC play at home. Really nice crowds. It’s awesome. I told our guys after the game, it’s been a couple of years since we’ve had the Sunday (autograph) signings because of COVID, and to be able to have all these kids and fans out here after the game to sign autographs is really awesome. Alex Tappen and Jake Gelof were tremendous today and Ortiz and the guys in the middle of the lineup. You know the veteran guys really, really delivered and it’s awesome to see great collective offensive performance.”
UP NEXT: Virginia will conclude its six-game homestand on Tuesday (March 22) when it hosts Towson in non-conference action. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Disharoon Park.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia scored 10 or more runs for the 14th time this season. Virginia has scored 10 or more runs in all but one home game this season, outscoring opponents at Disharoon Park, 196-42.
- The Cavaliers have swept each of the last two home ACC series, Wake Forest in 2021 and this weekend against Boston College.
- Virginia is 5-1 through the first six ACC games for the first time since 2014 and the fourth time in program history (2022, 2014, 2011, 2010).
- After two home runs in Sunday’s contest, Virginia has hit 36 in 14 home games, two shy of the season record set in 2017 (38 in 34 games).
- The five-run fifth was the 14th time in 20 games UVA has scored five or more runs in a single inning.
- Virginia scored 41 runs in the three games against Boston College, the most in a three-game ACC series since scoring 43 in a trio of games against Maryland in 2010.
- Casey Saucke extended his hit streak to 18 games, the longest by a UVA freshman in the last 22 years and the longest by any Cavalier since UVA Hall of Famer Matt Thaiss had a hit in 18-straight games in 2016.
Softball: Virginia sweeps series with 8-1 win at NC State
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The Virginia softball team (18-11, 5-1 ACC) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, using a pair of home runs and a five-run third inning to post an 8-1 win at NC State (19-10, 2-7 ACC) and sweep the weekend series.
Virginia jumped out to the lead for the second-straight day, using a two-run shot from Tori Gilbert in the first to get on the board.
The Cavaliers then added five more runs in the third with a two-RBI double from Arizona Ritchie and a three-run home run from Sarah Coon before NC State would get a solo home run in the fourth. The solo home run broke up a no-hitter for starter Aly Rayle.
Virginia got the run back in the sixth inning when Abby Weaver delivered an RBI single to score Gilbert who was hit by a pitch.
Aly Rayle (4-1) picked up the win in the start as she allowed the one run on one hit with three walks and seven strikeouts through 5.0 innings of work.
Sam Gress (7-2) took the loss for the Wolfpack as she allowed two runs on three hits with a walk in 0.1 inning of work.
NOTES ON THE GAME
- With the win, Virginia is now 23-29 all-time against NC State and has won eight of the last 10 games.
- The 5-1 start to ACC play is the best start since the 2010 season when UVA started off the ACC slate 6-0.
- The sweep of the Wolfpack was the first sweep in ACC play for UVA since a 2019 sweep at NC State (4/26-28).
- The combined one-hit performance by UVA’s pitchers was the first since 2/10/2018 vs. Southern.
- Tori Gilbert moved into the team lead in home runs (7) with her two-run shot in the first inning.
- Gilbert and Coon homered to give UVA its seventh game this season with multiple home runs.
- Aly Rayle is now 5-1 all-time against the Wolfpack with one save in her UVA career.
- With the eight runs on Sunday, Virginia out-scored the Wolfpack 17-to-4 for the weekend series.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“What a great team weekend. I felt our team came out today with a hunger to finish the series with a win. From the first inning we put the pressure on and never let up. The ACC is a tough league and every game is going to be a dog fight. Our team showed a ton of grit and competed hard all weekend. That’s what I’m most proud of today. We will enjoy this on the way back home, rest up and get back to work on Monday. I love this team and that I get to go back to work with them tomorrow as we prepare to host Liberty on Tuesday.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia returns to action at home on Tuesday night, hosting Liberty in a 7 p.m. contest at Palmer Park.
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 14 Virginia comeback falls short to No. 21 JMU
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 14 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (5-6) closed the game on a 5-0 run but ran out of time against No. 21 James Madison (5-4) on Sunday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium.
Freshman Rachel Clark had four goals and one assist and senior Ashlyn McGovern scored four goals to lead UVA on offense. Sophomore Aubrey Williams finished with 12 draw controls.
UVA out-shot JMU 29-27, but the Dukes had a 24-20 edge in shots on goal. UVA finished with eight saves to six for JMU. The Cavaliers led 20-14 on the draw and had six caused turnovers to three but went 7-for-17 on free positions. Isabella Peterson led JMU with six goals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- JMU took an 8-2 lead over Virginia in the first quarter.
- The Cavaliers took advantage of the field flip to outscore the Dukes 6-2 in the second period and cut JMU’s lead to 10-8 at the half.
- JMU scored the first three goals of the third quarter and held UVA to just one as the Cavaliers trailed 13-9 heading into the final 15 minutes.
- After another 3-0 run for JMU, UVA scored four goals in a minute and 44 seconds to cut JMU’s lead to 16-13 with 4:54 to play.
- The Cavaliers picked up the ensuing draw control, but a turnover gave JMU possession as the Dukes ran time off the clock.
- A save by junior goalkeeper Ashley Vernon gave UVA the ball back as Hoeg found Schwab for a goal with 1:51 to play.
- JMU won the next draw. Sophomore Maggie Bostain forced a turnover and Clark got a shot off, but it was saved, and time ran expired.
FROM HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS
“Disappointed with the result. No one on the team played well today, but it was still almost enough. Our biggest haunt was the 8-meter, to go 7-for-17. To miss that many opportunities is hard. It means we were able to generate a lot of looks, but we just didn’t finish them. JMU did a nice job defending them and their goalkeeper made just enough saves. Our effort was there, our execution was just off today so a disappointing result.”
UP NEXT
Virginia will travel to Louisville on Saturday, March 26 for a noon start in the first of two road ACC games.
Women’s Tennis: No. 11 Virginia falls 6-1 against No. 10 Miami
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 11 Virginia women’s tennis team (11-4, 3-3 ACC) suffered a 6-1 defeat against No. 10 Miami (11-2, 6-1 ACC) on a blustery Sunday at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.
Sophomore Sara Ziodato scored the lone point for the Cavaliers, picking up a win in three sets on court six.
Sophomores Emma Navarro and Hibah Shaikh opened the match with a 6-2 doubles win against No. 16 Eden Richardson and Daevenia Achong on the top court, but the Hurricanes won 6-0 and 6-2 on courts two and three to clinch the point.
Miami picked up three straight-set singles wins on courts one, three and five to take the 4-0 lead and clinch the victory. A three-set win on court two made it 5-0 before Ziodato picked up a point. She had dropped her first set 6-4 against Diana Khodan but rallied to win 6-2 and 6-4 in the second two sets to secure the victory. Senior Sofia Munera was edged in a tight 7-5, 7-5 contest on court four to close out play.
Richardson won the clinching point for the Hurricanes with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Navarro on the top court. It was Navarro’s second-ever loss in collegiate singles play and her first since losing against Miami’s Estrela Perez-Somarriba on April 4, 2021 at Miami. Navarro had won 22 consecutive singles matches dating back to last season. She has a career record of 36-2 in singles play.
FROM HEAD COACH SARAH O’LEARY
“First off, credit to Miami. I thought they played and competed very well today. The wind was a big factor today and something we didn’t manage well. The team fought but our decision-making was not where it needed to be with the conditions we were facing today. As the coach, I take responsibility and know we need to improve in this area. It was a tough day but I know how tough and resilient this team is and know we will bounce back.”
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers are on the road next weekend, playing at Louisville on Friday, March 25 and at Notre Dame on Sunday, March 27
#10 Miami 6, #11 Virginia 1
Singles competition
- #58 Eden Richardson (UM) def. #5 Emma Navarro (VA) 6-3, 6-3
- #56 Daevenia Achong (UM) def. #50 Elaine Chervinsky (VA) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
- #112 Isabella Pfennig (UM) def. #26 Natasha Subhash (VA) 6-2, 6-2
- Maya Tahan (UM) def. Sofia Munera (VA) 7-5, 7-5
- Audrey Boch-Collins (UM) def. Hibah Shaikh (VA) 6-1, 6-0
- Sara Ziodato (VA) def. Diana Khodan (UM) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
- Emma Navarro/Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. #16 Eden Richardson/Daevenia Achong (UM) 6-2
- #72 Maya Tahan/Diana Khodan (UM) def. #73 Sofia Munera/Amber O’Dell (VA) 6-0
- Isabella Pfennig/Audrey Boch-Collins (UM) def. Elaine Chervinsky/Natasha Subhash (VA) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,1,2,6,4)
T-2:46 A-136
Men’s Tennis: No. 11 Virginia downs Clemson, 4-0
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 11 Virginia men’s tennis team (12-5, 6-0 ACC) closed out its weekend with a 4-0 road win at Clemson (8-7, 0-4 ACC) on Sunday at the Duckworth Family Tennis Center in Clemson, S.C.
The Cavaliers won the doubles point and picked up victories on singles courts three through five to clinch the victory.
The Cavaliers opened the match with 6-2 victories on doubles courts two and three to clinch the point. UVA was leading 5-2 on the top court when it was abandoned.
In singles, grad student Bar Botzer returned to the lineup with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory against Spencer Whitaker on court three to give UVA a 2-0 lead. Fifth-year senior Gianni Ross followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win on court five. Senior Ryan Goetz clinched the victory with a 6-2, 6-3 victory on court four.
MATCH NOTES
- Clemson is No. 63 in the latest ITA team rankings
- Gianni Ross has won his last seven completed matches
- Jeffrey von der Schulenburg had dropped his first set on court two, but won his second to force a third set. In the other two unfinished matches, Inaki Montes and Alex Kiefer were both up a set and on-serve in the second
- This was Virginia’s 19th consecutive victory against Clemson
ON THE HORIZON
- Virginia returns home to host NC State on Friday, March 25 at 3 p.m. at the Virginia Tennis Facility. They will close out the weekend hosting No. 5 Wake Forest on Sunday, March 27 at 1 p.m.
#11 Virginia 4, #63 Clemson 0
Singles competition
- #125 Teodor Giusca (CLE) vs. #46 Inaki Montes (VA) 3-6, 2-2, unfinished
- Ryuhei Azuma (CLE) vs. #58 J vd Schulenburg (VA) 6-3, 3-6, unfinished
- Bar Botzer (VA) def. Spencer Whitaker (CLE) 6-0, 6-2
- #54 Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Jorge Plans Gonzalez (CLE) 6-2, 6-3
- Gianni Ross (VA) def. Matt Pitts (CLE) 6-2, 6-2
- Maxwell Smith (CLE) vs. Alexander Kiefer (VA) 4-6, 3-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
- Ryuhei Azuma/Teodor Giusca (CLE) vs. Bar Botzer/Ryan Goetz (VA) 2-5, unfinished
- J vd Schulenburg/Gianni Ross (VA) def. Trey Stinchcomb/Matt Pitts (CLE) 6-2
- Alexander Kiefer/Inaki Montes (VA) def. Jorge Plans Gonzalez/Maxwell Smith (CLE) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,5,4)
Nation’s two slowest teams, Virginia and North Texas, battle tonight in NIT
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
No one has documented college basketball pace of play prior to when Ken Pomeroy began his analytical rankings 20 years ago, but for the first time over those two decades America’s two slowest teams — Virginia and North Texas — will meet tonight in the second round of the NIT.
For UVA fans who have “embraced the pace,” it may be a culture shock when the Cavaliers battle the Mean Green in Denton, Texas (6 p.m. ESPN+). While their Wahoos have been the slowest-tempo team in the nation for the past six years, Virginia is actually next-to-slowest to North Texas this season.
Virginia owns a 59.4 possessions-per-game pace, compared to the Mean Green’s 59.2.
This could be a bit of a trap game for the Cavaliers, who will be the highest-profiled program to play at North Texas since LSU visited in 2011. The Mean Green were a No. 2 seed in the NIT, while UVA was essentially a sixth seed.
“To get a home game in the second round of the NIT says a lot about our guys and the season we have had to this point,” said North Texas coach Grant McCasland, a former assistant at Baylor. “It’s a fun time of the year to be playing. At the same time, we’re playing to win. This is what we’re prepared for and are excited about the opportunity.”
North Texas is 25-6 and won Conference USA’s regular-season title before being knocked off in the league tournament by Louisiana Tech. For reference-sake, Old Dominion is a member of C-USA.
Denton is excited about hosting a Power 5 school in the tournament, noting in the city’s newspaper “one of the storied programs in college basketball,” was coming to town. The Mean Green plays in the “Super Pit,” which has drawn 8,500 fans to one game late in the season, although 3,386 showed up for their 67-63 overtime win over Texas State in the first round of the NIT.
Just how slow is the North Texas pace? The Mean Green lost a 42-36 decision in the C-USA title game and shot a season-low 24.1 percent in the process.
Don’t let that fool you, though. North Texas has players back from last season’s upset win over Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. McCasland’s team also lost to ACC’s Miami by only 69-63 this season.
“Coach Mac has told us that it’s not normal for a [high-major] school to come down here and play us,” guard Mardrez McBride told the Denton Record. “It’s a great chance to show off our talent.”
Teammate Thomas Bell, a NABC All-District first-team player for the Mean Green is excited about the opportunity of hosting UVA as well.
“We have an opportunity in the tournament to do something we haven’t done,” said Bell, a senior, who averages 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. “Virginia is another team in our way. They are a good team and a historical program. We have to take advantage of the opportunity.”
As far as playing a team that boasts a slow tempo like his own team, Bell added, “It’ll be like playing ourselves. It will be fun.”
North Texas is led by Tylor Perry, a second-team NABC All-District player, who is one of only four players in the nation to lead his team in scoring as a non-starter. Perry comes in off the bench but averages 13.6 points per game. He has made game-winning 3-pointers in four conference games.
McCasland, who has elevated the North Texas program, has known UVA coach Tony Bennett for a long time.
“I got to know Coach Bennett as a person and respect him and the program he has built,” said McCasland, who was coaching at Midland College when he sent forward Ivory Clark to play for Bennett at Washington State. “[Virginia] has won at a high level consistently. He’s a humble guy. His teams play in a way to connect winning and unselfishness.”
No. 5 Virginia blasts five homers in series-clinching victory
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (18-1, 4-1 ACC) clinched its second-consecutive ACC series with an 18-1 win over Boston College (7-10, 1-4 ACC) at Disharoon Park on Saturday. The Cavaliers hit five home runs, including two grand slams, to extend their home win streak to 16 games.
Virginia’s five home runs in the contest were the most since hitting five against George Mason on April 22, 2002. The Cavaliers have hit nine home runs in the first two games of the series and hit three or more long balls in each of the last four games. Virginia has scored 10 or more runs in 13 of its 19 games this season.
Kyle Teel and Chris Newell each hit grand slams in the contest, the first time UVA has hit two grand slams in a game since 2013. For Teel it was his third grand slam of the season and second in the last four days. Sophomore Jake Gelof produced his fourth, multi-home run game of the season the most since Jon Benick’s had four in 2001. Gelof has 11 home runs this season to lead all NCAA hitters.
On the mound Brian Gursky turned in his first quality start of the season and picked up his fifth win in five starts. The lefthander struck out six batters in six innings pitched while walking two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Virginia scored eight runs in the second inning, matching their highest single-inning output of the season to break the game wide open. The Cavaliers sent 13 batters to the plate, collected just three hits and took advantage of two Boston College fielding miscues. Teelignited the rally with UVA’s first grand slam of the afternoon. This season, Teel is 4-for-4 with three home runs, a triple and 15 RBI with the bases loaded. He finished Saturday’s contest 4-for-6 with a career-high four run scored and four RBI.
- Gelof hit the first of his two homers in the second inning, a batter after Teel’s grand slam. He capped a three-run rally in the fifth with his second of the day.
- Alex Tappen cracked a three-run homer in the seventh inning to make in 14-1. The homer was his fourth of the year and he has now reached base safely in all 19 games this season.
- Newell, last night’s walk-off hero, capped UVA’s scoring with his third career grand slam in the eighth. Newell has six homers on the season.
- Graduate transfer Dylan Bowers pitched two scoreless innings and struck out five of the nine battes he faced. Paul Kosanovich finished off the game with a perfect ninth inning.
FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR
“Brian Gursky was the best he’s been yet for us. Today was a tough day to pitch. The win was gailing out like it was yesterday, possibly worse than it was yesterday. He (Gursky) just did a great of pitching both sides of the plate, pitching vertical and using his changeup and his slider to the lefties. He really was just masterful today and we needed that. Certainly, we had some guys that swung the bats really aggressively. Their starter (Sean Hard) was one of the better arms we’ve seen so far this year and he’s destined for some really great things but our guys came out ready and swung the bat with some authority. It was a collective effort offensively and we played really good defense as well.”
UP NEXT: First pitch for series finale on Sunday (March 19) is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Cavaliers will have lefthander Brandon Neeck (2-0) on the mound and he will be opposed by righthander Mason Pelio. Sunday is Youth Day at the ballpark, kids can run the bases after the game and get postgame autographs from the UVA student-athletes. The first of five special edition posters will be handed out at the game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The five home runs were the most in a single game since hitting five at George Mason on April 22, 2002. The school record for home runs in a game is six at Virginia Tech in 2001.
- The 17-run margin of victory was Virginia’s second largest of the season (19-1 vs. Cornell on Feb. 27). • The win matches the largest for UVA against Boston College (2011 – 17-0) and the 18 runs were the most either Boston College or UVA has scored in 32 games against one another.
- Teel has hit four career grand slams, the most by any UVA player since 2000. Newell has hit three, one in each of the last three seasons.
- Virginia has launched 34 home runs at Disharoon Park this season, four shy of the facility record set in 2017 (38 in 34 games).
- The eight-run second inning marked the 13th time this season UVA has scored five or more runs in a single inning.
Virginia wins second consecutive NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy Matt Riley/UVA Athletics
Junior Kate Douglass and sophomore Alex Walsh combined for six individual event wins to lead the Virginia women’s swimming & diving team to its second consecutive NCAA championship on Saturday night at the McAuley Aquatic Center.
The Cavaliers won 11 events, taking four of the five relays and seven individual events. UVA set five American records and three UVA records on the way to its second title in program history. Joining Douglass and Walsh with an individual title was freshman Gretchen Walsh.
“This team never ceases to amaze me and exceeds every expectation we ever would have had for them,” head coach Todd DeSorbo said. “This is better than we ever could have hoped for. This team is unreal. They blow my mind. Every one of them, they are my heroes. They do it for each other, push each other every day and hold each other accountable. They do it for the rest of the team in the stands, their parents, our alumni. It is just an amazing group of women that are the strongest women I have ever been around.”
UVA finished with 551.5 points, the most since Stanford won with 593 points in 2018. Texas was second (406) and Stanford was third (399.5).
Douglass closed out a stellar NCAA meet with her third American record in three individual events. Douglass won the 200-yard breaststroke in a record setting 2:02.19. She swept her three events and set records in all three.
Alex Walsh completed her triple with a win in the 200-yard butterfly on Saturday night. She finished with a UVA record time of 1:50.79 to cap off the individual events.
Gretchen Walsh won her first individual NCAA title with a UVA & pool record time of 49.05 in the 100-yard freestyle.
Douglass, Alex Walsh, freshman Reilly Tiltmann and Gretchen Walsh, respectively, capped off the championship with an American/US Open and NCAA record in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:06.91.
Junior Maddie Donohoe finished sixth in the 1650-yard freestyle. She finished in 15:55.14 for the third-fastest time in UVA history.
Tiltmann placed fifth in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:49.63, the second-fastest time in UVA history.
Junior Ella Nelson finished fourth in the 200 breast with a time of 2:05.51 and sophomore Anna Keating was eighth in 2:07.10. Her time of 2:06.89 in prelims was a personal-best. Senior Alexis Wenger took 11th in 2:06.53, a personal-best time and the fourth fastest all-time at UVA.
Sophomore Abby Harter placed 11th in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:53.38, a personal-best and the fourth fastest in UVA history.
Track & Field: Anumba sets UVA record in outdoor opener
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia’s men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their outdoor campaign at home when the Hoos hosted the Virginia Open at Lannigan Field on Saturday. The Cavalier sprinters and throwers ruled a day highlighted by a record-breaking performance from Ashley Anumba.
Anumba wasted no time stepping into mid-season form as she broke a Virginia discus-record with her throw of 56.50m (185’4”). Though she did not surpass her own personal-best (57.36m), Anumba topped the previous Virginia record set by Billie-Jo Grant (56.06m / 183’11”) in 2008.
Jacob Lemmon opened his outdoor campaign with a second-place finish in the hammer throw (61.36m / 201’4”) while his teammate Evangelos Fradelakis made his debut for the Cavaliers in the competition. Fradelakis’ mark of 61.24 (200’11”) ranks fifth on the Virginia all-time performance list. Jacob Lemmon ranks third on the list with his personal-best set in 2021 (58.54m / 192’1”).
On the women’s side, Jada Marsh placed fourth in the hammer throw with a mark of 51.42m (168’8”) in her first collegiate attempt. The mark ranks seventh on the all-time indoor performance list and fifth on the freshman list. Morgan Johnson reached a mark of 50.17m (164’7”) to rank tenth on the performance list.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- Maria Deaviz won the shot put with a mark of 16.87m (55’4.25”)
- Thomas Dickinson kicked off his Virginia career with a win in the javelin after throwing 60.55m (198’8”)
- Claudio Romero won the discus with a 61.05m (200’3”) throw
- Zoe Rice won the long jump reaching a mark of 6.19m (20’3.75”) (Wind +2.9)
- Jay Pendarvis threw down a personal-best time of 10.56 in the 100m (Wind +2.5)
FROM DIRECTOR OF TRACK & FIELD VIN LANANNA
“Overall, it was a great way to start the outdoor season for us. The throwers and sprinters had a great day. It was an opportunity to shake a bit of the rust off especially when we to compete every weekend starting in Raleigh next week.”
UP NEXT
Virginia will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to participate in the Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State beginning Thursday, March 24.
Softball: Virginia clinches series with 5-2 win at NC State
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
(© Peieq – stock.adobe.com)
The Virginia softball team (17-11, 4-1 ACC) clinched its second consecutive ACC series with a 5-2 victory at NC State (19-9, 2-6 ACC) at the Dail Softball Stadium on Saturday.
The Cavaliers scored a single run in five of seven innings, including the first four innings, on the way to the victory. Three Virginia pitches combined to keep the potent NC State offense in check for the second straight game on the way to the series win.
Virginia scored in three straight innings to jump in front of the Wolfpack, using an RBI double from Gabby Baylog in the first, back-to-back doubles from Katie Goldberg and Arizona Ritchie in the second and a solo home run from Tori Gilbert in the third to build the 3-0 lead.
NC State responded in the third with a one-out double to push a run home, but Virginia answered in the fourth when Goldberg scored her second run of the game on a throwing error.
The Wolfpack cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the fourth, making it a 4-2 lead for the Hoos. Again Virginia found a way to get a run home by taking advantage of a fifth-inning error to get the run back. The 5-2 lead would stand as Virginia picked up the victory.
Mikayla Houge (7-4) picked up the win, working 3.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Savanah Henley. She allowed one hit with two walks and two strikeouts in her time in the circle. Houge entered the game with two on and one out in the fourth and surrendered the one inherited runner. Madison Harris picked up her second save of the season, getting the final out with a strikeout after entering the game with two on and two outs in the seventh.
Aisha Weixelman (7-4) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work.
NOTES ON THE GAME
- Virginia has won back-to-back ACC series for the first time since the 2017 season (Georgia Tech, at Notre Dame).
- UVA has won two of the last three series vs. NC State and seven of the last nine games vs. the Wolfpack.
- With Tori Gilbert’s home run in the third, the Cavaliers have 25 home runs to pass last year’s season total.
- Katie Goldberg went 3-for-3 with two runs scored at the plate as one of three Hoos with multiple-hits on the day.
- Savanah Henley worked 3.1 innings in the start as she made her 13th appearance and sixth start of the year.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“I am so proud of how our team grinded out the win today. Heading into this series, our emphasis was competing on every pitch of every game regardless of the score or individual outcome and performance. I love the fight I’m seeing in our team. It takes time to learn how to win close games and come through in big moments. Today was a team win. Multiple pitchers, hitters and defenders made plays to get the job done. We have another opportunity to put ourselves in a good position in the ACC by competing hard for the sweep tomorrow. We will regroup, rest up and put our best effort forward on Sunday.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia and NC State will close out the weekend series at noon on Sunday as the Cavaliers look for the series sweep. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network and streamed through the ESPN app.
Men’s Lacrosse: #1 Maryland blasts #2 Virginia, 23-12
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
(© Augustas Cetkauskas – stock.adobe.com)
In a rematch of the 2021 national championship, Virginia’s 10-game win streak came to an end Saturday afternoon as top-ranked Maryland (7-0) defeated the Cavaliers (6-1), 23-12, in the inaugural Capitol Classic Lacrosse Tournament at Audi Field Saturday afternoon.
Maryland cruised to its seventh victory of the season after out-shooting the Cavaliers 53-34 and won 25 faceoffs in contrast to UVA’s 14.
Virginia was led by attackmen Matt Moore and Connor Shellenberger, who posted three goals and two assists each.
First-year goalie Matthew Nunes (6-1) started for the Cavaliers and suffered his first loss of the season. Maryland’s starting netminder Logan McNaney (7-0) remains unbeaten on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Maryland led 5-3 at the end of the first quarter after the Terrapins won seven of the period’s nine faceoffs. Nunes made five saves of his 14 total saves in the opening period to help keep UVA within striking distance. Moore put the Cavaliers on the board after registering his 12th goal of the season at the 5:24 mark. The Terrapins eventually pushed out to a 5-2 lead deep into the first quarter, but Moore found the back of the net a second time with six seconds remaining to cut UMD’s lead to 5-3.
Both teams traded the first four scores of the second quarter before Maryland went on a 4-0 run. Xander Dickson’s second goal of the period broke up the UMD run with 2:31 remaining. Maryland scored once more before leading 12-6 at the break.
Griffin Schutz netted the first goal of the second half, but the Terrapins quickly responded with three scores of their own take a commanding 15-7 lead midway through the third. Payton Cormier and Moore rang up the final two goals of the third as Virginia found itself down 15-9 heading into the fourth.
Cormier and Shellenberger found the back of the net within the first four minutes of period No. 4, which cut the Terrapins’ lead to 15-11, but Maryland piled on eight of the last nine goals of the contest to win it handedly.
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
Lars Tiffany on learning from losses…
“There is no question who the number one team in the country is right now. John Tillman, his staff, his team proved it from the opening whistle throughout the four quarters. They got us early. Matt Nunes made some big saves for us early … We just couldn’t match them shot for shot, ground ball for ground ball. And so, tremendous effort by the Terrapins. And they certainly exposed a lot of things we need to work on. We talk about often – as a team – it’s easier to learn from losses than wins. But we’ve been trying to learn from the victories, and we have improved, but John Tillman and his crew did a fantastic job preparing their men and then they made incredible plays over, and over, and over again. And so, we have a lot to learn.”
NOTES
- Virginia’s 6-0 start to the season was its best since 2014.
- Virginia head coach Lars Tiffany is now 6-2 all-time against Maryland head coach John Tillman.
- With the win, the Terrapins improved to 48-46 in the all-time series. The Cavaliers are 10-5 against Maryland all-time at neutral sites.
- Saturday’s meeting marked the first regular-season meeting between the two teams since 2014. The two teams met twice (2019 & 2021) since then in NCAA Tournament play.
- Saturday’s game between UVA and the Terrapins marked the first Division-I lacrosse game held at Audi Field.
- Saturday’s contest was the first time in 2022 that UVA competed at a neutral site and faced a lower-ranked opponent in the No. 1 Terrapins.
- With five points on three goals and two assists, Matt Moore is now tied for second all-time with Doug Knight in career points (249). His three goals on the day pushed him to 131 career goals, tying him for seventh on UVA’s all-time goals list with Michael Kraus.
- Moore also extended his point streak to 55 games, which dates back to March 31, 2018.
- With three goals and two assists, Connor Shellenberger has now registered at least one point in all 25 games for his career. Shellenberger has also tallied at least five points in his last 11 games.
- Defenseman Quentin Matsui collected a career-high five ground balls, which also led the team.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers return to Klockner Stadium to host Notre Dame (2-3, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday, March 26. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m. on ACC Network.
Virginia recruit McKneely leads Poca Dots to WV state basketball title
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: UVA Athletics
Isaac McKneely scored 22 points to help lead No. 1 seeded Poca to a 65-48 win over Bluefield to claim the 2022 West Virginia Class AA state basketball championship on Saturday.
McKneely, the two-time West Virginia Player of the Year, will be headed to UVA to play for Tony Bennett next season.
The Dots outscored their opponents 168-99 in three state tournament games for Coach Allen Osborne, who claimed his 706th career victory.
In Friday’s semifinals, McKneely scored 26 points, including a 9-of-13 shooting performance from the field and 5-of-9 from the 3-point line in a 60-32 win over Ravenswood.
After that game, Ravenswood coach Mick Price said: “The biggest mistake I ever made as a coach: Isaac McKneeley’s dad in 1999 coached baseball at Ravenswood as an assistant coach on a team that won a state championship and somehow I didn’t keep him in Jackson County. Somehow we let him get away. Now that’s a bad recruiting job.”
NIT Second Round Preview: Virginia at North Texas
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Francisco Caffaro throws down two in Virginia’s win over Mississippi State. Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (20-13) travels to No. 2 seed North Texas (25-6) for a second round NIT contest on Sunday. Tipoff at Super Pit is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
For Openers
- Virginia meets North Texas for the first time since defeating the Mean Green 80-64 on Nov. 20, 2012.
- The Cavaliers are making its 14th NIT appearance and first since advancing to the quarterfinals in 2013.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-North Texas will be streamed online at ESPN+ via WatchESPN.com and ESPN App.
- The ESPN+ video streaming subscription service is available for a $6.99 monthly fee.
- The game will also be broadcast on Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
- Live statistics will be available on VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Sports app.
The Head Coach
- Dean and Markel Families Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has a 315-116 (.731) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 384-149 (.721) career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
- Bennett won his 300th game at Virginia with the 61-43 victory against Lehigh on Nov. 26, 2021.
- The three-time National (2007, 2015 and 2018) and four-time ACC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) guided UVA to its 10th ACC regular-season championship in 2020-21.
- In 2018-19, Bennett led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA national championship, a share of their ninth ACC regular-season title and a school-record 35 wins.
- Bennett has led UVA to 10 consecutive postseason appearances (2012-22) and guided the Hoos to seven consecutive NCAA tournaments (2014-21).
- UVA is 161-70 (.700) in ACC play (90-25 at home & 71-45 away), 178-36 (.832) at home and 154-46 (.770) in non-conference action (87-9 at JPJ) under Bennett.
- Bennett ranks fifth all-time in winning percentage (.700) among ACC head coaches with 100 or more ACC wins.
UVA All-Time in the NIT
- The Cavaliers are 18-11 all-time in 14 NIT appearances, including a pair of championships in 1980 and 1992.
- UVA is 4-3 all-time in the NIT second round.
- The Cavaliers are 3-5 on the road in the NIT.
- Virginia associate head coach Jason Williford was a member of the 1992 NIT champion Cavaliers.
- The Cavaliers are 16-8 in NCAA/NIT postseason play under Bennett, including a 3-1 mark in the NIT.
- Bennett is 3-2 all-time in the NIT, including a 68-57 loss at St. Mary’s as head coach at Washington State in 2009.
Hoo Are These Cavaliers?
- UVA is led by its backcourt of Kihei Clark (10.2 ppg & 4.3 apg) and Reece Beekman (8.1 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.7 rpg & 2.1 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (15.3 ppg & 6.5 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (10.8 ppg).
- The Cavaliers added transfers Gardner (East Carolina) and Franklin (Indiana) to fill the void left by standouts Sam Hauser (16 ppg), Jay Huff (13 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (11.3 ppg).
- Gardner averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds in 79 career games at East Carolina, while Franklin averaged 11.4 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range in 2020-21.
- Francisco Caffaro (4.4 ppg & 4.7 rpg) and Kadin Shedrick (7.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg & 2.0 bpg) anchor the paint. Shedrick has started 18 contests, while Caffaro has started 15.
- Kody Stattmann (35.3% 3FGs), Malachi Poindexter, Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr. and Carson McCorkle provide perimeter depth off the bench.
Virginia All-Time vs. North Texas
- The Cavaliers are 1-2 all-time vs. Mississippi State in a series that dates back to Feb. 25, 1928.
- UVA meets the Bulldogs for the first time since an 86-84 loss on Dec. 29, 1988, in New Orleans.
- UVA defeated Mississippi State 81-68 on Dec. 27, 1963, in Owensboro, Ky.
- The Bulldogs topped the Cavaliers 44-28 on Feb. 25, 1928, in Atlanta, Ga.
Last Time vs. The Mean Green
- Justin Anderson scored 14 points off the bench to lead five players in double figures in Virginia’s 80-64 win over North Texas on Nov. 20, 2012.
- Evan Nolte (13), Teven Jones (13), Joe Harris (12) and Darion Atkins (10) each scored in double figures as Virginia improved to 4-2 in the NIT Tip-Off consolation win.
- Future NBA second-round draft pick Tony Mitchell led the Mean Green with 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
- UVA shot 58.7 percent and made 18 free throws in the win.
- Atkins added a team-high nine rebounds for the Hoos.
Last Time Out
- Jayden Gardner scored 16 points and Reece Beekman added 14 as Virginia topped No. 3 seed Mississippi State 60-57 in NIT first-round action at John Paul Jones Arena on March 16.
- UVA led 27-19 at the half and held off the Bulldogs’ 7 of 7 field goal shooting at the start of the second stanza.
- Tolu Smith had 16 points for the Bulldogs and Garrison Brooks and Iverson Molinar each added 13, respectively.
- Both teams shot 50 percent from the field and UVA owned a 12-7 made free throw advantage.
On The Horizon
- The winner of the Virginia/North Texas NIT second round game advances to the quarterfinals vs. No. 1 seed Oklahoma or St. Bonaventure on March 22 or 23. Tipoff, location and television designation is TBD.
No. 5 Virginia walks off Boston College in the 10th, wins 7-6
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
With the bases loaded in the 10th inning, junior Chris Newell lined a single off the top of the right field wall to plate the game-winning run in a 7-6 victory over Boston College (7-9, 1-3 ACC) on Friday at Disharoon Park.
No. 5 Virginia (17-1, 3-1 ACC) improved to 12-0 at home this season and extended its home win streak that dates back to 2021 to 15 games.
Kyle Teel led off the 10th inning with a walk and was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Devin Ortiz. An intentional walk of the nation’s leading RBI man, Jake Gelof and a hit by pitch drawn by Alex Tappen loaded the bases with one out. Newell drove a 2-2 pitch that was a few feet of a grand slam and allowed to Teel to score with ease.
Reliever Will Geerdes earned the win on the mound, retiring all six batters he faced in the ninth and tenth innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Virginia and Boston College combined for eight home runs, seven of them solo shots. The Cavaliers hit four home runs in a game for the third time this season and second time in four games.
- Boston College’s Parker Landwehr hit a go-ahead, three-run homer with two outs in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 6-5. It was the only time the Eagles led in the contest.
- It took three batters in the bottom half of the eighth for UVA to tie the game. After leading off the inning with a single through the left side and moving to third on a double to right field by Jake Gelof, Ortiz scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Alex Tappen.
- Freshman Casey Saucke went deep for the third-straight game and gave UVA a 2-0 advantage in the second inning. The long ball extended his team-best hit streak to 16 games.
- Freshman Griff O’Ferrall, who reached base four times in the contest, hit his first collegiate home run to lead off the fourth. A batter later, Devin Ortiz left the yard and put Virginia up 4-1, its largest lead of the afternoon.
- Sophomore Kyle Teel responded to a Barry Walsh solo shot in the top of the fifth with a 440-foot blast off the scoreboard in right field in the bottom half of the frame. The homer was Teel’s fourth of the season.
- Virginia starting pitcher Nate Savino delivered his third-straight quality start, pitching into the seventh inning. He struck out eight batters and walked one in the no-decision. The home run that he surrendered in the third inning was the first batter reach second base against him in 13 innings.
FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR
“That was a tremendous college baseball game. The fans that were here that had the opportunity to watch that game, boy, that’s what ACC baseball is right there. Two really great teams. It was a very offensive day, the wind was blowing out and anything hit up in the air had a chance to go out of the ballpark. I was proud of our guys. Boston College did a terrific job coming in taking the lead in the top of the eighth inning. We scratched a run across to the bottom of the eighth and for me Will Geerdes, our closer, came in and having the two shutout innings to give us a chance to win in the bottom of the 10th was awesome. (Chris) Newell came through and it was a total collective team effort. I told the team after the game, this is ACC baseball. For half the team that hasn’t played at this level and played in this program and played in this league, this is what more of (the games) are like than (as opposed) to the games we played so far this year. They need to get used to it and it’s about executing and performing the clutch.”
UP NEXT: The series continues on Saturday (March 19) with the second of a three-game set. The Cavaliers will have lefthander Brian Gursky (4-0) on the mound and he will be righty Sean Hard (0-1). First pitch at Disharoon Park is set for 4 p.m.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Boston College has been walked-off in its last two games at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers prevailed 10-9 in the finale of the 2018 ACC series on a Charlie Cody sacrifice fly. Against the Eagles, six of Virginia’s 24 all-time wins have come in walk-off fashion.
- Virginia has won its five of its last six extra-inning affairs dating back to 2019. UVA went 3-0 in extra innings in 2021.
- Eight of the nine batters in the UVA lineup recorded a hit and scored a run in the contest.
- Tappen has reached base in all 18 games this season.
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 14 Virginia tops Pitt, 17-7
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 14 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (5-5, 1-3) won 17-7 over Pitt (4-5, 0-4 ACC) on Friday night at Klöckner Stadium.
Senior Ashlyn McGovern led UVA with a career-high seven goals and freshman Rachel Clark had six points on four goals and two assists.
The Cavaliers outscored the Panthers 7-2 in the second quarter and 6-1 in the third quarter and held Pitt to just two second half goals. UVA out-shot Pitt, 40-18 and had 16 caused turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Virginia took a 3-1 lead over Pitt with back-to-back goals by McGovern and a goal from freshman Kate Miller to lead with 6:10 to go in the first quarter.
- McGovern had a hat trick in the first quarter, scoring her third of the game 12 minutes in as UVA led 4-3.
- The Cavaliers opened the second quarter with a 4-0 run to go ahead 8-3. UVA held Pitt without a goal for 10 minutes during that run.
- Virginia stretched its lead to 13-5 with a 4-0 run over between the last two minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half.
- Clark had back-to-back goals to open the third quarter.
- Virginia went on another run late in the third, scoring four consecutive goals to lead 17-6 after three quarters.
- Pitt scored the lone goal in the fourth period.
FROM HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS
“Exciting to start 1-0 against a brand-new ACC team. One of my coaches said earlier, this is history. We have been playing for a long time, but Pitt hasn’t. This is the first ever matchup so nice to start off with a pretty convincing, consistent win. There are things we can still do better, but all-in-all it was a great team effort. They played with each other and for each other from the opening whistle to the end. I am excited with the result and excited for the next opportunity coming up Sunday.”
UP NEXT
Virginia hosts James Madison on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.
Men’s Tennis: No. 11 Virginia picks up 4-3 road win at Georgia Tech
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 11 Virginia men’s tennis team (11-5, 5-0 ACC) picked up a 4-3 victory at Georgia Tech (5-7, 0-3 ACC) on Friday in Atlanta, Ga.
Georgia Tech won the doubles point, but the Cavaliers won the first four singles matches to take the victory. Fifth-year senior Gianni Ross clinched the match with a win on court four.
Georgia Tech picked up a 6-3 win on doubles court one to start the match. Ross and sophomore Jeffrey von der Schulenburg even it up with a 6-4 win on court two. The Yellow Jackets took the point with a 7-5 win on court three.
Von der Schulenburg raced to a 6-3, 6-3 win against Marcus McDaniel on singles court two to tie the match. Grad student Jackson Allen won 7-6 (4), 6-3 against Brandon McKinney on court five to put UVA ahead 2-1. Sophomore Iñaki Montes rebounded from a 4-6 loss in his first set against No. 14 Andres Martin to win his second two 6-2, 6-4 to put UVA ahead 3-1. Ross clinched the victory with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win against Chen Dong.
The Yellow Jackets won the final two singles courts to make it a 4-3 final.
MATCH NOTES
- Georgia Tech is No. 51 in the latest ITA team rankings
- Gianni Ross has won his last six completed matches
- Jeffrey von der Schulenburg has won his last eight completed matches
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers close out their road trip by playing at Clemson on Sunday, March 20 at 11 a.m.
Virginia 4, Georgia Tech 3
Singles Competition
- #46 Inaki Montes (VA) def. #14 Andres Martin (GT)4-6, 6-2, 6-4
- #58 J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Marcus McDaniel (GT)6-3, 6-3
- Keshav Chopra (GT) def. #54 Ryan Goetz (VA)5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4
- Gianni Ross (VA) def. Chen Dong (GT)4-6, 6-4, 6-2
- Jackson Allen (VA) def. Brandon McKinney (GT)7-6 (7-4), 6-3
- Pablo Schlecher (GT) def. Alexander Kiefer (VA)5-7, 6-2, 6-4
Doubles Competition
- #13 Andres Martin and Marcus McDaniel (GT) def. Ryan Goetz and William Woodall (VA)6-3
- Gianni Ross and J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Pablo Schlecher and Brandon McKinney (GT)6-4
- Keshav Chopra and Chen Dong (GT) def. Inaki Montes and Alexander Kiefer (VA)7-5
Order of finish: Singles — 2 5 1 4 6 3 ; Doubles — 1 2 3
Wrestling: Virginia’s run at NCAA Championship ends Friday night
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia wrestling team’s run at the NCAA Championships ended on Friday night at Little Caesar’s Arena. Jay Aiello, Brian Courtney and Justin McCoy all fell in the round of 12 to finish one win shy of locking up All-America honors.
Aiello was looking for his second All-America honor at 197 pounds while Courtney and McCoy were looking to claim All-America honors for the first time. Aiello was named an All-American in the 2020 season after claiming the ACC Championship and a top-10 seed before the NCAA Championships were canceled due to COVID-19.
Courtney competed in the quarterfinal round at 133 pounds, dropping a 13-6 decision to reigning NCAA Champion and top-seeded Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State in the morning session. He then dropped a tight 5-3 decision to No. 11 seed Devan Turner of Oregon State in the evening session. Courtney went 2-2 at the NCAA Championships and knocked off a pair of top-10 seeds on the way to the quarterfinal round.
Aiello and McCoy both picked up a pair of wins in the morning session to advance to the Friday night round of matches.
Aiello knocked off No. 15 seed Isaac Trumble of NC State and No. 9 seed Cameron Caffey of Michigan State in the morning session. He dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 3 seed Eric Schultz of Nebraska on Friday night. Aiello went 3-2 at the event, moving to the consolation bracket after a tight battle with top-seeded Max Dean of Penn State on Thursday night.
McCoy picked up major decisions over No. 20 seed Will Formato of Appalachian State and No. 11 seed Izzak Olejnik of Northern Illinois in the morning session. He dropped an 11-3 major decision to No. 9 seed Peyton Hall of West Virginia on Friday night. McCoy also went 3-2 at the event.
Jake Keating also advanced to Friday at the competition, but was eliminated in the morning session after going 1-1. Keating was 2-2 at the tournament.
NOTES ON THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- The Hoos had a quarterfinalist for the fifth consecutive NCAA Championship with Brian Courtney’s appearance.
- The three wrestlers in the round of 12 Friday night was the most for UVA since the 2015 NCAA Championships.
- That season All-American Nick Sulzer was joined in the round by George DiCamillo and Blaise Butler.
FROM HEAD COACH STEVE GARLAND
“We had three guys in the All-American round tonight which is one of the biggest rounds for our sport. It’s been a while since we’ve had that many guys in that round. That’s what we want to do moving forward is keep the momentum and get more and more groups of guys back in that situation. Justin McCoy wrestled the best he has all season until tonight’s round. Brian Courtney was out of his mind knocking off two top-10 guys to get to this point. Jay Aiello battled through so many studs. But, in this round the emotion and the weight of this round – you can’t let it get to you and we let it get to us. The weight of it all affected us. You can’t feel it until you’re in the situation and the guys who are coming back have been in it now. That’s the key with a nice core group coming back next year.”
Women’s Swimming: Virginia leads heading into final day of NCAA Championships
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The Virginia women’s swimming & diving team remained in the lead at the 2022 NCAA Championships after winning three more NCAA titles on Friday night at the McAuley Aquatic Center.
The Cavaliers lead the standings with 386.5 points, ahead of Stanford (276), Texas (257), NC State (193) and Alabama (177).
Sophomore Alex Walsh and junior Kate Douglass each won their second individual NCAA titles of the meet and UVA won its third relay.
Walsh cruised to the win in the 400-yard IM, setting a UVA and pool record with a time of 3:57.25. Walsh finished three seconds ahead of second place. Junior Ella Nelson placed third in 4:02.25 and freshman Emma Weyant finished fourth in a personal-best 4:03.17.
Douglass followed with a win in the 100-yard butterfly. Her time of 49.04 set an American record, her second in an individual event. Senior Jessica Nava finished 14th in 51.88 and junior Lexi Cuomo was 15th in 51.97.
UVA’s relay group of freshman Gretchen Walsh, senior Alexis Wenger, A. Walsh and Douglass, respectively, tied their own American/US Open/NCAA Record set at the ACC Championships to win the 400-yard medley relay in 3:22.24.
Wenger and G. Walsh both picked up silvers in their respective individual events. Wenger finished second, just .04 seconds off first, in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 56.97. Gretchen Walsh swam under the previous American record time in 49.00 to finish second in the 100-yard backstroke.
Freshman Reilly Tiltmann won the consolation final of the 200-yard freestyle to place ninth with a time of 1:43.55. Tiltmann returned to the pool in the 100 back, finish fifth in 50.67.
Sophomore Anna Keating was 13th in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 59.05.
UVA closes out the NCAA Championships on Saturday with the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, platform diving and 400 free relay.
Women’s Tennis: No. 11 Virginia downs Florida State, 6-1
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 11 Virginia women’s tennis team (11-3, 3-2 ACC) opened the weekend with a 6-1 victory against Florida State (7-7, 1-5 ACC) on Friday at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.
Virginia won the doubles point and picked up wins on four singles courts. The Seminoles were playing shorthanded and forfeited the sixth singles slot.
Virginia got off to a hot start with two dominant doubles victories, with junior Natasha Subhash and freshman Elaine Chervinsky winning on 6-0 on court three and sophomores Emma Navarro and Hibah Shaikh closing out a 6-1 victory on the top court to secure the point.
Virginia went into singles play with a 2-0 lead because of the forfeit. Navarro made it 3-0 with a 6-3, 6-2 win against No. 16 Petra Hule. Shaikh clinched the victory with a 6-2, 6-2 win on court four.
Florida State picked up its point after Subhash was edged 11-9 in a third-set super tiebreaker on court two.
Chervinsky won a three-setter on court three 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 to make it 5-1. Sophomore Sara Ziodato closed out a long two-set battle, 7-6 (1), 6-2 to give UVA the 6-1 victory.
MATCH NOTES
- Florida State is ranked No. 59 in the latest ITA team rankings
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers close out the weekend by hosting No. 10 Miami on Sunday, March 20 at 11 a.m. at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort
#11 Virginia 6, #59 Florida State 1
Singles competition
- #5 Emma Navarro (VA) def. #16 Petra Hule (FSU_W) 6-3, 6-2
- Vic Allen (FSU_W) def. #26 Natasha Subhash (VA) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (9)
- #50 Elaine Chervinsky (VA) def. Anna Arkadianou (FSU_W) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
- Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. Kianah Motosono (FSU_W) 6-2, 6-2
- Sara Ziodato (VA) def. Olympe Lancelot (FSU_W) 7-6 (1), 6-2
- Nicole Kiefer (VA) def. No player (FSU_W) w, forfeit
Doubles competition
- Emma Navarro/Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. Petra Hule/Anna Arkadianou (FSU_W) 6-1
- #73 Amber O’Dell/Sofia Munera (VA) vs. Vic Allen/Kianah Motosono (FSU_W) 3-3, unfinished
- Elaine Chervinsky/Natasha Subhash (VA) def. Olympe Lancelot/Lesedi Jacobs (FSU_W) 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,4,2,3,5)
T-2:42 A-112
