Virginia Women’s Swimming & Diving set for 2022 NCAA Championships
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
No. 1 Virginia women’s swimming & diving is set for the 2022 NCAA Championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, March 16-19 as the reigning NCAA Champions.
HOW TO WATCH
The entire meet will be streamed on ESPN3. Links for the live stream and live results are available on VirginiaSports.com.
MEET SCHEDULE
- The first night of competition begins on Wednesday with finals of the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard free relay beginning at 6 p.m.
- Thursday-Saturday will have prelims at 10 a.m., diving at 12:30 p.m. and finals at 6 p.m. each day.
ABOUT THE HOOS
- The Cavaliers return 10 swimmers and two divers from last season’s NCAA Championship squad.
- Junior Kate Douglass and sophomore Alex Walsh were individual champions in the 50 free and 200 IM, respectively.
- Douglass added second place finishes in the 100 fly and 100 free and Walsh was second in the 200 free and 200 breast.
- Junior Lexi Cuomo, sophomore Abby Harter, freshman Reilly Tiltmann and senior Alexis Wenger all earned All-America honors with top-eight finishes in UVA’s championship run.
- UVA won its third consecutive ACC Championship in February and set NCAA, US Open and American records in three relays.
- Douglass, Tiltmann, Walsh and freshman Emma Weyant won individual ACC titles.
- Walsh was named the ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Meet, winning three individual ACC titles and three relay ACC titles.
- The Cavaliers hold the top times in the NCAA in four individual events.
- Juniors Jennifer Bell and Charlotte Bowen along with freshman Lizzy Kaye qualified in diving.
- All three divers will compete on the 3-meter, Kaye will also compete on the platform and Bell on the 1-meter.
UP NEXT
Virginia will compete at the 2022 NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships March 23-26 in Atlanta.
Softball: Abby Weaver named ACC Player Of The Week
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
(© Peieq – stock.adobe.com)
Sophomore utility player Abby Weaver of the Virginia softball team has been named the ACC Player of the Week.
Weaver earned the honor for the first time in her career after helping the Cavaliers to a 3-1 week last week that included a run-rule victory over Maryland and a series win over No. 24 Notre Dame. The series win over the Irish was the first over a nationally-ranked team for the Hoos since the 2010 season.
She is the first Virginia player to garner the honor since Haley Busby the week of April 30, 2019.
Weaver hit .500 for the week with a three-run home, walk-off home run in game one against the Irish. The home run came with two outs and an 0-2 count as Weaver sent it into the bullpen beyond left field. The win gave Virginia it’s first win over a nationally-ranked team since the 2017 season and first home win over a nationally-ranked team since the 2011 season. She then drove in the first run in game two of the Friday doubleheader to start a four-run second inning in a game the Cavaliers won 6-1.
Women’s Golf: Lillie posts second consecutive runner-up finish
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Playing just 35 miles from her home in Fullerton, Calif., Virginia graduate student Beth Lillie placed second at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes Golf Club on Tuesday. It marked the second consecutive tournament Lillie has finished as the runner-up.
During Tuesday’s final round, Lillie shot 3-under 68 to complete the 54-hole event at 5-under 208 on the par-71 Palos Verdes Golf Club course. Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn claimed medalist honors at 10-under 203. Lillie’s final round score was the second best in the field during the final round of play. It was the 16th top-10 finish for Lillie during her UVA career.
In UVA’s last outing, Lillie was the runner up at the Moon Golf Invitational, where she shot a career-best 7-under 209.
Virginia finished the 16-team tournament in third place at 12-over 864. The Cavaliers posted a final-round score of 13-over 297, their highest single-round total for the event. No. 2 Oregon won the team title at 4-under 848. A total of 10 teams in the field are ranked the top-25 of the current Golfstat standings.
Lillie was joined near the top of the leaderboard by sophomore teammate Jennifer Cleary. She shot 3-over 74 during the final round and tied for sixth place at 1-over 214. UVA senior Riley Smyth fell back to 43rd after carding a final round of 83. Freshman Amanda Sambach was 52nd after shooting 226 and Celeste Valinho placed 54th at 227. Sambach closed with a final-day score of 76 while Valinho shot 79.
UVA’s next tournament action comes March 25-27 at the PING ASU Invitational at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix, Ariz.
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge
Palos Verdes Golf Club
Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Par 71, 6,017 yards
Final Results
Team Results
1. Oregon 287-279-282-848
2. Wake Forest 292-280-283-855
3. Virginia 287-280-297-864
4. Arizona State 291-284-290-865
5. Texas 297-290-286-873
6. USC 295-287-293-875
7. Kent State 286-290-302-878
8. Baylor 304-287-288-879
8. Duke 290-292-297-879
10. Auburn 297-295-294-886
11. California 304-291-294-889
12. Arizona 293-295-302-890
13. Vanderbilt 301-298-296-895
14. Ohio State 298-302-299-899
15. Pepperdine 297-302-302-901
16. Georgetown 321-302-314-937
Individual Leaders
1. Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest 67-67-69-203
2. Beth Lillie, Virginia 71-69-68-208
3. Alexandra Forsterling, Arizona State 75-67-67-209
Virginia Results
2. Beth Lillie 71-69-68-208
6. Jennifer Cleary 71-69-74-214
43. Riley Smyth 69-71-83-223
52. Amanda Sambach 76-74-76-226
54. Celeste Valinho 77-71-79-227
Men’s Tennis: Virginia sweeps weekly ACC honors
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia men’s tennis seniors William Woodall and Gianni Ross were named the ACC Men’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week while sophomore Chris Rodesch was named the ACC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.
Rodesch returned to the top spot in the singles lineup and picked up a pair of straight-set victories against ranked opponents. He downed No. 44 Axel Nefve of Notre Dame, and then followed that with a victory over No. 92 Etienne Donnett of Louisville. Playing at the top doubles spot, he teamed with Ryan Goetz to clinch the doubles point against the Cardinals.
Ross and Woodall posted two wins this week, helping UVA win the doubles point in both matches. The duo won the clincher against Notre Dame.
This is Rodesch’s second conference honor of the season after being named the ACC Doubles Team of the Week last week (March 8). He is the second Cavalier to be named the ACC Player of the Week as his doubles partner, Ryan Goetz, earned the accolade on Feb. 1.
This is Woodall’s third career ACC Doubles Team of the Week honor after earning it twice last season with Carl Söderlund.
This is Ross’ first conference weekly honor since being named the ACC Doubles Team of the Week his freshman season (2018) while partnering with Aswin Lizen.
Women’s Squash: Best captures MASC Rookie of the Year Award
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Meagan Best of the Virginia women’s squash team has been named Rookie of the Year by the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference. Best is the first-ever recipient of the award as a member of the Virginia women’s squash program. She is the second-ever Cavalier to achieve the honor across the men’s and women’s programs.
After her freshman season was cancelled in 2020-21, Best stepped into her role at the top of the Virginia ladder, competing at the first position in each match she participated in. Best helped guide the Cavaliers through a MASC Championship run in which her team finished as runners-up to Drexel. She also competed for the Hoos in the CSA Team Championships where the Cavaliers achieved their best finish to a season at No. 7 in the nation.
Best achieved a dual record of 10-5 this season and qualified as the sixth seed for the Ramsay Cup, the A division of the CSA Individual Championships. Despite falling in four games in her opening match, she earned a five-game victory over Yale’s Elisabeth Ross in the first consolation match. She then went on to sweep her next two matches and became the first Cavalier to win the Ramsay Cup consolation bracket. Best finished the season with an overall record of 13-6.
NIT Preview: Virginia hosts Mississippi State in first round
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia (19-13) hosts No. 3 Seed Mississippi State (18-15) in the first round of the 2022 National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
For Openers
- UVA will make its 14th NIT appearance and first since advancing to the quarterfinals in 2013.
- Virginia head coach Tony Bennett (Washington State) and Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland (UCLA) coached against each other in the former Pac-10 Conference (now Pac-12).
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-Mississippi State game will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed online at WatchESPN.com and ESPN App.
- 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 314-116 (.730) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 383-149 (.720) 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 the Cavaliers to their 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).
- Bennett led the Cavaliers to 30 wins in back-to-back seasons two times (2014-2015 and 2018-19).
- UVA is 161-70 (.700) in ACC play (90-25 at home & 71-45 away), 177-36 (.831) at home and 153-46 (.769) in non-conference action (86-9 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 17-11 all-time in 13 NIT appearances, including a pair of championships in 1980 and 1992.
- UVA is 7-4 all-time in the NIT first round.
- The Cavaliers are 10-3 at home in the NIT, including a 2-1 mark at John Paul Jones Arena.
- Virginia associate head coach Jason Williford was a member of the 1992 NIT champion Cavaliers.
- The Cavaliers are 15-8 in NCAA/NIT postseason play under Bennett, including a 2-1 mark in the NIT.
- Bennett is 2-2 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 (10.3 ppg & 4.2 apg) and Reece Beekman (7.9 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.8 rpg & 2.1 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (15.3 ppg & 6.6 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (10.9 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 (4.3 ppg & 4.7 rpg) and Kadin Shedrick (7.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg & 2.0 bpg) anchor the paint. Shedrick has started 17 contests, while Caffaro has started 15.
- Kody Stattmann (36.5% 3FGs), Malachi Poindexter, Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr. and Carson McCorkle provide perimeter depth off the bench.
Virginia All-Time vs. Mississippi State
- 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 Bulldogs
- Greg Carter scored 16 points to lead Mississippi State to an 86-84 win against Virginia on Dec. 29, 1988, at the USF&G Sugar Bowl Tournament at the Superdome in New Orleans, La.
- Bryant Stith led UVA with 19 points and John Crotty and Brent Dabbs each added 17.
- Carter led five Bulldogs in double figures as Greg Lockhart scored 14 points and Cameron Burns, Tony Watts and Todd Merritt each added 12 points, respectively.
- MSU outrebounded UVA 42-34 and shot 49.1 percent.
Last Time Out
- Brady Manek scored 21 points to lead No. 3 seed North Carolina to a 63-43 win over No. 6 seed Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 10.
- Jayden Gardner led Virginia with 17 points.
- UVA’s 34.6 percent field goal shooting marked a season low
- UVA’s 13 first half points were its lowest in a half since scoring 13 in a first half win vs. William & Mary on Dec. 5, 1984.
- UVA shot less than 20 percent in a half (5 of 27 for 18.5%) for the first time since shooting 18.4 percent (5 of 22) vs. California on Dec. 22, 2015.
- UNC outrebounded UVA 46-32, including 25-18 en route to its 33-13 halftime lead.
On The Horizon
- The winner of the Virginia/Mississippi State NIT first round game advances to the second round vs. No. 2 seed North Texas or Texas State on March 19 or 20. Tipoff, location and television designation is TBD.
Game Notes: Virginia hosts Rider in two-game midweek series
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia (14-1) returns home on Tuesday for the first of two games against reigning MAAC champion Rider (6-7) at Disharoon Park. The second game of the series is scheduled for Wednesday (March 16). Both contests are slated for 4 p.m. starts and will be broadcast live on ACCNX.
GAME COVERAGE: ACCNX is available to authenticated subscribers of the ACC Network through the ESPN app and ESPN.com. Links to live stats are available on VirginiaSports.com. Fans can get in-game updates on the team’s official twitter page (@UVABaseball).
PROMOTIONS
Tuesday – Taco Tuesday! Tako Nako will have a food truck setup near the left field entrance.
Wednesday – The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free green Virginia koozie to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
WEDNESDAY PARKING INFORMATION
Baseball fans can park in the JPJ South Lot on a first come, first served basis. Due to the men’s basketball NIT game at John Paul Jones Arena, baseball patrons will have to vacate the JPJ garage and the JPJ West lot at 4 p.m. The JPJ East lot will have a 5:30 p.m. vacate time.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday
Rider: RHP Alec Sachais (0-0, 9.39 ERA, 7.2 IP, 11 BB, 6 SO)
Virginia: LHP Matthew Buchanan (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO)
Wednesday
Rider: RHP Vincent Vitacco (0-0, 2.00 ERA, 9.IP, 0 BB, 10 SO)
Virginia: TBA
LEADING OFF
- Virginia is one of eight NCAA teams with either one or no losses. Purdue remains the only unbeaten team in college baseball. Mercer, Tennessee, Clemson, Old Dominion, SE Missouri St, Notre Dame and UVA each have one loss.
- UVA’s 14 wins are tied for the third most in the nation and its .933 winning percentage is tied for the fourth-highest in the country
- Virginia had its 14-game win streak snapped in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Duke on Sunday after a 7-6 loss. The win streak was tied for the second longest in school history. Both UVA’s school record 19-game win streak in 2009 and this year’s 14-game win streak ended with one-run losses.
- The Cavaliers are 9-0 at Disharoon Park this season and have won 12-straight games at home dating back to last season.
- Virginia has played three midweek contests this season and is outscoring its opponents 36-2 in those games. Two of those wins have been shutouts (VMI & William & Mary).
AGAINST RIDER
- The midweek series will be the first games between UVA and Rider since 2011. UVA has won all six meetings against the Broncs, including three under Brian O’Connor.
- UVA won both games in 2011 by a combined score of 16-11.
- The two schools squared off in an elimination game at the 2008 NCAA Regional in Fullerton, Calif. in which the Cavaliers came away with an 8-2 victory behind seven strong innings on the mound from Andrew Carraway.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Virginia is nationally ranked by D1Baseball for the first time, entering the poll this week at No. 19. The Cavaliers are now ranked in all six of the major collegiate top-25 polls and are ranked as high as No. 5 according to Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
- Virginia comes out of the first ACC weekend ranked No. 32 in the NCAA RPI.
- The Cavaliers go into Tuesday ranked in the top-10 in the country in ERA (3rd– 1.75), fielding percentage (eighth- .987) and batting average (10th – .328). Virginia is the only program in the country to be ranked in the top 10 in all three categories.
- The Cavaliers have the No. 2 scoring offense in the country, averaging 11.3 runs per game. The 169 runs are second behind Tennessee’s 197.
- Virginia is the only pitching staff in the country with five shutouts this season.
- Jake Gelof leads the country in RBI (36) and slugging percentage (1.200). He ranks second in the NCAA in total bases (60) and third in home runs (9).
ON THE MOUND
- Freshman Matthew Buchanan is scheduled to make his first start on the mound. He has appeared in two games this season, both relief appearances in which he combined to strike out four batters over 2.2 innings.
- In addition to the nation’s third lowest ERA, the Cavalier pitching staff has allowed only 5.98 hits per nine innings the sixth-lowest rate in the NCAA this season. UVA hurlers have a 12.2 strikeout per nine innings ratio, the fourth best in the country.
- Of the 15 Cavalier pitchers that have appeared in a game this season, 10 have contributed to the five shutouts on the year. Reliever Devin Ortiz has pitched in three of the five shutouts this season, the most on the staff.
CAVALIER NOTABLES
- At the top of the lineup for all 15 games, shortstop Griff O’Ferrall has scored 23 runs, the 10th-most in the NCAA and the third most in the ACC. He co-leads the team with seven stolen bases, tied for the fourth most in the ACC.
- Freshman Casey Saucke has hit safely in all 13 games he’s appeared in, the longest streak on the team. He has extended the streak despite not starting in two of the 13 games including Sunday when he came on as a pinch-hitter and drove in two runs in UVA ninth-inning comeback attempt on Sunday at Duke.
- Catcher Kyle Teel was added to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List prior to last week’s series at Duke. He is one of 76 backstops from around the country to be included on the initial list.
- Chris Newell has drawn 13 walks in 12 games played this season. His 1.08 walks per game are the second-most of anyone in the country.
Men’s Golf: Hoos finish strong to place fifth at General Hackler Championship
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
(© Kevin Carden – stock.adobe.com)
The Virginia men’s golf team used a strong finishing round to place fifth at the General Hackler Championship at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Cavaliers shot 6-under 282 during Monday afternoon’s third round for a 54-hole total of 4-under 860. UVA shot 1-over 289 during the first two rounds.
The Cavaliers, ranked No. 47 in the latest Golfstat poll, finished better than five other teams ahead of them in the ranking. No. 18 Auburn captured the team title at 25-under 839.
UVA’s top finisher was senior Pietro Bovari, who claimed 17th place. He used bookend rounds of 70 to shoot 3-under 213. Bovari has been Virginia’s top finisher in four of the team’s last five tournaments.
Senior Jimmie Massie was 26th overall at 1-under 215. Massie posted a closing round of 69 that included back-to-back bogeys on his final two holes. Massie led the tournament after the first 18 holes after shooting 5-under 67.
Sophomore George Duangmanee was 48th at 220 including a final round score of 72. Senior Sam Jung dropped back to 51st place at 221 while Chris Fosdick used a closing score of 71 to improve to 66th at 225.
The Cavaliers are back in action this weekend when the team competes at the Linger Longer Invitational in Greensboro, Ga.
General Hackler Championship
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Aiken, S.C.
Par 72, 7,233 yards
Final Results
Team Results
- Auburn 281-287-271-839
- South Carolina 282-283-277-842
- East Tennessee St. 284-279-283-846
- Oklahoma State 287-281-281-849
- Virginia 289-289-282-860
- NC State 291-290-281-862
- North Florida 296-288-278-862
- Kent State 300-285-278-863
- Liberty 292-287-291-870
- Louisville 302-280-288-870
- Coastal Carolina 300-290-284-874
- East Carolina 294-290-290-874
- UCF 300-294-285-879
- UNC Greensboro 301-293-287-881
- Penn State 300-292-294-886
Individual Leaders
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Oklahoma State 73-64-67-204
- Evan Vo, Auburn 71-70-64-205
- Algot Kleen, East Tennessee State 69-69-68-205
- J.M. Butler, Auburn 68-70-68-206
Virginia Results
- Pietro Bovari 70-73-70-213
- Jimmie Massie 67-79-69-215
- George Duangmanee 77-71-72-220
- Sam Jung 75-71-75-221
- Chris Fosdick 80-74-71-225
Women’s Golf: Three Hoos tied for second after 36 holes at Grumman Challenge
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
A trio of Virginia players will enter the final round of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge tied for second place at 2-under 140. That group includes graduate student Beth Lillie, senior Riley Smyth and junior Jennifer Cleary.
As a team, No. 6 Virginia is in second place after the first two rounds at 1-under 567. The Cavaliers shot 4-under 280 during Monday’s play. No. 2 Oregon is one shot ahead of Virginia on the leaderboard. The Ducks shot 279 during the second round.
Lillie and Cleary led the Cavaliers during the second round by posting scores of 2-under 69. Smyth and junior Celeste Valinho both carded rounds of 71 and freshman Amanda Sambach shot 74. Valinho is in 38th place at 148 while Sambach is 50th at 150.
Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn leads the field in stroke play at 8-under 134.
Tuesday’s third round is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. ET. Live scoring is online at Golfstat.com.
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge
Palos Verdes Golf Club
Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Par 71, 6,017 yards
Second-Round Results
Team Results
- Oregon 287-279-566
- Virginia 287-280-567
- Wake Forest 292-280-572
- Arizona State 291-284-575
- Kent State 286-290-576
- USC 295-287-582
- Duke 290-292-582
- Texas 297-290-587
- Arizona 293-295-588
- Baylor 304-287-591
- Auburn 297-295-592
- California 304-291-595
- Vanderbilt 301-298-599
- Pepperdine 297-302-599
- Ohio State 298-302-600
- Georgetown 321-302-623
Individual Leaders
- Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest 67-67-134
- Beth Lillie, Virginia 71-69-140
- Jennifer Cleary, Virginia 71-69-140
- Riley Smyth, Virginia 69-71-140
- Carolina Melgrati, Arizona 68-72-140
- Julie McCarthy, Auburn 68-72-140
Virginia Results
- Beth Lillie 71-69-140
- Riley Smyth 69-71-140
- Jennifer Cleary 71-69-140
- Celeste Valinho 77-71-148
- Amanda Sambach 76-74-150
Tony Bennett on the NIT: “We’re in it to win it”
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo courtesy Atlantic Coast Conference
- If there was any doubt about the approach Tony Bennett’s team would take into the NIT, the Virginia coach ended that speculation on Monday.
“Play it to win it,” Bennett said.
Skeptics thought the Cavaliers, having not made the 68-team NCAA field, might just go through the motions, or perhaps give younger players more court time for their development. Not so with Bennett, although he’s willing to give more playing time to anyone who steps up in practice.
“Give yourself the best chance to play and see,” Bennett said. “This year we’ve had a tight rotation. Maybe someone can give us another lift, and so there are still open opportunities.”
The UVA coach said his main group won 19 games, 12 in the ACC, so he plans to stick with those players, but if a bench player can show in practice that he could provide a boost for the team, there’s playing time. Still, Bennett’s plan is to go as far in the 32-team NIT as possible.
“We get a chance to play and try to win and advance and keep going,” Bennett said. “That would be my mindset and that’s their mindset. A lot depends on how our young men are and how hungry they are and how we prepare these two days and then read what’s going on in the game and go from there.”
Virginia hosts No. 3 seed Mississippi State from the SEC on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. (ESPN2). MSU was supposed to host the game but couldn’t because renovations to its home arena, Humphrey Coliseum, are scheduled to begin.
It is somewhat a mystery that UVA, which finished 19-13 overall, was not among the 16 seeded teams in the NIT. Mississippi State finished 18-15 and only 1-9 on the road (14-3 at home), so advantage Cavaliers in that category. The Bulldogs’ best two wins this season came over Arkansas and Alabama, both in Starksville. They fell to eventual SEC champ Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals (72-59) Friday.
While UVA’s Bennett said his philosophy is to try to win the NIT, he must wonder which one of his teams will show up. The one that knocked off Duke on the road, swept Miami, split with Virginia Tech, or the one that lost at home to Florida State in the final week of the regular season and got blown out for a second time by North Carolina in the ACC quarterfinals.
Bennett said he wants more tournament experience, playing experience for his team and for them to play as well as they can. The Cavaliers struggled with consistency most of the season but improved down the stretch.
“The reality of our team this year, we’re that team that when we’ve played tough and well, have been able to win some really exciting games against tough opponents, on the road and at home,” Bennett said. “And, they’ve usually been close. Then at times where the team has struggled and we’ve gotten separated. You’ve seen it against Carolina and some of those teams.
“I told our guys that the reality is you’re both of those teams. You’ve just got to fight and choose to try to be the one that has shown that, so here you get an opportunity in a one-and-done situation to play against a good team. You get to grow in these experiences and try to win and advance. You’ve got to move past not getting an NCAA bid and getting beat in the second round (of the ACC tournament) in the way we did.”
According to the Jackson Clarion Ledger, Mississippi State has not made a decision on Bulldogs’ coach Ben Howland’s future with the program, but that the school’s athletic director John Cohen said Howland will coach the team in the NIT. Howland, who had served as head coach at UCLA and Pittsburgh, went up against some of Bennett’s teams at Washington State prior to Bennett’s arrival in Charlottesville.
Bennett was pleased the game was shifted to John Paul Jones Arena. In fact, when the NIT pairing was first announced, Bennett assumed the Cavaliers were going to be headed to Starkesville.
“I’m like, well, OK, we’re going to Mississippi State,” Bennett said of the moment prior to the announcement that the Bulldogs couldn’t host. He told a story about his playing days at Green Bay and the NIT.
“As a player, we got into the NIT and we were all excited, but there was a home and garden show in the Brown County arena (in Green Bay), and we didn’t get to host, and I remember looking at my dad, like, are you serious?” Bennett said.
Mississippi State, which was runner-up in the NIT title game last season to Memphis, boasts three players with double-figures scoring averages led by 6-foot-3 junior point guard Iverson Molinar (17.6 ppg), 6-11 junior Tolu Smith (14.1) and former North Carolina star Garrison Brooks (10.3). Brooks, who is 6-9, is a graduate transfer from the Tar Heels to the Bulldogs.
Then there’s 6-7 junior D.J. Jeffries (9.2) and 6-1 sophomore Shakeel Moore (8.8).
“Ben’s a terrific coach,” Bennett said of the Bulldogs. “They are physical, they actually have some guys from the ACC in Brooks, whose father is on the [MSU] staff and Moore.
“They are very athletic, tough defensively, physical on the glass and had some tough games in the SEC, a talented league, and they either took some teams to overtime or had some wins against some of the best in that league.”
Bennett said that Howland’s teams always defended well in their old Pac-12 games, something he likes to refer to as “knuckle busters.”
According to Draft Kings oddsmakers, Virginia is a 1.5 point favorite.
Sampson mini-documentary on ACC Network tonight at 7
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Former UVA head coach Terry Holland courtside at JPJ with his wife, Ann, and his former three-time player of the year, Ralph Sampson. (Photo: Matt Riley, UVA Athletics).
The great Ralph Sampson will be featured tonight as part of the ACC LEGENDS series on the ACC Network.
Sampson, one of the most heralded players in basketball history, is the topic of tonight’s, 30-minute, documentary-style episodes created by the ACC Network. The show airs at 7 p.m.
The legends series highlights legendary coaches and athletes from across the Atlantic Coast Conference, having debuted with a feature on former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden a couple of months ago.
Sampson, who resides in Charlottesville, dominated college basketball during his four-year career at Virginia from 1980-83. The 7-foot-4 center was a three-time National Player of the Year (UCLA’s Bill Walton is the only other three-time winner of the award) and three-team ACC Player of the Year. Sampson was a four-time All-American, who won three consecutive Rupp Trophies and Naismith Awards and two consecutive John Wooden Awards.
Taken No. 1 in the NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, Sampson was NBA Rookie of the Year. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Nate Savino named ACC Pitcher of the Week
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Nate Savino. Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Junior Nate Savino was recognized by the Atlantic Coast Conference as the league’s Pitcher of the Week after his gem in the series opener against Duke this past weekend. He is the second Cavalier this season to take home an ACC weekly award.
Savino needed just 103 pitches and struck out seven batters in a complete game, five-hit shutout against the Blue Devils on Friday (March 11). He did not allow a Duke batter to reach second base and finished his outing by retiring the final 10 batters he faced. The nine-inning, complete game shutout was the first by a UVA pitcher since Derek Casey against Virginia Tech in 2018. Including Savino’s gem, six pitchers in college baseball this season have been credited with complete game shutouts this season.
Through four starts this season, Savino is 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA and 27 strikeouts compared to just two walks. His 1.21 ERA is the third lowest among qualified ACC pitchers and his 27 strikeouts are tied for the seventh most in the league.
Virginia returns to action on Tuesday to commence a two-game midweek series against Rider. Tuesday and Wednesday’s contests are both slated for 4 p.m. starts.
#5 Virginia clinches series with doubleheader split
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (14-1, 2-1 ACC) won its first Atlantic Coast Conference series with a 13-1 victory over Duke (9-7, 1-2 ACC) in game one of doubleheader at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Sunday. The Blue Devils snapped UVA’s 14-game win streak in the nightcap, edging the Cavaliers, 7-6.
GAME 1 – Virginia 13, Duke 1
Virginia scored in six of its first seven trips to the plate including a four-run rally in the fifth to clinch the series against the Blue Devils. The Cavaliers matched a season-high with 18 hits in the contest and scored double-digit runs for the 10th time in the first 14 games of the year.
The Cavaliers were stellar on the mound again, led by starting pitcher Brian Gursky. The lefthander allowed one run over five innings pitched and struck out five. He has a win in each of his first four starts this season. After the second Blue Devil hit of the first inning, he went on to retire 13 of the next 14 batters including the last seven in-a-row.
He handed the ball over to the relief combination of Jake Berry, Jacob Hodorovich and Paul Kosanovich for a combined four innings of scoreless relief. Berry struck out four of the seven batters he faced and lowered his ERA to 1.23 on the season.
The Cavaliers peppered Duke with seven RBI singles that plated eight Virginia runs. Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof each had RBI doubles off the monster in left field.
Freshman Griff O’Ferrall drove in a season-best, four runs and went 3-for-4 at the plate.
GAME 2 – Duke 7, Virginia 6
Coming into the nightcap, Virginia had only trailed on three occasions this season but found itself down 4-0 after the first two innings. Trevor Johnson made it 4-0 Blue Devils with his first career-homer, a two-run shot to left center.
After Blue Devil starting pitcher Billy Seidl sat down the first 10 batters he faced, Kyle Teel recorded the first Cavalier hit with an infield single. A batter later Jake Gelof plated Teel with a double into left. The RBI was his 36th of the season.
Making his second start of the season, Justin Rubin doubled his season RBI total with one swing in the fifth inning to tie the game at four.
Duke broke the 4-4 stalemate with a three-run seventh inning that included a two-run double by Johnson. For the game, Johnson finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBI.
The Cavaliers nearly mounted a comeback and had the tying run on base in the ninth inning. Casey Saucke, who came on as a pinch-hitter earlier in the contest, singled home two runs in UVA’s final turn at the plate. Duke reliever Jimmy Loper induced a game-ending ground out with pinch-runner Addie Burrow on first base.
Virginia pitchers issued a season-high eight walks and three Duke batters were hit by pitches.
FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONOR
“Overall, I think it’s just a great weekend. Anytime you can win a series on the road and in this league, you feel great about it and that’s what we did. We had a chance there to sweep the series but just couldn’t do enough. We gave away a lot of free passes and to Duke’s credit, they made some nice adjustments in their lineup and Trevor Johnson killed us in this game, so I tip my hat to him.
We got away from what we’ve been doing the first 14 games and that’s throwing strikes and playing good defense. We didn’t throw strikes, we didn’t play good defense and you can’t win in this league doing that. We still had a chance there at the end of the game proud of our guys to fight in them. The first game was outstanding, I thought we played another really outstanding ballgame. I’m just proud to come down here on the first ACC weekend and win the series and almost sweep it.”
UP NEXT
Virginia will return home to begin a six-game stint at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers will play a midweek series against Rider on Tuesday (March 15) and Wednesday (March 16). Both games are scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Duke homered once in the first game and again in the nightcap. The long balls were only the second and third surrendered by UVA pitching this season.
- The 12-run margin of victory in game one was tied for the second largest in the 172-game history against Duke. The Cavaliers won 15-3 on March 20, 1999 and 13-1 on March 21, 2003. The 18-4 win in the second game of a doubleheader on April 17, 2011 is UVA’s largest win over the Blue Devils.
- Dating back to last season, Virginia has scored 13 or more runs at least one game of the last three ACC series.
Virginia to host Mississippi State in NIT on Wednesday
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia will host Mississippi State in the opening round of the NIT on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
The Cavaliers (19-13) were not seeded by the NIT selection committee, while Mississippi State (18-15) was the No. 3 seed in the bracket. While MSU is seeded, Virginia will host the game due to hosting issues at MSU.
Virginia lost a lopsided ACC Tournament quarterfinal game to North Carolina in Brooklyn this past week, while Mississippi State was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the SEC by No. 2 seed Tennessee. The Bulldogs were the No. 10 seed in the SEC.
While veteran Ben Howland will coach Mississippi State in the NIT, the school has not yet determined if he will be invited back for an eighth season with the Bulldogs. Mississippi State finished as runner-up in the NIT to Memphis last season.
The NIT is a 32-team tournament with four, eight-team brackets. Madison Square Garden will host the semifinals and finals this season after not doing so the past two seasons due to the pandemic.
Fans can purchase tickets and prepaid parking at UVATIX.com. Tickets are $14 for lower-level reserved seats and $12 for upper-level general admission seats.
Parking is available at the JPJ West lot as well as the attached garage for $10 prepaid online and $15 on Wednesday.
Men’s Golf: Massie’s strong opening round leads UVA at Hackler Championship
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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UVA senior Jimmie Massie shared the first-round lead at the General Hackler Championship taking place at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Sunday. Due to a morning frost, the opening round was delayed until a 10 a.m. start and the event’s second round was not completed Sunday due to darkness.
Massie shot 5-under 67 during the opening round to share the tournament lead after 18 holes with South Carolina’s Ryan Hall. Massie’s performance matched his best single-round score against par during his UVA career.
Virginia was in fifth place after the opening round at 1-over 289 but dropped back to ninth place when play was suspended. UVA did not finish the front nine of its second round due to darkness.
Midway through his second round, Massie had fallen back to 33rd place at 2-over par for the tournament.
UVA’s other first-round scores included a 70 by Pietro Bovari, a 75 by Sam Jung, a 77 by George Duangmanee and an 80 by Chris Fosdick. Bovari was in eighth place, Jung in 47th, Duangmanee in 66th and Fosdick was 79th after the first 18 holes.
The second round will be completed Monday morning followed by the tournament’s final 18 holes. Live scoring is online at Golfstat.com.
General Hackler Championship
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Aiken, S.C.
Par 72, 7,233 yards
First-Round Results
Team Results
- Auburn 281
- South Carolina 282
- East Tennessee St. 284
- Oklahoma State 287
- Virginia 289
- NC State 291
- Liberty 292
- East Carolina 294
- North Florida 296
- Kent State 300
- Coastal Carolina 300
- Penn State 300
- UCF 300
- UNC Greensboro 301
- Louisville 302
Individual Leaders
- Ryan Hall, South Carolina 67
- Jimmie Massie, Virginia 67
- J.M. Butler, Auburn 68
- Algot Kleen, East Tenn St. 68
Virginia Results
- Jimmie Massie 67
- Pietro Bovari 70
- Sam Jung 75
- George Duangmanee 77
- Chris Fosdick 80
Women’s Golf: UVA opens Grumman Regional Challenge in second place
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 6 Virginia women’s golf team shot 3-over 287 to finish the first day of play at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge tied with No. 2 Oregon for second place. Kent State leads the 16-team field at 2-over 286. A total of 10 teams competing in the event at Palos Verdes Golf Club are currently ranked in Golfstat’s top-25 poll.
Virginia was led by senior Riley Smyth who shot 2-under 69 and finished the first round in fourth place. Grad student Beth Lillie and sophomore Jennifer Cleary are tied for 11th place after starting play with 2-over 71s. Freshman Amanda Sambach is in 43rd place after posting a round of 76 and junior Celeste Valinho is one stroke behind her in 56th position.
Monday’s second round is scheduled to start at noon ET. Live scoring is online at Golfstat.com.
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge
Palos Verdes Golf Club
Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Par 71, 6,017 yards
First Round Results
Team Results
- Kent State 286
- Virginia 287
- Oregon 287
- Duke 290
- Arizona State 291
- Wake Forest 292
- Arizona 293
- USC 295
- Auburn 297
- Pepperdine 297
- Texas 297
- Ohio State 298
- Vanderbilt 301
- California 304
- Baylor 304
- Georgetown 321
Individual Leaders
- Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest 67
- Julie McCarthy, Auburn 68
- Carolina Melgrati, Arizona 68
Virginia Results
- Riley Smyth 69
- Beth Lillie 71
- Jennifer Cleary 71
- Amanda Sambach 76
- Celeste Valinho 77
Softball: Virginia drops series finale to No. 24 Notre Dame, 3-2
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The Virginia softball team (15-10, 2-1 ACC) was hunting for the series sweep, but No. 24 Notre Dame (17-6, 1-2 ACC) used a seventh-inning run to take a 3-2 victory in the series finale at Palmer Park on Sunday.
Notre Dame got on the board in the first with a two-run home run from Abby Sweet to take the early lead.
Virginia would keep things in check defensively until the bottom of the third when the first run come home as Bailey Winscott scored on a single to left from Lauren VanAssche. Winscott was hit by a pitch before stealing second in the VanAssche at bat. Two batters later the Cavaliers would tie it up with a RBI groundout from Gabby Baylog as the ball came off her hand in the act of swinging and VanAssche scampered home.
Notre Dame moved back in front in the seventh. With two outs and runners at the corners, a soft chopper to third and the runner slid in safely just before the ball to put the Irish up 3-2.
Madison Harris (0-1) took the loss in relief, allowing the one run on two hits in 1.2 innings of work.
Shannon Becker (6-1) picked up the win in the complete game, allowing two runs on 10 hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
NOTES ON THE DAY
- Aly Rayle continued her strong weekend, working 5.0 scoreless innings in relief with a walk and three strikeouts.
- Bailey Winscott set the table in the nine hole, going 1-for-1 with a walk and a hit by pitch with a run scored.
- The run surrendered by Madison Harris was her first of the season. She’s worked 11.0 innings and struck out 10.
- UVA out-hit the Irish 10-to-6 on the day and out-hit the Irish 26-to-17 and outscored them 15-to-9 for the series.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“We had our opportunities with the runners in scoring position and the right people at the plate – we just didn’t deliver the timely hit today. I’m proud of the effort. We never felt like we were out of a game all weekend and we weren’t. Our pitching staff kept us in the game with Aly Rayle came in and handled the pressure. She just handles herself like a champ. Madison Harris went for it in the close. It’s frustrating when you know you had the opportunity and didn’t get the timely hit, but there are a lot of positives to take away. Today being the two-year mark of when we shut down in 2020, it’s important for us to remember where we’ve been. The last two years have been hard for all of us, our kids and our student-athletes. People have lost family and loved ones and jobs – they’ve lost a lot. It would be easy to pout about not getting the win, but we’re really grateful to play softball today. We’ll get back to work tomorrow.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia closes out the five-game homestand with North Dakota State on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Palmer Park.
Men’s Tennis: No. 14 Virginia wins 6-1 against Louisville
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 14 Virginia men’s tennis team (10-5, 4-0 ACC) closed out the weekend with a 6-1 victory against Louisville (11-5, 3-1 ACC) on Sunday at the indoor courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va.
Seniors Gianni Ross and William Woodall opened the match with a 6-4 win on doubles court two. Sophomore Chris Rodesch and senior Ryan Goetz clinched the point with a 6-4 win on the top court.
In singles, Rodesch battled out a 6-3, 6-4 win against Etienne Donnet on the top court to put the Cavaliers ahead 2-0. Goetz followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win on court three. Ross clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win on court four.
The other three courts were split-set marathons.
Woodall had won his first set 6-1, but dropped his second against David Mizrahi 6-2 to force a third set on court five. The second set ended shortly after Rodesch’s win but before Goetz and Ross finished, so they played a full third set. Woodall won the third in a tiebreaker, 7-4.
On court two, sophomore Jeffrey von der Schulenburg was edged 6-4 in his first set against Josh Howard. Von der Schulenburg won a tiebreaker, 7-5, to decide the second set and force a third-set super-tiebreaker. The two battled past the 10-point mark with von der Schulenburg finally pulling out a 14-12 win to take the point.
Sophomore Alexander Kiefer won his first set on court six in a tiebreaker, 7-4, but dropped his second set 6-1 against Matthew Fung. Fung won the super tiebreaker 10-6 to pick up the Cardinals’ lone point.
MATCH NOTES
- Louisville is No. 36 in the ITA team rankings
- The loss snapped the Cardinals’ eight-match win streak
- Iñaki Montes and Jeffrey von der Schulenburg were up 5-3 and serving for the win on doubles court three when the point was clinched
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers are on the road next weekend, playing at Georgia Tech on Friday, March 18 at 5 p.m. and at Clemson on Sunday, March 20 at 11 a.m.
- Virginia returns home to host NC State on Friday, March 25 at 3 p.m.
#14 Virginia 6, #36 Louisville 1
Singles competition
- #15 Chris Rodesch (VA) def. #92 Etienne Donnet (LOU-MT) 6-3, 6-4
- #58 J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Josh Howard-Tripp (LOU-MT) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 14-12
- Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Tin Chen (LOU-MT) 6-2, 6-2
- Gianni Ross (VA) def. Natan Rodrigues (LOU-MT) 6-3, 6-3
- William Woodall (VA) def. David Mizrahi (LOU-MT) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4)
- Matthew Fung (LOU-MT) def. Alexander Kiefer (VA) 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 10-6
Doubles competition
- #11 Chris Rodesch/Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Natan Rodrigues/Matthew Fung (LOU-MT) 6-4
- Gianni Ross/William Woodall (VA) def. Alex Wesbrooks/Etienne Donnet (LOU-MT) 6-4
- Inaki Montes/J vd Schulenburg (VA) vs. David Mizrahi/Tin Chen (LOU-MT) 5-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,3,4,6,2,5)
T-3:06 A-219
Owens earns first-team All-American honors, Barnett makes second team
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Virginia’s men’s and women’s track and field teams concluded competition at the NCAA Indoor Championships as Owayne Owens and Mia Barnett each earned All-American honors in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday night.
Entering the triple jump as the two-time reigning ACC champion in the event, Owens earned All-American honors with his mark of 16.13m (52’11”) recorded on his sixth and final attempt. The mark earned Owens an eighth-place finish and first team All-American honors for the second time in his indoor career. Owens achieved second team All-American honors in the 2020 season.
After breaking a 40-year-old Virginia record in qualifying (4:33.54), Mia Barnett finished tenth overall in the women’s mile. With a time of 4:42.91, Barnett capped a historic freshman season with second team All-American honors.
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 14 Virginia falls 17-11 to No. 3 Syracuse
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The No. 14 Virginia women’s lacrosse team (4-5, 0-3 ACC) fell 17-11 to No. 3 Syracuse (6-1, 3-0 ACC) on a snowy Saturday in a game that was moved to Lower Turf.
Freshman Rachel Clark led UVA with four goals and senior Ashlyn McGovern added three. Senior Annie Dyson had one goal and two assists.
UVA trailed Syracuse in shots, 29-23, but led in ground balls (20-18) and saves (7-5). Both teams had 17 draw controls. The Cavaliers had 27 turnovers to 23 for the Orange. Meaghan Tyrrell led Syracuse with five goals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Virginia scored first when junior Jaime Biskup found sophomore Mackenzie Hoeg for a goal.
- Syracuse scored two goals to take its first lead, 2-1, at the 8:20 mark in the first quarter.
- Clark scored on the assist from Dyson to tie the game at 2-2.
- Syracuse closed the first quarter on a 3-0 run to lead 5-2 15 minutes in.
- The Cavaliers scored back-to-back goals with McGovern and junior Kiki Shaw scoring to cut the deficit to 5-4 four minutes into the second quarter.
- The Orange had a 5-0 run to lead 10-4 with 3:45 remaining in the first half.
- Clark scored to end the half as UVA trailed 10-5 at the break.
- Just a minute into the second half, sophomore Morgan Schwab connected with Clark for her third goal of the game.
- UVA had a 3-1 run after two goals for Syracuse to make it 13-9 with 2:39 left in the third quarter. The Cavaliers outscored the Orange 4-3 in the third period with McGovern scoring two of those goals.
- Syracuse outscored UVA 4-2 in the fourth quarter for the 17-11 win.
FROM HEAD COACH JULIE MYERS
“Our play kind of mirrored the weather, it was inconsistent. Sometimes it was snowing hard, sometimes we were making mistakes and other times we were brilliant. I don’t think the weather was great, but we were just super inconsistent with decision making. Syracuse is a very good team, and they were more consistent from start to finish. We didn’t do enough to beat a top team. A lot of positives to take away and other things to fine-tune in March.”
NOTES
- Sophomore Aubrey Williams had 10 draw controls.
- Hoeg had three caused turnovers, two ground balls and two draw controls with one goal and one assist.
- Senior Myla Grace Barnett and sophomore Ellena Schildmeyer led the Cavaliers with three ground balls apiece.
UP NEXT
Virginia hosts Pitt on Friday, March 18 at 5 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.
