Softball: ‘Hoos hit four home runs Friday at Tennessee Invitational
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The Cavaliers hit four home runs on the day, including a walk-off from Tori Gilbert and a pair of round trippers from Leah Boggs, as Virginia (10-8) split a pair of games on Friday at the Tennessee Invitational.
The Cavaliers defeated South Alabama (5-11) in the first game on the walk-off from Gilbert before falling to No. 18 Tennessee (12-6) in the nightcap by a score of 7-5.
GAME 1: Virginia 6, South Alabama 4
Virginia got off to the quick start, getting back-to-back hits from Lauren VanAssche and Sarah Coon to start the first for the Hoos and spark a three-run rally. An error in the next at bat started the scoring then consecutive RBI groundouts put the Cavaliers on top 3-0 before South Alabama would get out of the inning.
A solo home run in the fourth got the Jaguars on the board. South Alabama then took the lead in the sixth, loading the bases before an RBI walk started a three-run rally.
Leah Boggs homered in the bottom of the sixth to tie things up before Gilbert hit her pinch hit, two-run shot in the seventh to give the Hoos the win.
Savanah Henley (3-4) picked up the win in relief, working 1.2 innings and allowing two hits while striking out two. She entered the game with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth and Virginia holding to a one-run lead.
Jenna Hardy (1-7) took the loss for the Jaguars, allowing the six runs – five earned – on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
GAME 2: No. 18 Tennessee 7, Virginia 5
Leah Boggs got the Hoos started in the first with a two-out home run to put Virginia on the board. The Vols would respond in the home half, however, pushing a pair of runs across the plate to take the 2-1 lead.
Virginia came through in the top of the second, loading the bases with no outs to spark a rally. The Cavaliers then got runs on an RBI single from Bailey Winscott, a hit by pitch on Sarah Coon and an RBI groundout from Boggs to take the lead back at 4-2 in favor of the Hoos.
Tennessee again answered with a two-run home run in the third to tie the game. The runs continued in the fourth with a two-out rally as the Lady Vols pushed three more runs home for the 7-4 lead.
Virginia got another home run in the sixth when Baylog delivered her first of the season to trim the lead to two runs, but could get no closer as Tennessee picked up the win.
Savanah Henley (3-5) suffered the loss in relief, allowing five runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work.
Erin Edmoundson (7-1) picked up the relief win for Tennessee, allowing one run on four hits with a strikeout in 4.2 innings of work. Ashley Rogers got her third save as she worked the final 1.1 innings with two strikeouts.
NOTES ON THE DAY
- Virginia is now 2-0 against South Alabama with wins in back-to-back seasons over the Jaguars.
- The Hoos are now 2-10 all-time against Tennessee and faced the Vols for the first time since 2019.
- Leah Boggs hit a home run in each game, bringing her season total to three for the season.
- Tori Gilbert’s walk-off home run was the first for UVA since Lacy Smith vs. Syracuse (3/17/18)
- Sydney Hartgrove made her first collegiate appearance with the start at catcher against South Alabama.
- Aly Rayle worked 2.1 scoreless to close out the game against Tennessee with four strikeouts and a walk.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“I’m really proud of the fight and grit we showed in both games today. We know we can come from behind late in games and we continue to put ourselves in positions to win in the seventh. As we continue to grow and learn, our at bats will increase in quality in pressure moments and our pitching staff will shut down big innings. We get closer and closer to reaching our full potential every game. I’m excited to get back on the field tomorrow. I love this team and love fighting with them.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia will return to action against Dartmouth to close round-robin play at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning before facing off against an opponent to be determined in the afternoon as the tournament moves to bracket play.
Women’s Tennis: No. 12 Virginia edged 4-3 by No. 9 Duke
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 12 Virginia women’s tennis team (10-2, 2-1 ACC) suffered a 4-3 loss at No. 9 Duke (7-1, 3-0 ACC) on Friday at the Ambler Tennis Center in Durham, N.C.
Virginia won the doubles point and picked up wins on the number one and six singles courts.
The Cavaliers got off to a hot start with sophomores Emma Navarro and Hibah Shaikh winning 6-0 on doubles court one. Duke picked up a 6-4 win on court three, but seniors Sofia Munera and Amber O’Dell won 6-4 on court two to clinch the point.
In singles, Shaikh and Navarro both won their singles matches in straight sets. Shaik went 6-1, 6-2 against Ellie Coleman on court six and Navarro topped No. 19 Georgia Drummy 6-2, 6-4 to give UVA a 3-1 lead. Duke tied the match with straight-set wins on courts five and three.
O’Dell bounced back from a 6-1 loss in her first set on court four against Emma Jackson with a 6-2 victory in the second set to force a decider. Jackson took the third set 6-1 to clinch the victory for the Blue Devils.
ON THE HORIZON
- The Cavaliers close out the weekend by playing at No. 1 North Carolina (14-0, 3-0 ACC) on Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m.
- The match will take place at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club as the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center is under renovation
- Live scoring will be available for the match
#9 Duke 4, #12 Virginia 3
Singles competition
- #28 Emma Navarro (VA) def. #19 Georgia Drummy (DU) 6-2, 6-4
- #11 Chloe Beck (DU) def. #15 Natasha Subhash (VA) 6-0, 6-1
- Kelly Chen (DU) def. Sofia Munera (VA) 6-3, 6-3
- #53 Emma Jackson (DU) def. Amber O’Dell (VA) 6-1, 2-6, 6-1
- Margaryta Bilokin (DU) def. Sara Ziodato (VA) 6-1, 6-3
- Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. Ellie Coleman (DU) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition
- Emma Navarro/Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. Georgia Drummy/Karolina Berankova (DU) 6-0
- Sofia Munera/Amber O’Dell (VA) def. #32 Chloe Beck/Margaryta Bilokin (DU) 6-4
- Ellie Coleman/Eliza Omirou (DU) def. Natasha Subhash/Sara Ziodato (VA) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,6,1,3,5,4)
A-115 T:3:02
Eight-run fifth inning propels Virginia to ninth win
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (9-0) erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning that led to a 10-1 victory over Penn State (3-5) on Friday at Disharoon Park. The Cavaliers scored double-digit runs for the sixth-straight game and limited the Nittany Lions to just five hits.
The game-changing fifth inning was the largest single-inning run output of the young season. Virginia has scored five or more runs in a single inning, eight times in nine games.
The two teams engaged in a pitcher’s duel over the first four innings. Penn State starting pitcher Travis Luensmann gave up a leadoff single in the first and retired 12-straight batters before UVA sent 11 hitters to the plate in the fifth.
After surrendering back-to-back doubles in the second inning that tied the game, Virginia starting pitcher Nate Savino retired 14 of the next 17 batters he faced. He exited in the top of the seventh inning and was credited with his second win of the season. Savino fanned four batters and pitched six innings of five-hit baseball.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Virginia plated the first run of the ballgame in the first inning on an RBI groundout by Devin Ortiz that scored first year Griff O’Ferrall. Penn State tied the game in its next turn at the plate with back-to-back doubles by Kyle Hannon and Billy Gerlott.
- Graduate student Alex Tappen led-off the fifth with a double, scored a run and then capped the Virginia rally with a two-run home run later in the inning. The long ball was his second of the season and 15th of his career.
- With two runs already across and the Cavaliers up 3-1, Kyle Teel cleared the bases with a three-run, opposite-field triple into the left-centerfield gap and made the score 6-1. Teel is 2-for-2 with a home run, triple and seven RBI when batting with the bases loaded this season.
- Jacob Hodorovich came on in relief of Savino with a runner on first and retired the next three batters in order. He pitched a clean eighth and gave way to Paul Kosanovich in the ninth. The appearance for Kosanovich was his first of the season and he sat down the Nittany Lions in order in the ninth to seal the victory.
FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR
“A real complete game and all facets. Great defense, (Nate) Savino was really good, it was nice to see him go out there and pitch six innings. I love seeing (Paul) Kosanovich come in for his first outing. He was a little slowed at the beginning of the year and it’s exciting to get him back out there. He could be a key component, he’s got some great experience and good stuff. (Travis) Luensmann, their starter, was really good. He kind of had us tied in knots. That was some of the best velocity we’ve seen this year. He did a nice job elevating his fastball against us and getting us to chase his slider a little bit. I thought we made a great adjustment in the fifth inning, (Alex) Tappen with the double down the line and just one after another. We’ve had a few of those kinds of innings this year.”
UP NEXT: The three-game set against Penn State continues on Saturday (March 5). The Cavalier will have lefthander Brian Gursky (2-0) on the mound and he will be opposed by fellow southpaw Kellan Tulio (1-0). First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
NOTES
- Virginia has now scored 10 or more runs in six-straight games for only the fourth time in program history – 1889, 1893, 2006, 2002.
- The Cavaliers improve to 9-0 for the sixth time in school history. Five of the six have come under head coach Brian O’Connor.
- Freshman Casey Saucke had an RBI single as part of the fifth-inning outburst. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He has four multi-hit efforts in seven games played this season and has a team-best, seven game hit streak.
- Teel extended his reached base streak to 35 games.
Men’s Tennis: Virginia opens ACC play with 4-0 win at Duke
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The No. 18 Virginia men’s tennis team (7-5, 1-0 ACC) opened up Atlantic Coast Conference action with a 4-0 win at Duke (7-4, 0-1 ACC) on Friday at the Ambler Tennis Center in Durham, N.C.
The Cavaliers won the doubles point and picked up singles victories on courts one, four and five. Sophomore Iñaki Montes won the clinching singles match on the top court.
Grad student Gianni Ross and senior William Woodall got things started with a 6-2 win on the No. 2 doubles court. Montes and sophomore Jeffrey von der Schulenburg clinched the point with a 6-4 win on court three.
In singles, senior Ryan Goetz downed Edu Guell 6-3, 6-1 on court four. Ross followed with a 6-4, 6-2 win on court five. Montes won 6-3, 6-3 against Garrett Johns.
The other three singles matches had split their first sets.
MATCH NOTES
- Duke is ranked No. 40 in the latest ITA rankings
- This was Virginia’s second-straight 4-0 victory after closing out ITA Indoors with a 4-0 win against Washington
ON THE HORIZON
- Virginia closes out its current road trip by playing at No. 27 North Carolina (6-4, 1-0 ACC) on Sunday, March 6 at 11 a.m.
- The match will take place at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club as the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center is under renovation
- There will be live stats but live video will not be available
#18 Virginia 4, #40 Duke 0
Singles competition
- Inaki Montes (VA) def. Garrett Johns (DU) 6-3, 6-3
- Andrew Zhang (DU) vs. Chris Rodesch (VA) 3-6, 6-3, 2-1, unfinished
- Faris Khan (DU) vs. J vd Schulenburg (VA) 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, unfinished
- Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Connor Krug (DU) 6-3, 6-1
- Gianni Ross (VA) def. Sean Sculley (DU) 6-4, 6-2
- Edu Guell (DU) vs. Jackson Allen (VA) 6-2, 3-6, 0-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
- Garrett Johns/Sean Sculley (DU) vs. #17 Chris Rodesch/Ryan Goetz (VA) 4-5, unfinished
- Gianni Ross/William Woodall (VA) def. Connor Krug/Andrew Zhang (DU) 6-2
- Inaki Montes/J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Faris Khan/Niroop Vallabhaneni (DU) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,5,1)
Former Virginia star Joe Harris’ season is over due to second surgery
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Joe Harris
One of UVA basketball’s favorite sons, Joe Harris, has been shut down for the remainder of the NBA season.
Harris, who was known to Virginia fans as “Joey Buckets” for his scoring ability, will undergo a second ankle surgery that will end his season with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. His last game action was in mid-November, his 14th game of the season before he suffered an ankle injury that required surgery (Nov. 29).
His ankle did not heal properly and now he will undergo arthroscopic surgery sometime in the next few weeks. Originally, Harris, 30, was expected to miss four to eight weeks.
The new procedure will keep him out of action for four to six months, but the veteran shooter should make a full recovery and will be ready for his seventh season with the Nets next season.
With the lethal 3-point shooting missing from the Nets lineup, the team brought in Seth Curry and Goran Dragic to add some scoring punch from the perimeter.
“We feel terrible for Joe and we all know how much he means to this group,” said Nets GM Sean Marks.
Game Notes: Virginia closes regular season at Louisville
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia (17-12, 11-8 ACC) concludes its regular season slate at Louisville (12-17, 6-13 ACC) on Saturday, March 5. Tipoff at KFC Yum! Center is set for noon on ESPN2.
For Openers
- UVA (11-8) is tied for sixth in the ACC, while Louisville (6-13) is tied for 11th.
A Win at Louisville Would Give UVA
- 18 or more wins for the 11th straight year.
- The No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament.
- 12 or more ACC wins for the fourth straight year.
- A .500 or better road record (6-6) for the sixth straight year.
- A two-game sweep over the Cardinals.
- An 8-2 record at KFC Yum! Center.
Broadcast Information
- The Virginia-Louisville 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 312-115 (.731) mark in 13 seasons at UVA and 381-148 (.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 (2012-21) and seven consecutive NCAA tournaments (2014-21).
- UVA is 160-70 (.696) in ACC play (90-25 at home & 70-45 away), 177-36 (.831) at home and 152-45 (.772) in non-conference action (86-9 at JPJ) under Bennett.
- Bennett ranks fifth all-time in winning percentage (.696) among ACC head coaches with 100 or more ACC wins.
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, 4.9 apg, 3.4 rpg & 2.0 spg), and the additions of transfers Jayden Gardner (15.5 ppg & 7.0 rpg) and Armaan Franklin (11.4 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 (4.6 ppg & 4.7 rpg) and Kadin Shedrick (6.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg & 2.1 bpg) anchor the paint. Shedrick started the first 16 games, while Caffaro has started the last 13 contests.
- Kody Stattmann (36.7% 3FGs), Malachi Poindexter, Taine Murray, Igor Miliĉić Jr. and Carson McCorkle provide perimeter depth off the bench.
Virginia All-Time vs. Louisville
- Virginia is 18-5 all-time vs. Louisville in a series that began in 1923-24.
- UVA has a three-game winning streak vs. Louisville and has won 12 of the last 13 meetings.
- UVA is 12-2 vs. the Cardinals in ACC action.
- UVA has held Louisville to 59 or fewer points in 11 of 15 contests since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014-15.
- Tony Bennett is 13-2 vs. Louisville as head coach at Virginia.
Last Time vs. The Cardinals
- Kihei Clark tallied 15 points to lead Virginia to a 64-52 win over Louisville on Jan. 24 at John Paul Jones Arena.
- Jayden Gardner added 14 points and Kadin Shedrick (11) and Armaan Franklin (10) reached double figures for the Cavaliers, who improved to 12-8, 6-4 ACC.
- UVA jumped to a 22-5 lead and shot 47.1 percent (24 of 51) in its third straight win over the Cardinals.
- Reece Beekman handed out a career-high 11 assists.
- UVA outrebounded Louisville 37-26.
- Jarrod West led Louisville (11-9, 5-5 ACC) with 14 points.
Last Time Out
- Matthew Cleveland drained a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Florida State (15-13, 8-10 ACC) to a 64-63 win over Virginia (17-12, 11-8) on Feb. 26 at John Paul Jones Arena.
- Armaan Franklin’s (13 points) pull-up jumper with one second left gave the Cavaliers a 63-61 lead.
- Cleveland (20 points) scored the Seminoles’ final eight points.
- Jayden Gardner led UVA with 21 points and Francisco Caffaro pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
- FSU shot 47.4 percent and won the rebound battle 34-32.
On The Horizon
- Virginia will compete at the ACC Tournament from March 9-12 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Three-game series against Penn State awaits surging Cavaliers
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (8-0) will host Penn State (3-4) for a three-game series at Disharoon Park beginning Friday. First pitch for the series opener is slated for 3 p.m. and both Saturday and Sunday’s contests will begin at 1 p.m. All three games will be carried on ACCNX.
GAME COVERAGE
ACCNX is available to authenticated subscribers of the ACC Network through the ESPN app and ESPN.com. In addition, Friday and Sunday’s contest can be heard locally in Charlottesville on WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM or anywhere on WINA.com. Links to live stats are available on VirginiaSports.com. Fans can get in-game updates on the team’s official twitter page (@UVABaseball).
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday
- Concessions offer – $2 hot dog, $2 soda, $2 popcorn
Saturday
- Inflatable obstacle course and slide in the right field plaza
Sunday
- Inflatable obstacle course and slide in the right field plaza
- Youth (eighth grade and under) get in for free on ALL Sundays
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday – 3 p.m.
Penn State: RHP Travis Luensmann (0-1, 4.35 ERA, 10.1 IP, 5 BB, 15 SO)
Virginia: LHP Nate Savino (1-0, 2.45 ERA, 7.1 IP, 1 BB, 16 SO)
Saturday – 1 p.m.
Penn State: LHP Kellan Tulio (1-0, 1.64 ERA, 11.0 IP, 3 BB, 9 SO)
Virginia: LHP Brian Gursky (2-0, 1.69 ERA, 10.2 IP, 5 BB, 17 SO)
Sunday – 1 p.m.
Penn State: TBA
Virginia: LHP Brandon Neeck (1-0, 0.96 ERA, 9.1 IP, 3 BB, 12 SO)
LEADING OFF
- Virginia is 8-0 to start the season for the ninth time in program history and the sixth time under head coach Brian O’Connor (2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021).
- Entering the weekend UVA is one of 15 undefeated teams in the country and one of four in the ACC.
- The Cavaliers have posted double-digit run efforts in each of the last five games, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by a UVA offense since 2010. Virginia has scored 10 or more runs in six consecutive games three times in program history – 1889, 1893 & 2006.
- Dating back to last season, Virginia has won its last seven games at home, including all five this season.
- Virginia begins the series as the national leader in strikeouts (116), strikeouts per nine innings (14.5) and shutouts (4)
AMONG THE NATION’S ELITE
- UVA is nationally ranked by Baseball America (5), Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (12), USA Today/Coaches (22) and the NCBWA (23).
- Virginia pitchers lead the country in strikeouts per nine innings (14.9) and have fanned 10 or more batters in all but one game this season.
- On offense, UVA ranks seventh in runs scored (102), 8th in batting average (.350), 8th on-base percentage (8th) and 10th in home runs (14),
- In addition to the top ranks in the nation in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings and shutouts, the UVA pitching staff ranks sixth in the NCAA in ERA (1.38), 6th in hits allowed per nine innings (5.12), and 10th in WHIP.
FROM THE BUMP
- All three UVA starting pitchers, Nate Savino, Brian Gursky and Brandon Neeck earned a win their respective outings against Cornell last weekend.
- Virginia pitchers have combined to strikeout 10 or more batters in seven of the eight games this season.
- Last Friday, Savino struck out the final eight batters he faced and racked up a career-high 11 strikeouts in his first win of the season. The 11 strikeouts are the most by a Cavalier hurler this season and the most since Andrew Abbott fanned 10 against Tennessee in the College World Series last season.
- Gursky collected his second win of the season after he pitched 5.2 innings, allowed no earned runs and struck out a career-high nine batters in the middle game against Cornell. He completed the rare “immaculate inning” in the second, striking out all three batters by using nine pitches.
- Neeck pitched five innings of one-run baseball and struck out eight batters. Neeck struck out the first three batters he faced on 11 pitches and has allowed one run in 9.1 innings pitched this season.
AGAINST PENN STATE
- Virginia will square off against Penn State for the first time since 2004, the first year the Cavaliers were under the direction of head coach Brian O’Connor.
- The Cavaliers won the first five games of O’Connor’s coaching career including a 7-1 victory over the Nittany Lions on Feb. 21, 2004. Penn State came back and handed O’Connor and the Cavaliers their first loss of the 2004 campaign the next day.
- Virginia owns a 12-10 all-time record against Penn State in a series that was first played in 1894, a 14-4 UVA victory.
- After playing a Big Ten only schedule in 2021 and an abbreviated 2020 slate, Virginia will be Penn State’s first series against an ACC opponent since 2019 when Duke took two out of three against the Nittany Lions in Bradenton, Fla.
OFF THE CHARTS
- Second-year Jake Gelof comes into the weekend as the national leader in batting average (.636) and slugging percentage (1.682). He ranks in the top 10 in RBI (2nd), on-base percentage (5th), total bases (5th), triples (6th) and home runs (6th).
- On Tuesday against William & Mary, Gelof was a home run short of a cycle in consecutive games and went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and two runs scored.
- Gelof leads the team with five home runs in eight games. In 38 games played as a true freshman last season he hit four.
- Since being inserted as a regular starter in the Cavalier lineup midway through last season UVA is 24-8.
8-0 in Starts UVA History
2009 – 19-0* 1924 – 9-0
2013 – 14-0 2022 – 8-0
2017 – 11-0 1951 – 8-0
2008 – 11-0 1908 – 8-0
2015 – 10-0
*School Record
CAVALIER NOTABLES
- In addition to his 5.2 shutout innings on the mound, two-way player Devin Ortiz was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored against William & Mary on Tuesday. His two-run single in the bottom of the first to give UVA the initial lead was his 100th hit of his career.
- Prior to Tuesday’s game, Ortiz was named the College Baseball Foundation’s John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week.
- Griff O’Ferrall, Gelof, Ortiz and Kyle Teel have each reached base in all eight games. Dating back to last season, Teel has reached base safely in 34-straight games.
- Alex Tappen and Casey Saucke carry six game hit streaks into the weekend series against Penn State.
Tickets for Virginia-Maryland showdown at Audi Field on sale now
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
(© Augustas Cetkauskas – stock.adobe.com)
Tickets for the Capitol Classic Lacrosse Tournament, which will take place at Audi Field (Washington, D.C.) on Saturday, March 19, are now on sale.
The event is highlighted by a rematch of the 2021 national championship game between Virginia and Maryland. Opening faceoff between the Cavaliers and the Terrapins is set for 3 p.m.
Ticket Price Breakdown
- Suites: $1,500 for 20 seats, catering sold separately (S1-19, and S20-S26)
- Premium/Reserved Club: $120/ticket, all-inclusive (will start with C3-C7 and expand as needed)
- Reserved Field Level: $40/ticket (will start with F4-F9 and expand as needed)
- General seating: $20/ticket reserved seating (West Sideline 123-131)
For the most up-to-date information regarding Audi Field’s COVID-19 policies, visit dcunited.com/tickets/policy.
The Capitol Classic Lacrosse Tournament is a three-game event with gates opening at 11:30 a.m. Audi Field is a mobile-only venue. Children under the age of two do not need a ticket if sitting on a parent/guardian’s lap. There is no re-entry to Audi Field.
Capitol Classic Lacrosse Tournament Schedule
Game 1: Catholic vs. Hampden-Sydney, 12 p.m.
Game 2: Maryland vs. Virginia, 3 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Game 3: Duke vs. Towson, 6 p.m.
For more information, contact the Audi Field ticket office via email (ticketing@dcunited.com) or by phone (202-600-9098).
Virginia announces head women’s basketball coaching change
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Tina Thompson
Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams announced Thursday the termination of head women’s basketball coach Tina Thompson’s contract. Thompson had one year remaining on her contract after being named the program’s head coach on April 16, 2018. Williams said a national search will begin immediately to name the program’s next head coach.
“Unfortunately, we have not experienced the kind of success this program has come to expect and deserve,” Williams said. “I am thankful for Coach Thompson’s efforts and I wish her the very best.”
During her four-year tenure at Virginia, Thompson’s teams produced a 30-63 record. This year’s UVA team was eliminated from the Atlantic Coach Conference tournament on Tuesday following a 61-53 loss to Wake Forest in the first round.
Women’s Basketball: Virginia falls 61-53 to Wake Forest in ACC Tournament
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia women’s basketball team (5-22, 2-16 ACC) had its season end with a 61-53 loss against Wake Forest (14-15, 4-14 ACC) in the first round of the 2022 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
The Cavaliers led by eight points in the third quarter, but the Demon Deacons closed the game on a 14-2 run in the final 5:32 to advance to the tournament’s second round.
Sophomore guard Mir McLean scored 11 points with nine rebounds. Junior forward London Clarkson scored 11 points.
Jewel Spear led Wake Forest with 23 points. Christina Morra had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite a cold-shooting first quarter, going just 3-of-20 from the field, Virginia’s defensive efforts made it a one-point deficit, 12-11, heading into the second quarter. A jumper from grad student guard Amandine Toi 13 seconds into the second put the Cavaliers ahead. A 5-0 run, capped by a layup from sophomore guard Mir McLean, gave UVA an 18-14 lead. After Wake Forest tied the game, a three-pointer from grad student guard McKenna Dale followed by a steal and a layup from junior guard Taylor Valladay made it a 23-18 Virginia advantage with 5:30 remaining. A three-pointer from Toi with just over a minute left reestablished a five-point Virginia lead. The Cavaliers went into the break leading 29-24.
Clarkson scored the first bucket of the second half, but Wake Forest mounted a rally, with a three-pointer pulling the Demon Deacons to within two, 33-31. Toi answered with a fastbreak layup, the start of a 6-0 Cavalier run that put UVA ahead 39-31 with 4:53 remaining in the quarter. A three-pointer from Spear capped a 7-0 Wake run that made it a one-point game, 39-38. The Cavaliers answered with back-to-back layups from Clarkson and sophomore guard Aaliyah Pitts to preserve the lead. UVA went into the fourth quarter leading 45-42.
The Cavaliers built back up a seven-point lead on a Pitts layup with 8:41 remaining, but another Spear three-pointer followed by a jumper from Olivia Summiel cut the UVA lead to 49-47 with seven minutes left in the game. Wake Forest took its first lead since early in the second quarter on a steal and fastbreak layup from Elise Williams with 4:55 remaining. UVA retook the lead on a jumper from Valladay with 3:47 remaining, but a jumper followed by an and-one from Morra gave Wake a 59-53 lead with 1:44 remaining. The Cavaliers missed their final three field goal attempts
FROM HEAD COACH TINA THOMPSON
“Really tough one for us. We felt like we controlled the game for most of the game. We had a really tough fourth quarter where we were having problems executing as well as missing a few assignments defensively. I’m proud of my team. It’s really, really tough to kind of have the bumps that we’ve had during the season but continue to show up and continue to fight. We just wish that this one would have ended a little differently. I kind of feel like we ran out of time.”
“We’ve been working kind of fighting all year to just find chemistry as well as be consistent in our schemes, and like I said, our kids have continued to show up every day and work and try to apply the things that we’ve been giving them. At the end of the season, it was starting to come together for us, and we were gaining confidence, you know, in the things that we were doing, our schemes and execution offensively, and just kind of fell a little short. Of course in hindsight, we could say that we wished that we would have kind of turned that corner a little earlier and maybe our season would be a little different, but we had opportunities to do so. But I’m glad that it came together when it did, but it allows us to see what is possible moving forward.”
O’Connor providing free baseball tickets to Wahoo fans
By Jerry Ratcliffe
UVA baseball coach Brian O’Connor celebrates the team’s 5-2 win over Dallas Baptist that sent the ‘Hoos to the 2021 College World Series. Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Brian O’Connor’s Wahoos are off to an 8-0 start, including four shutouts, but something’s missing.
Fans.
Virginia’s baseball coach is giving away a certain amount of free tickets to fans interested in attending upcoming games, starting with this weekend’s three-game stand against Penn State (opener is Friday at 3 p.m., at Disharoon Park).
O’Connor made this invitation on Twitter:
“College baseball is for everyone and Disharoon Park is one of the top college baseball stadiums in the country,” O’Connor wrote. “The young men who wear the college uniform play the game with enthusiasm,passion, heart and pride. I want to provide the opportunity for new fans to experience Virginia Baseball and cheer on the 2022 Cavaliers.”
Here is what O’ Connor is offering fans:
- Tickets will be provided on a first who responds basis
- The total amount of tickets provided per game will vary depending on availability
- Maximum of 2 tickets per request
- When tickets are no longer available for a particular game, I will notify via my Twitter account
In order to qualify for tickets, you must:
- Send (O’Connor) a direct message to his Twitter account
- Provide your name, age, cell phone number (Note: due to NCAA rules you cannot be in 9th to 12th grade)
- Your tickets will be sent digitally to your mobile device
Your responsibility after you receive the tickets:
- Please make sure you attend the game
- Please wear Virginia gear
- Please post a picture of you and your guest of the game on Twitter and tag O’Connor @UVACoachOConnor at #CoachOaksSeats
Virginia leads the nation in strikeouts and has scored 102 runs in eight games, the most in the first eight games of O’Connor’s career.
“Hopefully, our experience for the fans in the stands can match the play that we’re putting on the field,” O’Connor said this week. “We’ve got to be better for our fans, candidly, and we’re not very good right now in providing a fan experience in this ballpark, and I hope that we can get better in the coming weeks at providing a great environment and an atmosphere for our fans to come and enjoy a great team.”
Women’s Swimming: Virginia qualifies 14 for NCAA Championships
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Defending NCAA Champion Virginia women’s swimming qualified 14 to compete at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships held March 16-19 at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta.
Freshman Ella Bathurst, junior Lexi Cuomo, junior Maddie Donohoe, junior Kate Douglass, sophomore Abby Harter, sophomore Anna Keating, senior Jessica Nava, junior Ella Nelson, freshman Reilly Tiltmann, sophomore Alex Walsh, freshman Gretchen Walsh, senior Alexis Wenger, freshman Emma Weyant and sophomore Sophia Wilson.
Virginia’s 14 swimmers are tied for the third-most. Tennessee had 16 selected, Louisville had 15 and Georgia, NC State and Stanford each had 14. UVA had 14 swimmers compete at the 2021 NCAA Championship when it won the program’s first national championship and the first for an ACC program.
KEEP UP WITH ALL THE ACTION: DI swim and dive championships schedule
A total of 322 participants (281 swimmers and 41 divers) will compete in the championships. Swimmers qualified for the championships by meeting the established minimum time for the events in which they entered. Divers will be determined by performances achieved at the Zone Diving Championships held March 7-9. The complete lists of all swimmers (athletes by institution, official psych sheet, relays and alternates) competing in the championships is available at usaswimming.org/ncaa. Selected divers will be announced Thursday, March 10.
ESPN3 will provide digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions Wednesday through Saturday. Additionally, ESPNU will air a two-hour show at 7 p.m. Eastern time, Wednesday, March 30.
Podcast: O’Connor needs butts in seats; Bennett needs a W at the Yum! Center
“The Jerry Ratcliffe Show” welcomes Chris Graham to talk about Virginia baseball coach Brian O’Connor trying to get fans to The Dish, and UVA hoops coach Tony Bennett trying to right the ship at Louisville.
Virginia produces fourth shutout, improves to 8-0
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Virginia (8-0) paired its red-hot hitting with another dominant performance on the mound in a 12-0 win over William & Mary (3-2) on Tuesday at Disharoon Park.
The Cavaliers notched their fourth shutout of the season and remain unbeaten through the first eight games of 2022.
Graduate student Devin Ortiz pitched five perfect innings on the mound before surrendering a hit to lead off the sixth inning. He exited with two outs in the sixth and finished with a career-high nine strikeouts. It was the longest outing of his career. Ortiz helped himself at the plate and drove in the first two UVA runs in the first inning on a single to left field. He reached base three times and scored a pair of runs.
Ortiz improved to 3-0 on the mound this season and has yet to allow a run. Dating back to 2019, he has not surrendered an earned run in 37 consecutive innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Virginia broke open the game in the fifth inning by scoring seven runs, the seventh time in eight games UVA has posted an inning of five runs or more. Jake Gelof cleared the bases with his second triple in as many games to make it 5-0. After a sacrifice fly from Alex Tappen made it 7-0, freshman Ethan Anderson blasted his first collegiate home run, two-run blast off the batter’s eye in center field.
- UVA tacked on three more runs in the sixth, one on a ground-rule double by Gelof and two more on a two-run homer by Chris Newell. The long ball was Newell’s third of the season.
- Jake Berry struck out the final batter of the sixth inning after he inherited two runners in scoring position when taking over for Ortiz. Berry totaled 1.1 innings of work and has not allowed a run in seven innings of relief this season.
- Reliever Joseph Miceli needed just eight pitches to work a clean eighth inning. He gave way to Will Geerdes in the ninth who struck out one and preserved the shutout.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers will continue their homestand with a three-game series this weekend against Penn State. The series opener is scheduled for Friday (March 4) at 3 p.m.
FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN O’CONNOR
“It’s obviously early in the season and we’re only two weeks into it, but our teams playing really good, consistently in a lot of phases of the game. Defensively, to play a nine-inning game, and I believe we only gave two free passes in the game. I can’t remember us ever doing that before. The way that we’re playing defense and the way we’re pitching, I love it and certainly we’re scoring a lot of runs.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia has scored 102 runs in its first eight games the most in Brian O’Connor’s tenure.
- Coming into the contest, Virginia led the country in strikeouts with 107. The Cavalier added 12 to that total in Tuesday’s contest, the seventh-straight game the staff has combined for double-digit strikeouts.
- The 12-run outburst marked the fifth-straight game the UVA offense has posted 10 or more runs. It’s the eighth time in program history and first time since 2010 that UVA has scored 10+ runs in five consecutive games.
- Gelof came to bat in the eighth inning a home run shy of hitting for his second-straight cycle. The sophomore had four RBI in the contest, increasing his season total to 23.
Softball: Virginia drops mid-week tilt at Liberty, 6-2
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The Virginia softball team (9-7) fell to Liberty (9-6) by a score of 6-2 on Tuesday night in a mid-week matchup at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Liberty struck in the first inning, opening the game with three straight hits on the way to a two-run inning. Virginia got the final out when Arizona Ritchie made a diving stop on a single to the right side. The first run came home, but Ritchie made the throw home and Boggs tagged out the trailing runner to end the inning.
The Cavaliers tied things up with runs in the second and third after loading the bases in both innings. Ritchie delivered the RBI single in the second to get the Cavaliers on the board before Gabby Baylog delivered the RBI in the third to tie the game.
Liberty moved back in front in the fourth when Kara Canetto scored on a wild pitch after a leadoff triple to spark a three-run inning for the home team. The Flames then added a run in the fifth inning to take the 6-2 lead.
Virginia would load the bases with two outs in the seventh – the third time in the game to load the bases – but Liberty escaped the jam to secure the win.
Mikayla Houge (5-2) took the loss in relief, allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout in her 3.0 innings of work.
Megan Johnson (2-0) picked up the relief win for Liberty, allowing one unearned run on five hits in her 5.1 innings of work. Karlie Keeny picked up the save, working the final out after entering with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh.
NOTES ON THE GAME
- Morgan Murphy made her first appearance of the season, starting the game in the circle for the Hoos.
- Gabby Baylog notched her first RBI of the year in the third inning, tying the game at the time.
- Madi Harris has now worked 6.0 consecutive scoreless innings in relief with her 1.1 IP on Tuesday night.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“We put ourselves in some really good positions, but then we took ourselves out of some of those positions. We’re playing aggressively, which I love, but we need to make some better decisions in key moments. We’re putting ourselves in the right positions and we’re a swing away here or there. There are a lot of positives, and we were in the game – the score doesn’t tell the whole story – but we have to execute in those key moments. If we keep putting ourselves in those positions, we will come through. I can’t wait to get to Knoxville this weekend and challenge ourselves against some really good teams.”
UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
The Cavaliers continue to play on the road this weekend at the Tennessee Invitational. Virginia will open the weekend with two games on Friday (March 4), taking on Dartmouth at 12:30 p.m. before taking on No. 18 Tennessee at 5:30 p.m.
Virginia men’s tennis lands 18-year-old Swedish star
By Jerry Ratcliffe
(© s-motive – stock.adobe.com)
According to Parsa Nemati, a global tennis reporter, Virginia men’s tennis has picked up a verbal commitment from one of the world’s best juniors.
Mans Dahlberg from Sweden has committed to UVA coach Andres Pedroso according to Nemati and “Parsa Bombs” tennis news outlet. The 18-year-old Dahlberg, a left-hander, will join the Cavaliers in the spring of 2023.
He owns an ITF junior’s career-high ranking of No. 15, having won three singles crowns and three doubles championships.
Dahlberg is ranked No. 2 in Sweden’s U18 ranking.
Jake Gelof named NCBWA National Co-Hitter of the Week
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo courtesy UVA Athletics.
Sophomore Jake Gelof added the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association Dick Howser Trophy National Co-Hitter of the Week honors to his list of weekly accolades.
On Monday, Gelof was named the ACC Player of the Week and was listed on Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s National Players of the Week list.
Gelof shared the honor with Tennessee third baseman Trey Lipscomb. The award winners are chosen by the NCBWA Board which reviews candidates from each Division I Conference and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season.
Gelof hit .900 (9-for-10) with four home runs and 15 RBI in four games. The Rehoboth Beach, Delaware native, reached base 13 times and slugged 2.500 for the week. In the series finale against Cornell on Sunday he hit for the cycle in just four at bats and five innings played, becoming the first Cavalier to hit for the cycle in 21 years. In Friday’s series opener against the Big Red, Gelof smacked two homers and tallied eight RBI, the most by a Cavalier since 2013.
Brackets, pre-seeds announced for ACC Wrestling Championships
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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The brackets and pre-seeds have been released for the upcoming ACC Wrestling Championships which will be hosted at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday.
The 2022 pre-seeds for the ACC Championship were generated by WrestleStat. Entries are subject to change until noon on Saturday.
TICKETS INFORMATION/HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Tickets are on sale now for Sunday’s ACC Championships and can be purchased online at UVATix.com. All attendees 12 years of age and older are required to provide proof of vaccination or of a negative COVID-19 test result for entry. All attendees must wear a mask while inside John Paul Jones Arena except when they are actively eating or drinking.
Fans can find detailed information about the health and safety protocols for John Paul Jones Arena at: https://virginiasports.com/jpj-health-and-safety-protocols/.
ABOUT THE ACC WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jake Keating is the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds and is the highest-seeded wrestler for the Cavaliers at the event. He will receive a first-round bye in the event. Jay Aiello (197) and Justin McCoy (165) are both seeded third at their weight class.
First-round action kicks off the event at 11 a.m. Semifinals are set for 1 p.m., followed by the consolation semifinals at 3:30 p.m. and the consolation finals at 5 p.m. Championship matches begin at 7 p.m., followed by the awards presentation.
ACC Network and ACC Network Extra plan nearly 10 hours of live coverage from 11 a.m. through 9 p.m. ACC Network Extra will stream the early and consolations rounds from both Mat 1 and Mat 2, with the 7 p.m. finals set for live linear broadcast on ACC Network.
Each weight class champion and runner-up at the 2022 ACC Championship will earn All-ACC recognition. In addition to ACC honors, student-athletes will be vying for berths and seeding in the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 17-19 at Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena. The ACC has been allotted a league-record 39 automatic berths and is hopeful of earning several more at-large selections.
VIRGINIA’S PRESEEDS
125: No. 4 seed Patrick McCormick
133: No. 5 seed Brian Courtney
141: No. 5 seed Dylan Cedeno
149: No. 5 seed Jarod Verkleeren
157: No. 2 seed Jake Keating
165: No. 3 seed Justin McCoy
174: No. 5 seed Justin Phillips
184: No. 4 seed Michael Battista
197: No. 3 seed Jay Aiello
285: No. 4 seed Quinn Miller
Men’s Lacrosse: LaSalla garners ACC, USILA weekly honors
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
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Virginia faceoff specialist Petey LaSalla was named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Week in addition to being tabbed a USILA Division-I Team of the Week selection.
LaSalla went 19-of-28 at the faceoff-X in Virginia’s ACC opener, a 20-11 win over then-No. 9 Syracuse at Klöckner Stadium on Feb. 26. With his first faceoff victory of the game – also the 605th of his career – LaSalla became Virginia’s all-time leader in career faceoff wins. His 19 faceoff victories in last Saturday’ contest are a season best, and a career high in games against the Orange. LaSalla registered his fourth goal of the season in the waning seconds of the third quarter after picking up a ground ball on his own faceoff draw and scored with five seconds remaining in the period. The Miller Place, New York native finished last Saturday’s contest with five ground balls.
LaSalla joins UVA goalie Matthew Nunes as the second Cavalier to garner ACC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors. He is the first Virginia player this season to nab USILA Team-of-the-Week honors.
No. 2 Virginia (4-0, 1-0 ACC) resumes action on Saturday (March 5) when its hosts No. 14/15 Johns Hopkins (3-2). Opening faceoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for 1 p.m. on ACCNX.
Gardner, Franklin likely returning but Kihei Clark has a decision to make
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Jayden Gardner (Photo: UVA Athletics)
When Jayden Gardner didn’t participate in Senior Day ceremonies before Saturday’s loss to visiting Florida State, it sent a signal that the East Carolina transfer would likely be back for another season.
Tony Bennett explained some of that during his radio show Monday night, noting that it’s hard to get credits from other colleges to transfer to UVA. Both Gardner and Indiana transfer Armaan Franklin had to take 12 credits last summer just to be eligible to play for the Cavaliers.
“It will take them an extra year to get a degree,” Bennett said of the two transfers. “Armaan is definitely coming back. I’m hoping the majority of this team is coming back. It has improved, but still has a lot of work to do to keep building.”
Meanwhile, there’s senior point guard Kihei Clark, who has an extra year of eligibility. Clark did participate in Senior Day with approximately 20 family members flying in from Hawaii to watch him play his final two regular-season home games.
Will Kihei stay or will he go?
Clark’s family told a media member last week that Bennett had invited Clark back for another year and the family believed he would return.
Bennett wasn’t sure on Monday night.
“Kihei has his degree,” the coach said. “He will have a decision to make. My assumption is that he’s probably in his last year. I just don’t know for sure.”
There’s no surprise that Bennett would like the players to return. He said that he is pleased in the direction the team has taken over the course of the season.
“You just want to finish strong,” Bennett said.
Virginia is 17-12 overall and 11-8 in the ACC, with the regular-season finale scheduled for Saturday at Louisville. From there, it’s on to the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, where many experts believe the Cavaliers have to at least make it to the championship game to have any chance of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
As of Monday night, UVA’s NET ranking stood at No. 81. No team ranked higher than 73 has ever earned an at-large bid to the NCAA. ESPN’s bracketology has UVA rated at “Next 4 Out,” which follows the “First 4 Out.”
“Up to this point, I think we have [improved],” Bennett said about his team. “That shows in the record. Then we lose a heartbreaker in the fashion we did, and it stings.”
UVA lost to Florida State three days ago on a last-second, 3-pointer from 30 feet, making it the first time all season that the Cavaliers lost back-to-back games.
“[The loss] doesn’t take away the improvement of individual players,” Bennett said. “I don’t know if one area stands out [in terms of overall team improvement]. We’re a little more efficient at guys finding certain spots they can score. Defensively we’re solid. Nothing great, but solid.
“Reece Beekman is better at creating for others, and we’ve seen that in Kihei, too.”
Bennett said that Gardner has developed over the season.
“He has good feet, quick feet and improved his slides in on-ball defense,” Bennett said, pointing out how well Gardner has played against Duke’s sensational freshman Paolo Banchero, whom he shut down in both meetings. “What you’ve seen [Gardner] do at a high level is slide on the ball and use his physical strength and mobility to keep guys in front. All of our guys are continuing to get better.”
Gardner, who Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said last week was having an All-ACC caliber season, has been everything Virginia expected.
“When you bring in transfers, it’s important for them to impact and play a good amount,” Bennett said. “Losing [Trey] Murphy (to the NBA Draft last summer), we had some holes. We needed to bring in someone who could score and [Gardner’s] a proven scorer. He plays hard.
“We weren’t sure how quickly he would adjust defensively, but he’s worked hard. He’s a really good teammate. So is Armaan. They have fit in smoothly.”
Bennett said his plan was to coach Gardner hard, to “go after him in a good way.”
“He’s always going to try hard, he sprints off the court, he looks like he’s enjoying what he’s doing,” said the coach.
Bennett told a story about Gardner from over the summer, when he walked out of his office and heard a basketball bouncing on the court. He looked out to see who was on the floor.
It was Gardner, alone, shooting.
“He did not see me, but he was doing what we’ve all done, maybe in our driveway,” Bennett said. “He was counting down — 3, 2, 1, then shot the ball. He made a fist and was so excited. Maybe he was envisioning that Pitt shot.”
Bennett didn’t say anything, went back to his office, but never forgot the moment.
“You have to love that enthusiasm, his love of the game,” the coach said.
At halftime Saturday, Virginia announced its participation in the Roman Legends two-day tournament in Las Vegas next November. The field also includes Baylor, UCLA and Illinois, one of the stronger fields the Cavaliers have faced in early-season events.
“Where is that one?” Bennett asked before he was told Las Vegas. “Talk about a great field. Those two-day tournaments, we like to find good competition. That should be a high level tournament.”
