Men’s Tennis: Virginia falls to Stanford in ACC title match, 4-2
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 6 Virginia men’s tennis team suffered a 4-2 defeat to No. 8 Stanford in the final of the 2025 ACC Men’s Tennis Championship on Sunday at the Cary Tennis Park.
The 5-seed Cavaliers (20-7) won the doubles point to open the match, but the 3-seed Stanford (22-5) picked up singles victories on courts one, three, four, and five to take the title.
Stanford picked up a 6-3 victory on the top doubles court to start the match. Graduate student James Hopper and freshman Keegan Rice followed with a 6-3 win on doubles court two. Freshmen Rafael Jódar and Roy Horovitz broke serve up 5-4 to secure the doubles point, picking up a 6-4 victory on doubles court three to give the Cavaliers an early 1-0 lead over the Cardinal.
Stanford tied the match winning by default on the top court when Virginia was assessed a code violation. The Cardinal took the lead moments later with a 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory on court five.
Courts two and four ended within seconds of each other. The Cardinal extended their lead to 3-1 with a straight set win on court four before sophomore Dylan Dietrich came away with a 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over Kyle Kang on court two to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Shortly after, the Cardinal finished the match with a 7-5, 6-2 win on court three to clinch the victory.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Cavaliers fell in the final of the ACC Championship for the second straight season
- Virginia is 13-6 all-time in ACC Championship finals
- Roy Horovitz picked up his first career ranked doubles win, topping No. 53 Alex Razeghi and Samir Banerjee with partner Rafael Jódar
- Dylan Dietrich improves to 22-8 in singles on the season and 16-5 in dual matches
- The Cardinal picked up their first ever win against Virginia, snapping an eight-match losing streak
- This was the second meeting of the season between Stanford and Virginia. The Cavaliers won the first matchup in the regular season in Charlottesville
FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO
“Congratulations to the Stanford Cardinal. Incredible effort by their team, their coaches, everyone involved in that program. They’ve traveled across the country probably three or four times, so an even better effort on their part to finish the ACC postseason strong and win the championship. They have a lot to be proud of, and I’m happy for them. We all are.
“I’m proud of our team and the effort that we had all week. We have a young group that’s worked really hard and come together and been through a lot. And to be in this position, I think is a huge step forward for these guys and great preparation for the NCAA championship. So, we’re looking forward to the next opportunity and can’t wait to get back to Charlottesville.”
STANFORD 4, VIRGINIA 2
Singles
1. #9 Samir Banerjee (STAN) def. #6 Rafael Jódar (VA) 3-6, 5-3, (def)
2. #26 Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. Kyle Kang (STAN) 7-6 (7-2), 6-2
3. #95 Max Basing (STAN) def. Keegan Rice (VA) 7-5, 6-2
4. #71 Henry von der Schulenburg (STAN) def. James Hopper (VA) 6-3, 6-3
5. Alex Razeghi (STAN) def. Jangjun Kim (VA) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Hudson Rivera (STAN) vs. Mans Dahlberg (VA) 6-0, 4-6, 2-2, unfinished
Doubles
1. Nico Godsick/Hudson Rivera (STAN) def. #30 Dylan Dietrich/Mans Dahlberg (VA) 6-3
2. #23 James Hopper/Keegan Rice (VA) def. Kyle Kang/Henry von der Schulenburg (STAN) 6-3
3. Rafael Jódar/Roy Horovitz (VA) def. #53 Alex Razeghi/Samir Banerjee (STAN) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,5,4,2,3)
Virginia acquires Unamba, much-needed OT from New Mexico/Kentucky
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia missed on Wallace Unamba the first go-around, but nabbed the big offensive tackle on Sunday, signing the former Kilgore-Florida Atlantic-New Mexico-Kentucky lineman to its transfer portal class, now numbering 22.
Unamba, a 6-foot-6, 335-pound redshirt senior with one year of eligibility remaining, decided on UVA, signing on Easter Sunday. He flirted with the Cavaliers back in December, but instead signed with Kentucky, participated in spring ball, then bolted and is now a Wahoo.
While at Kentucky, Unamba worked at both right guard and right tackle, playing with the first and second O-Line units. At the end of spring, the Wildcats signed several new linemen via the portal, and projections were that Unamba would be the backup right guard, sending him quickly into the portal.
Last season, Unamba played for Bronco Mendenhall at New Mexico, where he started 10 games at right tackle and did not permit a single quarterback sack. The season before that (2023), he played at Florida Atlantic.
Unamba spent his first three seasons of college football at Kilgore Junior College in Texas, where he was a two-time NJCAA All-American and in his last two seasons at Kilgore, he didn’t surrender a single sack. He is a native of Kilgore, Texas.
Certainly Unamba fills a need with projected right tackle Monroe Mills — a transfer from Louisville — suffering a torn ACL midway through spring drills, which will cause him to miss the 2025 season. UVA’s returning right tackle, Blake Steen, hit the transfer portal after the Cavaliers’ spring game, leaving a void at the position, which Unamba should fill.
UVA gets Deion’s leading rusher through portal
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: x.com/AugustaveIsaiah
So, now we know the player that Colorado coach Deion Sanders was talking about when he stopped practice last week, turned to cameras and accused Virginia of tampering with his program.
Isaiah Augustave, who led Colorado in rushing last season, visited UVA last week, and on Easter Sunday, committed to Tony Elliott’s Cavaliers.
Apparently, when Virginia reached out to another Colorado player (defensive back Carter Stoutmire) in the same week, Sanders was so perturbed that he called out the Cavaliers for the whole football nation to see.
“Carter got offered a bag,” Sanders said on camera, while his team surrounded him. Sanders looked at Stoutmire and said, “What’s the school that offered you the bag? Virginia. Where my camera at? Virginia you got to stop. I’ll let you have one. I ain’t saying nothing about it. Come on, now. Come on. We let you have one. I ain’t say nothing about it.”
Augustave’s visit to UVA last Thursday was the same day Sanders went on his rant.
Whatever the case, Virginia walked away with a boost to its offensive backfield with Augustave, originally from Naples, Fla., where he was a 4-star prospect out of high school and ranked the No. 19 running back in the country in the recruiting class of 2023.
The 6-foot-2, 212-pound back has two years of eligibility remaining and strengthens the Cavaliers’ running back room, which includes Xavier Brown and transfer J’Mari Taylor from NC Central. Brown rushed for 488 yards last season and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Taylor amassed 2,500 yards and 32 TDs during his 38-game career at Central, including 1,146 yards last season.
Augustave led the heavy pass-oriented Colorado offense in rushing last season with 384 yards, 4 TDs, in 11 games (six starts). He also had 9 receptions for 53 yards. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt rushing, and posted 91 yards against Cincinnati.
Augustave played at Colorado for two seasons, but started his career at Arkansas, where as a true freshman, he rushed for 202 yards and a touchdown in 25 attempts.
Women’s Tennis: Hoos suffer 4-0 loss to Tar Heels in ACC Championship
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 7 Virginia women’s tennis team suffered a 4-0 loss to No. 8 North Carolina in the final of the 2025 ACC Women’s Tennis Championship on Sunday at the Cary Tennis Park.
The Tar Heels (23-4) won the doubles point and singles matches on courts one, five, and six to clinch the victory, defeating the Cavaliers (20-5) in the ACC Championship for the second straight year.
North Carolina opened the match with wins on doubles courts one and three, securing the doubles point and taking a 1-0 lead over Virginia.
The Tar Heels added to their lead with a straight set win on court five. Virginia followed with first set wins on courts two, three, and four before North Carolina extended their lead to 3-0 with a straight set victory on court six.
Shortly after, the Tar Heels clinched the victory over the Cavaliers with a straight set win on the top singles court.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- North Carolina won the third meeting of the season against Virginia. The Cavaliers won both matchups in the regular season against the Tar Heels
- This was Virginia’s fifth time playing in the ACC Championship match. UVA is 2-3 all-time in the final
- Martina Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take a 6-5 lead on doubles court two before their match was abandoned
- UNC was the No. 2 seed in the Championship. The Cavaliers were the No. 4 seed
- This was Virginia’s third appearance in the ACC final in the last four seasons. The Cavaliers also finished as the runner-up in 2022
FROM HEAD COACH SARA O’LEARY
“Congrats to UNC. I thought that they played really well. They came out really strong in doubles. I thought our team, especially at two doubles, dug their heels in and really gave us a chance there. And again, just credit to UNC. There’s a lot that we can learn from this match, and if we take it in the right way and understand that, it’s only going to help us in the future. We are looking forward to the NCAAs in two weeks, and we’ll get back to work.”
UP NEXT
The NCAA Championship bracket will be announced on Monday, April 28.
NORTH CAROLINA 4, VIRGINIA 0
Singles
1. #5 Reese Brantmeier (UNC) def. #20 Sara Ziodato (VA) 6-2, 6-1
2. #50 Tatum Evans (UNC) vs. #33 Elaine Chervinsky (VA) 5-7, 1-0, unfinished
3. #21 Thea Rabman (UNC) vs. #35 Annabelle Xu (VA) 5-7, 6-3
4. Alanis Hamilton (UNC) vs. Martina Genis Salas (VA) 5-7, 2-0, unfinished
5. #44 Carson Tanguilig (UNC) def. Isabelle Lacy (VA) 6-0, 6-2
6. Claire Hill (UNC) def. Melodie Collard (VA) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1. #9 Reese Brantmeier/Alanis Hamilton (UNC) def. #1 Elaine Chervinsky/Melodie Collard (VA) 6-1
2. #13 Susanna Maltby/Carson Tanguilig (UNC) vs. #51 Martina Genis Salas/Annabelle Xu (VA) 5-6, unfinished
3. #73 Tatum Evans/Thea Rabman (UNC) def. Meggie Navarro/Sara Ziodato (VA) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,6,1)
UVA hasn’t hired a GM; Curtis Staples wants the job
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia’s basketball program made it clear the day Ryan Odom was hired as the new head coach that it was serious about returning to the upper echelon of the ACC.
Hiring Odom, with an entirely new style of play, was one indication. Bringing on Odom’s previous staff in addition to Griff Aldridge as associate head coach was another. Immediately following Odom’s introductory press conference, AD Carla Williams told reporters that UVA basketball had made “a significant, significant” upgrade in its NIL war chest.
To me, “significant, significant” means something. Williams wanted it to be known that Virginia would be a player when it comes to acquiring talent.
Another sign that day about UVA being serious about rebuilding the program was confirmation from Williams, Odom and Aldridge that the Cavaliers intended on hiring a general manager, which is yet to happen to the public’s knowledge, although Williams pointed out that both football and women’s basketball had added the role of GM without the title or any announcement from the department, a disturbing development to say the least.
Putting some clarification on the GM position for Virginia basketball, there may be some misconception.
According to our sources, the UVA GM job will not be structured like the professional model or even some college models, where the GM is ranked above the coach, but vice versa. The GM will be there to work with the coach but not there to tell the coach what to do.
In the pros, when there’s a problem in the franchise in the middle of the night, the GM gets the call. In college, the coach gets the call. That’s the way Virginia’s position is going to work.
There has been a lot of interest in the UVA GM job, even from a former NBA GM. While most of these inquiries have come behind the scenes, some have been more public, such as Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson and former UVA 3-point kingpin Curtis Staples.
Staples has politicked for the job, which shows his seriousness about the position. Certainly, he is qualified for such a move. Staples confirmed to us that he has not been in Charlottesville and has not interviewed for the job, as was previously reported.
He would love an interview with his alma mater.
Staples has more than 15 years of experience as a top-level prep basketball coach, and during that span has developed an extensive network from college and AAU coaches to NBA staffs. Talk about well-connected. Staples’ work ethic is unmatched.
Not only is he well-versed in the basketball world, but has attended law school the last couple of years to bulk up that portion of his resume.
During his coaching career, including state titles and other hardware, he has helped more than 120 student-athletes earn scholarships at all levels of college basketball. Mention Staples’ name to a college recruiter and it’s a good bet his number is on that coach’s phone list.
There’s no doubt Staples would be an asset to Odom’s staff in terms of handling the GM roles and taking some of the pressure off the coaching staff with the expanded recruiting seasons due to the transfer portal and the NIL evaluations.
We asked Tony Elliott recently how he went about figuring out how much to offer a potential incoming player from the football portal, and Elliott said he usually doesn’t get too involved in that part of the process, but passes on those responsibilities over to their acting GM, who has a better handle on those duties. Who is doing that for Virginia basketball right now? Odom? Aldridge? Someone else? By committee?
Staples could be an asset. His reputation stretches far and wide.
“Bringing Curtis Staples back to his alma mater as general manager would be a strategic move for UVA,” said Tarik Turner, a basketball analyst for Fox Sports (and a Charlottesville native and former collegiate player). “It would send a strong message throughout the basketball community about the seriousness with which Coach Odom and UVA are approaching the upcoming season.”
Men’s Tennis: UVA hands No. 1 Wake its first loss of season in ACC semis, 4-3
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 6 Virginia men’s tennis team handed No. 1 Wake Forest its first loss of the season, rallying to top the Demon Deacons, 4-3, in the semifinals of the 2025 ACC Men’s Tennis Championship on Saturday at the Cary Tennis Park.
Junior Mans Dahlberg clinched the victory for the Cavaliers (20-6) on court six, coming from behind in the third set to send Virginia to its sixth straight ACC Championship match.
With the win, the 5-seed Cavaliers will face the 3-seed Stanford (21-5) in the final on Sunday at 2 p.m. Sunday’s final will air on ACCNX.
Wake Forest won the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead over Virginia, winning on doubles courts one and two.
The Demon Deacons (34-1) extended their lead to 2-0 with a straight set win on court four.
Freshman Jangjun Kim got the Cavaliers on the board, picking up a 6-2, 7-5 win over Luca Pow on court five.
Courts one and three ended within just seconds of each other. Freshman Rafael Jódar rallied to take his match 6-3, 7-6 (4) over No. 13 Stefan Dostanic on the top singles court to even the match.
Freshman Keegan Rice followed right after with a straight set win over No. 121 Ioannis Xilas on court three. Rice trailed 5-3 in the second but came back to take his match 6-0, 7-6 (6), pulling the Cavaliers ahead 3-2.
The match came down to courts two and six. On court two, sophomore Dylan Dietrich split two narrow sets with No. 10 DK Suresh Ekambaram. In the decider, Suresh got the early break and pulled away from Dietrich, winning 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3 to tie the match.
On court six, Dahlberg also split sets, taking the first set 6-2 against Luciano Tacchi before dropping the second 7-5. In the third, Tacchi got the early break, but Dahlberg broke to tie the third set at 4-4. Dahlberg held serve in the next game before breaking Tacchi’s serve to take the match, clinching the victory with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win.
GOT. IT. DONE. 🗣️ @UVAMensTennis pic.twitter.com/zQ6EsDQzbZ
— The ACC (@theACC) April 19, 2025
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Cavaliers defeated their second top-ranked opponent this season
- This was the second meeting of the season between Virginia and Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons won the first matchup in the regular season, 4-1
- Virginia won after losing the doubles point for the ninth time this season
- Jódar picked up his 17th straight singles win (in a completed match), improving to 17-1 on the season
- Mans Dahlberg recorded his eighth straight singles win
- The Cavaliers are looking for their 16th overall ACC title. UVA won three straight most recently from 2021-23
- Virginia topped Stanford 4-1 in the regular season in Charlottesville on March 23. The Cavaliers lead the all-time series 8-0
FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO
“Heck of an effort by our team after losing the doubles point, but that’s something we’ve done all year, Just fighting and playing every single point and just taking pride in how we compete. And that’s how we got the W today. It could have gone either way. Just really proud of our guys.”
VIRGINIA 4, WAKE FOREST 3
Singles
1. #6 Rafael Jódar (VA) def. #13 Stefan Dostanic (WF) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
2. #10 DK Suresh Ekambaram (WF) def. #26 Dylan Dietrich (VA) 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
3. Keegan Rice (VA) def. #121 Ioannis Xilas (WF) 6-0, 7-6 (8-6)
4. Charlie Robertson (WF) def. James Hopper (VA) 6-1, 6-2
5. Jangjun Kim (VA) def. Luca Pow (WF) 6-2, 7-5
6. Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. Luciano Tacchi (WF) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Doubles
1. #58 DK Suresh Ekambaram/Luca Pow (WF) def. #30 Dylan Dietrich/Mans Dahlberg (VA) 6-3
2. #77 Stefan Dostanic/Charlie Robertson (WF) def. #23 James Hopper/Keegan Rice (VA) 6-4
3. Luciano Tacchi/Ioannis Xilas (WF) vs. Rafael Jódar/Roy Horovitz (VA) 4-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,5,1,3,2,6)
Women’s Tennis: UVA upsets top-seeded Duke, 4-2, to advance to ACC Championship
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 7 Virginia women’s tennis team defeated No. 4 Duke, 4-2, in the semifinals of the ACC Championship on Saturday at the Cary Tennis Park.
Freshman Martina Genis Salas clinched the win the Cavaliers (20-4) on court four, propelling Virginia back to the final for the second straight year.
The 4-seed Cavaliers will take on the 2-seed, North Carolina (22-4), in the final on Sunday at 10 a.m. The match will air on ACCNX.
Seniors Elaine Chervinsky and Melodie Collard opened the match with a 6-0 victory over No. 17 Irina Balus and Elizabeth Coleman on the top doubles court. Genis Salas and junior Annabelle Xu followed with a 6-4 win on doubles court two, clinching the doubles point and giving the Hoos an early 1-0 lead over the Blue Devils.
Chervinsky added to the UVA lead with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over No. 18 Balus on court two.
The Blue Devils (21-3) got on the board shortly after, picking up a straight set win on court five.
Graduate student Sara Ziodato extended the UVA lead to 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 60 Liv Hovde on the top singles court.
Duke cut back into the deficit with a straight set win on court three.
On court four, Genis Salas took a narrow first set in a tiebreak 7-6 (3) against No. 67 Eleana Yu. In the second, Genis Salas and Yu traded breaks for most of the set before Genis Salas got the crucial break to go up 4-2. She finished off the match a couple of games later, winning 7-6 (3), 6-3 to book Virginia’s spot in the final.
CHAMP SPOT SECURED 😤 @UVAWomensTennis pic.twitter.com/fuzO07DEqq
— The ACC (@theACC) April 19, 2025
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Cavaliers won their second straight matchup this season with Duke
- Elaine Chervinsky and Melodie Collard improve to 30-2 on the season in doubles and 13-1 in dual matches
- Martina Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu improve to 16-5 in dual matches and 27-8 overall in doubles
- Chervinsky recorded the highest ranked singles win of her career in a dual match
- Genis Salas picked up her sixth straight singles win (in completed matches)
- Genis Salas logged the highest ranked singles win of her career
- Virginia is looking for its third ACC title. UVA won back-to-back titles in 2014-15
- North Carolina won the ACC title last year, defeating UVA 4-1 in the final. The two teams have met twice this season with the Cavaliers winning both matchups
FROM HEAD COACH SARA O’LEARY
“I’m just incredibly proud of the grit and the determination that our team played with. From the very first point, we talked a lot about just showing Duke that we were going to be the team that was willing to work as hard as possible and do everything it took, no matter what the situation was, and I think we really showed that today. I also was really proud of Martina and Melodie out there at the end. I felt like they played with a lot of courage, and that’s what we have to do to win these big matches. So proud of the way they finished those matches and excited for tomorrow.”
VIRGINIA 4, DUKE 2
Singles
1. #20 Sara Ziodato (VA) def. #60 Liv Hovde (DUKE) 6-2, 6-4
2. #33 Elaine Chervinsky (VA) def. #18 Irina Balus (DUKE) 6-0, 6-2
3. #25 Emma Jackson (DUKE) def. #35 Annabelle Xu (VA) 7-5, 6-3
4. Martina Genis Salas (VA) def. #67 Eleana Yu (DUKE) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
5. #83 Shavit Kimchi (DUKE) def. Isabelle Lacy (VA) 6-2, 6-1
6. #115 Elizabeth Coleman (DUKE) vs. Melodie Collard (VA) 7-5, 3-6, 1-2, unfinished
Doubles
1. #1 Elaine Chervinsky/Melodie Collard (VA) def. #17 Irina Balus/Elizabeth Coleman (DUKE) 6-0
2. #51 Martina Genis Salas/Annabelle Xu (VA) def. Ava Krug/Shavit Kimchi (DUKE) 6-4
3. Emma Jackson/Liv Hovde (DUKE) vs. Meggie Navarro/Sara Ziodato (VA) 5-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,5,1,3,4)
Softball: Bigham, Hoos record 6-0 shutout to take series over Cardinals
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Eden Bigham tossed a complete-game shutout and the senior class came through as part of a big sixth inning on Saturday to help No. 25 Virginia to a 6-0 victory over Louisville at Palmer Park.
With the win, Virginia (33-14, 13-8 ACC) claimed the weekend series over the Cardinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jade Hylton got things started with a leadoff home run off the scoreboard in left to put Virginia up 1-0 after the first.
Bella Cabral doubled the lead in the sixth with a solo shot down the left field line that settled in the home bullpen. After singles from Macee Eaton and Sydney Hartgrove put runners at the corners, Reece Holbrook drove a ball to center to take the lead out to 3-0. Two batters later and with the bases loaded, Kailyn Jones drove a single back up the middle to take the lead to 5-0. Virginia again loaded the bases when Hylton was walked before Kelly Ayer’s sac fly made it a 6-0 lead.
Bigham and the Hoos shut things down in the seventh to take the series from the Cardinals (23-20, 6-12).
Bigham (14-7) tossed the complete-game shutout, allowing only two hits with four walks and six strikeouts in the outing.
Alyssa Zabala (8-8) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks in her 5.0 innings of work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Jade Hylton’s home run in the first inning was her 15th of the year and tied the single-season home run record at UVA as Hylton matched Lacy Smith’s mark set in 2019.
- With home runs from Hylton and Cabral, the Cavaliers have set the single-season record for home runs at Virginia (57) and passed the previous mark of 55 set by the 2015 team with Hylton’s first-inning home run.
- The shutout was the third complete-game shutout of the season for Eden Bigham and 15th of her career.
- The series win over Louisville marks the first over the Cardinals by the Cavaliers in program history.
The Hoos have a new single-season home run record!#GoHoos | #HoosNext pic.twitter.com/h4cqjrxpq0
— Virginia Softball (@UVASoftball) April 19, 2025
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“We saw high execution and some loud outs today. These are the days when you’re doing everything right, the plan is executed and we were hitting balls right at people and we just had to stick with it. Sometimes the game pays you back immediately, and sometimes it doesn’t. The sixth inning was a testament to sticking with the plan and passing the bat. That’s selfless, team-winning softball to keep moving the needle. We played clean defensively, and that’s important for us, and Eden obviously threw a gem – it’s tough to throw 13 straight innings against a team and I’m proud of her for her execution.
“I’m really proud of our seniors. Every one of them contributed to the win today in some way. You don’t always get the opportunity for that kind of an ending to ACC play at home. I’m grateful for what this class has invested and has given to our program. Every class continues to give more and elevate the program. There’s a reason this is the first class (since a stretch from 2000-06) to have four winning seasons under the belts since they’ve arrived and they’ve brought a ton of joy to this program. I’m proud of them for staying the course and staying loyal to finishing what they started.”
UP NEXT
Virginia returns to the road for a midweek contest at JMU on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
Men’s Lacrosse: UVA posts 13-8 win over Lafayette on Senior Day
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
In a fast-paced game featuring two teams that impose aggressive 10-man rides, Virginia defeated Lafayette, 13-8, on Senior Day at Klöckner Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Thirty-four Virginia players checked into the game, including starting goalie Matthew Nunes (12 saves, 3 assists), who led the way for the Hoos in their penultimate regular-season game.
With the win, Virginia improved to 6-7 this season and snapped a three-game skid. The Leopards, who had won five of their previous six games entering Saturday’s contest, fell to 8-5.
Eight different Cavaliers found the back of the net, including attackmen McCabe Millon and Truitt Sunderland, both of whom finished with three goals and one assist.
Despite losing the faceoff battle [13-10], Virginia’s ride provided itself with extra possessions as the Cavaliers forced nine Lafayette failed clears.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Leopards’ 10-man ride was on full display from the onset. After the two teams traded the first two goals, the Cavaliers successfully cleared seven of their first eight clears, many of which directly led to empty-net scores for the Hoos, including Wayer’s sixth of the season, which was assisted by Nunes and fired from behind the midline.
Virginia led 5-1 after the first 15 minutes of play. Millon had three points on two goals and an assist in the opening period.
After Millon tacked on his third goal with a little over two minutes into quarter No. 2, the Leopards scored three straight to shrink the UVA lead to 6-4.
The Hoos kept Lafayette off the scoreboard for nearly the last 10 minutes of the first half, a span in which Charles Balsamo and Sunderland netted unassisted goals. Despite the Leopards collecting 18 ground balls in the second quarter and winning nine of the period’s 14 faceoffs, UVA led 8-4 at the break.
For the second straight period, the two teams scored the same number of goals in the third. Sunderland grasped his hat trick when Schutz found him on the high crease,and he buried a low-release shot that fell in the back of the cage. A few moments later, Schutz scored his first and only goal of the day.
The Leopards notched the final two scores of the period, one of which was immediately followed by a UVA personal foul, which put Lafayette man-up. The Hoos proceeded to kill Lafayette’s second man-up chance of the day. However, in the waning seconds of the third, the Leopards scored on an outside shot that got past Nunes with one second remaining in the period.
Virginia killed off Lafyette’s third and final extra-man chance after defenseman John Schroter was sent to the box upon stripping an opposing ballcarrier at the midline and then barreled him over, causing his helmet to go flying off. Nunes dished out his third assist in the fourth and eventually bowed out of Saturday’s victory with a little more than two minutes remaining.
Kyle Morris relieved Nunes, but the result had been virtually determined by that point. Reserve faceoff specialist Christian Grosso took all five of his draws in the second half and finished 3 for 5. Fittingly, graduate captain Jack Walshe assisted on the Cavaliers’ final goal of the day from Ryan Colsey.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia forced nine Lafayette failed clears on 32 attempts, which marks the first time UVA held an opponent under 75 percent clearing since holding High Point (15-22) to 68.2 percent on Feb. 18 earlier this year.
- Lafeyette finished with 26 turnovers, which marks the second time this season a UVA opponent finished with at least 25 giveaways. Colgate committed turnovers in the Cavaliers’ season opener on Feb. 8.
- Virginia, which entered Saturday’s contest at the nation’s No. 2 man-down unit, held Lafayette scoreless on all three of its EMO chances. UVA has now killed 44 of its 51 opposing EMO chances this season, a clip of 86.3 percent.
- Goalie Matthew Nunes dished out three assists.
- Midfielder Will Inderlied extended his goal streak to five games, the longest of his career.
- Prior to Saturday’s contest, Virginia recognized 16 fourth- and fifth-year student athletes for Senior Day, including: Thomas Mencke, Will Inderlied, George Fulton, Tommy McNeal, Griffin Schutz, Griffin Kology, Anthony Ghobriel, Noah Chizmar, Burke McFarlane, Mikie Harmeyer, Max Wooten, Chase MacCartee, Matthew Nunes, Ben Wayer, Dawson Chitwood and Tucker Mullen.
- Virginia men’s lacrosse dedicated today’s game to the UVA Gordie Center, whose mission is to end hazing and substance misuse among college and high school students nationwide.
- The team has partnered with the Gordie Center in numerous capacities, most notably by participating in its APPLE programming and alcohol awareness workshops for first-year student-athletes and parents at the beginning of each academic year.
WITH THE WIN…
- The Cavaliers snapped their three-game skid.
- Virginia improved to 3-0 in the all-time series with Lafayette, which began in 2022.
- Lars Tiffany is now 98-43 as UVA head coach.
- The Hoos improved to 5-3 at home this season.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers host No. 13 Duke in the regular-season finale next Saturday. Opening faceoff from Klöckner Stadium is set for 3 p.m. on ACC Network and WINA (1070 AM/98.9 FM). A win over the Blue Devils would assure UVA of a berth in the four-team ACC Tournament in Charlotte (May 2 & 4).
Track & Field: Cavaliers wrap up successful weekend at Virginia Challenge
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The Virginia No.25 men’s and women’s track and field programs closed out an exhilarating weekend of competition at the Virginia Challenge at Lannigan Field on Saturday, as the program honored the achievement and dedication of 30 graduating seniors.
- Maya Rollins won the women’s 100-meter hurdles in a wind-aided season best time of 13.29. Rollins already holds a spot on Virginia’s all-time freshman list in the event tied at No. 3 with her time of 13.73 from the Colonial Relays.
- Sophia Akpan and Elizabeth Imoh also recorded season best times in the women’s 100-meter hurdles coming through the line in wind-aided times of 13.84 (+4.0) and 14.08 (+4.0) respectively.
- Peter Djan ran his way to a new personal best of 13.91 (+1.6) in the men’s 110-meter hurdles to finish third. With his wind-legal time, Djan moves up to tie George Johnson (’82) at No.3 all-time in program history.
- Behind Djan, Jeremiah Wilson grabbed seventh place overall crossing the line in a season-best 14.12 (+1.4).
- Winning the 10th and final heat of the women’s 200-meter dash, Sarah Akpan turned in a wind-legal time of 23.75 (+1.7) to ultimately finish second overall.
- Lola Kolawole turned in a personal best of 24.40 (+1.8) to finish 16th in the competition.
- The women’s 4×100-meter relay team of Ariel Fletcher, Emily Alexandru, Tori Daniels and Brooke’Lyn Drakeford combined for a season-best 45.63 to finish runner-up in the event.
- The women’s 400-meters saw solid runs from Ariel Fletcher (55.08), Kaela Swift (57.19) and Tori Daniels (57.20, PB).
- The weekend concluded with top five finishes from both men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relays on the track. The women’s team of Ariel Fletcher, Emily Alexandru, Tori Daniels and Brooke’Lyn Drakeford finished fourth in 3:41.36 while Alex Sherman, Gage Gose, Jerlan Fish and Max Russo combined efforts to clock 3:11.27 for fifth place.
- Estel Valeanu turned in another strong performance, this time in the women’s discus. Valeanu finished second, first among collegiate athletes, with a season best mark of 56.08m/184-0.
- Valeanu finished second to none other than Virginia alumni and school record holder in the event, Ashley Anumba. With her mark, Valeanu moves up to No.2 all-time in program history just behind her competitor, Anumba.
- Brock Schenck notched a personal best of 47.23m/154-11 in the men’s discus throw.
- Lily Hulland was victorious in the women’s triple jump with a season best mark of 13.19m/43-3.25 (+2.7) on her final attempt in the competition. She fouled her fourth and fifth jump before jumping her furthest mark of the day.
- Just behind Hulland was Lauren Yeboah-Kodie in third place with her mark of 12.87m/42-4.75.
- Justing Rogers cleared 4.85m/15-11 in the men’s pole vault to finish fifth in the field.
- Abigail Meckes kick started competition in the women’s javelin throwing for a new personal best of 43.99m/144-4 on her second throw.
- Ella Woehlcke and Luci Ilnicki-Lambert both notched personal best times in the women’s 800-meters crossing the line in 2:09.76 and 2:11.68 respectively.
- Also in the race was Tatum Olesen in sixth place with her time of 2:10.23.
- In the men’s 800-meters, Myles Plummer was the top Virginia finisher crossing the line in a season-best 1:50.96. Plummer’s time was good for sixth place overall.
- Alex Leath rounded out the top 10 finishers in the men’s 800-meters clocking 1:51.63.
“Overall, it was a successful weekend for Virginia Track and Field. Hosting a meet like the Virginia Challenge was exciting for the program and the university as we brought in pacers and the Wavelights to create an atmosphere conducive to strong performances. This weekend we also honored our senior class for their hard work, dedication and contribution to the program during their career and we look forward to following their continued success. We have lots of season ahead for us.”
Softball: No. 25 UVA evens series with 8-2 victory over Louisville
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
Virginia used a five-run fourth inning to break things open on Friday, as the No. 25 Cavaliers defeated Louisville by a score of 8-2 and evened the weekend series at Palmer Park.
The teams will play the rubber match at noon on Saturday. The start time was moved up an hour to help the teams avoid any potential travel curfews.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia (32-14, 12-8 ACC) pushed two home in the first after back-to-back hits from Jade Hylton and Kelly Ayer put two Hoos on. A groundout back to the pitcher from Bella Cabral brought Hylton home and moved Ayer to third before a sac fly from Macee Eaton pushed the Hoos to a 2-0 lead.
Louisville (23-19, 6-11) answered in the third. A two-out single through the right side cut the lead in half. With runners on first and second, a ball to short looked like a routine end to the inning, but a fielding error on the throw to second allowed the lead runner to score before Virginia would make the out on the trail runner at third and Louisville tied the game.
Virginia answered in a big way in the fourth, pushing five runs home to reclaim the lead. It started with a fielding error on a sac bunt that allowed Macee Eaton to score from second after a leadoff double. MC Eaton then hit a two-run home run to left center to make it 5-2. With two outs and two on, Kelly Ayer ripped a single to left center, bringing Kailyn Jones home from second. A fielding effort on the play allowed Hylton to come home all the way from first and the Hoos led 7-2.
Hylton added an RBI single up the middle in the sixth to make it an 8-2 lead for the Cavaliers.
Eden Bigham (13-7) picked up the win, giving up only one hit with four walks and five strikeouts through 4.0 inning of relief work. She came in to relieve starter Courtney Layne in the fourth with the score tied 2-2.
Brooke Gray (8-7) took the loss for Louisville, allowing seven runs – four of them earned – on six hits with a walk and a strikeout through 3.2 innings of work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- With the home run from MC Eaton, the Hoos are now tied with the 2015 team for most home runs in a season (55) by a Virginia squad.
- With the six RBI, the Hoos are now second all-time in RBI in a season by a Virginia squad (255) and passed the 2004 team for the number two spot.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
Coach Hardin on evening the series with Louisville and Senior Day coming on Saturday.#GoHoos | #HoosNext pic.twitter.com/TOayqIvvwF
— Virginia Softball (@UVASoftball) April 19, 2025
“Execution was at a much higher clip today on the offensive side. When we got pitches, we got quality swings and short, aggressive swings. We hit the ball hard and got loud, aggressive outs as well. MC Eaton came up with the big fly. I was proud of her for sticking with it and make adjustments in her at bats was big. She’s really tough mentally and belief has carried her through the last few at bats. That was important for her.
“Courtney and Eden tag-teamed things well in the circle. We weren’t totally clean on defense, but we recovered well. There was a lot of good execution. Senior weekend is always a really emotional one, so it will be important for us to just enjoy these moments. Our fans have been great and we thank you guys and please come back Saturday and love on our seniors.”
UP NEXT
Virginia and Louisville will close the weekend series at noon on Saturday. It will be Senior Day for the Cavaliers, who will recognize a group of six players following the afternoon’s game.
Men’s Tennis: Hoos punch ticket to ACC semis with 4-2 win against Cal
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 6 Virginia men’s tennis team picked up a 4-2 win over No. 10 Cal in the quarterfinals of the 2025 ACC Men’s Tennis Championship on Friday at the Cary Tennis Park.
Junior Mans Dahlberg clinched the victory for the Cavaliers (19-6) on court six, avenging Virginia’s loss to the Golden Bears (18-4) in the regular season.
The 5-seed Cavaliers advance to the semifinals where they will face the top-seed and No. 1 team in the ITA Team Rankings Wake Forest (34-0) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The match will air on ACCNX.
Freshmen Rafael Jódar and Roy Horovitz opened the match with a 6-3 victory on doubles court three. Dahlberg and sophomore Dylan Dietrich followed with a 6-4 win on the top doubles court, clinching the doubles point for the Hoos.
The Golden Bears tied the match with a straight set win on court five.
Shortly after, Jódar put the Hoos back up front, picking up a 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 16 Carl Emil Overbeck on the top singles court.
Cal tied the match again with another straight set win on court three.
Dietrich retook the lead for Virginia, coming away with a 6-4, 6-4 win on court two over No. 74 Alex Chang to put the Cavaliers up 3-2.
Dahlberg closed out the win for the Hoos on court six. He won a narrow opening set 7-5 and got the crucial break up 4-3 in the second, holding on to win 7-5, 6-4 against Bernardo Munk Mesa to clinch the victory.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Cavaliers won the second matchup of the season against Cal. The Golden Bears won 4-3 in Charlottesville in the regular season on March 21
- Roy Horovitz and Rafael Jódar picked up their first win as a doubles team this season
- Jódar recorded his 16th straight singles win (in a completed match), improving to 16-1 on the season
- Dylan Dietrich improves to 9-1 on court two this season
- Mans Dahlberg logged his seventh straight singles win
- Wake Forest defeated the Cavaliers in the regular season 4-1 in Charlottesville on March 9
- The Cavaliers are looking for their 16th ACC title
FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO
“Congrats to the Cal Bears. They gave a great effort today and competed hard like always. They’re so well coached. I’m proud of our guys. We’re really looking forward to tomorrow. Another ACC semifinal for this program. Our guys will be ready. We’re really looking forward to the opportunity.”
VIRGINIA 4, CALIFORNIA 2
Singles
1. #6 Rafael Jódar (VA) def. #16 Carl Emil Overbeck (CAL) 6-4, 6-2
2. #26 Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. #74 Alex Chang (CAL) 6-4, 6-4
3. #55 Theo Dean (CAL) def. James Hopper (VA) 6-4, 6-3
4. Timofey Stepanov (CAL) vs. Jangjun Kim (VA) 4-6, 6-4, unfinished
5. Derrick Chen (CAL) def. Roy Horovitz (VA) 6-1, 6-3
6. Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. Bernardo Munk Mesa (CAL) 7-5, 6-4
Doubles
1. #30 Dylan Dietrich/Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. #34 Carl Emil Overbeck/Theo Dean (CAL) 6-4
2. Derrick Chen/Alex Chang (CAL) vs. #23 James Hopper/Keegan Rice (VA) 5-6, unfinished
3. Rafael Jódar/Roy Horovitz (VA) def. Mikey Wright/Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski (CAL) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,1,3,2,6)
Women’s Tennis: Virginia blanks Cal, 4-0, to advance to ACC semifinal round
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 7 Virginia women’s tennis team blanked No. 20 Cal, 4-0, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 ACC Women’s Tennis Championship on Friday at the Cary Tennis Park.
Virginia (19-4) won the doubles point and three singles matches in straight sets to sweep the 5-seed Golden Bears (13-8).
With the win, the 4-seed Cavaliers advance to the semifinals to face top-seeded Duke (21-2) on Saturday at 10 a.m. The match will air on ACCNX.
Freshman Martina Genis Salas and junior Annabelle Xu picked up a 6-4 victory on doubles court two to start the match. Junior Meggie Navarro and graduate student Sara Ziodato clinched the doubles point for the Hoos on doubles court three, winning 6-4 to put the Hoos up 1-0.
Senior Melodie Collard extended the UVA lead to 2-0 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Naomi Xu on court six.
On court four, Genis Salas won the opening set against Berta Passola Folch, 6-2, but fell behind in the second. Trailing 5-1, Genis Salas won five straight games and forced a tiebreaker in the second set, saving three set points along the way. Genis Salas finished off the match in the tiebreak, coming away with a 6-2, 7-6 (3) win to put the Cavaliers up 3-0.
Senior Elaine Chervinsky clinched the victory for the Hoos on court two, winning two narrow sets to take down No. 49 Jessica Alsola, 7-5, 6-4, to send Virginia to the semifinals.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Elaine Chervinsky, Melodie Collard, and Martina Genis Salas each picked up their fifth straight singles win (in completed matches)
- Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu improve to 26-8 on the season in doubles and 15-5 on doubles court two
- The Cavaliers and Blue Devils met once this season in Charlottesville on January 25. UVA picked up a 4-3 victory
- Virginia is looking for its third ACC title. UVA won back-to-back titles in 2014-15
- Virginia has made three trips to the finals since 1990 (the present format for the championship). UVA was the runner-up in 2022
VIRGINIA 4, CALIFORNIA 0
Singles
1. #20 Sara Ziodato (VA) vs. #28 Mao Mushika (CAL) 2-6, 6-4, unfinished
2. #33 Elaine Chervinsky (VA) def. #49 Jessica Alsola (CAL) 7-5, 6-4
3. #35 Annabelle Xu (VA) vs. #43 Lan Mi (CAL) 4-6, 5-5, unfinished
4. Martina Genis Salas (VA) def. Berta Passola Folch (CAL) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Isabelle Lacy (VA) vs. Greta Greco Lucchina (CAL) 2-6, 7-5, 1-1, unfinished
6. Melodie Collard (VA) def. Naomi Xu (CAL) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
1. #1 Elaine Chervinsky/Melodie Collard (VA) vs. #4 Jessica Alsola/Mao Mushika (CAL) 6-6, unfinished
2. #51 Martina Genis Salas/Annabelle Xu (VA) def. Berta Passola Folch/Greta Greco Lucchina (CAL) 6-4
3. Meggie Navarro/Sara Ziodato (VA) def. Lan Mi/Naomi Xu (CAL) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,2)
Women’s Golf: Cavaliers fall to Golden Bears in ACC match play
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The Virginia women’s golf team was eliminated in the first round of match play in the ACC Championship suffering a 3-2 defeat at the hands of California on Friday at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro.
Megan Propeck and Amanda Sambach picked up the two wins for Virginia. Propeck defeated Kaylyn Noh, 5&3, while Sambach secured a 2UP victory over Anna Molloy.
Cal picked up its first two wins when Adora Liu defeated UVA’s Jaclyn LaHa, 3&2, and Constance Fouillet picked up a 2&1 win over Virginia’s Chloe Schiavone.
Tied at 2-2, the deciding match between UVA’s Rebecca Skoler and Cal’s Claudia Lara Miravitlles was all square thru 18 holes. Lara Miravitlles secured the victory for Cal following a playoff.
The Cavaliers will host the Charlottesville Regional at Birdwood Golf Course May 5-7. The NCAA announces the field for this year’s championship on Wednesday (April 23) at 1 p.m. a total of six regional sites will hold qualifying events.
ACC Championship
Sedgefield Country Club
Greensboro, N.C.
Par 72, 6,092 yards
Match Play; First Round
CALIFORNIA 3, VIRGINIA 2
Match 1 – Adora Liu (Cal) def. Jaclyn LaHa (UVA), 3&2
Match 2 – Megan Propeck (UVA) def. Kaylyn Noh (Cal), 5&3
Match 3 – Amanda Sambach (UVA) def. Anna Molloy (Cal), 2UP
Match 4 – Claudia Lara Miravitlles (Cal) def. Rebecca Skoler (UVA), 19 Holes
Match 5 – Constance Fouillet (Cal) def. Chloe Schiavone (UVA), 2&1
UVA picks up DB Robinson from Cincinnati
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: Cincinnati Bearcats
Virginia has added its first transfer of the spring portal in Cincinnati defensive back Jordan Robinson, who announced he signed on Friday.
Meanwhile, UVA has also lost one player since the portal reopened this week in offensive tackle Blake Steen, who ironically has locked in a visit to Colorado a day after Colorado coach Deion Sanders publicly accused Virginia of tampering with one of his defensive backs (see related story on this site). Of the 17 Cavaliers who entered the portal last November-December, only seven have committed thus far.
Coach Tony Elliott said after last week’s spring game that he would be looking to add depth to Virginia’s secondary, and Robinson is the first.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound native of Columbia, S.C., posted 18 tackles for Cincinnati last season, including 2 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. He played in 10 games for the Bearcats and made a season-high six tackles vs. TCU, while posting two tackles and forcing a fumble against Houston.
Robinson spent two seasons at Kentucky before transferring to Cincinnati. Overall, he played 15 games at Kentucky, had 13 tackles in 11 games in 2023, including three stops against Georgia. He also started against Tennessee. He redshirted in 2022 after appearing in four games.
Robinson started his collegiate career at HBCU, Division II Livingstone in 2021, where he started all 10 games and had 26 tackles, two interceptions and 6 PBU.
Deion Sanders calls out Virginia for tampering
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo: Colorado Athletics
Colorado coach Deion Sanders stopped practice and publicly called out Virginia for tampering this week, with the video surfacing on social media (see below).
Sanders said that UVA had “offered a bag” to Buffaloes defensive back Carter Stoutmire to enter the transfer portal. Sanders faced Stoutmire and his team, then turned to the camera and delivered this message to Virginia’s football staff:
“Carter got offered a bag (of money),” Coach Prime said. “What’s the school that offered you the bag? Virginia. Virginia got to stop. I’ll let you have one. I ain’t saying nothing about it. Come on, now. Come on. We let you have one. I ain’t saying nothing about it.”
Stoutmire is a rising junior who played in all 13 games for the Buffs last season with an expanded role as a sophomore. The defensive back posted 43 tackles and broke up seven passes in 2024.
There has been no public response by Virginia coach Tony Elliott or the UVA athletic department to Sanders’ message.
Coach Prime calls out Virginia for tampering with Colorado DB Carter Stoutmire and offering him a bag 👀
“Virginia you got to stop, I let you have one and didn’t say nothing about it”
🎥 : @DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/PpA56xwYGq
— We Coming 🦬 (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) April 17, 2025
Women’s Golf: Virginia moves on to match play at ACC Championship
Sambach matches own program record with 65 in final round of stroke play to earn runner-up honors
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The Virginia women’s golf team finished stroke play in a tie with Florida State for second place at the ACC Championships to advance to the first round of match play on Friday. UVA shot 11-under 277 on the day for a three-round total of 12-under 852.
Virginia will face Cal at 7:30 a.m. on Friday in the first round of match play. Wake Forest will square off with North Carolina on the other side of the bracket. The winners of those matchups will take on Stanford and Florida State in the semifinals beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The Cavaliers have advanced to match play at the ACC Championship in all five seasons since the league introduced that format to decide the conference champion. Wake Forest is the only other ACC team to reach match play in each of the last five tournaments.
Virginia’s stroke play finish was also better than in-state rival Virginia Tech (seventh/25-over 889). The result secured the clinching point for UVA in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash competition between the two schools. The Cavaliers lead the Hokies 12-6 overall.
Photo: UVA Athletics
The Cavaliers were led in stroke play by Amanda Sambach, who finished runner-up for the second consecutive season. Sambach shot 7-under 65 on Thursday to tie her own program record for low round.
With a runner-up finish in 2024, an individual title in 2023 and a third-place finish in 2022, Sambach is the only Cavalier to post four top-three finishes at the ACC Championships during her career.
Megan Propeck turned a career-best performance in an ACC Championship tying for fifth place. Propeck shot 72-71-71 for a 54 hole score of 2-under 214. The performance marked the third tournament of Propeck’s career in which she finished two strokes below par and marked a career-best tournament finish.
Rebecca Skoler also posted a career-best finish at the ACC Championship tying for 11th, shooting 1-over 217. Chloe Schiavone was the fourth Cavalier to place in the top-20 tying for 19th at 4-over 220.
The semifinals and finals of the 2025 ACC Women’s Golf Championship match play will be televised live on ACC Network Extra. Tony Simeone (play-by-play) and Suzy Whaley (analyst) will provide the call. A championship recap show will air May 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ACCN.
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP
Sedgefield Country Club
Greensboro, N.C.
Par 72, 6,092 yards
TEAM RESULTS
1. Stanford 282-279-276–837 (-27)
T2. Florida State 284-280-288–852 (-12)
T2. Virginia 290-285-277–852 (-12)
4. Wake Forest 292-291-282–865 (+1)
T5. North Carolina 296-287-297–880 (+16)
T5. California 294-293-293–880 (+16)
7. Virginia Tech 303-293-293–889 (+25)
8. Louisville 301-288-303–892 (+28)
9. Clemson 298-297-298–893 (+29)
10. Duke 305-301-288–894 (+30)
11. Boston College 297-303-296–896 (+32)
12. Miami 307-295-300–902 (+38)
13. NC State 302-298-307–907 (+43)
14. SMU 305-310-296–911 (+47)
15. Notre Dame 306-298-313–917 (+53)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Andrea Revuelta, Stanford 67-67-68–202 (-14)
2. Amanda Sambach, Virginia 71-68-65–204 (-12)
T3. Mirabel Ting, Florida State 66-70-72–208 (-8)
T3. Lottie Woad, Florida State 69-66-73–208 (-8)
T5. Kaylyn Noh, California 70-74-70–214 (-2)
T5. Megan Propeck, Virginia 72-71-71–214 (-2)
VIRGINIA RESULTS
2. Amanda Sambach 71-68-65–204 (-12)
T5. Megan Propeck 72-71-71–214 (-2)
T11. Rebecca Skoler 74-71-72–217 (+1)
T19. Chloe Schiavone 73-78-69–220 (+4)
T52. Jaclyn LaHa 76-75-77–228 (+12)
𝓜𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓟𝓵𝓪𝔂 𝓐𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓼 ✨#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/H1cZQcGBX3
— Virginia Women’s Golf (@UVAWomensGolf) April 17, 2025
— Virginia Women’s Golf (@UVAWomensGolf) April 17, 2025
Stroke Play ✅
Here’s how the ACC Women’s Golf Championship individual competition finished up ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lMuqjeL9Jd
— The ACC (@theACC) April 18, 2025
Men’s Tennis: Hoos advance to ACC quarterfinals with 4-2 win over SMU
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 6 Virginia men’s tennis team rallied from an early deficit to defeat SMU 4-2 in the second round of the 2025 ACC Men’s Tennis Championship on Thursday at the Cary Tennis Park.
Graduate student James Hopper clinched the win for the Cavaliers (18-6), helping Virginia overcome losing the doubles point to take down the Mustangs (15-19).
With the victory, the 5-seed Cavaliers advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on 4-seed Cal (18-3) on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
SMU won the doubles point to open the match, taking doubles courts one and two to grab an early lead over Virginia.
The Cavaliers flipped the momentum in singles, winning five of the six first sets against the Mustangs.
Sophomore Dylan Dietrich got the Hoos on the board, winning 6-1, 6-2 over Jerry Barton on court two to tie the match.
Freshman Jangjun Kim gave the Cavaliers the lead, defeating Maks Silagy 6-3, 6-1 on court five.
Junior Mans Dahlberg extended the UVA lead to 3-1, picking up a 6-4, 6-2 win on court six over Noah McDonald.
The Mustangs followed with a straight set victory on court three, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Hopper won a narrow opening set in a tiebreak against Louis Cloud on court four and cruised in the second set, taking his match 7-6 (6), 6-2 to clinch the win for the Hoos.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Cavaliers won their second meeting of the season against the Mustangs
- SMU is ranked No. 64 in the ITA Team Rankings
- The Cavaliers won for the eighth time this season after losing the doubles point
- Mans Dahlberg picked up his sixth straight singles win
- Jangjun Kim won his fifth straight completed singles match
- Virginia is looking for its 16th ACC title
- This will be the second meeting of the year between the Cavaliers and Cal. The Golden Bears defeated UVA in Charlottesville 4-3 on March 21
VIRGINIA 4, SMU 2
Singles
1. #6 Rafael Jódar (VA) vs. #44 Trevor Svajda (SMU) 6-3, 3-6, 3-0, unfinished
2. #26 Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. Jerry Barton (SMU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Ofek Shimanov (SMU) def. Keegan Rice (VA) 7-5, 6-3
4. James Hopper (VA) def. Louis Cloud (SMU) def. 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
5. Jangjun Kim (VA) def. Maks Silagy (SMU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. Noah McDonald (SMU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
1. #75 Georgi Georgiev/Ofek Shimanov (SMU) def. #30 Dylan Dietrich/Mans Dahlberg (VA) 6-3
2. #43 Louis Cloud/Trevor Svajda (SMU) def. #23 James Hopper/Keegan Rice (VA) 6-2
3. Rafael Jódar/Roy Horovitz (VA) vs. Vikas Deo/Xavier Calvelo (SMU) def. 4-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,5,6,3,4)
Softball: Cardinals edge No. 25 Cavaliers in extras, 6-5, to open series
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 25 Virginia softball team rallied to force extra innings, but couldn’t finish off Louisville on Thursday, as the Cavaliers fell to the Cardinals by a score of 6-5 in nine innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia (31-14, 11-8 ACC) scored in the first inning with a Bella Cabral double to the wall in right center driving in Jade Hylton from second. Hylton opened the frame with a single back up the middle and took second on a sac bunt from Kelly Ayer to set up the score on the Cabral hit.
Louisville (23-18, 6-10) responded in the third, loading the bases with a single and a pair of walks around a sac bunt. A double to left brought two runs home with the third running thrown out at the plate trying to score from first. A passed ball put a runner at third before a single to center put the Cardinals on top 3-1.
Louisville added two more runs in the seventh with a two-run home run to make it 5-1 for the Cardinals.
Virginia responded in the home half with a four-run rally to tie the game. It started with runners at the corners as Kailyn Jones drove a single to center to score Sydney Hartgrove from third who opened the inning with a single. Jones’ hit flipped the lineup, bringing Hylton to the plate for a three-run home run to left center to tie the game at 5-5.
Louisville moved back in front in the ninth inning, taking advantage of a fielding error at third to extend the inning and give Louisville the extra at bat it needed to take the 6-5 lead on a double to right. Virginia would mount another rally, working two on with one out in the home half, but Louisville got out of the jam and picked up the win.
Ava Hodges (3-4) took the loss as she allowed one unearned run in relief as she scattered four hits and a walk across 2.2 innings of work.
Brooke Gray (8-6) picked up the relief win, allowing one hit with a walk and a strikeout through 2.2 innings of work.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Jade Hylton hit her 14th home run of the season with her three-run shot in the seventh inning to move into second all-time on the Virginia single-season home run list. It matches her mark from last season.
- Julia Cuozzo tied her career high with five strikeouts in the start against the Cardinals.
- It was the 14th game decided by one run for the Hoos this season and Virginia is 6-8 in those one-run games.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
Coach Hardin on game one with Louisville.#GoHoos | #HoosNext pic.twitter.com/GvIFpmnBMZ
— Virginia Softball (@UVASoftball) April 18, 2025
“First off, we’re thinking about our friends down at Florida State. It is a really sad time for their campus down there and they are in our hearts today.
“It was disappointing and frustrating today. We had opportunities to come away with that game, and opportunities to knock in the game-winning run in the seventh and ninth there. We’re getting exposed on the free passes, the mistakes and the errors. When we make mistakes, they’re pretty costly. Our margin is very small right now and we have to clean that up. The effort and energy was there, but the execution has to be cleaned up. We need a higher clip of quality at bats with runners in scoring positions. We have more in the tank and are better than we showed, but it’s going to take quality execution throughout.”
UP NEXT
Virginia and Louisville continue the series at 5 p.m. on Friday. It will be Heroes Appreciation Night at Palmer Park, with fans in attendance receiving a free Red, White and Hoo koozie.
Women’s Lacrosse: Ninth-ranked Hoos roll past Tech in regular-season finale, 19-9
By Colin Moore
JerryRatcliffe.com correspondent
Photo: UVA Athletics
The No. 9 Virginia women’s lacrosse team posted a convincing, 19-9 victory over visiting Virginia Tech on a historic Wednesday night at Klöckner Stadium.
Second-year midfielder Kate Galica set both the UVA single-season and single-game draw control records, winning her 150th late into the third quarter (she finished the contest with 155). She managed to control 17 draws on her route to a historic season.
Virginia (11-5, 5-4 ACC) conceded the first two goals in Wednesday’s matchup in the first three minutes. The Cavaliers went on to score the next six goals, including three for Addi Foster. Tech (9-8, 3-6) managed to get one back before the quarter ended with the Hoos leading, 6-3.
The Cavaliers controlled the second quarter as well, as they scored the first five goals with two stunners. The first came from a Corey White’s laser on a free-position shot, as she placed it perfectly in the top-left corner. The other highlight was a behind-the-back, off-balance goal from Gabby LaVerghetta. LaVerghetta made a great cut towards the center of the crease as teammate Madison Alaimo placed a perfect pass for the quick-reaction shot. The Hokies scored one to end the first half with a score of 11-4.
UVA came out of the half strong, earning the first two goals before allowing one and scoring another four. Galica scored a tremendous goal, beating not two, but three defenders before bouncing her shot between the legs of Hokies goalkeeper Aaliyah Jones.
Down 17-6 to begin the fourth, Virginia Tech scored early trying to build any sort of momentum, but the Cavaliers responded and earned the convincing victory to win the cross-state rivalry game.
The Cavaliers had numerous players with impressive performances, but Galica took home the MVP, etching her name into Virginia history, winning over 150 draw controls in a single season. She also tallied three goals. Foster also contributed highly with four goals on four shot attempts, while Jenna Dinardo scored a hat trick of her own.
In net, Mel Josephson earned the start and stopped six Hokie shot attempts while allowing five goals. Abby Jansen relieved Josephson for the last 17 minutes, making a pair of saves and allowing four goals.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
- Jenna DiNardo had four points with three goals and an assist
- Livy LaVerghetta, Gabby LaVerghetta and Payton Sfreddo each scored two goals
- Katie Campel, Corey White and Finley Barger scored a goal apiece
- Virginia scored its 19 goals on 29 shots. Virginia Tech scored nine goals on 25 shots
- Virginia held a 21-10 edge in draw controls, with Galica winning 17 of UVA’s 21 draws
- The previous single-game record of 15 draws was set Aubrey Williams in 2022 and twice tied, once by Williams in 2023 and once by Galica earlier this season at Cal
- Virginia’s goalkeeper combined for eight saves (Mel Josephson 6, Abby Jansen 2)
- Virginia Tech’s Aaliyah Jones made five saves
FROM HEAD COACH SONIA LaMONICA
“I’m so proud. So proud. I thought it was such a total effort to bounce back off of the hard road loss, and to come up the fire that this group came out with tonight was just amazing and outstanding all over the field, end to end. We just didn’t allow Tech to have an inch. So, it’s a really great way to finish off the regular season today.
“[After going down 2-0] our team knew that they needed to respond. And they did. That was kind of getting rhythm on the draws and finding our rhythm on the offensive end. And I think we did a really good job.”
ABOUT THE SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH
- Today’s game is part of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. Originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), this has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions.
- The winner of today’s game earned one point in the Clash for their school
- The Cavaliers now lead the Clash 11-6
UP NEXT
The seventh-seeded Cavaliers will travel to American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte on Wednesday to battle No. 2 seed Boston College at 5 p.m. in the Quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament (see final standings and full bracket below).
Thursday’s Results
Notre Dame 17, Louisville 6
Clemson 14, Pitt 6
North Carolina 18, Duke 6
Boston College 17, Syracuse 2
Stanford 19, California 4
