Hokies even Commonwealth Clash series with 5-4 win over Hoos
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
In a game that was delayed nearly three hours due to monsoonal moisture, the Virginia baseball team dropped a 5-4 decision to Virginia Tech at English Field on Friday.
UVA reliever Evan Blanco was dealt the loss after allowing a pinch-hit solo home run to Virginia Tech’s David Lewis in the sixth, which proved to be the difference in the contest.
Offensively for the Cavaliers (31-17, 15-11 ACC), the duo of Eric Becker and James Nunnallee each collected a pair of hits in the game, while Henry Ford hit his 10th home run of the season to tie for the team lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a quiet top of the first for the Cavaliers, the homestanding Hokies (30-23, 12-17) struck first in the opening frame with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly and an RBI single that made it an early 2-0 contest.
A scoreless second inning gave way to a third frame where each team plated a pair of runs. UVA tied the game at 2-2 with a Ford two-run home run that scored Becker, who reached when he was hit by a pitch.
Virginia Tech regained the lead with two runs of their own in the home half of the frame on a fielder’s choice that plated a run and an RBI single.
Jacob Ference worked a leadoff in the fourth and came around to score on Nunnallee’s 12th double of the season. Nunnallee came home to tie the game at 4-4, three batters on a Becker single to right field.
In relief of Bradley Hodges, Bryson Moore tossed three innings of shutout ball while surrendering only one hit with three strikeouts.
The Hokies took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth on a pinch-hit solo home run from Lewis.
After surrendering the go-ahead home run, Blanco only allowed a pair of Hokie baserunners over the final 2.2 innings.
Virginia attempted to mount a rally in the ninth when Chris Arroyo doubled down the line in right with two outs before Virginia Tech’s Grant Manning forced a groundout to end the game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Dating back to the April 6 contest at NC State, the Cavaliers have hit at least one home run in 19 straight games.
- James Nunnallee extended his reached safely streak to 15 games on Friday with a single in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT
The rubber match against Virginia Tech is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at English Field. Lefthander Tomas Valincius (5-1) will get the start for Virginia in a game that’ll be carried on ACCNX and WINA (98.9/1070 AM).
Women’s Golf: UVA opens NCAA Championships in 13th place
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 10 Virginia women’s golf team finished the first round of play at the NCAA Championships in 13th place after shooting 6-over 294 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Amanda Sambach and Megan Propeck each led the team shooting even-par 72.
No. 24 Vanderbilt leads the competition after shooting 6-under 282.
Sambach and Propeck finished the first round in a tie for 27th place individually. Sambach recorded a total of 16 pars, the second most of any player in the field, along with one birdie and one bogey. Propeck’s first round included 14 pars, a pair of birdies and two bogeys.
Rebecca Skoler and Jaclyn LaHa each shot 3-over 75 in their opening rounds. Kennedy Swedick finished at 5-over 77.
Virginia is making its 15th NCAA Championships appearance in the 22-year history of the program. UVA’s best finishes at the NCAAs were back-to-back fourth-place showings in 2011 and 2012. Last season the Cavaliers were in 28th place after 54 holes and did not advance to the final round of stroke play.
NCAA Championships
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, Calif.
Par 72, 6,297 yards
First Round Results
TEAM RESULTS
VIRGINIA RESULTS
Softball: Virginia falls to North Florida in Columbia Regional opener, 2-1
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
A solo home run in the second inning from Sarah Coon wasn’t enough in a pitcher’s duel as No. 25 Virginia dropped a 2-1 contest to North Florida in the opening game of NCAA Regional play at South Carolina on Friday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia (37-18) opened the scoring in the second inning with a solo shot to left field from Sarah Coon.
The Ospreys broke through in the sixth, taking advantage of an error on a throw to second to put runners at the corners with one out. A single through the left side brought the lead runner home and tied the game at one as Virginia made a pitching change.
North Florida (46-13) got an RBI double through the left side again in the next at bat to take the 2-1 lead, but the Hoos got the trail runner at the plate. A walk followed by a strikeout looking ended the inning.
Julia Cuozzo (5-2) took the loss, giving up the two runs on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. She worked 5.1 innings and left the game with two runners on and the go-ahead run on second base.
Allison Benning (25-5) picked up the win, allowing the one run on two hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Sarah Coon’s home run in the second inning was the 26th of her career and puts her in sole possession of ninth all-time on the Virginia career home run list.
- Julia Cuozzo tied a career high with her 5.1 innings of work in the start against the Ospreys.
- It was the Cavaliers’ 17th game decided by one run this season and the Hoos are 7-10 in those games.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“You tip your cap to North Florida. Winning in the postseason comes down to timely hitting. They came through and put that two-spot up in the sixth. They came out ready to go. Julia threw well through the first five innings – she was just phenomenal. We couldn’t really get on time with (Allison) Benning. She was mixing speeds well. It (the loss) just made our job a little bit harder, but we have to go back to work, come out tomorrow ready to compete and fight to win.
UP NEXT
Virginia will play in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. against fourth-seeded Elon on Saturday.
Men’s Tennis: No. 7 UVA edged by No. 2 TCU in NCAA quarterfinal round, 4-3
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia men’s tennis team’s season ended on Friday, falling to the No. 2 seed TCU, 4-3, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.
TCU (26-3) took the doubles point before Virginia (23-8) added singles wins on the top two courts to take a 2-1 lead. The Horned Frogs picked up wins on courts three and five to retake the lead before the Cavaliers tied the match with a victory on court four. TCU clinched the victory with a three-set win on court six.
Doubles courts one and three ended within just seconds of each other to start the match. Freshmen Rafael Jódar and Roy Horovitz broke serve to win 6-4 against Duncan Chan and Albert Pedrico on doubles court three. Right after, TCU picked up a 6-4 victory on the top doubles court. On doubles court two, junior Mans Dahlberg and sophomore Dylan Dietrich trailed 3-0 but rallied to force a tiebreak. In the tiebreaker, TCU took the last four points of the match to win 7-6 (4), clinching the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead.
TCU and Virginia each won three first sets to open singles play.
Dietrich got the Cavaliers on the board, defeating No. 10 Pedro Vives 6-3, 6-3 on court two.
Jódar gave the Cavaliers the lead shortly after with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on the top singles court over No. 8 Jack Pinnington.
On court five, Dahlberg saved two match points in the second set, but Albert Pedrico took the match on his third match point, coming away with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
TCU retook the lead the lead from Virginia just moments after on court three. Freshman Keegan Rice trailed Lui Maxted 6-4, 3-1 but rallied to even the second set at 5. Maxted broke serve in the next game before serving it out to win 6-4, 7-5.
The match came down to courts four and six. On court four, graduate student James Hopper won the first set against No. 95 Cooper Woestendick 6-3, but Woestendick took the second set 6-3 to force a decider. In the final set, Hopper got the early break and ran away with the match, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to tie the match at three.
On court six, freshman Jangjun Kim split sets with Duncan Chan. In the deciding set, Kim broke to go up 2-1, but Chan broke later in the set to tie the decider at 4. Chan held serve in the next game before breaking Kim’s serve to win the match, clinching the victory for the Horned Frogs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia is the No. 7 seed in the championship and the No. 4 ranked team in the ITA Team Rankings
- TCU is the No. 2 seed and ranked No. 2
- This was UVA’s 18th NCAA quarterfinal appearance in the last 20 championships
- Rafael Jódar finishes his freshman season with a 19-3 singles record and a 15-2 mark on the top singles court. The win over No. 8 Pinnington was his fourth top 10 ranked singles victory of the season
- Junior Mans Dahlberg’s nine-match win streak in singles came to an end (in completed matches). This was his first singles loss since March 23
- James Hopper finishes his collegiate career with 107 singles wins and 164 career doubles wins
- Dylan Dietrich finishes his season with a 24-8 singles record and an 18-5 mark in dual matches
- Dietrich picked up his third top 10 ranked singles win of the season over No. 10 Vives
- Jódar and Roy Horovitz finish the season with an undefeated 6-0 doubles record
FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO
“Congratulations to the TCU Horned Frogs. There’s a reason why they’re the defending champs, and they hung tough at the very end till the very last point, and just too good from them. But our guys fought like absolute warriors until the very end, and this team stuck together no matter what happened, and that’s what we do. That’s what this program does. That’s our tradition, that’s our history. So many players before us have done it, and these guys are carrying on the tradition and the legacy. I’m so proud of them for doing it.”
TCU 4, VIRGINIA 3
Singles
1. #4 Rafael Jodar (VA) def. #8 Jack Pinnington (TCU) 6-4, 6-3
2. #32 Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. #10 Pedro Vives (TCU) 6-3, 6-3
3. #37 Lui Maxted (TCU) def. Keegan Rice (VA) 6-4, 7-5
4. James Hopper (VA) def. #95 Cooper Woestendick (TCU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
5. Albert Pedrico (TCU) def. Mans Dahlberg (VA) 6-3, 6-4
6. Duncan Chan (TCU) def. Jangjun Kim (VA) 7-6 (7-1), 1-6, 6-4
Doubles
1. #2 Lui Maxted/Pedro Vives (TCU) def. #23 Keegan Rice/James Hopper (VA) 6-4
2. #32 Jack Pinnington/Cooper Woestendick (TCU) def. #31 Mans Dahlberg/Dylan Dietrich (VA) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Rafael Jodar/Roy Horovitz (VA) def. Duncan Chan/Albert Pedrico (TCU) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,1,5,3,4,6)
UVA posts 12-2 win over Hokies in final series opener of regular season
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
To open the final weekend of the regular season, the Virginia baseball team downed Virginia Tech, 12-2, on Thursday night at English Field.
UVA starter Jay Woolfolk continued his late-season heroics on Thursday by tossing eight innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts. Woolfolk’s eight-inning start tied the longest of his career and was the longest outing by a Cavalier pitcher this season.
Harrison Didawick led the way offensively for Virginia (31-16, 15-10 ACC), going 4 for 5 on Thursday with a pair of RBI. Chris Arroyo and Jacob Ference homered in the later stages as UVA outscored Virginia 9-0 over the final two innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Aidan Teel opened the game with a perfectly placed double down the left field line. The Virginia leadoff man scored two batters later on a Henry Ford RBI single that put the Hoos up 1-0 after one.
After being handed the lead, Woolfolk retired the first 10 Hokies he faced before turning a double play on an attempted Virginia Tech bunt to close out the fourth inning.
Woolfolk’s dominance continued as the right-hander struck out the side in the fifth to keep the series opener a one-run game.
Didawick extended the UVA lead to 2-0 in the top of the sixth with an RBI single to right that plated Arroyo.
An inning later, Luke Hanson worked a leadoff walk and later scored on an Eric Becker double that pushed the Virginia advantage to 3-0 heading into the seventh inning stretch.
Virginia Tech’s (29-23, 11-17) only two runs of the night came in the bottom seventh on a two-run home run off the bat of Sam Tackett that cut the score down to 3-2.
The Cavaliers answered immediately with a five-run top of the eighth that started with an Arroyo leadoff solo home run to open the frame and crescendoed with a two-run Becker single that made it an 8-2 contest.
To close out his longest outing of the season, Woolfolk induced a double play and struck out his sixth Hokie of the night for a scoreless home half of the eighth.
Virginia added four more runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run Ference home run and a James Nunnallee RBI double.
In relief, Wes Arrington sealed the 12-2 Virginia victory with a scoreless ninth.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia improves to 21-5 when Aidan Teel bats leadoff.
- Dating back to the April 6 contest at NC State, the Cavaliers have hit at least one home run in 18 straight games.
- UVA improves to 29-4 on the season when scoring six or more runs.
- Virginia’s five-run eighth was the 18th time this season that UVA has plated five or more runs in an inning.
- James Nunnallee extended his reached safely streak to 14 games on Thursday with a single in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT
Virginia will look to take the series on Friday in the second game of the three-game series. The Cavaliers will start lefthander Bradley Hodges (2-1) against Virginia Tech’s lefty Jake Marciano (4-2). Friday’s contest is slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch on ACCNX and WINA (98.9/1070 AM).
Wahoos land Army’s starting corner Donovan Platt
By Jerry Ratcliffe
When Tony Elliott said after Virginia’s spring game that he wanted to add depth to the Cavaliers’ secondary, he wasn’t kidding around.
On Thursday, former Army starting cornerback Donovan Platt announced he had committed to UVA, marking the sixth addition to the Wahoos’ defensive backfield via the transfer portal and the 31st transfer to the program.
Platt is a 5-foot-11, 204-pound standout originally from Jamestown, N.C. (outside Greensboro), and has two years of eligibility remaining. Platt, the second starting corner to depart Army this spring, was a blow to the Black Knights’ defense.
He started all 14 games for Army last season, posting 15 tackles and two interceptions (both in the end zone) vs. Lehigh and Notre Dame. He also had two pass breakups.
Platt played in 11 games as a freshman in 2022, starting three, posting 19 tackles (11 solo) and a PBU. He played in only four games in 2023, thus allowing him to have a redshirt as a result, but saw action against Boston College and LSU.
After his career at Ragsdale H.S., he spent a season at the U.S. Military Academy Prep before moving on in West Point.
Platt joins five other transfers to the Virginia secondary: cornerbacks Ja’Maric Morris of Georgia State and Emmanuel Karnley of Arizona, along with safeties Da’Marcus Crosby of New Mexico State, Christian Charles of Tennessee and Jordan Robinson from Cincinnati.
UVA gets OL commit for class of 2026
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Virginia added its fourth commitment to its recruiting class of 2026 on Thursday morning when offensive lineman Michael Gildea of the Hun School announced on social media that he is a Cavalier.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound, 3-star chose Virginia over offers from North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, Pitt, Boston College, Wake Forest, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, USF and ODU.
A captain at the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., Gildea has played tackle, but projects as a guard in UVA’s system. He built a strong relationship with Cavaliers offensive line coach Terry Heffernan.
Gildea is rated the No. 77 offensive tackle prospect in the country and the No. 19 overall prospect in the state of New Jersey by the 247Sports composite rankings. Rivals has him No. 83 and 15, respectively, while On3 rates him No. 88 and No. 16.
He visited UVA on Junior Day last January and was offered, then returned for the spring game.
Gildea is the second offensive lineman to commit to UVA’s 2026 class.
The Wahoos also gained a late commitment to the 2025 class on Wednesday when Woodberry Forest’s Lukas Sanker, the younger brother of former Virginia star safety Jonas Sanker, announced he had flipped his commitment from Harvard to UVA.
Lukas Sanker is a 6-0, 180-pound defensive back who also was pursued by Duke and JMU.
His brother Jonas was an All-ACC player for Virginia last season and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints.
Scattershooting: We lost Viggy; ACC goes to 18; Baseball in? Plus Golden Nuggets
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Scattershooting around the ACC, while mourning the loss of perhaps the most underrated running back in UVA football history …
So far, 2025 has been tough for this columnist and many fans of UVA and the ACC, with the losses of former UVA assistant football coach Danny Wilmer, noted sportswriter/author/friend John Feinstein and former Greensboro sportswriter and ACC Football Tour legend Larry Keech.
Now, we have lost another former Wahoo in Tommy Vigorito, first-team All-ACC in 1979, who had 10 100-yard rushing games and was a fifth-round NFL Draft pick in 1981. In fact, despite playing for generally losing teams, Vigorito at Virginia (see attached video of him playing for the Miami Dolphins) remains sixth on the Cavaliers’ all-time rushing list behind Thomas Jones, Tiki Barber, Terry Kirby, John Papit and Wali Lundy.
Vigorito died recently at age 65, as announced by his New Jersey high school, DePaul Catholic. He was a high school Parade All-American there in Passaic, N.J. He overachieved for his size (5-foot-10, 193 pounds) and his no-fear attitude, particularly on kick returns for Virginia and the Dolphins. His NFL career was shortened when he suffered a torn ACL in the 1983 season opener for Miami, in a day where knee surgeries weren’t nearly as successful as today. He returned in 1985, but that was pretty much the end of his career.
I had the pleasure of meeting Vigorito in October of 2022 at a Virginia Football Alumni Club gathering in town. His former teammate, Joe Bock, introduced me and even though Vigorito was struggling with memory, he wanted to talk to me and he clearly remembered his football career.
“Viggy was the toughest running back I ever saw,” Bock said that night.
That’s quite a statement coming from Bock, who played at Virginia, in the NFL, AFL, Canadian football, and a couple of other pro leagues.
“Viggy never once complained about all those carries, the physical punishment. He was one tough cookie.”
Vigorito was a workhorse, and took a lot of physical beatings as a result. When he left Virginia in 1980, he ranked No. 2 all-time on the Cavaliers’ career rushing list behind only Papit, who had set the mark from 1947-50. He had 648 career carries, still the fifth-most ever by a UVA back.
“I took a lot of beatings,” Vigorito said that night. “I had a lot of concussions that I didn’t know about. Now they have doctors on the sidelines and after he examines you, tells you whether you can play or not.
“I was young and stupid,” Vigorito cracked about the physical play.
He went on to play for Don Shula’s Dolphins, and Viggy had clear memories of those Miami days, including the Dolphins’ marathon overtime playoff win over San Diego, an all-time classic, and the other being an 87-yard, game-winning kickoff return against the Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
“It was a [Miami] record, but somebody broke it about four years ago,” Vigorito said.
Bock said there was a great quote from former Dolphins great Bob Kuenchenberg in Sports Illustrated about Vigorito. Kuenchenberg was a guard for Miami for 14 seasons.
“Kuenchenberg was quoted as saying, ‘Vigorito has the quickest white feet I’ve ever seen,’” Bock laughed.
Still, with all of his accomplishments, Vigorito said his favorite moments from UVA had nothing to do with statistics.
“I think the guys I played with that are here this weekend are my warmest memories,” Vigorito said. “I’ve talked with several of them tonight. Guys I haven’t seen for years.”
RIP Viggy. You’ll be missed.
RIP Tommy Vigorito🙏🏻🕯️
The #Dolphins‘ shifty, speedy punt returner and reserve running back of the early-1980s
As a rookie in just his second NFL game, Tommy’s 87-yard punt return touchdown on TNF at the Orange Bowl set a club record that would last 26 years.#GoFins pic.twitter.com/By3JJ47YHq
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) May 14, 2025
ACC gets it right with 18 games
We wrote before the 2019-20 season that it was a colossal mistake by the ACC to increase its conference basketball schedule from 18 to 20 games. History proved us right.
At the time, the league’s basketball coaches were all opposed to increasing the schedule to 20 games, but then-commish John Swofford, a guy who I like, was hell bent on giving the ACC Network and ESPN more inventory with all the added games. Swofford made the deal behind the coaches backs. The coaches didn’t find out about it until everyone else did.
Expanding the conference schedule to 20 games meant less opportunities to play high-profile opponents in the nonconference portion of the schedule to help ACC teams resumes for RPI or NET rankings.
ACC teams have suffered since. The league has had no more than five teams in the NCAA tournament since 2021 (when seven made it). This past season, only four ACC teams were in the NCAA field as opposed to the SEC, which had 14 of its 16 teams participating.
Under the new scheduling system, schools like UNC-Duke, Virginia-Virginia Tech can play twice a season, but some rivalries will lose the two-game sets. For instance, for the first time since 1919, UNC and NC State will not play home-and-home.
Thank goodness the ACC finally came to its senses.
UVA Baseball in NCAA?
Virginia’s sweep of Miami helped the Cavaliers’ chances, but winning this weekend’s series in Blacksburg would seem to secure Virginia a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Baseball America has UVA as the third-seeded team in the four-team Auburn Regional, while D1 Baseball has the Wahoos as No. 3 in the Morgantown (W.Va) regional. Both of those publications have Virginia as one of their “last 4 in,” group. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech is in Baseball America’s “next four out,” which comes after “first four out.” The Hokies are not mentioned in D1 Baseball’s projections.
Football over-under is 6
According to CircaSports (Las Vegas), the over-under win total for Virginia football this fall is 6 wins.
It’s Tony Elliott’s fourth season and fans are expecting at least 6 wins in a “bowl-or-bust” campaign. Elliott’s first three seasons resulted in records of 3-7 (2022), 3-9 (2023) and 5-7 (2024). The 11 wins are the fewest over that three-year span in major college football.
While another betting service established UVA’s over-under at 6.5 wins, Circa’s is 6 when it evaluated the whole ACC: Notre Dame 10; Clemson 9.5; Miami 9; Louisville 8.5; SMU 8.5; Georgia Tech 7.5; North Carolina 7.5; Florida State 7; Duke 6.5; Pitt 6.5; Virginia Tech 6.5; NC State 6; Virginia 6; Boston College 5.5; Cal 5.5; Syracuse 5.5; Wake Forest 4.5; Stanford 3.
The good news is Virginia plays NC State, Stanford, Cal and Wake Forest. That’s four opponents with over-unders at 6 or less, plus two games against teams with over-unders of 6.5 in Duke and Virginia Tech, along with nonconference games against Coastal Carolina, William & Mary and Washington State.
Hootie’s Golden Nuggets …
- I like Fran Fraschilla’s plan to fix college basketball, at least in terms of eligibility and transfers: Five years of eligibility within a five-year window (no redshirts or medical waivers); a one-time transfer exception with immediate eligibility, with the stipulation that a second transfer would require athletes to sit out a season unless their head coach departs the program.
- In the 247Sports final rankings for the class of 2025, Virginia’s Chance Mallory finished No. 54 and Silas Barksdale No. 86.
- Here’s the record of each current ACC football team vs. Notre Dame since the league’s agreement to play five games against the conference each year, a deal that began in 2014: Clemson 4-2, Stanford 4-6, Louisville 2-3, Duke 1-3, Florida State 1-4, NC State 1-2, Miami 1-1, Virginia Tech 1-3, Syracuse 0-5, Boston College 0-5, Georgia Tech 0-4, Pitt 0-4, North Carolina 0-5, Wake Forest 0-4, Virginia 0-4.
- Someone recently posted that if your school is located more than 10 miles from a Waffle House, you don’t belong in the ACC. Amen, brother, Amen. Here’s the list and distance of each ACC school from the nearest Waffle House: Georgia Tech 0.5 miles; FSU 1.1 miles; Virginia Tech 1.2 miles; Clemson 1.3 miles; NC State 1.7 miles; Duke 2.4 miles; Miami 2.4 miles; SMU 2.5 miles; Louisville 3.6 miles; Virginia 4.0 miles; Wake Forest 5.0 miles; North Carolina 7.2 miles. Now, for the other guys: Pitt 23.5 miles, Syracuse 122 miles, Boston College 292 miles; Stanford 729 miles; Cal 758 miles. Nuff said.
- From my pal Derby Bill in Richmond: The U.S. passed a huge sports betting milestone in March. Americans have wagered $500 billion-plus since the Supreme Court cleared the way for legal sports betting seven years ago. 63 percent of this total came in the last three years.
- Former Virginia star quarterback Bryce Perkins is the frontrunner for the United Football League’s MVP.
- Georgia Tech will retire baseball coach Danny Hall’s number after the season. Hall, who is retiring with more than 1,200 career wins, is in his 32nd season.
- Now that Clemson and Notre Dame have agreed to a 12-year schedule with each other in football, Miami is wanting more games with the Fighting Irish. The Hurricanes are set to meet the Irish six times over the next 10 seasons, but Miami wants even more.
- Speaking of Miami, the Hurricanes raised the bar on buying QBs, giving former Georgia QB Carson Beck a reported $4.3-million NIL deal. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin couldn’t help but comment on a podcast when he learned of the deal: “Miami gave him $4.3 million? Did they watch his game with us?” Kiffin said with a chuckle. “I was trying not to go there, but you set me up,” Kiffin said to podcast host Channing Crowder, a former Miami Dolphin. In that Miami-Ole Miss game, Beck was 20 of 31 passing for 186 yards and a touchdown in a 28-10 loss to the Rebels.
- UNC coach Bill Belichick on recruiting: “The big thing is just the volume of players. It’s just the volume. We’ve just finished with the ‘25 class, we’re recruiting the ‘26 class and we’re starting with the ‘27 class, even a couple of ‘28’s. We had the transfer portal in January and another transfer portal in April. When you add up all those players — you know, in the NFL, you have free agency, but it’s much fewer players and you have one draft class. But there’s the ‘25-’26-’27 draft classes and they don’t all run together, but there is activity on them simultaneously. Then you have a few kids reclassifying — he was a ‘26, now he’s a ‘25, that was a ‘27, now he’s a ‘26 — and it’s just the volume of it. There’s more names and moving parts.”
- If you’re a Wahoo fan and you haven’t caught an episode of “The Jerry & Jerry Show,” you’re missing out on a lot of information and conversation, not to mention the great guests that drop by our studio from time to time. Catch us live each Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. on your favorite podcast platform, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter-X, and all the others. We would also love to add some sponsors, and your business will get great exposure to our 25,000-plus viewers (and growing) on up to 15 to 17 states and every corner of the Commonwealth, and saturated in the Central Virginia market. Business owners, email us (jratcliffe7000@gmail.com).
Men’s Golf: UVA advances to NCAA Championships with runner-up finish in Reno
Chang leads wire to wire to claim medalist honors
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Senior Paul Chang claimed a wire-to-wire individual victory at the 2025 NCAA Reno Regional to help Virginia advance to the NCAA Championship for the third-straight year. Chang is the second NCAA Regional Champion in program history.
Chang bested BYU’s Cole Ponich by three strokes and was 10-under in the 54-hole competition. He shot a final round 70 to cruise to his first collegiate victory. His total score of 206 (68-68-70) was tied for the second lowest ever by a Cavalier in regional competition (Ben Kohles – 2012).
In team competition, Virginia placed second and was 11-under (853) for the tournament. It matches the program’s 2022 performance at the Baton Rouge Regional for the best team finish at an NCAA Regional in school history.
The top five teams from the Reno Regional advance to the NCAA Championships – BYU, Virginia, Texas, San Diego and Cal. All five teams will be part of a 30-team field at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Competition begins on Friday, May 23.
Virginia will make its 20th overall appearance in the NCAA Championship and 10th under the direction of head coach Bowen Sargent. UVA is one of 11 programs nationally to qualify in each of the last three seasons.
Deven Patel shot a final-round 67 that included a stretch of six birdies in his first 10 holes. He finished in sole possession of 10th place, his second-straight top-10 performance and third of the season. The 67 was tied for the lowest final-round score of anyone in the field.
Junior Ben James was the third Cavalier in the top-10, coming in a tie for seventh. He had only one blemish on his final round card, a bogey on the 12th hole to go along with four birdies. He finished 3-under for the tournament and posted a total score of 213. He has now placed in the top-10 at a regional in all three of his seasons at UVA and is joined by Chang as the only two NCAA Regional Champions in program history.
This week’s ‘The Jerry & Jerry Show’
Host Jerry Miller and Hall of Famer Jerry Ratcliffe touch all the bases, discussing Virginia’s latest transfer portal acquisitions, where the current basketball roster ranks all-time in Wahoo hoops, what fans should expect from the UVA football team this season and other sports news. Join the podcast version of our show and all the scoop on Cavalier athletics.
The Jerry & Jerry Show headlines:
Malik Thomas Commits To Odom, UVA Hoops
Is This Virginia’s Most Talented Roster Ever?
UVA 2019 National Title Roster vs 2025-26 Roster
2025-2026 Is A Critical Year For ACC, Here’s Why
What Should We Be Watching With UVA Football?
President Trump Wants To Revamp NCAA Sports
UVA Baseball Peaking At Right Time; Is It Enough?
Virginia Tennis & Golf Are Red Hot Right Now
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Men’s Golf: UVA resumes first-round play at NCAA Reno Regional
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
High winds caused the first round of the NCAA Men’s Golf Reno Regional to be delayed for most of the day Monday before play started a little after 7 p.m. ET. Most of the field was able to complete seven holes before play was officially suspended at 9:13 p.m. ET.
Round one will resume on Tuesday morning followed immediately by round two.
Virginia is tied for third place at 5-over with BYU, Duke and Texas while trailing leaders Mississippi State and San Diego at 3-over.
Senior Paul Chang is off to a hot start and is 2-under through seven holes. Beginning his day on hole two, Chang eagled the fifth hole and went on to birdie No. 6 and No. 7 before play was suspended. Chang is one of six players in a field of 75 that are under par in the early going.
For live scoring updates, click here.
Final home game against George Mason canceled due to rainy weather
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Due to significant rainfall in the area forecasted to continue through this evening, Tuesday’s baseball game against George Mason has been canceled. The game will not be rescheduled.
TICKET INFO
Fans are encouraged to donate their ticket(s) for today’s game here.
TEXT ALERTS
To receive text alerts regarding any UVA baseball home schedule changes text “Baseball” to 434-290-0712 or sign up here: https://www.jotform.com/
UP NEXT
Virginia will return to ACC play on Thursday when the Cavaliers travel to Virginia Tech for a three-game set with the Hokies. The series opener’s first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. on ACCNX and WINA (98.9/1070 AM).
Softball: Hoos receive No. 2 seed in Columbia Regional of NCAA Tournament
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 25 Virginia softball team earned its second straight NCAA Tournament berth and will be the two seed in the Columbia Regional hosted by South Carolina, it was announced on Sunday as part of the NCAA Selection Show.
The Cavaliers (37-17) will face third-seeded and ASUN Champions North Florida (45-13) in the opening game on Friday (see full bracket below). The winner of that game will advance to face the region’s top seed South Carolina (40-15) or Elon (33-19). The Gamecocks are the No. 8 overall seed in the tournament. The regional tournament format is double elimination.
Both opening-day games will be streamed on ESPN+.
The winner of the Columbia Regional will advance to face the winner of the Los Angeles Regional hosted by No. 9 overall seed UCLA. Teams participating in the Los Angeles Regional are: UCLA, Arizona State, San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara.
COLUMBIA REGIONAL MATCHUPS
Friday, May 16
Virginia vs. North Florida – 3 p.m.
South Carolina vs. Elon – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 17
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 1 p.m.
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 3:30 p.m.
NOTING THE HOOS
- Virginia earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the second straight season and third time in program history.
- The Cavaliers advanced to the regional championship game last season in the Knoxville Regional where Virginia faced No. 3 overall seed Tennessee.
- The Cavaliers finished seventh in the ACC standings and are one of nine ACC teams to advance earn an NCAA Tournament bid this season.
- The Cavaliers had three players earn All-ACC honors with Eden Bigham and Jade Hylton named to the first team and Macee Eaton named to the second team.
- The Cavaliers hit the 30-win mark for the third straight season and the 37 wins is tied for sixth most in a season in program history – passing last year’s win total of 34 games.
FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“It is an honor to be playing at this point of the season. Only 20 percent of NCAA Softball teams get to play at this point in the year and we’re one of them. That’s something we take seriously and are grateful for. This team has played hard and earned this. It’s really cool to have another historic season under our belts.
“North Florida won their regular season and conference tournament. They’re going to be really tough. They’ve got a great arm in Allison Benning and she’s also hit like 19 home runs. It’s their first NCAA Tournament and they’re going to be ready and hungry. We’re going to have to match that energy and competitiveness. It’s going to be a dog fight, but that’s postseason softball.”
Cavaliers hold off late Miami rally to complete sweep on Senior Day, 8-6
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia baseball team outlasted the Miami Hurricanes in an 8-6 contest on Sunday afternoon at Disharoon Park for the Cavaliers’ sixth-straight victory.
Henry Ford overpowered the Hurricane pitching staff on Sunday by going 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double and four RBIs to tie his season high. The sophomore also scored three times in the contest.
UVA starter Tomas Valincius picked up his fifth win of the season by surrendering a trio of runs over his 6.1 innings of work with seven strikeouts.
Before the game started, Virginia hosted a Senior Day ceremony that celebrated the careers of Alex Markus, Blake Barker, Dean Kampschror, Jacob Ference, Jay Woolfolk, Matthew Buchanan, Matt Lanzendorfer, and Wes Arrington.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia (30-16, 14-10 ACC) wasted no time on Sunday as Ford put the Cavaliers up 2-0 in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer. The dinger was eight of the season and UVA’s fifth of the weekend.
In the bottom of the third, Becker and Ford worked a pair of leadoff walks before coming around to score on a two-out Ference single that made it 4-0 after the opening three innings.
UVA plated three more runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by back-to-back RBI doubles from Becker and Ford to extend the lead to 7-0.
Miami (30-21, 14-12) pulled within two runs at 7-5 with a five-run top of the seventh that featured a three-run home run off the bat of Daniel Cuvet.
Virginia promptly answered following the stretch when Ford belted his second home run of the contest to right field to extend the Cavalier advantage to 8-5.
Out of the bullpen, Arrington tossed a scoreless eighth to set up the dramatics in the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth, a lead-off walk came around to score before the Cavalier pitching trio of Buchanan, Bryson Moore and Lazendorfer each recorded an out to secure the 8-6 Virginia victory along with the series sweep.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia improves to 20-5 when Aidan Teel bats leadoff.
- Dating back to the April 6 contest at NC State, the Cavaliers have hit at least one home run in 17 straight games.
- UVA improves to 28-4 on the season when scoring six or more runs.
- Henry Ford’s two home run performance on Sunday was Ford’s second multi-home run game of the season and fifth of his career.
- James Nunnallee extended his reached safely streak to 13 games on Sunday with a double in the fourth inning.
- Sunday’s win gives Virginia 30 wins on the season, which is the 20th time in the 22-year tenure of Brian O’Connor that UVA has won at least 30 games.
- With the weekend sweep, the Cavaliers improve to 38-37 all-time against Miami.
UP NEXT
Virginia will conclude its home slate on Tuesday, as the Cavaliers are set to host George Mason. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be carried on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM and 1070 AM).
Women’s Lacrosse: Duke upsets No. 5 UVA, 17-9, to end NCAA run
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The No. 5 seed Virginia women’s lacrosse team suffered a 17-9 loss against Duke in a second-round game of the 2025 NCAA Division I Championship at Klöckner Stadium.
Duke (14-5) scored in the opening minute of the game, but sophomore midfielder Kate Galica responded less than a minute later to tie the game 1-1. Duke scored twice to take a 3-1 lead.
Virginia (12-7) twice pulled to within a goal in the first quarter, on scores from sophomores Corey White and Jenna DiNardo, with the score at 4-3 heading into the final minute of the opening period.
Duke scored twice in that final minute to build a 6-3 lead and then added two more goals in the first five minutes of the second to lead 8-3. Back-to-back scores from DiNardo and sophomore Addi Foster made it 8-5 at halftime, the closest the Cavaliers would come the rest of the game.
Duke went on a 4-1 run to start the second half, building a 12-6 advantage with nine minutes remaining in the third. Another set of back-to-back scores from DiNardo and Foster narrowed the gap to 12-8, but Duke went on a 4-0 run to take a 16-8 lead. Galica scored UVA’s lone goal of the fourth with 4:24 left in the game.
Galica and DiNardo each scored a hat trick, with Foster scoring twice.
Duke’s Callie Hem (7) and Bella Goodwin (6) combined to score 13 of the Blue Devils’ 17 goals.
The Cavaliers were the No. 5 national seed in the tournament and the top seed in the Charlottesville Regional. Duke was not nationally seeded and was the No. 3 seed in the regional. The Blue Devils advance to play at 4-seed Florida on Thursday.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia is ranked No. 7 in the latest IWLCA Coaches Poll. Duke is No. 15
- Duke held a 33-19 advantage in shots, including a 10-2 advantage in the fourth quarter
- Duke won the draw control battle 19-11, including winning all five in the second quarter
- Virginia senior goalkeeper Abby Jansen played the final 39 minutes of the game, making a season-high seven saves
- This was Virginia’s 29th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship and 37th overall
FROM HEAD COACH SONIA LaMONICA
“We really battled hard. I think over the course of the game, that started to wear down, and we started to make uncharacteristic decisions. The loose balls, the 50-50 plays, we came up short as the game went on. I think it started with the draws a little bit, which led to a lot of D-possessions and not as many as we would have liked on offense.”
On the Seniors:
“They’ve been incredible. They’ve really galvanized the culture of this team and the way that they love each other, the way that they support each other, the spirit that they bring, support that they have for one another. I know there’s a lot of pride in wearing the UVA Jersey across your chest. Our leaders carry that legacy, and know how important that is, and they’ve just left a remarkable mark on this program that is a legacy.”
Men’s Golf: Virginia opens play at NCAA Reno Regional on Monday
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia men’s golf team will make its 17th-straight appearance in an NCAA Regional when it competes this week (Monday through Wednesday) at Montreux Golf & Country Club in Reno, Nev. UVA won its first ACC Championship to earn an automatic bid and is the No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Reno Regional.
Live Scoring: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/236557/scoring/team
Format – 54-hole stroke play with the low four scores counted each round for the team total. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals.
NOTING THE CAVALIERS
- Virginia is one of 14 programs in the country to earn a spot in an NCAA Regional in each of the last 17 years.
- Virginia has competed against six of the 14 teams in the Reno Regional in the 2024-25 season with wins against five of them – Texas, Alabama, Duke, Miss. State, Cal and ETSU. UVA is 6-4 against the six Reno Regional squads in stroke play competition.
- The Cavaliers are playing in Nevada for the second time this season. UVA finished fourth out 15 teams competing at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas.
- This will mark the 28th overall appearance for UVA in an NCAA Regional. The Cavaliers are seeking their 13th appearance and third consecutive berth in the NCAA Championship.
- UVA revisits the state of Nevada for the second time in three years for NCAA Regional play. The Cavaliers came in second in the Las Vegas Regional in 2023 in which then-freshman Ben James was the individual medalist with a 20-under (65-66-65, 196) at Bear’s Best Las Vegas Course. The 196 still stands as the lowest individual 54-hole score in NCAA Regional history.
UVA IN THE RANKINGS
Golf Coaches Association of America (May 8) – No. 9
Scoreboard National Collegiate Golf Rankings (May 2) – No. 9
CAVALIER LINEUP
Ben James
Bryan Lee
Paul Chang
Josh Duangmanee
Deven Patel
NCAA RENO REGIONAL FIELD
Teams (seeded in the following order):
1. Texas
2. Virginia* [Atlantic Coast Conference]
3. Alabama
4. Duke
5. Mississippi State
6. Brigham Young
7. San Diego
8. Santa Clara
9. California
10. Grand Canyon
11. Sam Houston* [Conference USA]
12. East Tennessee State* [Southern Conference]
13. Central Arkansas* [ASUN Conference]
14. Fairfield* [Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]
*Automatic Qualifier
THE COURSE
Montreux Golf & Country Club – Par 72, 550 yards is a premier private golf destination nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1997, this 18-hole, par-72 championship course stretches up to 7,550 yards from the back tees and is renowned for its challenging layout and stunning alpine scenery.
Situated between 5,500 and 6,000 feet above sea level, the course features significant elevation changes, including a dramatic 138-foot drop from the tee to the fairway on the 17th hole. Montreux hosted a PGA Tour Tournament (The Reno-Tahoe Open, later called the Barracuda Championship) from 1999-2019, solidifying its reputation as a tournament-caliber venue.
Virginia rallies, clinches series with 10-9 walk-off win over Miami
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The Virginia baseball team erased a four-run deficit to secure a third-straight ACC series win with a 10-9 walk-off victory over Miami at Disharoon Park on Saturday.
Down a run in the bottom of the ninth, Harrison Didawick spearheaded the final push with a leadoff home run before Aidan Teel won the game with a one-out RBI single that scored James Nunnallee.
Teel led the way for the Cavaliers offensively on Saturday with a 3-for-3 day that included four RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Miami (30-20, 14-11 ACC) got on the board first in the top of the first with a solo home run of the bat of the Hurricanes’ Daniel Cuvet.
In the bottom of the second, Virginia seized a 3-1 lead when Teel promptly unloaded the bases after a pair of singles and a hit by pitch.
The visiting Hurricanes plated six runs in the top of the fourth, including a grand slam, to take a 7-3 advantage.
Virginia (29-16, 13-10) got a run back in the home half of the third when Henry Ford scrambled home on a Henry Godbout RBI groundout.
Miami tacked on another run in the top of the fourth with a sacrifice fly that made it an 8-4 ballgame.
UVA’s comeback started in earnest during the bottom of the fifth when Teel scored on a Ford RBI single.
An inning later, Eric Becker singled home Nunnallee with the bases loaded to bring the Cavaliers within a pair of runs at 8-6.
While the offense was mounting the comeback, Evan Blanco threw 3.1 scoreless innings of relief with a pair of strikeouts.
Following the seventh inning stretch, Godbout sent a jolt through the Disharoon Park faithful with a no-doubt home run to the right field bleachers. The solo shot made it an 8-7 contest and was Godbout’s seventh of the season.
Virginia tied the game later in the bottom of the seventh, when Becker was hit by a 1-1 pitch with the bases loaded.
To set up the late-inning dramatics, Miami regained the lead in the top of the eighth on an RBI single that was laced back up the middle.
On the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth, Didawick launched his sixth home run of the season to tie the game at 9-9.
Following the Didawick no-doubter, Nunnalee worked a walk and stole second before ultimately scoring on Teel’s second walk-off hit of the season.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Virginia improves to 19-5 when Aidan Teel bats leadoff.
- Dating back to the April 6 contest at NC State, the Cavaliers have hit at least one home run in 16 straight games.
- UVA improves to 27-4 on the season when scoring six or more runs.
- Saturday’s win was Virginia’s 17th comeback victory of the season.
- Harrison Didawick has homered in back-to-back games for the first time since hitting a home run in five-straight games from May 12-22, 2024.
UP NEXT
The series concludes on Sunday with the final game of the three-game set. Virginia will have lefthander Tomas Valincius (4-1) on the mound against Miami righthander Tate DeRias (2-0). First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and will air on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).
Men’s Tennis: Virginia wins 4-2 nailbiter over Arizona, advances to Waco
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Late in Saturday’s NCAA Round of 16 match between No. 7 seeded Virginia and visiting No. 10 Arizona, the outcome was up in the air as the Wildcats tightened the match to 3-2 with two close singles matches up for grabs.
A confident Andres Pedroso must have figured he had Arizona exactly where he wanted them.
UVA’s Dylan Dietrich was trailing Jay Friend, 5-2, in the final set on Court 2, while teammate Mans Dahlberg was battling Casper Christensen tooth-and-nail in a third set on Court 6. All the pressure of advancing to next week’s NCAA quarterfinals in Waco, Texas, had come down to these pair of nailbiters.
If Dietrich felt that pressure, he kept it well disguised as he mounted the biggest comeback of his career and stormed back to upset Friend, 1-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5, to give Virginia a 4-2 victory over the Big 12 champions.
Pedroso’s 23-7 Wahoos advance to Waco, where they will face No. 2 seed TCU (25-3) in the quarterfinals next Friday.
For the Virginia coach, Saturday’s win validated everything that he believed about his young team, which at times has started five freshmen this season.
“We’ve heard it all year that we’re young, we’re inexperienced, that these guys don’t really know what college tennis is,” Pedroso said. “Heard all of it on social media and in articles, and I’ve heard coaches say it.”
Pedroso, who has built a championship culture at Virginia, piggy-backing on what Brian Boland established years ago, knew this team could overcome the inexperience and rise to the cream of the crop.
“As soon as you step foot on grounds at UVA and you’re a member of this program, being the mentally toughest player you can possibly be becomes your DNA,” Pedroso said after Saturday’s win. “So many players in this program have done that and it’s tradition, so I try and ingrain that in their minds as often as I possibly can because it’s the truth.”
Dietrich (sophomore) and Dahlberg (junior) defeated Friend and Eric Padgham on the top doubles court, while freshmen Rafael Jódar and Roy Horovitz saved two break points while serving for the match for a 6-4 victory that gave Virginia the all-important doubles point and a 1-0 lead before singles play.
Keegan Rice (freshman) defeated Arizona’s Zoran Ludoski, 6-4, 6-2, for an early 2-0 UVA lead, which soon grew to 3-0 when grad student James Hopper broke Alexander Rozin for a 6-4 first set and sent on to win, 7-5, to close out the match.
Fifth-seeded Colton Smith of the Wildcats delivered on a fourth match point to beat Jódar, 6-3, 7-6 (7), on the top singles court to give Arizona its first point of the match, trailing 3-1. Then Filip Gustafsson downed UVA freshman Jangjun Kim, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, taking the final two games of the match to narrow the gap to 3-2, leaving things up to the remaining two tight singles matches.
Dietrich and Dahlberg both lost their opening sets, but fought back admirably. As previously mentioned, Dietrich was down 5-2 in the third set, held serve, then broke Friend and evened the set at 5-5. He broke Friend again and served for the win, winning the last five games for the triumph that iced the match.
Meanwhile, Dahlberg led Christensen, 5-3, in the final set as Dietrich wrapped up the win.
“We knew that the doubles point was important and I really emphasized to the guys in the locker room to come out the right way, that we might surprise them a little bit,” Pedroso said. “Because (Arizona) is known for being loud, and are known for playing with a lot of emotion, and I don’t think we are, so I said, ‘Guys, let’s show them that we can be a little bit like that, too.’ And I think that helped us.”
A packed house watched Virginia celebrate yet another milestone in its storied tennis history, advancing to another championship weekend.
Now, it’s on to Waco and TCU’s Horned Frogs, and Virginia will be considered underdogs, but with a very dangerous bite.
“We just start over,” Pedroso said. “Every single match of this tournament you have to start over. It’s almost like a new season once you get to Waco. Every match is 50-50, everyone is going to be well prepared.
“I’ve learned not to underestimate the dysfunction in the locker room — the other team’s locker room, that is. So this is what we play for, and we’ve been pretty good at it over the years.”
The #NCAATennis men’s quarterfinals are set 🎾
🎩 @WakeMTennis
🐸 @TCUMensTennis
🤘 @TexasMTN
🌲 @StanfordTennis
🐶 @HailStateMT
🔵 @uclatennis
⚔️ @UVAMensTennis
🦁 @CULionsMTEN pic.twitter.com/06MrZRNnwf— NCAA Tennis (@NCAATennis) May 10, 2025
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
- Virginia is the No. 7 seed in the championship and the No. 4 ranked team in the ITA Team Rankings
- This was the first ever meeting between Virginia and Arizona
- The Wildcats were the No. 10 seed and ranked No. 10 in the ITA Team Rankings
- UVA ended Arizona’s 11-match win streak
- The Cavaliers advance to the quarterfinals for the 18th time in the last 20 championships
- Dylan Dietrich improves to 23-8 this season in singles and 17-5 in dual matches
- Dietrich’s win over No. 6 Jay Friend is his second top 10 ranked singles win of the season
- Keegan Rice picked up his third ranked singles victory of the season
- Roy Horovitz and Rafael Jódar stayed undefeated this season as a doubles team, improving to 5-0
- TCU leads the all-time series with UVA, 6-3. The Horned Frogs have won the last two matchups, including the most recent meeting in 2022
- The Horned Frogs are ranked No. 2 in the ITA Team Rankings and are the No. 2 seed
VIRGINIA 4, ARIZONA 2
Singles
1. #5 Colton Smith (ARIZ) def. #4 Rafael Jódar (VA) 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)
2. #32 Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. #6 Jay Friend (ARIZ) 1-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5
3. Keegan Rice (VA) def. #103 Zoran Ludoski (ARIZ) 6-4, 6-2
4. James Hopper (VA) def. Alexander Rozin (ARIZ) 6-4, 7-5
5. Filip Gustafsson (ARIZ) def. Jangjun Kim (VA) 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
6. Mans Dahlberg (VA) vs. Casper Christensen (ARIZ) 3-6, 6-4, 5-3, unfinished
Doubles
1. #31 Mans Dahlberg/Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. Jay Friend/Eric Padgham (ARIZ) 6-3
2. #23 Keegan Rice/James Hopper (VA) vs. Casper Christensen/Filip Gustafsson (ARIZ) 5-4, unfinished
3. Rafael Jódar/Roy Horovitz (VA) def. Colton Smith/Alexander Rozin (ARIZ) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,4,1,5,2)
Punched our Ticket to the Elite 8 ✅ #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/lmmYxbVXs6
— Virginia Men’s Tennis (@UVAMensTennis) May 10, 2025
Dietrich dug down deep, trailing 5-2, to clinch match
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Down 5 games to 2 in the third set of the NCAA’s Round of 16, a trip to Waco’s quarterfinals on the line, there was not enough pressure to cause Virginia’s Dylan Dietrich to fold on Saturday afternoon at the Boar’s Head courts.
Arizona’s Jay Friend was up 1-6, 7-6 (7-1), 5-2 over Dietrich, and for a moment, the situation looked dire for the Cavaliers. UVA was up 3-2 in the overall match, but the final two singles matches were extremely tight.
Dietrich displayed phenomenal mental toughness, digging down deep to battle back and reeled off five straight game wins to take the third set, 7-5, and send Virginia to next week’s quarters in Texas.
It was a comeback for the ages.
“I kind of told myself I was also down in the second set, 6-5, and [Friend] was serving for the match, and I felt like he got a little tight,” Dietrich said after the inspiring rally. “Closing out, it’s not easy.
“Basically I told myself that, okay, he failed in the second set of closing me out, so let’s just make it as tough as possible for him. Let’s try to make as many balls as possible and let’s see if we can close him out. I thought [Friend] needs to hit four winners and I’m not going to miss, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Dietrich detected at that point of the match that he might be fitter than Friend, a result of UVA’s conditioning, and that he was a little more patient than his opponent, which helped as well.
Studying Friend throughout the match, Dietrich made some strategic decisions that helped him not only stay in the match, but to survive and advance.
“The more I started moving the ball a little bit more, not taking risks, but tried to make [Friend] move a little bit more, switching from cross to line, without taking full risk, just putting the ball in the middle of the court,” Dietrich explained. “I think that kind of helped me in the end, especially when it got more physical toward the third set.
“Just make him move, make him uncomfortable, make him go for a lot of risks. I mean, in the end, he was swinging at every ball in the foreign corner and going for everything or nothing. I think that was the most important thing.”
Dietrich also felt that as the balls got older it was an advantage for him because of his long arms, his ability to accelerate the ball heavily, making it tougher on his opponent.
Later, he would call this match the biggest comeback of his career.
“There were other comebacks I had, but I mean, in the Round of 16, NCAA, comes down to me and Mans. To pull off such a comeback is huge, especially with such a great crowd watching. It was just special. I couldn’t ask for a better time to do it than at home in this situation,” Dietrich said.
“He’s a competitor,” said Virginia coach Andres Pedroso. “That kid wants to win and he’s gonna scrap and claw and just find ways. He did it all of last year. He played sick, he played hurt, and he’s done it this year. I feel really confident when it comes down to him.”
With a packed house at Virginia’s courts at Boar’s Head, the pressure quickly refocused on Dietrich’s match after Arizona had tightened the match to 3-2, with the two remaining singles matches in play. Dietrich was down and teammate Dahlberg was battling in a third set just a couple of courts over.
All eyes were on the two matches as the pressure mounted.
As Pedroso pointed out, matches can flip quickly, and so both team’s seasons were on the line.
All that stuff Pedroso constantly preaches to his team about a winning DNA, never giving up, fighting to the end, evolved into reality on Court No. 2 as Dietrich’s resolve was fully on display.
“I mean, ultimately, when you put on the UVA uniform, like coach said, it’s like a part of us, it’s really tough to beat Virginia, especially in May and wearing all white (uniforms, a tradition). It’s just something special,” Dietrich said. “This match, this day reminded me of the older guys that graduated last year and even the years before that, what they all have worked for, is just all coming together.”
The Hoos are Waco bound!!! #NCAATennis #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/75A61KgeAM
— Virginia Men’s Tennis (@UVAMensTennis) May 10, 2025
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 5 Cavaliers host Blue Devils for spot in NCAA Quarterfinals
Courtesy UVA Media Relations
The fifth-seeded Virginia women’s lacrosse team hosts Duke in a second-round game of the NCAA Division I Championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Klöckner Stadium.
HOW TO WATCH
- All three games of the Charlottesville Regional will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required)
- Links for the live stats and live stream are available on VirginiaSports.com
TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
- Tickets are $10 for general admission and $15 for reserved seating, and student tickets are $5. Fans may purchase tickets in advance via UVAtix.com or by calling the Virginia Athletics ticket office (434-924-8821). Fans may also purchase tickets at the Klöckner Stadium box office starting one hour prior to the event.
- Free parking is available in the John Paul Jones South and West Lots
VIRGINIA NOTES
- Virginia (12-6) and Duke (13-5) are facing one another for the second time this season at Klöckner Stadium
- In the regular-season meeting, the Cavaliers trailed by as many as seven points in the first half and were down 9-4 at halftime, but outscored the Blue Devils 10-1 in the third quarter to take a 14-10 lead into the final period of play, holding on for the 16-11 victory
- The Cavaliers defeated LIU 20-6 on Friday night to advance to the second round. Duke defeated James Madison 17-10
- Virginia is the No. 5 national seed in the tournament and the top seed in the Charlottesville regional. Duke is the No. 3 seed in the regional
- Virginia is No. 7 in the latest IWLCA rankings. Duke is No. 15
VIRGINIA IN THE NCAA WOMEN’S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
- Virginia is looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 and for the 12th time in program history
- The Cavaliers are making their 29th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship
- UVA has played the second-most games in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship appearing in 74 contests.
- Virginia owns the third-most wins in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship with 41
- This is UVA’s 37th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament and owns a 41-33 overall record in the tournament
- The winner of the Charlottesville bracket will face the winner of the Gainesville (Florida) bracket in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The game will be played on the home field of the highest remaining seed on Thursday, May 15
- The NCAA Semifinals and Finals will be held May 23-25 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.