Last weekend, the Virginia softball team (37-14) emerged victorious at the highly competitive Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C., completing the tournament with a 4-0 record against ACC rivals Maryland, UNC and Georgia Tech. Now, back at home, the Cavaliers look to take the momentum of success into what should prove to be two days of intense contests against a formidable Villanova squad (26-6) on Saturday and a Tar Heel team (27-21) seeking vengeance Sunday.
In Chapel Hill, Virginia's performances were nothing short of stellar. On Saturday, the Cavaliers registered two come-from-behind wins, first against the Terrapins, then against UNC.
In the 7-5 finish against Maryland, Virginia trailed the Terrapins 5-0 after an inning and a half. But over the course of the game, the Cavaliers chipped into the deficit thanks to strong showings at the plate and senior pitcher Kristen Dennis' six innings of scoreless relief.
The decision against UNC came down to the bottom of the seventh inning. Trailing 3-1, Cavaliers again demonstrated offensive heroics with four players registering hits to end the game in a 4-3 victory.
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On Sunday, Virginia faced Georgia Tech over the bragging rights as tournament champion. On March 31, the Yellow Jackets handed Virginia two losses in the Cavaliers' ACC season opener in Atlanta. But in Chapel Hill, the Cavaliers achieved vengeance, squeaking by Georgia Tech in the final game of round-robin play, 1-0 and winning the championship game easily, 10-5.
"I think we're definitely feeling really good after last weekend," senior outfielder Kelly McCabe said. "It was sort of a preview of what's to come at the ACC tournament. All those teams will be there with the addition of Florida State. After this weekend, we know we can beat them, we know what their strength and weaknesses are and we'll know how to play against them."
Dennis received Most Valuable Player for the tournament after securing all four wins for Virginia, and then received ACC Player of the Week and ECAC Co-Pitcher of the Week accolades after going 5-1 on the week. Matching her pitching efforts on the offensive end, the senior hit .500 from the plate.
Beginning Saturday, the Cavaliers turn their attention to defending their laudable home winning streak, carried over from last year, of 30.
Villanova arrives in Charlottesville riding high on a nine-game winning streak and as of April 7, are currently ranked 16th in the nation in winning percentages. Much of the Wildcats' success is owed to their impressive pitching efforts. In the most recent NCAA Division I softball statistics, the Villanova pitching lineup, led by Theresa Hornick with a 0.71 ERA, ranks fourth in the nation with a 0.93 ERA average. Additionally, the team is 19th in fielding percentage (.969).
"Villanova had a great team last year," McCabe said. "We're not taking anyone lightly."
On Sunday, Virginia will face the Tar Heels after sliding by them last weekend. Picked second in the preseason ACC poll, the Tar Heels would like nothing better than to snap the Cavaliers' home win streak and redeem themselves after relinquishing last weekend's lead.
But Virginia has other plans for the weekend.
"Knowing that we can beat UNC gives us much more confidence," McCabe said.
Freshman pitcher Valerie Sevilla agreed.
"If we keep playing like last weekend, I have no doubt we'll come out on top," Sevilla said. "They're going to be hard matches but if we play our game, we'll be fine."
Virginia begins the weekend action against Villanova at noon on Saturday and faces UNC on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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