The Virginia women's basketball team will need a strong finish to the season to reach the 20-win plateau for the first time since its 1999-2000 campaign. For the Cavaliers (17-8, 6-5), the first step in their late-season push will begin Sunday at home against Maryland (18-6, 7-5).
It does not seem like long ago that the women's basketball team was winning 25, 27 or even 30 games a season. Certainly 20 wins used to be a given for the Cavaliers, but times have changed.
All throughout the 1990s, powerhouses Maryland and Virginia would duel for the top ranking in the nation. Now, the teams are relegated to a match for fifth place in the ACC.
This season's Virginia team is a far cry from its prowess of the 90s, but the Cavaliers are on the upswing from last season's disappointing 13-16 finish.
Less than three weeks ago, Virginia was sitting at 16-5 overall and 5-2 in the ACC after knocking off then-No. 24 Florida State.
Virginia proceeded to go on a week-long skid, dropping three matches, at N.C. State and home against North Carolina and Miami.
The Cavaliers came out of their late season swoon last Sunday against rival Virginia Tech. With a week off until its next game, the team hopes to use its first win at Cassell Coliseum since 1997 to springboard itself into the NCAA Tournament.
"We've got a lot of people playing a lot of minutes, such as Sharnee Zoll and LaTonya Blue," senior forward Brandi Teamer said. "I think we need time for our legs to refresh."
On Jan. 25, Virginia traveled to College Park and came away with a closely contested loss, 63-60. The Cavaliers possessed a halftime lead over Maryland despite missing 21 of their first 27 shots. Virginia, however, let Maryland back in the game and lost it late.
The Cavaliers are 3-4 on the season in games decided by six points or less, and in order to win Sunday, they will need to come out strong early and keep up their lead.
"We have to start from the beginning, we can't even let it get to a close game," Teamer said. "We can't let it get down to the point where it is two or three points at the end. We don't do particularly well in those situations."
Down the stretch, the leadership of seniors like Teamer and Blue will be key, but the emergence of some of the younger players, particularly freshmen trio Takisha Granberry, Denesha Kenion and Sharnee Zoll, will also be instrumental to Virginia's potential late season success.
"[The freshmen] are really focused, paying attention, trying to get better," Blue said.
Overall team focus has been the cornerstone of locker room discussion since the loss to Miami.
After the game against the Hurricanes, the team held a meeting in search of answers and leadership. Blue responded at Virginia Tech with 16 points, 13 coming in the second half alone.
To win Sunday, Virginia will need Blue to keep up her recent success. In their last meeting, Blue finished with 11 points but missed 13 shots.
Teamer and Blue are Virginia's two leading scorers but shot only 29 percent from the field against Maryland. That number needs to improve Sunday.
If fans are to believe that the Virginia Tech game truly was a turning point for the Cavaliers, a win Sunday is a must. Maryland and Virginia currently are battling for position within the ACC standings and with the postseason just around the corner, every game matters.
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