With the Virginia field hockey team struggling to find wins as the regular season winds down, the Cavaliers will call on their most experienced players to lead the team against No. 2 Duke Sunday. Two of these players, Biffy Cornelison and Katherine Blair, are redshirt juniors.
The decision to redshirt in field hockey is not uncommon, and its benefits are clear in the careers of both Cornelison and Blair.
"I switched positions," the defender Cornelison said. "I came in as a forward and had just started learning how to play defense. It was just a big transition from playing high school field hockey to college and then learning a completely different position. I just needed a year to kind of learn it and practice and get better."
The Virginia Beach native has started 15 of the Cavaliers' 17 games and is responsible for inserting the ball on Virginia's short corners. She has totaled four assists on the year and seven for her career.
Blair, who represented the United States at the U-21 Junior World Cup in Chile this fall, found herself in a different set of circumstances than Cornelison. As a backup goalkeeper, the chance for substituting in during games was remote, especially given the talent above her on the depth chart.
"I knew coming in [that] Virginia had an extremely good goalie," Blair said. "I pretty much knew coming in that I would probably redshirt and just take a year and learn from her. It was just the right option."
Both Cornelison and Blair have made plans to return to the Cavaliers for the 2006 season. Each will graduate in the spring and take graduate courses next fall.
Virginia coach Jess Wilk emphasized the general goal of redshirting and how it can be unique to field hockey.
"A lot of times, with field hockey, it takes a little bit longer to develop, just because it takes so long to master basic skills," Wilk said. "So often the player you are in the first year and the player you are in the fifth year is significantly different."
The Cavaliers do not have any players currently redshirting and may need to dig into some of that depth Sunday against the Blue Devils.
Senior midfielder Sarah Miller is questionable for the game with a sprained ankle. Miller was injured against Wake Forest and watched Wednesday's loss to Richmond from the sidelines. Sophomore Abby Taylor started in her place.
Duke (12-3) has been ranked in the top five the entire season, falling only to Wake Forest, Old Dominion and Maryland. The Blue Devil offense has been the best in the ACC for the duration of the season, averaging 3.73 goals per game.
Though Sunday's regular season finale figures to be an uphill battle from the start, Wilk sees the game as a chance for the Cavaliers to build some confidence and prove they will be a force in next week's ACC Tournament
"I think there's no question about it -- they're [Duke] a great team," Wilk said. "But I think that's part of why you compete and why you play sports. You want to put yourself out there against the best in the country and see how it comes out."
Sunday's match with Duke will take place exactly a year after the Blue Devils defeated Virginia 3-0 in Durham to close out the 2004 regular season.
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