It's been a rough week for the Virginia women's basketball team. Their last three opponents were all ranked in the top six nationally. Additionally, the Cavaliers have lost their last six games. The team currently stands at 13-10 overall and 2-9 in the ACC.
Even though Virginia is in a bit of a slump, players and coaches are proud of the team's effort. After the loss to North Carolina, coach Debbie Ryan reflected on the past week.
"It was a very brutal stretch," Ryan said. "However, we took some steps forward in this stretch. We played Maryland at home to an overtime game and played North Carolina fairly close. We were able to make some big strides, and we weren't overmatched against North Carolina, we just made some errors that really hurt us. I was very proud of our effort."
Virginia's NCAA tournament chances are growing dimmer by the day. They are looking to make a late-season run in order to get a tournament bid.
Tonight, Virginia plays Longwood at 7 p.m. at U-Hall. This will be Virginia's last non-conference game of the season. Longwood comes into the game sporting a 9-15 record. Longwood has played two ACC teams: Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech and lost to both by large margins. The Cavaliers would like to use this game as a springboard to finish their season on a high note. With four games remaining, Virginia is hoping to run the table and get into a groove for the ACC tournament.
"We want to take what we did against North Carolina and build on it, Ryan said. "We've learned a lot, and we have to show what we've learned. We have to prove to people that we really are good and that we can handle a lot of different things. It's not going to matter who we see in the ACC Tournament, we're going to be able to step up and beat them."
Virginia's offensive production has continued its steady decline in the past three games. However, tonight against Longwood, the Cavaliers will be eager to reverse the trend and rack up some points.
"You are going to have nights that you are not going to shoot as well as you would like," junior forward Siedah Williams said. "That is something that can be corrected overnight by getting a little extra shooting in. We have players that can do that, so we are going to bounce back quickly."
In particular, Virginia sharpshooter Brenna McGuire has struggled shooting the ball recently. However, coaches are certain that she can turn it around against Longwood.
"Right now [the shots] are just not falling for Brenna," Ryan said. "We're working really hard now on her taking shots where she's really bothered and covered and people are in her face. She's doing really well in practice, it's just not transferring onto the floor, but it will."
Virginia has a very young team this year, with only one senior and three juniors on its roster. Despite Virginia's youth, Ryan is confident the Cavaliers can put their shortcomings behind them and move on.
"I have a lot of faith in this team, and I feel really strongly about this team," Ryan said. "Even though we're really young, they're making strides and they're going in the right direction. They practice hard, and I know we're going to get better and better."
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