After hanging in limbo for the past four days, the Cavaliers heard the news they wanted last night as they received a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia, who has not appeared in the Tournament since 2001, received an at-large bid and will play Iowa in the first round at Wake Forest.
After three mediocre seasons, coach Michelle Madison came in, and in her first year, turned around a program that was struggling to establish itself in the ACC.
"I think it's a credit to the entire coaching staff and the team," Madison said. "It was a goal to make the tournament and an optimistic goal, but they were persistent throughout the whole process and got it done."
This year's Cavaliers are excited to be part of the turnaround. No member of this year's team has been to the tournament.
"It's a dream come true," senior Biffy Cornelison said. "This is why I stayed for my fifth year. I'm just proud to be a part of this team."
Despite no player having played any games in the tournament, this year's team has proven in the regular season that they can compete with top competition. Of the teams that have made the NCAA Tournament, Virginia beat James Madison, Richmond and North Carolina. The Cavaliers have also made a case for why they deserve to be given a bid after going 13-7 against the fourth hardest schedule in the nation.
"We're just so happy and feel like we accomplished what we set out to do," Cornelison said. "It definitely feels good because we feel like we deserve to be there."
Iowa will be a new opponent for Virginia. The two teams have only met twice in school history. The Hawkeyes took the first match in 1993, while the Cavaliers won in extra time in 1994.
Madison, however, is very familiar with the Iowa program. After serving as an assistant coach there early in her career, she went on to coach against them at rival school Michigan State for 13 seasons.
Madison, however, recognizes that her familiarity with the Hawkeye program can only go so far in helping the team reach the second round of the tournament.
"When the whistle blows, it's up to the players to compete," Madison said.
Now that they know where they stand, the Cavaliers will use the rest of the week to prepare for Saturday's game. Virginia has a 6-16 all-time record in national championships and has not been to the semifinals since 1998. The team, however, is not getting ahead of itself.
"Iowa is a good team," Cornelison said. "If they have made it this far, they must be good. We're going to have to take one game at a time."
Read More
Road loss to Syracuse concludes turbulent regular season for men’s basketball
By Emory Huffman | 1 hours agoEntering the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers are left with more questions than answers.
Men's lacrosse triumphs over Towson in historic Houston matchup
By Eleanor Lynch | 2 hours agoVirginia earned a sorely-needed victory, and established momentum ahead of a pending clash with No. 1 Maryland.
No. 9 Virginia nabs win amid tenuous circumstances in 22-16 run-fest Saturday
By Stephen O'Dea | 2 hours agoThe Cavaliers made five errors for the first time since 2009, but the offense was able to compensate.
