Improvement -- it has been the theme of the Virginia women's tennis team's season. "From the very beginning we definitely had room to improve," senior Lindsey Pereira said.
For two years, I have resisted the temptation to write a stream-of-consciousness sports column. While I surely haven't spared friends and family of my stream of consciousness while talking about sports, I have been pretty good about making sure my columns have a distinct central idea or argument, with minimal rambling or jumping from topic to topic. I just figured I'd warn you: That's not happening today.
It has been a season of milestones for the Virginia women's lacrosse team. In one game against Johns Hopkins, the program reached 400 wins, only the third to do so in the NCAA, and head coach Julie Myers won her 100th game in Charlottesville.
I've spent the past four years asking athletes and coaches what they've learned. The answers have ranged from the mind-numbingly boring to the incredibly fascinating.
The Virginia softball team will head back across the Mason-Dixon Line today to take on Towson in a doubleheader after losing two of three to Maryland this weekend. The Tigers (28-20, 9-5 CAA) enter the afternoon having lost two of their last three to Georgia State but having won six of their last eight.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the second inning, Virginia sophomore third basemen Tyler Cannon faced a full count.
Kevin Coale is the kind of player every team values -- one with an infectious attitude and dedication from day one of preseason practice.
Despite ending the first day of the 20th annual ACC Championship with a huge lead and maintaining a tie for first through the second day of competition, the Virginia women's golf team slipped during the third day to finish the tournament in second place, one stroke shy of Duke.
To some, lacrosse is a game of speed, agility and finesse. Others know it as a hard-fought and physical contest, much like football.
The No. 16 Virginia baseball team will come into its matchups against Georgetown tonight and William & Mary tomorrow with renewed confidence following an 11th-inning win against Wake Forest Sunday. Virginia (31-11, 13-8 ACC) won two of three against the Demon Deacons, this weekend, overcoming a tough 14-3 loss Saturday night to win 3-2 Sunday in 11 innings, restoring lost confidence. "After you lose a game like you did [Saturday] night, there's some confidence issues," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said.
The Virginia men's golf team finished in ninth place of 11 teams at the ACC Championships this past weekend?
This is my last column of the year, so I wanted to start by thanking you for reading along. I hope I have provided some semblance of sports insight or humor (or both) to get you through your Tuesdays. Anyway, for this week, I figured I would talk about sports-related issues to get you through the summer.
The Virginia men's tennis team continued its undefeated run with a win in the finals of the ACC Championship match against Miami Sunday, bringing its ACC Tournament victory total to four of the previous five tournaments.
The Virginia women's rowing team won its ninth consecutive ACC rowing championship Saturday at Clemson.
Several members of the Cavalier track and field team won ACC titles at this past weekend's championship meet. Sophomore Meghan Briggs not only set a personal record, but her throw of 49.67 meters in the javelin won her first place.
As I was sitting at the baseball game yesterday afternoon, staring out into the always panoramic Davenport Field, I noticed a new feature in the left field bleachers: the "'Hoo Zone" sign.
With a season-high four goals, senior attackman Ben Rubeor led the Cavaliers to a 11-7 win against Dartmouth -- quite fitting on a day reserved for celebrating the Cavaliers' senior players. It was junior attacker Danny Glading, however, who took it upon himself to get things going offensively for Virginia (11-2, 1-2 ACC). In the final four minutes of the first period, Glading's two goals and one assist helped propel the Cavaliers from a two-goal deficit to a two-goal lead. Virginia continued to extend its lead in the second quarter; with a hat-trick and one assist, Rubeor played a role in every goal Virginia scored that period.
When freshman centerfielder Jarrett Parker cracked the first pitch of his at-bat in the bottom of the 11th to deep left-center and sophomore pinch-runner Corey Hunt tagged up on third before darting home to score the game-winning run, the Virginia dugout emptied and piled on top of Parker.
Virginia softball lost two games of a three-game series to Maryland (32-15, 6-9 ACC) this weekend in its second-to-last ACC matchup of the season. The Cavaliers (14-33, 5-13 ACC) started off strong Saturday, taking the first game of a doubleheader 5-4 behind a complete game performance from junior Karla Wilburn, who held off a Maryland rally in the seventh for the win.
It is interesting how the athletes making the most noise this season are the ones not even playing a sport.
