As the men's soccer season reaches its midpoint, heavy legs and decreasing stamina become a major concern for the Cavaliers. Fortunately, the team has been sparked by outstanding play from junior reserve midfielders Ian Holder and Will Hall.
As the youngest of three, born into a family that comes together most animatedly when discussing a TV show or sports, I can tell you that the beginning of fall is the time when we become especially alive. Since fall officially fell last Thursday, nary a day has gone by during which I haven't received a phone call, text message or e-mail from somebody in my family -- just to talk sports. Yea, we're weird, but don't fault us for that.
The University of Virginia volleyball team began ACC play this weekend with a win over N.C. State and a loss to North Carolina. The Cavaliers traveled to Raleigh Friday and claimed a 3-0 (30-23, 30-18, 30-22) victory over the Wolfpack, Virginia's 20th consecutive win over N.C.
Junior linebacker Kai Parham and freshman guard Branden Albert both won ACC player of the week honors for their showing against Duke. Parham shared Defensive Lineman of the Week honors and Albert shared the Rookie of the Week award. Parham led the team with 12 tackles, including five for a loss.
Virginia's cross country teams traveled to Cary, N.C. this weekend to compete in the Great American Cross Country Festival.
The Virginia field hockey team opened ACC play Sunday with a 1-0 loss to No. 17 Boston College. The Eagles got on the board 13 minutes into the game and never relinquished the lead.
Sports writing for the Cavalier Daily is a funny thing. Prior to last week, I had this vision that when people saw my smiling face above a column, they chuckled and turned the page.
In Al Groh's eyes, a player usually doesn't start to come into his own until his third year. Two years as a newcomer breed familiarity; two years of breeding familiarity builds the confidence that Groh needs to see out of a veteran player. As last semester's spring practice turned to training camp, and training camp turned to the season opener, the question of which Virginia receiver was going to be Marques Hagans' go-to guy was about as certain as the status of Ahmad Brooks' knee. Of the three main receivers being tracked on radar as the Western Michigan game approached, only senior Ottowa Anderson had tallied more than 60 career receptions -- and he had spent the entirety of 2004 selling La-Z-Boys in Norfolk. Fontel Mines showed promise as a big body receiver in the prior season, but had that big body taken out of commission early.
Seeing as 95 percent of the headlines from the Syracuse game referenced Al Groh's infamous "Risky Business" quote, our football coach may now be under the illusion that he could pose as the next Hollywood hunk. I guess I'll have to be the one who bursts his bubble, because Tom Cruise, Sr.
DURHAM, N.C. --With the score tied at halftime and the teams appearing to be evenly matched, it was clear something fundamental had changed for the No.
Behind four Marques Hagans touchdown passes, three of which came in the third quarter, Virginia soundly defeated Duke, 38-7, Saturday to win its inaugural ACC Coastal Division game.
No. 12 singles player Somdev Devvarman defended his title in the fall invitational tennis tournament hosted by Virginia this weekend.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- With six minutes left in the first half, the situation was looking dire for the Virginia men's soccer team.
Halfway through the season is a good reflection point for a team, a time to look around, see how far the team has come since the beginning, and, if necessary, see how far a team has to go.
Recently, there have been many ill words spoken of the Virginia football team. Many fans are feeding on a growing sense of skepticism about the true ability of this football team, and the Cavaliers have given fans plenty of reason to doubt. The team is barely beating inferior opponents.
The motto of the Atlantic Coast Conference is "A Tradition of Excellence ... Then, Now and Always." Nowhere is that motto exhibited more clearly than in the strength of the six schools which have field hockey programs. "For the past five or six years, clearly [the ACC] has been one of the top conferences in the country," Virginia coach Jess Wilk said.
Entering its first weekend of conference play, the Virginia women's volleyball team prepares to face the vastly improved N.C.
From here on out, the phrase "early-season tune up" is being officially retired. The preseason is over
The recent expansion of the ACC has garnered much attention, as a traditionally basketball-oriented conference has stepped up into the elite of the power football conferences with the addition of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College.
I am not one to knock on Major League Soccer. I think it's more entertaining than people give it credit for and the quality of play continues to get better each year.
