I pulled off a UVa sports trifecta this weekend with my fiancee, Holly, by attending the men's lacrosse game vs. Duke, the spring football game, and the baseball game vs. UNC. We were trying to make it a quadfecta by also attending the men's tennis match vs. FSU which started at 3 p.m. Friday, but we didn't make it in time. Too bad, too, because that was the only team that won.
I'll write a little more about the football game in a separate post. Here are looks at the men's tennis, men's lacrosse, and baseball teams:
Men's tennis: The Cavaliers edged the Seminoles on Friday 4-3 and then took care of Miami on Sunday 6-1 to take the ACC regular season crown for the sixth consecutive season. Virginia has not lost to an ACC team since the 2005-06 season. UVa will play in the ACC tournament quarterfinals Friday in Cary, N.C. This team has accomplished a lot over the past six seasons, and all that is missing an NCAA team outdoor championship.
Men's lacrosse: UVa just can't seem to figure out Duke. The Blue Devils dominated Virginia's Senior Night on Friday, winning 13-5. Duke has now won 12 of the last 13 matches against UVa. Dating back to the perfect men's lacrosse season of 2006 when Virginia went 17-0, the program has more national championships (2), than wins against Duke (1). How crazy is that? I think at this point, it is a mental thing. No way that Duke can consistently be that much better than UVa on a year-in and year-out basis. Perhaps the individual matchups in each game have been favoring the Blue Devils, but 12 of 13 between two teams that are always highly ranked and should be about splitting meetings is too much. Something else is going on.
I think you could compare it to Virginia-Virginia Tech in football. The Hokies have won eight straight in that series, often by double digits. Now, don't get me wrong. Virginia Tech has been the best ACC team in that stretch and not the best team in the nation, but consistently in the top 15. But the poundings UVa takes in that series are terrible. I don't think Tech was 38 points better than Virginia last season, but the Hokies came into Scott Stadium with the Coastal Division title on the line and whooped UVa 38-0.
Both Virginia football and Virginia lacrosse are going to have to clear mental hurdles before they can beat these teams. It is even more ridiculous for the men's lacrosse team. It is one of the best teams in the nation each year. Virginia football has had its share of struggles the past decade so it is more understandable for them. But the lacrosse Hoos should not be struggling so much with one team. With the victory, Duke won the ACC regular season title. The ACC tournament is in Charlottesville and starts Friday. UVa, the No. 2 seed, will face No. 3 seed North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. The Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels 15-10 April 7 in Chapel Hill.
Baseball: The baseball team was swept by UNC over the weekend. I attended the 6-2 Saturday affair. The Hoos lost 2-1 on Friday in 10 innings and 5-3 on Sunday.
UVa has been good enough to win ACC series this season against bad teams, and sometimes easily, such as last weekend's sweep of Wake Forest. The Cavaliers have been unable, however, to win series against good ACC teams. The best chance UVa had was at N.C. State on Sunday, April 1. N.C. State is second in the Atlantic Division behind Florida State. Virginia lost the Friday game in that series, won Saturday, and had a very good chance to win Sunday but lost 7-6.
If Virginia could have swept the series with UNC, it would have tied Miami for first place in the Coastal Division. As it stands, though, Virginia is third place in the division at 9-9 while UNC and Miami are tied for first at 12-6. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech are both two games behind UVa tied for fourth place. The Cavaliers host Richmond tonight to end a nine-game homestand and then travel to face last-place Coastal squad Duke in a three-game series this weekend. The weekend of April 28-30, Saturday-Monday, Virginia travels to face Miami in what will be a tough series. With the exception of those three games, however, Virginia, 23-13-1 overall, should be able to finish off the season on a pretty high note. The Hoos have out of conference games scheduled with Richmond, Radford, VCU (2), High Point, and Mount St. Mary's, and three-game ACC series scheduled with Duke as I mentioned, Georgia Tech and Maryland. None of these teams are that strong. No reason Virginia can't go 12-3 or 13-2 in those 15 games and maybe steal one at Miami. That would put Virginia at about 36 or 37 wins heading into the ACC tournament and should be enough to get them into the NCAA tournament.
I'll write a little more about the football game in a separate post. Here are looks at the men's tennis, men's lacrosse, and baseball teams:
Men's tennis: The Cavaliers edged the Seminoles on Friday 4-3 and then took care of Miami on Sunday 6-1 to take the ACC regular season crown for the sixth consecutive season. Virginia has not lost to an ACC team since the 2005-06 season. UVa will play in the ACC tournament quarterfinals Friday in Cary, N.C. This team has accomplished a lot over the past six seasons, and all that is missing an NCAA team outdoor championship.
Men's lacrosse: UVa just can't seem to figure out Duke. The Blue Devils dominated Virginia's Senior Night on Friday, winning 13-5. Duke has now won 12 of the last 13 matches against UVa. Dating back to the perfect men's lacrosse season of 2006 when Virginia went 17-0, the program has more national championships (2), than wins against Duke (1). How crazy is that? I think at this point, it is a mental thing. No way that Duke can consistently be that much better than UVa on a year-in and year-out basis. Perhaps the individual matchups in each game have been favoring the Blue Devils, but 12 of 13 between two teams that are always highly ranked and should be about splitting meetings is too much. Something else is going on.
I think you could compare it to Virginia-Virginia Tech in football. The Hokies have won eight straight in that series, often by double digits. Now, don't get me wrong. Virginia Tech has been the best ACC team in that stretch and not the best team in the nation, but consistently in the top 15. But the poundings UVa takes in that series are terrible. I don't think Tech was 38 points better than Virginia last season, but the Hokies came into Scott Stadium with the Coastal Division title on the line and whooped UVa 38-0.
Both Virginia football and Virginia lacrosse are going to have to clear mental hurdles before they can beat these teams. It is even more ridiculous for the men's lacrosse team. It is one of the best teams in the nation each year. Virginia football has had its share of struggles the past decade so it is more understandable for them. But the lacrosse Hoos should not be struggling so much with one team. With the victory, Duke won the ACC regular season title. The ACC tournament is in Charlottesville and starts Friday. UVa, the No. 2 seed, will face No. 3 seed North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. The Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels 15-10 April 7 in Chapel Hill.
Baseball: The baseball team was swept by UNC over the weekend. I attended the 6-2 Saturday affair. The Hoos lost 2-1 on Friday in 10 innings and 5-3 on Sunday.
UVa has been good enough to win ACC series this season against bad teams, and sometimes easily, such as last weekend's sweep of Wake Forest. The Cavaliers have been unable, however, to win series against good ACC teams. The best chance UVa had was at N.C. State on Sunday, April 1. N.C. State is second in the Atlantic Division behind Florida State. Virginia lost the Friday game in that series, won Saturday, and had a very good chance to win Sunday but lost 7-6.
If Virginia could have swept the series with UNC, it would have tied Miami for first place in the Coastal Division. As it stands, though, Virginia is third place in the division at 9-9 while UNC and Miami are tied for first at 12-6. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech are both two games behind UVa tied for fourth place. The Cavaliers host Richmond tonight to end a nine-game homestand and then travel to face last-place Coastal squad Duke in a three-game series this weekend. The weekend of April 28-30, Saturday-Monday, Virginia travels to face Miami in what will be a tough series. With the exception of those three games, however, Virginia, 23-13-1 overall, should be able to finish off the season on a pretty high note. The Hoos have out of conference games scheduled with Richmond, Radford, VCU (2), High Point, and Mount St. Mary's, and three-game ACC series scheduled with Duke as I mentioned, Georgia Tech and Maryland. None of these teams are that strong. No reason Virginia can't go 12-3 or 13-2 in those 15 games and maybe steal one at Miami. That would put Virginia at about 36 or 37 wins heading into the ACC tournament and should be enough to get them into the NCAA tournament.
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