Let's see what's been going on around the world of Virginia athletics.
Baseball: The Wahoos have gotten off to a bit of a rough start despite being the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. Virginia has lost two games, its opener, 8-3, to Kentucky in Wilmington, N.C., and most recently at home against VMI, 3-2. UVa did beat VMI, 12-0, in its second game of the season in Wilmington, though. The Keydets also beat Virginia when the Cavs were the No. 1 team in 2010. The score of that game was 12-3 and it was at VMI, so I don't think a loss to VMI necessarily spells disaster for the season or for the program. VMI has a respectable program and baseball is not like football where you are expected to win every single game against teams that are in the lower levels of Division I. A loss to VMI in football would be downright embarrassing.
Still, the Cavaliers have some things to work on. The average score of games is just 6-2 in favor of Virginia. The Cavaliers, who often times blow out inferior competition, are leaving 7.7 runners on base per game, according to Daily Progress writer Andrew Ramspacher. The pitching staff, however, has been very good, allowing a combined ERA of just 2.27. Another stumbling block for the Wahoos has been the weather. Two games, at home vs. George Washington and Old Dominion this past week, have been pushed back to April. It has been difficult for the team to get in a rhythm. UVa opens its ACC schedule this weekend with games Saturday through Sunday at Duke, which is 7-5 on the season. The teams play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Women's basketball: The Cavaliers saw their season come to an end Thursday at the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C., with a 77-76 loss to No. 7 seed Georgia Tech. Virginia was the No. 10 seed in the tournament. The Cavaliers beat Boston College, 74-59, in the first round Wednesday. UVa ended the season with a 14-17 record overall, 6-10 in the ACC regular-season standings. UVa has only finished with a losing record three times in the past 37 years.
The last time I did Wahoo Wanderings I thought maybe the women were turning the corner. They had recently beaten then-No. 6 Maryland at home and Wake Forest on the road. However, UVa never quite got another statement win and struggled down the stretch, losing its final four regular-season games and six of seven. Virginia narrowly missed on upset wins against top 10 UNC (80-74 loss at home) and top 25 N.C. State (68-66 road loss). The 'Hoos also blew a 15-point lead at ACC bottom feeder Boston College and lost, 69-65. UVa also had single-digit losses this year to Syracuse, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Kansas State, Tulane, and Pittsburgh. Defense was a bugaboo in ACC play for this squad. The Cavs allowed league teams to score more than 70 points in 10 games, including Thursday's loss.
UVa will be losing seniors Lexie Gerson, Kelsey Wolfe, and Ataira Franklin, all key contributors to the team. Head coach Joanne Boyle was successful at both of her previous coaching stops, Richmond and Cal, but the Cavaliers' record has gone down in each of her first three seasons in Charlottesville: 24-11, 16-14, 14-17. Recruiting will be a key going forward. The Wahoos are very thin and need to build depth. Boyle has another year or two to turn this around but obviously I think improvement will need to be shown next year or she will be out of a job.
Men's lacrosse: UVa has been the Cardiac Cavaliers to start the season, winning their first three games all by one goal, over Loyola (Md.), Richmond, and Drexel. Since then, Virginia has downed Rutgers, 19-12, Syracuse, 17-12, and Mount St. Mary's, 14-6. UVa is up to No. 2 in the national rankings and next faces Cornell on the road Saturday at noon.
Women's lacrosse: The team is off to a 2-3 start, with tough close losses to top 12 squads Northwestern (13-12), Loyola (Md.) (16-12), and Syracuse (18-14). Virginia, ranked No. 10 in country, hosts No. 1 and undefeated North Carolina on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Men's tennis: The Cavaliers have suffered two losses already this season. The last time UVa dropped two regular-season contests in the same season was 2007. Both were tough defeats, though. The first was to Ohio State, 4-3, in the NCAA Team Indoor semifinals and the other was at No. 3 UCLA, the team that Virginia beat in the NCAA outdoor finals a season ago. The Cavaliers will be fine this season but it looks like not as dominant as usual. Still, the program has an insanely long ACC winning streak still going that is close to breaking an all-time, ACC any-sport record. Quite an accomplishment on the horizon if the guys can do it. I will let you know if that happens.
UVa, 10-2 and ranked No. 2 -- though that will fall because of the loss to the Bruins on Thursday -- most recently won at Loyola Marymount in California on Friday. Virginia next faces UNC on the road March 21.
Women's tennis: The squad is 8-2, ranked No. 5 in the country, and hosts North Carolina on Saturday and Maryland on Sunday.
Baseball: The Wahoos have gotten off to a bit of a rough start despite being the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. Virginia has lost two games, its opener, 8-3, to Kentucky in Wilmington, N.C., and most recently at home against VMI, 3-2. UVa did beat VMI, 12-0, in its second game of the season in Wilmington, though. The Keydets also beat Virginia when the Cavs were the No. 1 team in 2010. The score of that game was 12-3 and it was at VMI, so I don't think a loss to VMI necessarily spells disaster for the season or for the program. VMI has a respectable program and baseball is not like football where you are expected to win every single game against teams that are in the lower levels of Division I. A loss to VMI in football would be downright embarrassing.
Still, the Cavaliers have some things to work on. The average score of games is just 6-2 in favor of Virginia. The Cavaliers, who often times blow out inferior competition, are leaving 7.7 runners on base per game, according to Daily Progress writer Andrew Ramspacher. The pitching staff, however, has been very good, allowing a combined ERA of just 2.27. Another stumbling block for the Wahoos has been the weather. Two games, at home vs. George Washington and Old Dominion this past week, have been pushed back to April. It has been difficult for the team to get in a rhythm. UVa opens its ACC schedule this weekend with games Saturday through Sunday at Duke, which is 7-5 on the season. The teams play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Women's basketball: The Cavaliers saw their season come to an end Thursday at the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C., with a 77-76 loss to No. 7 seed Georgia Tech. Virginia was the No. 10 seed in the tournament. The Cavaliers beat Boston College, 74-59, in the first round Wednesday. UVa ended the season with a 14-17 record overall, 6-10 in the ACC regular-season standings. UVa has only finished with a losing record three times in the past 37 years.
The last time I did Wahoo Wanderings I thought maybe the women were turning the corner. They had recently beaten then-No. 6 Maryland at home and Wake Forest on the road. However, UVa never quite got another statement win and struggled down the stretch, losing its final four regular-season games and six of seven. Virginia narrowly missed on upset wins against top 10 UNC (80-74 loss at home) and top 25 N.C. State (68-66 road loss). The 'Hoos also blew a 15-point lead at ACC bottom feeder Boston College and lost, 69-65. UVa also had single-digit losses this year to Syracuse, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Kansas State, Tulane, and Pittsburgh. Defense was a bugaboo in ACC play for this squad. The Cavs allowed league teams to score more than 70 points in 10 games, including Thursday's loss.
UVa will be losing seniors Lexie Gerson, Kelsey Wolfe, and Ataira Franklin, all key contributors to the team. Head coach Joanne Boyle was successful at both of her previous coaching stops, Richmond and Cal, but the Cavaliers' record has gone down in each of her first three seasons in Charlottesville: 24-11, 16-14, 14-17. Recruiting will be a key going forward. The Wahoos are very thin and need to build depth. Boyle has another year or two to turn this around but obviously I think improvement will need to be shown next year or she will be out of a job.
Men's lacrosse: UVa has been the Cardiac Cavaliers to start the season, winning their first three games all by one goal, over Loyola (Md.), Richmond, and Drexel. Since then, Virginia has downed Rutgers, 19-12, Syracuse, 17-12, and Mount St. Mary's, 14-6. UVa is up to No. 2 in the national rankings and next faces Cornell on the road Saturday at noon.
Women's lacrosse: The team is off to a 2-3 start, with tough close losses to top 12 squads Northwestern (13-12), Loyola (Md.) (16-12), and Syracuse (18-14). Virginia, ranked No. 10 in country, hosts No. 1 and undefeated North Carolina on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Men's tennis: The Cavaliers have suffered two losses already this season. The last time UVa dropped two regular-season contests in the same season was 2007. Both were tough defeats, though. The first was to Ohio State, 4-3, in the NCAA Team Indoor semifinals and the other was at No. 3 UCLA, the team that Virginia beat in the NCAA outdoor finals a season ago. The Cavaliers will be fine this season but it looks like not as dominant as usual. Still, the program has an insanely long ACC winning streak still going that is close to breaking an all-time, ACC any-sport record. Quite an accomplishment on the horizon if the guys can do it. I will let you know if that happens.
UVa, 10-2 and ranked No. 2 -- though that will fall because of the loss to the Bruins on Thursday -- most recently won at Loyola Marymount in California on Friday. Virginia next faces UNC on the road March 21.
Women's tennis: The squad is 8-2, ranked No. 5 in the country, and hosts North Carolina on Saturday and Maryland on Sunday.
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