Tuesday was a good 'Hoo day. It started out with the men's tennis team winning its second national title (and in three years) by beating No. 1 seed Oklahoma, 4-1, in Waco, Texas. Virginia was the 3 seed. The Cavaliers wasted no time in going up 1-0, winning the doubles point and all three doubles matches. Luca Corinteli and Ryan Shane won, 8-4, Mac Styslinger and Thai-Son Kwiatkowski won, 8-5, and Collin Altamirano and J.C. Aragone took their match, 8-5. Oklahoma took the first singles
match, 6-3, 6-2, over Alexander Ritschard to tie the match at 1. Altamirano won his match, though, 6-3, 6-3, to give UVa the lead back. Kwiatkowski then won, 6-3, 6-4. Mitchell Frank, who clinched the title for UVa in 2013 with his victory, then did the same against the Sooners, capturing his match, 7-5, 7-5. It's the second national championship for UVa this year, which also won in the fall with men's soccer. Virginia has won two national championships in the same year two other times in its history: 2009 men's soccer and 2010 rowing, and 1992 men's soccer and 1993 women's lacrosse.
What it means: With two titles in three years, UVa has truly established itself as an elite of the elite program. Not just top 10 or top 5, but top 2-3. Under the current tournament format, which goes back to 1977, only four other schools have won at least two titles: USC, UCLA, Georgia, and Stanford. For years, UVa dominated the regular season and ACC but would lose in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and then finals, but the Cavs have now broken through twice in three years. The beat will go on next year, as the only senior UVa loses is Frank.
Baseball: I say started out, but really, tennis was not the first good thing to happen Tuesday, it was just the biggest thing to happen. The first success the Cavs experienced came on the diamond starting at 11 a.m. UVa crushed Georgia Tech, 11-0 in seven innings, with Josh Sborz giving a near-perfect performance on the mound as the 'Hoos cruised into the pool portion of the ACC tournament. The junior took a perfect game into the seventh inning and finished by giving up just one hit while striking out eight and walking two. Daniel Pinero and Pavin Smith had home runs for the Cavaliers. Virginia enters pool B and faces Miami today at 3 p.m. The Cavs took two of three at home from the 'Canes this year. Thursday, UVa is off and Friday, it faces Notre Dame at 11 a.m., which it swept this season. Pool play finishes Saturday and UVa faces N.C. State at 7 p.m. Sunday is the title game. The winner of pool B will faces the best team out of pool A, which consists of UNC, Florida State, Louisville, and Clemson.
What it means: UVa is clearly playing its best ball at the right time. UVa hasn't won an ACC tournament since 2011. This start is a little reminiscent of the 2009 run when UVa was just a No. 6 seed, but opened pool play with an 11-1 drubbing of UNC before sweeping its pool and beating FSU in the championship game. A strong ACC tournament run at this point would clearly set UVa up as a No. 2 seed in an NCAA tournament regional.
Football: The Virginia program has been a three-ring circus lately in addition to being disappointing. Within the past week, two quarterbacks have transferred: Corwin "Turtle" Cutler and Greyson Lambert. However, Cutler changed his mind Tuesday and decided to come back to the Cavaliers.
What it means: Lambert said, after losing the No. 1 spot on the depth chart to Matt Johns in the spring, that he would fight to earn the spot back. He either did not mean it or had a change of heart. It is a little surprising that he would leave given this staff's penchant for rotating QBs. Who thinks that if he had stayed and remained healthy this year, that he would not have played in at least a game or two? So the fact that he left might actually give the impression that he wasn't getting along with the
offensive staff anymore. Adding to that impression is the fact that offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild said the spring competition between Lambert and Johns was pretty close, but Mike London said "it wasn't even close." It seems as if Fairchild and London are not on the same page, and that is bad. And it is more understandable for Lambert to leave after what his head coach said about him.
The rumor is that Cutler. who made his initial announcement a couple days before Lambert, did not transfer because he was the third QB on the depth chart, but because he wasn't getting along with the staff, too, particularly Fairchild. Cutler even tweeted, "can't stay somewhere I'm not wanted." Apparently, London and Fairchild sat down with him and convinced him to come back. Who knows what was said, but I guess this is a good development for UVa if for no other reason than it gives the 'Hoos an experienced backup this season -- his departure would have meant Johns was the only scholarship QB left until Nick Johns (no relation) entered in the fall -- and it would not shock me if he played some. Plus, he was a pretty sought-after recruit and is considered a possible QB of the future.
Boy, to be a fly on the wall in this program right now. Crazy clown-show stuff.
Men's basketball: Finally, the hoops team announced Tuesday it will face Villanova this year at home. The next year (2016-17), the Wahoos travel to Villanova. The Wildcats are a strong program and were a No. 1 seed this past season. Other confirmed and rumored out-of-conference opponents for UVa so far are William & Mary, George Washington, West Virginia, Cal, Ohio State (ACC/Big Ten Challenge road game), and Harvard.
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| UVa also won the men's tennis national title in 2013. |
What it means: With two titles in three years, UVa has truly established itself as an elite of the elite program. Not just top 10 or top 5, but top 2-3. Under the current tournament format, which goes back to 1977, only four other schools have won at least two titles: USC, UCLA, Georgia, and Stanford. For years, UVa dominated the regular season and ACC but would lose in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and then finals, but the Cavs have now broken through twice in three years. The beat will go on next year, as the only senior UVa loses is Frank.
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| Josh Sborz |
What it means: UVa is clearly playing its best ball at the right time. UVa hasn't won an ACC tournament since 2011. This start is a little reminiscent of the 2009 run when UVa was just a No. 6 seed, but opened pool play with an 11-1 drubbing of UNC before sweeping its pool and beating FSU in the championship game. A strong ACC tournament run at this point would clearly set UVa up as a No. 2 seed in an NCAA tournament regional.
Football: The Virginia program has been a three-ring circus lately in addition to being disappointing. Within the past week, two quarterbacks have transferred: Corwin "Turtle" Cutler and Greyson Lambert. However, Cutler changed his mind Tuesday and decided to come back to the Cavaliers.
What it means: Lambert said, after losing the No. 1 spot on the depth chart to Matt Johns in the spring, that he would fight to earn the spot back. He either did not mean it or had a change of heart. It is a little surprising that he would leave given this staff's penchant for rotating QBs. Who thinks that if he had stayed and remained healthy this year, that he would not have played in at least a game or two? So the fact that he left might actually give the impression that he wasn't getting along with the
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| Corwin Cutler |
The rumor is that Cutler. who made his initial announcement a couple days before Lambert, did not transfer because he was the third QB on the depth chart, but because he wasn't getting along with the staff, too, particularly Fairchild. Cutler even tweeted, "can't stay somewhere I'm not wanted." Apparently, London and Fairchild sat down with him and convinced him to come back. Who knows what was said, but I guess this is a good development for UVa if for no other reason than it gives the 'Hoos an experienced backup this season -- his departure would have meant Johns was the only scholarship QB left until Nick Johns (no relation) entered in the fall -- and it would not shock me if he played some. Plus, he was a pretty sought-after recruit and is considered a possible QB of the future.
Boy, to be a fly on the wall in this program right now. Crazy clown-show stuff.
Men's basketball: Finally, the hoops team announced Tuesday it will face Villanova this year at home. The next year (2016-17), the Wahoos travel to Villanova. The Wildcats are a strong program and were a No. 1 seed this past season. Other confirmed and rumored out-of-conference opponents for UVa so far are William & Mary, George Washington, West Virginia, Cal, Ohio State (ACC/Big Ten Challenge road game), and Harvard.
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