With the Virginia men's basketball team now on a four-game losing streak after falling to Miami in overtime Monday, and scratching and clawing just to get to 50 points in a game, let's step away for a second and check out some good news happening in UVa sports:
Women's basketball: Coach Joanne Boyle, in her sixth year, is having her best or second-best season in her tenure with the Cavaliers. Will it be enough to make the NCAA tournament? We will have to wait and see. Virginia is 18-9, 7-7 in the ACC, and vaulted itself onto the bubble by knocking off No. 4 Florida State, 60-51, last Thursday in Charlottesville. The Wahoos have won three games in a row, with wins over Wake Forest and Virginia Tech sandwiching the marquee victory over the Seminoles.
Virginia has two more regular-season games: Thursday at No. 14 Louisville and Sunday hosting No. 18 N.C. State. The Cavaliers would be even closer to the tournament already had they held on at home against the Cardinals on Jan. 5. The team led for most of the game but lost in overtime, 86-81. The Wolfpack and 'Hoos have not met this season. So there are two chances left for the Cavaliers to make a huge impression before the ACC tournament starts. Virginia sits in eighth place in the conference. The thought is a win over one of the ranked foes plus a victory in their first ACC tournament game will get the women into the NCAA tournament. Even if they don't reach it, this season has definitely been a step forward for the program.
In her first season, 2011-12, Boyle's team went 25-11 and made the WNIT quarterfinals. Each year since, the Cavaliers have lost at least 14 games. This year's team is led by junior forward Lauren Moses, who's averaging 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. A freshman point guard, Dominique Toussaint, has emerged as a playmaker as well and is averaging 10 points. Senior guard Breyana Mason is right behind at 9.9 points per game. Another freshman, guard Jocelyn Willoughby, is contributing 9.4 points per game. The team is second in the ACC, holding opponents to just 54.9 points per game.
Baseball: Last year ended in disappointment as the defending 2016 College World Series champions didn't make it out of their own regional, losing two consecutive games to East Carolina and William & Mary to get eliminated. The 'Hoos are off to a solid 4-0 start this season and have two comeback wins under their belts. Last weekend, UVa downed Liberty, 10-2, The Citadel, 10-6, and Kansas, 9-6, in Charleston, S.C. The Cavaliers were down 6-0 to the Jayhawks before scoring nine unanswered runs. On Tuesday, Virginia, ranked No. 13, opened its home schedule by beating VMI, 9-7. In that one, the Cavaliers rallied from down 6-2, scoring three runs in the seventh inning and four in the eighth. It was coach Brian O'Connor's 600th victory. UVa hosts its first series starting Friday against Rutgers.
Men's lacrosse: New coach Lars Tiffany has injected life into the program, which is off to a 3-0 start with wins over No. 6 Loyola (16-15), Drexel (18-14), and Siena (20-13). UVa is up to No. 6 in the country and, it is early, but Virginia is third in the country with 18 goals per game. Tiffany and offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan have brought an up-tempo attack to Charlottesville, something the offense really needed. The Wahoos travel to Penn on Saturday and return home March 1 against High Point.
Men's tennis: The Cavaliers, winners of three of the past four NCAA championships, are off to a 9-0 start this season and won the ITA team indoor title Monday by beating Ohio State, 4-1, at home. The Cavaliers shut out their other opponents in the tournament, Utah State in the first round, UCLA in the quarterfinals, and North Carolina in the semifinals. It was Virginia's sixth ITA indoor crown and first since 2013. UVa's first outdoor home match is March 26 against Duke.
Women's basketball: Coach Joanne Boyle, in her sixth year, is having her best or second-best season in her tenure with the Cavaliers. Will it be enough to make the NCAA tournament? We will have to wait and see. Virginia is 18-9, 7-7 in the ACC, and vaulted itself onto the bubble by knocking off No. 4 Florida State, 60-51, last Thursday in Charlottesville. The Wahoos have won three games in a row, with wins over Wake Forest and Virginia Tech sandwiching the marquee victory over the Seminoles.
Virginia has two more regular-season games: Thursday at No. 14 Louisville and Sunday hosting No. 18 N.C. State. The Cavaliers would be even closer to the tournament already had they held on at home against the Cardinals on Jan. 5. The team led for most of the game but lost in overtime, 86-81. The Wolfpack and 'Hoos have not met this season. So there are two chances left for the Cavaliers to make a huge impression before the ACC tournament starts. Virginia sits in eighth place in the conference. The thought is a win over one of the ranked foes plus a victory in their first ACC tournament game will get the women into the NCAA tournament. Even if they don't reach it, this season has definitely been a step forward for the program.
In her first season, 2011-12, Boyle's team went 25-11 and made the WNIT quarterfinals. Each year since, the Cavaliers have lost at least 14 games. This year's team is led by junior forward Lauren Moses, who's averaging 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. A freshman point guard, Dominique Toussaint, has emerged as a playmaker as well and is averaging 10 points. Senior guard Breyana Mason is right behind at 9.9 points per game. Another freshman, guard Jocelyn Willoughby, is contributing 9.4 points per game. The team is second in the ACC, holding opponents to just 54.9 points per game.
Baseball: Last year ended in disappointment as the defending 2016 College World Series champions didn't make it out of their own regional, losing two consecutive games to East Carolina and William & Mary to get eliminated. The 'Hoos are off to a solid 4-0 start this season and have two comeback wins under their belts. Last weekend, UVa downed Liberty, 10-2, The Citadel, 10-6, and Kansas, 9-6, in Charleston, S.C. The Cavaliers were down 6-0 to the Jayhawks before scoring nine unanswered runs. On Tuesday, Virginia, ranked No. 13, opened its home schedule by beating VMI, 9-7. In that one, the Cavaliers rallied from down 6-2, scoring three runs in the seventh inning and four in the eighth. It was coach Brian O'Connor's 600th victory. UVa hosts its first series starting Friday against Rutgers.
Men's lacrosse: New coach Lars Tiffany has injected life into the program, which is off to a 3-0 start with wins over No. 6 Loyola (16-15), Drexel (18-14), and Siena (20-13). UVa is up to No. 6 in the country and, it is early, but Virginia is third in the country with 18 goals per game. Tiffany and offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan have brought an up-tempo attack to Charlottesville, something the offense really needed. The Wahoos travel to Penn on Saturday and return home March 1 against High Point.
Men's tennis: The Cavaliers, winners of three of the past four NCAA championships, are off to a 9-0 start this season and won the ITA team indoor title Monday by beating Ohio State, 4-1, at home. The Cavaliers shut out their other opponents in the tournament, Utah State in the first round, UCLA in the quarterfinals, and North Carolina in the semifinals. It was Virginia's sixth ITA indoor crown and first since 2013. UVa's first outdoor home match is March 26 against Duke.
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