NCAA Tournament Action Continues for Virginia

Kyle Dixon

Both the men's lacrosse and men's tennis teams have held lofty rankings all season long, but that hasn't been their ultimate goal. No, members and coaches of both teams have remained focused on the big picture: a National Championhip. Those two teams continue their quest for a national title this weekend at neutral sites.

The men's tennis team is up first with a match against Miami. Of course, this Atlantic Coast rematch is on the Pacific coast instead. The two teams square off at 6 p.m. at Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen. This is the third straight year that Brian Boland's team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament's final site.

Darrin Cohen

Virginia split its matches with Miami this year, losing 4-3 in the regular season before winning 4-2 in the ACC Tournament. In the first match, UVa won the doubles point, but faltered in singles as the Hurricanes handed the Cavs their first ACC loss in two years. Up to that match, the Hoos had won 24 straight ACC matches. It is safe to say that payback was on their minds when the ACC Tournament Semifinals rolled around. In that contest, Virginia again won the doubles point before going on to win 4-2.

Based on those two matches, the third meeting should be a thriller. Doubtful? Just look at the scores from the first two matches:

• No. 1 singles 6-3, 6-4 and 6-4, 7-6
• No. 2 singles 6-1, 6-4 and 6-4, 7-5
• No. 3 singles 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 and 6-4, 6-4
• No. 4 singles 6-2, 6-4 and 6-4, 5-5
• No. 5 singles 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 and 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
• No. 6 singles 6-1, 6-3 and 3-6, 6-1, 6-2

Meanwhile, the men's lacrosse team takes on a familiar opponent as well when it meets Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals on Sunday at 3 p.m. The two teams have scrimmaged for several years, including this season. Virginia enters the game with at 14-0 record and as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Interestingly, the Cavaliers' last national title followed this same route: vs. Georgetown at Towson in the round of eight.

Basketball recruiting .

Dave Leitao's UVa program received two additional letters-of-intent this week.

Coach Dave Leitao has completed his first recruiting class at the University of Virginia - at least the signees, anyway. Transfer Ryan Pettinella and McKinley High School (Baton Rouge, LA) standout Jerome Meyinsse signed letters-of-intent with UVa during the spring signing period and join Brewster Academy's Will Harris and West Side (Gary, IN) standout Jamil Tucker as signees for the 2006 class.

Pettinella, a 6-9, 235-pound PF/C, is transferring to UVa from Pennsylvania by way of Monroe Community College. Since Pettinella, who played two years at Penn, enrolled at MCC for the 2005-2006 academic year and did not play basketball, he will be immediately eligible for the Cavs. Pettinella averaged 4.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for Penn his sophomore season.

"I was at Penn for two years," Pettinella said in a recent Q&A article on the Sabre EDGE. "My sophomore year, we made the tournament and lost to Boston College in the first round. I got some good minutes my second year there, but I didn't feel like it matched my style. I like to get out and run the court. I'm like a high energy guy. They don't run the Princeton offense, but it is similar and it's a slow-down and very deliberate. The big guys are on the perimeter a lot, doing dribble ball screens and hand-offs.

"I didn't feel that was conducive to my game, so I decided to head out and look at some other places. Really I wanted to look at more athletic programs and up-tempo styles and that's why I chose Cincinnati. And Virginia's very similar from that perspective."

Pettinella is excited about the opportunity at Virginia and hopes to contribute significant minutes his first season.

Meyinsse is a player who only recently popped up on UVa's recruiting radar. He was spotted by the UVa staff playing in the Kingwood Classic AAU tournament in Houston late last month, prompting the staff to take a further look into the 6-9, 220-pound PF/C. The staff liked what they heard and what they saw and brought Jerome in for an official visit last week. He committed on Friday.

"I liked it a lot," Meyinsse said of Virginia in an article on the EDGE. "I pretty much made my decision before I left. It was what I expected because I had looked on the internet and saw some things already. It has a beautiful campus and I liked the coaches. The players that were there and I got along well. I spent a lot of time with Mo [Diane]. I'm excited to get there this summer. I had a lot of scholarships, but I was waiting to get one I wanted."

Meyinsse averaged 18.5 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks per game this season. He led McKinley to a 7-4A district championship title - McKinley's first in 10 years. The only senior on a young McKinley squad picked to finish last in the district, Meyinsse earned 7-4A Most Valuable Player honors and was named to the first-team all-district squad.

An outstanding student, he carries a 4.5 GPA and scored a 32 on the ACT.

Both Meyinsse and Pettinella will compete for playing time in the low post, likely at the center position. The 6-6, 230-pound Harris will play the three but could also see time at the four if coach Leitao goes small. The versatile Tucker has a 6-9, 220-pound frame but has the ability to play the 3, 4 or 5 positions in college. He played point guard on occasion in high school and is known for an excellent perimeter game on offense. Tucker scored 11 points, had five rebounds and a blocked shot for the U.S. All-Stars in a Capital Classic win last month.

Football recruiting .

The evaluation period rolls on in college football recruiting. The last day of the eval period is May 31, 2006. A few kids are expected to make commitments next month and one who could commit very soon is 6-6, 282-pound Pottsville (PA) offensive line recruit Brad Hallick. Hallick has Virginia and Vanderbilt as his two favorite schools.

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Thread of the Week: Who Would You Name?

Subject: This should be fun: Posts below got me thinking about High School
Posted by: Jonybuck33 on Wed May 17 2006 11:23:36 AM
Message: Post in the title of your response first your High School, then state abbreviation followed by the year you graduated, and finally the best football player that you either a) played with, or b) watched play while you were in high school example:

Orange-VA-2000-John Pritchett

Even if the player is an unknown, put it anyway, just for fun.

Jonybuck33's post brought back a lot of memories for high school football players and fans. Among the players that were listed: The Barber twins, Percy Ellsworth, Herman Moore, Monsanto Pope, and Shawn Moore. It's not too late to join the discussion. Join the thread here: Who Would You Name? More of a basketball fan? Don't worry, a similar thread has started on the basketball board. Just click here.

New Wallpaper and More in Wahoowa!

The Sabre's Wahoowa! section is dedicated to all things associated with UVa Fan-dom. There are various fan-related areas including desktop wallpaper, Fan of the Week photos, V-Sabres Worldwide, and more.

This week, we've added a new wallpaper to the list for baseball fans. Pitcher Mike Ballard is the subject after he tossed a no-hitter earlier this season. If you have an idea for a new wallpaper, just email us at [email protected] with the email header: Wallpaper Suggestion. We'll do our best to add it it our collection.

Newslink - Your One Stop Shop for UVa News

TheSabre.com provides an excellent service for the Virginia fan base that you may not know about: Newslink. Sabre NewsLink provides you with links to the daily news on your Hoos. Our staff checks the Internet each morning to locate and link to articles from various online media sources from around the state and beyond. We even throw some interesting ACC news to let you know what the Hoos' opponents are up to. Sabre NewsLink is updated every morning, 365 days a year!

Check out Sabre NewsLink today,

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

Sean Doolittle

• Doolittle's 10th Win Lifts No. 6 Cavs Past Hokies: Sean Doolittle registered his 10th win of the season while Casey Lambert earned his ninth save to lead No. 6 Virginia to a 4-2 win over Virginia Tech (20-31, 4-23 ACC) on Thursday night.
• Virginia Installing FieldTurf On Three Practice Fields: The University of Virginia has selected FieldTurf for installation on two football practice fields and on a lacrosse practice field. The announcement was made on Thursday (May 18) by UVa Executive Associate Director of Athletics Jon Oliver and FieldTurf CEO John Gilman.
• Men's Lacrosse Adds Three Recruits: Virginia men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia announces the addition of three more student-athletes to his recruiting class for the 2006-07 academic year. This group includes Ryan Burns from Nashville, Tenn., Ken Clausen from Downingtown, Pa., and Tim Fuchs from Merrick, N.Y.
• Nikki Lieb Named A Finalist for 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy: Virginia lacrosse captain Nikki Lieb has been named a finalist for the 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy. Lieb joins Northwestern's Kristen Kjellman, Notre Dame's Crysti Foote, Georgetown's Coco Stanwick, and Duke's Katie Chrest as a finalist.
• Kyle Dixon, Matt Ward Among Five Finalists for Tewaaraton Trophy: University of Virginia men's lacrosse players Kyle Dixon and Matt Ward are among five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy presented by Warrior, given annually to the outstanding player in college lacrosse. They are joined by Sean Morris from Massachusetts, Chris Unterstein of Hofstra and Maryland's Joe Walters.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virignia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

Sabre articles from the past week

Former Hoos Excited About Virginia's Success
As the Cavaliers (42-11, 18-9) prepare for the final regular season weekend of the 2006 season, The Sabre.com caught up with some former Virginia baseball players to get their impressions on the success of the Wahoos under coach Brian O'Connor, success many have compared to the escapades of former UVa football coach George Welsh.

Hot, Hot, Hot: Goalie Play Can Change Games
One-on-one break-away? Denied! Seeing-eye, target-seeking rocket from 15 yards out? Not today! Dodge and drive, double fake, and shoot? Nope. Not even a cheapie rebound goal? Sorry. Yes, it's that time of year when a lacrosse goalkeeper can completely change the complexion of a game. When a single player can carry his team to a higher level of play, steal the momentum, and alter the final outcome. Call it The Hot Goalie Phenomenon if you want. Then hope it's your team's goalie.

Around the Horn: Sweat the Small Stuff
Error-free baseball. Two-out hits. Solid pitching and strong defense. Running out ground balls. Good base-running. All of those tiny details - the little things - have helped the Virginia baseball team post 42 victories, including a series win over North Carolina and a thrilling comeback at Old Dominion. That's why coach Brian O'Connor sweats the small stuff: the little things matter.

Photo Gallery: Hoos Host Big Weekend
The University of Virginia welcomed teams from Indiana, New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina to Charlottesville this weekend for a two-day bonanza of athletics. By and large, the Cavaliers had a successful weekend: Men's lacrosse topped Notre Dame, men's tennis defeated Army and Wake Forest, and the baseball team won 2 of 3 against North Carolina. Unfortunately for the Hoos, the women's lacrosse team lost a heartbreaker to Princeton. The Sabre wanted you to have a chance to see the weekend events so this Edge Photo Gallery is packed with images from the events. Included in the 97 images are shots of Sean Doolittle, Matt Ward, Tyler Leachman, Somdev Devvarman, and more!

Hoos Dispatch Feisty Irish
The Virginia men's lacrosse team learned two very important things in its opening round NCAA Tournament game as it withstood a feisty effort from Notre Dame on Saturday en route to a 14-10 victory at Klockner Stadium. 1. The Cavaliers are going to get everybody's best shot in this event. 2. That still might not be enough to dethrone the heavy tournament favorite.

Larquier Proves To Be A True Hoo
Sara Larquier is everything a Virginia fan wants a Cavalier student-athlete to be. She's intelligent, active in student activities, unselfish, humble - oh, and she's also an exceptional, record-setting athlete to boot. Still, she has no fancy nickname like 'Big Money,' nor did she have replica jerseys hanging at the UVa Bookstore as a sophomore. In fact, as the Virginia softball team competes in the ACC Tournament this week, her sensational career is just about over. But that shouldn't prevent fans from marveling at all that Larquier has accomplished and how she's become intertwined with the fabric of the University.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

UVa Targeting Northwest's Young
Virginia has gone to Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland, in search of a defensive end recruit. The 'Hoos found their recruit, as the staff has officially offered 6-4, 250-pound standout Justin Young. Young, who plays defensive end in Northwest's (Germantown, MD) 3-4 defense, has good athleticism (3-sport athlete) to go along with an impressive frame. In two years on the varsity level, he has been a versatile player for head coach Randy Trivers.

UVa in Heavy Pursuit of Szczerba
6-6, 255-pound tight end recruit Andrew Szczerba, a key component on a Salesianum (Wilmington, DE) squad that captured a state championship title last season, appears to be a top recruit for the Virginia staff. The 'Hoos are one of nine Division 1A programs to offer officially, so there will certainly be some competition.

Top Target: CB/WR Cris Hill
Cris Hill's best game last season came in one of his team's biggest. In the first round of the playoffs, Hill, who returned a kick-off for a touchdown in the game, led Highland Springs on a valiant effort against favored Meadowbrook in the opening round of the playoffs. Though his squad fell short by a score of 23-21, Hill and his teammates can take a lot from the experience.

UVa Adds to 2006 Class
On Monday, UVa will sign more size and athleticism to the program. 6-9, 220-pound McKinley (Baton Rouge, LA) standout PF/C Jerome Meyinsse, who returned home today from an official visit to UVa, has committed to Dave Leitao and company and plans to sign his letter of intent on Monday during a press conference at his school.

Every week, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your UVa Bookstores purchases during your subscription.

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