A Defensive Line-Up

During Virginia's 82-50 exhibition win against Roanoke College on Saturday, one line-up of perimeter players looked like it could be a solid option for the Pack-Line defense. Remember, the Pack-Line prefers to have the on-ball defender provide pressure on the ball while the other four players slide into help or pack positions behind the play. With Jontel Evans, Mustapha Farrakhan, and KT Harrell on the floor together at times Saturday, you could see the potential for a perimeter line-up that could altnernate heavy pressure on the ball and quickly slide around in the pack when needed.

"I guess you could say that. We all try to pressure our man the best we can," Harrell said. "We try to bring intensity on defense, but we still have a lot of work to do."

The "work to do" theme was common in the postgame comments from coach Tony Bennett and his players. The Cavaliers are trying to mold a competitive roster out of six returnees and six scholarship freshmen this season. That process, of course, is barely a month old as the Hoos prepare for the season opener against William & Mary on Friday. Senior Mike Scott said the freshmen showed some nerves, but performed well as the game moved on and he expects them to be ready to go this week.

"You could tell they were nervous. I just told them to let the game come to you. Don't hit home runs, try to make singles. You could just tell they were a little bit nervous but that's expected of freshmen, it's their first time out there. Come next game, they'll be fine," Scott said. "I think we shared the ball a lot, shared the ball a lot better. In the second half, we got better with our defense. We still had some breakdowns, but I think overall in the second half we picked it up defensively."

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Virginia's big recruiting weekend - the weekend of the Miami game - resulted in a commitment from Newton (Covington, GA) senior D.J. Hill. Hill committed to Virginia over Mississippi, Vanderbilt, and Middle Tennessee State.

As he is quoted as saying in this piece on the Rockdale Citizen online, Hill is being recruited as an athlete. The 6-1, 220-pound prospect has starred at weakside linebacker and running back in his 3-year varsity career, racking up 220 tackles and 10 interceptions on defense and rushing for about 750 yards over the course of the past two seasons.

D.J., who I hope to reach this week for a "Q&A" to discuss his commitment, is commitment #22 for the Cavaliers. Twenty-one high school seniors have committed with postgraduate safety Kyrrel Latimer, who is at Fork Union, making 22.

Seasons are coming to an end all across the country. Check out the latest "Week in Review" on The Good Ol Blog for more on Virginia's 2011 class. In terms of targets, Kempsville (Virginia Beach, VA) linebacker Travis Hughes, Gilman (Baltimore, MD) athlete Darius Jennings and T.C. Williams (Alexandria, VA) offensive tackle Jay Whitmire have all concluded their stellar careers.

Hughes, who took an official visit to UVa on the weekend of the Miami game, plans to be in Charlottesville on Saturday in an unofficial capacity. His brother, Trenton, plays for Maryland, which is also very much in this recruiting race.

Maryland and Virginia have also reportedly made the final six for Jennings, a 5-11, 175-pound athlete. The star senior led Gilman to an 8-2 record this season, including a win over McDonogh last weekend.

Whitmire and the T.C. Williams Titans did their part last week, defeating Lee in the regular season finale. A Chantilly loss, however, kept the Titans (6-4) from making the playoffs. I hope to have more with the 6-7, 290-pound senior this week.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Cavs Dip Into Georgia For Star Athlete
Monday morning, Newton (Covington, GA) head coach Cortez Allen had a good idea of which school star senior D.J. Hill was favoring. "When he came to school on Monday, he had Virginia gear on from head to toe," Allen said. "That generated a lot of buzz -- within the school and the community -- about him maybe going there." Hill, a 6-1, 220-pound prospect, took an official visit to the University of Virginia last weekend, over two months after making an unofficial trip. Obviously, he liked what he saw in Charlottesville.

UVa Makes Push For Hughes
Travis Hughes made his fourth official visit this past weekend, when he traveled to the University of Virginia. Virginia, which defeated Miami on Saturday, impressed the Kempsville (Virginia Beach, VA) star linebacker/running back, who figures to have a tough decision to make in the coming months.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Will Darius Redman Enroll In January?
• Notes: Arkadie Talks Official Visit
• Gilman's Darius Jennings Down to 6 (blog)
• More FB Recruiting Notes (blog)
• WIR: Richardson Closing In On 1,000 Yards (blog)

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Blog Banter: Goalie Time

Effie Nicholaou was able to catch up with UVa field hockey goalies, Adrienne Ostroff and Amanda Crider. Like many sports, the goalie has a very unique position quite different from the field players. Ostroff and Crider helped explain the position of goalie in field hockey and their role on the team.

1. What are your responsibilities as goalie?

AO: As a goalie, we are responsible for complete organization of the backfield. Since we are behind the entire field of play, we are the only ones with complete view of it. It is the goalie's job to communicate effectively and allow calmness to permeate throughout the defense. The goalie is necessarily a leader on and off the field in this way.

2. What is all of the padding for?

AO: It keeps us from getting injured as the ball speed can get up to 50-60 mph. The OBO equipment that we use is specially designed for maximum rebound because when we make a clear, our goal is to clear the ball out of the circle to eliminate the chance of a rebound shot.

AC: The field hockey ball is hard. There are only a few spots left open so it usually never hurts.

3. What are some basic, yet key skills of the goalie?

AO: You have to have extremely quick reflexes. Also, you need to have the ability to focus on one thing despite any distractions because in the heat of the moment, there are going to be a thousand things going on, but you need to lose site of all of them in order to focus on making the best decision possible in a split second.

AC: Clearing and mental strength. Most goals are scored off a second shot. There's 90 minutes in the game and you could get action for 30 seconds that makes the difference between a win or a loss.

4. What are you currently working on/improving on?

AC: Clears can always be harder. Also being aggressive, its a lot of fun to take people out, but you really have to know when to go for it, especially at this speed.

5. What are your strengths?

AO: In order to be a goalie, you have to have quick reflexes. But, I have especially fast feet, which are necessary for the height that I lack. I need to make up for my height by standing a little bit farther out than most goalies, and reacting a little bit faster.

Read the full blog post here and follow the Hoos every day on The Good Ol Blog!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Seeded Sixth at ACC Tournament, Will Face Wake Forest Wednesday: The Virginia men's soccer team will begin play at the 2010 ACC Tournament on Wednesday (Nov. 10) in Cary, N.C., at WakeMed Soccer Park. The sixth-seeded Cavaliers will face No. 3 seed Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m. TheACC.com will stream the match live. The Hoos' seeding fell into place after a 2-0 loss at N.C. State as the Cavaliers concluded their regular season with a 10-4-3 overall record and 2-4-2 ACC mark.
• Shabaz Falls to Kendrick in VNB Challenger Final: Virginia senior Michael Shabaz had his historic run at the Virginia National Bank Tennis Championships come to an end on Sunday. He fell to world No. 149 Robert Kendrick 6-2, 6-3 in the singles final of the ATP Challenger Tour event. Shabaz was the first collegiate player to reach a Challenger Tour final since 1987, when Georgia's Al Parker made the final in Raleigh, N.C.
• Fraser and Tomljanovic Take Honors at Kitty Harrison Invitational: The Virginia women's tennis team completed play Sunday at the Kitty Harrison Invitational, its final event of the fall season. Emily Fraser took second place in singles and the team of Fraser and Hana Tomljanovic were doubles co-champions.
• Hoos Win On Senior Day: The Virginia volleyball team sent its three seniors - AJ Cushman, Sydney Hill and Kendahl Voelker - off in style on Saturday evening, sweeping conference-foe Boston College, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-15), in the Cavaliers' final match in Memorial Gymnasium this season. Maryland swept Virginia 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-17) on Friday night to give the Hoos a weekend split.
• Johnson Claims Cavalier Open Title for First Career Win: Redshirt freshman Brett Johnson won his first career cross country race Friday afternoon, leading three Cavaliers across the finish line within 30 seconds of each other to win the 10th annual Cavalier Open at Panorama Farms.
• Field Hockey Splits ACC Tournament Games: The third-ranked Virginia field hockey team (16-3) advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship with a 2-1 victory over sixth-seeded and 20th-ranked Duke on Thursday. Freshman Elly Buckley and sophomore Tara Puffenberger scored for Virginia. The Cavaliers dropped a 1-0 decision in overtime to second-ranked North Carolina on Friday in the semifinals of the ACC Championship.
• No. 22 Virginia Wrestling Wins 29 of 30 Bouts, Sweeps Three Matches: The No. 22 Virginia wrestling team posted a dominating performance Saturday in rolling to wins over Anderson (41-6), Rider (38-0) and Gardner-Webb (50-0) in its season-opening matches at Memorial Gymnasium. Virginia lost just one of its 30 bouts, with the lone defeat coming in a forfeit.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 179 - March 4, 2005

Pitching, defense solid for baseball team

Matt Avery has allowed three earned runs in three starts.

Offense has been a problem for the Virginia baseball team early in the 2005 season. The Cavaliers rank near the bottom of the ACC in batting average (.279), slugging average (.351) and homers (3). Even worse, two key starters, Tom Hagan and Josh Darby, will be out for at least a month with injuries.

Nevertheless, UVa is 8-3 thanks to superb pitching and defense. The Virginia pitching staff has an ERA of 2.32, led by starters Mike Ballard (3-0, 0.78 ERA) and Matt Avery (2-1, 1.37 ERA). Opponents are batting just .208. The Cavs also have committed only eight errors, compared to 26 by their opponents.

"I'm very impressed with our pitching and defense," said UVa coach Brian O'Connor, whose team opens ACC play this weekend with a three-game series at Wake Forest.

Check Out SabreMail #179.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site soon:

• Duke + Maryland: The Sabre's postgame coverage for Duke continues with Greg's Game Report and JHoo's 10 Things. The Sabre also will get you ready for the Maryland contest this weekend.
• More Hoops: The men's basketball team opens the season this Friday and The Sabre will crank up its basketball coverage in November.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

The Sunday Sampler - Duke
Several disappointing trends appeared once again at Duke and that included the Virginia football team's penchant for penalties. In a barnburner scoring contest, the Hoos had 11 penalties for 103 yards and that lost yardage certainly didn't help matters. Cavalier coach Mike London, not surprisingly, was not happy with the flag-filled afternoon.

Hoos Debut With Win Over Roanoke
The Virginia men's basketball team won its only preseason exhibition contest Saturday night, topping Roanoke College 82-50 at the John Paul Jones Arena. The tune-up gave UVa a chance to continue its preseason work after a scrimmage at Marquette as the season opener with William & Mary looms on Friday. It also gave fans a chance to see the Cavaliers' seven freshmen in action for the first time.

Defense's Dire Day Hurts Cause
In the aftermath of Virginia's 55-48 loss to Duke on Saturday, I can't get the 1988 hip hop song by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock "It Takes Two" out of my mind. You know: "It takes two to make a thing go right. It takes two to make it outta sight." On a day where the single-game passing yards record fell and the Cavalier offense put up a dizzying 643 yards, the UVa defense again stumbled in a stomach-aching loss.

Duke Takes Shootout With UVa
48 points just wasn't enough. Virginia's offense produced 643 yards, and senior quarterback Marc Verica had a record-setting day in a losing effort to Duke in Durham. It was a marquee day for several Cavalier seniors, with wide receiver Dontrelle Inman and running back Keith Payne each setting new career marks. However, UVa simply ran out of answers in a shootout as Duke prevailed 55-48.

Game Preview 2010: Duke
"No fear" was Virginia's motto last week against the Hurricanes, and the Cavaliers came out guns blazing. This week, the team has the opportunity to break a two-game losing streak to the Blue Devils, and win their second ACC contest. Getting that first ACC road victory won't be easy, however, as Duke fields a high-octane passing attack featuring a couple of blue-chip receivers.

Farrakhan, Egwu Set For Seasons
Coming into the 2010-2011 season, the Virginia basketball teams are facing quite a few questions when it comes to star power and replacing production. The men's roster, of course, features as many freshmen as upperclassmen as the Hoos look to move on without leading scorer Sylven Landesberg and other unexpected absentees. The women, on the other hand, have to fill the void left by UVa and ACC stalwart Monica Wright. The Sabre swapped a few questions with a pair of Cavaliers, Mustapha Farrakhan and Simone Egwu, stepping into important roles this season.

Photo Gallery: Miami
The Virginia football team upset Miami 24-19 last weekend in a big Scott Stadium home win. Chase Minnifield, Corey Mosley, and Rodney McLeod came up with five interceptions, Keith Payne scored two touchdowns, and several players including Mike Parker had 8 tackles each. Take a look back at the victory with 138 photos of the Hoos in action.

JHoo's 10 Things I Learned 2010 ... Miami
Do I think Mike London and his staff are making progress? Uh ... yes, and this week, the whole country heard about it. Now we get to break down the 24-19 victory against Miami and it's always more fun to learn from wins. Here are 10 Things I Learned from the win over the Hurricanes.

Press Conference Notes 2010: Duke
The offensive line took an early spotlight at Monday's press conference. Last Saturday, the Cavalier O-Line managed to hold the nation's No. 2 tackles-for-loss defense to zero sacks in a thrilling 24-19 win over Miami. The No. 22 Hurricanes were missing their starting quarterback, but remained defensively stumped by the big men up front. It almost seems as if this production came out of left field, but the Hoos and their coaches knew it was bound to happen soon.

Greg's Game Report: Miami
The lasting impression that I took away from Saturday's game against Miami was how physical the Cavalier football team played. In the trenches, brute strength and explosion rule the day and as was the case Saturday, the most physical team usually wins the battle. Friends, Virginia is becoming a physical football team and it paid off in a victory Saturday against Miami.

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