This is a huge weekend for Virginia Athletics. The softball and women's tennis teams kicked things off yesterday in the ACC and NCAA Championships, respectively. Other teams in action this weekend include baseball, rowing, outdoor track & field, men's tennis and both men's and women's lacrosse. The entire Davenport / Klockner area will be abuzz with fans and media alike.
The softball squad's debut in the ACC Championships as tied for their highest seed in school history did not exactly go as planned. The second-seeded Cavaliers fell to seventh-seeded Virginia Tech 0-1 in eight innings. First team All-ACC Melanie Mitchell was up for all eight innings and didn't allow a single earned run. She is still just one win short of tying the school's record for wins in a season, and it looks like she'll get that opportunity after NCAA regionals are announced tomorrow night. It's going to be the team's first trip ever to the NCAAs.
The women's tennis team hosted Princeton last night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As has been the case often throughout this season, it came down to the wire, but in the end, the Cavaliers pulled out the 4-3 victory over the Tigers. UVa won the doubles point, but when tied at 3-3, it was Hana Tomljanovic that saved the day. She dropped the first set and won the second, 3-6, 6-3. Down a break in the third set, she managed to find her mojo to rally back to win the third set, and the match, 7-5. The 'Hoos face Duke today at 4:00 p.m. at Snyder.
Last night's baseball game against Carolina was postponed because of lightning and torrential downpour in the Hook, which means that today we're slated for a doubleheader that begins at 1:00. Will's there and will be live-tweeting throughout, so for your up-to-the-minute score updates, follows @STLUVaBaseball.
Rowing will be competing in the South/Central Regional Championships in Tennessee today and tomorrow, as the third-ranked crew in the nation and the reigning ACC champions. At the time of this post, Virginia has thus far won all five of the heats its competed in, which includes all three Open Four boats, the Varsity Four, and the Novice Eight.
Outdoors Track & Field will be competing in the final meets of the season before it's NCAA time for these guys. They will be at North Carolina on Sunday, while some will also be competing in the ECAC/IC4A Championships.
Men's tennis will be kicking off their NCAA Championship run today at 1:00 p.m. as they host Navy. Virginia is 35-1 and the top-ranked, top-seeded team. The Mids are 16-13 on the season, and this is the second year in a row that the two teams have faced off in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Virginia cruised through with a 4-0 victory, and all signs are pointing to a repeat of this. Navy head coach John Officer says of the Cavaliers, "Virginia is a class act on and off the court. They are very deserving of their lofty status over the last several years."
Finally, both the men's and women's lacrosse teams will be competing in the first round of their respective NCAA Tournaments this weekend. It is going to be an absolute madhouse at Klockner, as ESPNU will be televising both games, and a whole slew of media will be there given last week's events. On the men's side, Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Ken Clausen will be leading the 'Hoos as they face Mount St. Mary's tonight at 7:30 p.m. Have you voted for him for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award? Your vote counts a third of the final totals, so if you aren't voting daily, you're basically renouncing your allegiance to this fine University. But I digress. The last time these two teams met, Virginia trounced The Mount 10-2, in Charlottesville in 2009.
For the women, Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Brittany Kalkstein leads the 6th-seeded Cavaliers on Sunday at 12:11 p.m. against 11th-ranked Towson. This is the 23rd straight appearance for the 'Hoos, but the first time these two squads have met since 1996. Virginia last won a national title in 2004 and the quest for the program's fourth starts tomorrow.