February 7, 2013

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Thursday, February 7, 2013 | The Cavalier Daily

What to watch for this weekend Away:

Friday, 3:30 p.m., Women’s Tennis vs. U.N.C. Friday, 7 p.m., Women’s Basketball vs. Duke Saturday, Time TBA, Women’s Tennis @ ITA National Team Indoors Saturday, 1 p.m., Wrestling vs. Applachian State Sunday, Time TBA, Women’s Tennis @ ITA National Team Indoors Sunday, 1 p.m., Wrestling vs. Old Dominion

Friday-Saturday, Time TBA, Track & Field @ Husky Classic in Seattle, WA Friday, 9 a.m., Softball vs. Robert Morris in Buies Creek, NC Friday, 5:00 p.m., Track & Field @ VT Elite Meet in Blacksburg, VA Saturday, 10:30 a.m., Women’s Lacrosse @ Penn Spring Fling Scrimmages in Philadelphia, PA Saturday, 5:00 p.m., Track & Field @ VT Elite Meet in Blacksburg, VA Saturday, 8:40 p.m., Softball vs. St. Bonaventure in Buies Creek, NC Saturday, 8:40 p.m., Softball vs. George Washington in Buies Creek, NC Sunday, all day, Women’s Golf @ UCF Challenge in Sorrento, FL Sunday, 1 p.m., Men’s Basketball @ Maryland in College Park, MD Sunday, 2 p.m., Women’s Basketball @ Virginia Tech in Blacksburge, VA

Football | London: 2013 class ‘filled with quality, depth’ Continued from page B1 Mizzell’s Virginia career got off to a rocky start. In January, while on his official visit, Mizzell was arrested in Charlottesville and charged with underage possession of alcohol.

“The matter with ‘Smoke’ — as we call him — was a matter handled by the University and the athletic department,” London said.

“It’s a matter that also that I’ll be handling internally with the team and making sure that situations like that don’t occur again.”

The Cavaliers also snagged a pair of four-star defensive backs in Tim Harris and Kirk Garner, ranked No. 14 and No. 29 nationally at the cornerback position respectively.

Along with safety commit Malcolm Cook, ranked as the No. 19 recruit in Virginia, Harris and Garner will add depth to a Virginia secondary that recorded only four interceptions in the 2012 season, tied for last in the ACC with Maryland.

“I think when you look at Malcolm and Kirk and you look at Tim Harris, there are playing opportunities for all these players,” London said. “And we’ll see how things shake out with the players that we have in our systems and in the type of scheme that [defensive coordinator Jon] Tenuta will employ. But we’re glad to have those three, that’s for sure.”

The rest of the Virginia defense, which graduated defensive tackle and co-captain Will Hill, defensive ends Bill Schautz and Ausar Walcott and linebackers Steve Greer and co-captain LaRoy Reynolds, also received good news Wednesday. The Cavaliers netted defensive tackles Donta Wilkins and Tyrell Chavis, defensive end Jack English, inside linebacker Micah Kiser and outside linebackers Zach Bradshaw and Connor Wingo-Reeves, in addition to the early-enrollee Smith.

“It’s truly a class that is filled with quality, depth and a lot of players

that can be provided opportunities to play right away,” London said.

“It met specific needs that we had, particularly at the offensive line position.”

To fill the needs on the offensive line, Virginia added four tackles and one guard. Tackle Sadiq Olanrewaju, who ranks No. 3 in the state of Connecticut, and guard Jack McDonald, who ranks No. 4 in Massachusetts, headline the new class of offensive linemen, although the Cavaliers also added two last minute guards commitments from Eric Tetlow and George Adeosun. Tetlow called London around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday to inform him of his commitment, while Adeosun picked Virginia over many other top FBS programs.

“When you look at Virginia and you look at the past linemen that have been here, you look at success,” London said. “And the interesting thing with George Adeosun is like he blew up overnight ... He

left our visit and then Purdue, Oklahoma [showed interest]. He said he was getting on the plane to go to Arizona State visit, and before he got on the plane, Georgia had offered him [a scholarship] and later on Tennessee [did as well].”

Six other offensive skill players rounded out the Virginia recruiting class. All three wide receivers, Andre Levrone, Zack Jones and Keeon Johnson, are ranked among the top 30 prospects in their respective states, with Levrone ranked No. 47 nationally at receiver. Jones, the younger brother of former Virginia running back Perry Jones, is described as “an all everything, utility guy” by London.

Virginia added two three-star signal callers to the roster in Corwin Cutler, the nation’s No. 22 pro-style quarterback prospect and Virginia’s No. 14 overall recruit, and Brendan Marshall, Maryland’s No. 21 prospect.

Of the top 30 recruits in the state

of Virginia, the Cavaliers were able to snag seven, while Virginia Tech took 11. However, of the state’s four five-star recruits, Mizzell was the only one to remain in-state.

Half of the Cavaliers’ 22 commitments hail from inside the state, including six from the Richmond region and three from the Tidewater region.

This year marks the third straight year under London that Virginia’s recruiting class has been ranked in the top 30 by Rivals. Now that the class of 2013 is all but finalized, the program is alreading looking ahead to the class of 2014. But most of the Cavaliers’ focus will now be on a brutal 2013 schedule that features eight home games, including matchups against Oregon, BYU and Clemson.

“We embrace the fact that the schedule is very challenging,” London said. “And to a player — not just particularly on our team, but even with the recruits ... they’re excited about that.”

M Basketball | Cavs seek JPJ record 13th straight victory Continued from page B1 62.5 points per game.

The Virginia freshmen have been counted upon to provide much of the scoring punch — forwards Evan Nolte and Mike Tobey and guard Justin Anderson each rank among the top six on the team in scoring. Breakout games by those freshmen have helped spur each of the team’s last three wins, including a five 3-pointer outburst by Nolte against Virginia Tech, a 14-point second-half performance by Anderson against Boston College and, most recently, a 13-point, seven rebound showing by Tobey against N.C. State.

Sunday, however, no freshmen stepped up with a star performance in the 66-60 loss to the Yellow Jackets. With Mike Scott taking his refined post offense

to the Atlanta Hawks, then-sophomore guard K.T. Harrell and then-freshman forward James Johnson electing to transfer last season and sophomore guard Malcolm Brogdon out for this season with a foot injury, Bennett does not have the luxury of relying on proven veterans.

Instead, he must depend upon the energy of freshmen who are just beginning to prove that they belong in college basketball.

“We count on big contributions out of each one of them,” junior guard Joe Harris said. “If [redshirt freshman guard] Teven [Jones] is only playing a couple minutes or he’s playing 25, we expect the same thing out of him night in and night out. That goes for all of them.”

Thursday night’s visitors, the Tigers (12-9, 4-5 ACC), bear many similarities to the defensive-

minded Cavaliers. Clemson trails only Virginia in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing just 58.0 points per game, but also ranks next-to-last in scoring offense at 64.4 points per game. The Tigers lead the conference in blocked shots with 107 and play a very physical style of defense, a quality that propelled them to a 59-44 win against the Cavaliers Jan. 12.

In addition, the Clemson duo of senior forwards Milton Jennings and Devin Booker — the younger brother of Washington Wizards forward Trevor Booker — pulverized the Cavaliers inside for a combined 36 points, 20 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Tigers made 10-of-13 second-half field goals and outscored Virginia 35-24 in the period.

“They had a lot of point-blank

shots,” Bennett said. “Booker, he’s hard to handle, and Jennings was stretching you from three, so they had you both ways. And again, they were more physical than us and got the ball to the spots they needed.”

Virginia will likely need strong performances from its big men to counter Booker and Jennings.

Junior forward Akil Mitchell and Tobey will be key with sophomore forward Darion Atkins still severely limited by a shin injury. Mitchell’s consistency in the post has stabilized Virginia’s front line, and he is averaging 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season. Tobey, however, followed up his breakout performance against physical N.C. State with a one-point, two rebound dud against Georgia Tech.

Despite not having Atkins at full

strength this time around, the Cavaliers have one clear advantage for Thursday’s rematch against the Tigers: the game will be played in Charlottesville. Virginia has won 12 straight at John Paul Jones, matching an arena record set in 2007. However, the Cavaliers have just one in-conference road win, a 74-58 victory in Blacksburg Jan. 24.

“I think you feed off your crowd and the energy it can give you, but the good teams, when you go on the road you can’t rely on those kind of momentum swings, those kind of energy swings from the crowd,” Bennett said. “You’ve got to be able to have that in yourself, manufacture that and be so sound, and that’s what hasn’t happened for us on the road, and it is certainly hard enough at home.”

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

W Basketball | Duke’s plus 26.7 scoring margin leads ACC Continued from page B1 just 34.9 percent from the field for the game and committed 19 turnovers compared to six assists.

“I think part of the problem against Georgia Tech is that they fouled us every possession,” coach Joanne Boyle said. “It was hard to get into a rhythm offensively.”

Boyle and the Virginia offense will not get much of a break against Duke, who has played superb defense this season and is allowing an ACC-best 50.4 points per game.

However, the Cavaliers can take

some solace in knowing that Duke fits well with their style of play.

“Duke’s style is more conducive to how we play,” Boyle said, “Halfcourt man-to-man, or matchup zone. They’re just a different style.”

The Cavaliers may feel more comfortable on offense against the Blue Devils (20-1, 9-0 ACC), but few teams have been able to contend with Boyle’s alma mater. Duke is coming off an impressive 84-63 win against No. 11 North Carolina., in which Blue Devil junior guards Chloe Wells and Tricia Liston posted a career-high 18 and 15 points respec-

tively. Overall, the Blue Devils are averaging 77.1 points per game, good for second best in the ACC, and have a scoring margin of plus 26.7 points per game.

“They’re a really good team,” Boyle said. “They shoot the ball well. They try and put you in uncomfortable situations, so today we just worked a little bit on us on man and kind of went over their stuff. They have four great scorers, and really their fifth person on the floor can score too, so really we have to take two out their five big scorers away, and make them take tough shots.”

Boyle is very familiar with the Blue Devils program. She was a four-year letter winner at Duke and then spent 1993-2002 working as an assistant coach under coach Gail Goestenkors. In that time, Duke enjoyed eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet-16 each of her final five seasons at the university.

Virginia has competed in the NCAA tournament eight times since 2000, but is still looking for its first appearance under second-year coach Boyle. Last season, the team missed out on a bid because of its

lack of statement conference wins, making Friday’s matchup against Duke that much more critical in light of the team’s setback loss to Georgia Tech.

“We’re just going to capitalize on what we do well,” McCall said.

“Keep attacking. We’re not going to go backwards; just be aggressive.”

After facing Duke, the Cavaliers will travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech Sunday. The Hokies (7-14, 1-9 ACC) fell at John Paul Jones Arena 52-48 Jan. 3, and Virginia is 37-10 all-time against Virginia Tech.

W Tennis | Tournament will feature 16 of top 21 teams nationally Continued from page B1 favor us a bit, so I hope that can be a little positive for our kids and we can take advantage of it. They don’t get much of a chance to play indoors out there [in Southern California].”

The tournament schedule lists the start time for the Virginia-USC match at 3:30 p.m., but the exact start time will depend on when other matches finish. A delay of any length, however, will not diminish the Cavaliers’ eagerness to step onto the court to begin play in this highly anticipated tournament.

“Many of the players that I’ve coached and many of the teams that I’ve coached — some of our

greatest memories and greatest experiences have come through the National Team Indoors,” Guilbeau said. “You know, it’s just a great way to start the semester and build into a strong, strong season, and it’s kind of that time of year when everyone’s getting going and there’s a lot of excitement.”

The tournament will be decided as much by stamina as by skill.

Each of the 16 teams in the tournament rank among the top-21 teams in the nation, meaning the eventual winner will need the fortitude of body and mind to battle against equally talented opponents.

“You’ll learn a lot about your team from the standpoint of being able to bounce back,” Guilbeau said. “You know, whether it’s a win

or a loss, being able to come back and repeat that kind of effort for three days minimum … The team that ultimately wins will be a team that does that for four straight days. So, there’s a lot of value in that. It can make you a lot stronger physically, mentally, emotionally — all across the board.”

The weekend will provide the youthful Cavaliers with valuable learning experience. In the team’s 5-2 dual match victory against No. 47 Virginia Commonwealth last week, three freshmen — No. 4 Julia Elbaba, No. 43 Stephanie Nauta, and Maci Epstein — competed at Nos. 1-3 singles. The trio will likely remain in the starting lineup this weekend when No. 44 junior Li Xi returns from illness.

“[I’m] just kind of gauging their excitement level and how much they’re appreciating the opportunity and looking forward to playing,” Guilbeau said. “So far that’s been pretty strong, especially from a young group, so that’s first, and then, you know, for all of these teams it’s still early in the season, so you’re still learning a lot about your team, and I don’t think that ever stops, but you’re still probably answering some of the questions that you may not have to answer later in the season.”

Guilbeau also expressed his gratitude to former Virginia standout Amanda Rails and the Boar’s Head Sports Club — specifically club manager James Neiderer —for allowing his team to host the tour-

nament. Rails and the Boar’s Head made generous donations to bring the event to Virginia for the second straight year.

With a win against USC, the Cavaliers would play either No. 8 North Carolina or No. 13 Texas A&M on Saturday at 3:30.

No. 3 Duke is favored in Virginia’s half of the draw, and No. 2 UCLA is the tournament’s top seed. The Florida Gators, ranked No. 1 and the defending NCAA Champions, will not participate in the event.

The Cavaliers’ quest to emerge victorious against a star-studded field begins Friday.

“You know, we’re underdogs in this one, but I think that we’re ready to give it a good shot,” Guilbeau said.

Wrestling | Wrestler of the Week Spisak, U.Va. ride four-game streak Continued from page B1 national rankings this season, will likely provide a tougher test for Virginia. The Cavaliers have defeated the Monarchs each of the past two seasons by a combined score of 56-14, but Old Dominion pulled off a 21-18 upset against Virginia in 2009.

“ODU is another team that

always wrestles us tough,” Garland said. “Frankly, we have to be ready to go because they have tough individuals all up and down the lineup.”

With both the Cavaliers and Monarchs performing reletively well at this point in the season, this weekend will likely provide another tightly contested duel.

“We have a nice history with

Old Dominion,” Moore said.

“They always bring tough guys.”

The Cavaliers’ recent four game win streak has given the squad momentum heading into the season’s final stretch. Virginia is anxious to begin postseason play but is also staying focused on taking care of its final regular season matches.

“I hope we stay focused and

C M Y K

stay healthy,” Moore said. “It’s tough not to look ahead, but you can’t help but think about how exciting the end of the year is.”

One player who has been key to building the team’s recent success is Spisak, who was given the nod as ACC Wrestler of the Week for his pin against Maryland sophomore Shane Arechiga . Spisak, who just recently

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returned from an injury, joined No. 16 redshirt junior Jon Fausey as one of two Cavaliers to receive the honor this season.

“Joe [Spisak] has always been the spark plug,” Moore said. “He is very energetic, and a very talented wrestler.”

The matches will take place this Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.