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No. 4 Virginia Set to Host No. 11 Towson in NCAA Tournament First Round Match-Up
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Sixth-seeded and fourth-ranked Virginia will host unseeded and 11th-ranked Towson in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Opening draw from Klöckner Stadium is scheduled for 12:11 p.m., and the game will be televised by ESPNU in HD. Live audio (V Pass) and live statistics can be accessed at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (13-5) is making its 23rd overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while this is the 15th-straight year the Cavaliers have advanced to the postseason – the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Under head coach Julie Myers, the Cavaliers have qualified for the NCAA Tournament all 15 years and her squads hold an overall record of 21-13 in the tournament. Virginia has claimed three NCAA Titles – 1991, 1993 and 2004.
Senior All-Americans Kaitlin Duff and Brittany Kalkstein lead the Cavaliers this season. The duo shares the team lead in goals, with 37 each, while Duff is tops in assists (20), points (57), ground balls (39) and caused turnovers (27). Kalkstein, a 2010 Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, has won a team-best 90 draw controls this year, ranking third nationally with 5.00 draws per game. Kalkstein is second on the team in assists (19), points (56), ground balls (36) and caused turnovers (25).
In goal, redshirt junior Lauren Benner has posted the nation’s 10th-best goals-against average mark, allowing 8.58 goals per game. She is also 22nd nationally in save percentage, stopping 47.3 percent of shots faced.
CAA Player of the Year Hillary Fratzke leads the unseeded Towson squad. Fratzke has 48 goals and eight assists this year and leads the CAA with 68 draw controls, ranking sixth nationally with 4.00 per game.
In goal, Mary Teeters leads the league, and is ranked sixth nationally, with a .507 save percentage. She is also tied for second in the CAA with a 9.19 goals-against average.
In the all-time series between the two programs, Virginia holds an overall record of 17-1. Though the squads haven’t faced each other since 1996, the Cavaliers have won the last 16-straight contests and have posted a 9-0 record in Charlottesville. Towson’s lone victory came in 1980.
The winner of Sunday’s contest will advance to the quarterfinal round to face the winner of third-seeded North Carolina vs. Navy game on Saturday, May 22. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Towson University on May 29-31.
Fans may purchase tickets beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall or by calling (800) 542-8821. Tickets can also be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com. Reserved seat tickets offering stadium chair seating under cover are $9 each; general admission tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth 18-and-under, seniors 60-and-over and students of participating schools with a valid student ID.
The ticket office encourages all fans to purchase and pick up their tickets in advance to avoid long ticket sales and Will Call lines the day of the game.
There will be a $5 cash parking charge for the University Hall parking lots and the JPJA Parking Garage. Parking is available in the Emmet/Ivy Parking Garage and the Culbreth Road Parking Garage at no charge. With the Virginia baseball game against North Carolina and a Sesame Street Live show at JPJA starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, fans are encouraged to arrive early.