Two Virginia Women's Basketball Players to Miss the 2012-13 season

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Sept. 28, 2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s basketball players Lexie Gerson and Erinn Thompson, will miss the 2012-13 season due to injuries Cavalier head coach Joanne Boyle announced today.

Gerson, a senior guard, underwent hip surgery in early September and will miss the entire 2012-13 season while she recovers. She will apply for a medical redshirt and will use her final year of eligibility during the 2013-14 season.

Gerson was a member of the 2011-12 ACC All-Defensive team, leading Virginia in total steals (113) and steals per game (3.1), ranking in the top 15 nationally and top three in the ACC all season long. She was also an offensive contributor with 18 double-digit scoring performances during the 2011-12 season, including a 19-point game against Radford.

“The loss of Lexie was quite a shocking blow,” said head coach Joanne Boyle. “She has been a tremendous defensive spark for us on the court. We are all wishing her a speedy recovery and know that she will be back next season with that same energy and enthusiasm.”

Thompson, a senior forward, suffered a fractured tibia in 2009, missing all but three games of her freshman season. She returned to the court, playing in 15 games as a sophomore and 19 last year, eventually developing compartment syndrome in her lower left leg as a result of the initial injury. After also developing extreme chrondromalcia in both knees and partially tearing her left meniscus, the combination of injuries has ended her playing career.

Thompson will not return to the court but will remain on scholarship and plans to continue working with the program, helping in the women’s basketball office and with other off-the-court projects and activities.

“I want to thank Erinn for all she has done for this program for the past three seasons,” Boyle said. “Though we have lost her skill and hard work on the court, we really appreciate her positive attitude and all she is doing in her new capacity. She has been a tremendous asset helping us in the office this fall.”

With the loss of Gerson and Thompson, the Cavaliers will have 11 active players on the roster this season, with six returning players including All-ACC honorable mention junior guard Ataira Franklin. The Cavaliers also have five new faces with three incoming freshmen and a pair of sophomores, Sarah Imovbioh and Sarah Beth Barnette, who are now eligible to play for the team.