With summer turning the corner after the July 4 holiday, University of Virginia sports teams will be back in action soon. Preseason exhibitions for the soccer teams are just a little more than a month away and regular season action starts around mid-August for multiple teams.
The UVA women’s soccer team plays the first home game of the sports year for the Cavaliers as they take on Nevada on Thursday, Aug. 17. The men’s soccer team hosts three that week (including one with Villanova on Tuesday, Aug. 15) before it starts off its regular season schedule with Iona on Thursday, Aug. 24 in Charlottesville.
It’s time to take a look at some of the fall sports schedule highlights for each team (note: the football schedule was released earlier) as well as a couple of other announcements for the basketball teams in the winter.
Virginia Basketball Challenge Opponents
Before rounding up some of the fall schedule news, both Virginia basketball teams learned their opponents for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. The conference used to go head-to-head with the Big 10, but this event replaces that in the schedule. Both UVA squads play at home this year.
For the men’s team with Tony Bennett at the helm, the first opponent in the new challenge is Texas A&M. The Cavaliers welcome the visitors to the John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 29 for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff. The TV designation will be announced at a later date.
The schools have played just once before in men’s basketball with the Aggies winning 60-59 in 1962. In other words, this a fresh opponent for the Wahoos. The matchup might still feel familiar, though. Former Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams leads Texas A&M, while former Duke player, and one-time UVA recruit, Henry Coleman has been a regular starter for the Aggies the past two seasons.
On the women’s side, coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton and the Cavaliers host Missouri on Thursday, Nov. 30. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. The TV designation will be announced at a later date.
While the men’s matchup certainly qualifies as rare, this game is even more so on the women’s side. The two teams have never met in women’s basketball. The Tigers went 18-14 last season with a WNIT appearance, while the Hoos landed at 15-15 in Coach Mox’s first season after injury issues derailed early season momentum.
The ACC will release the full basketball schedules at a later date.
UVA Women’s Soccer Plays 11 Home Games
As noted above, the sports year for the Hoos begins with the women’s soccer team at home against Nevada. That’s the first of 11 home games at Klockner Stadium this season. The schedule features 8 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
Some non-conference highlights for Virginia include home games with Michigan (Thursday, Aug. 24), West Virginia (Thursday, Aug. 31), VCU (Sunday, Sept. 3), and Iowa (Thursday, Sept. 7). For ACC games at Klockner, the Cavaliers face North Carolina (Thursday, Sept. 21), Duke (Sunday, Oct. 1), Virginia Tech (Sunday, Oct. 15), Miami (Thursday, Oct. 19), and Boston College (Sunday, Oct. 22). That last trio all come to town as part of a three-game homestand for the Hoos.
The ACC Tournament begins Sunday, Oct. 29 and the NCAA Tournament begins Friday, Nov. 10. Virginia finished 16-4-3 last season and made it to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8. The full schedule, including regular season game times, can be found here (TV information will be updated once announced).
Virginia Men’s Soccer Hosts 11 Games Too
The men’s soccer team also welcomes 11 teams to Klockner Stadium for regular season action. There are also 3 exhibition matches so there are plenty of opportunities to see the Hoos at home this fall. UVA will compete against 7 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
The Virginia non-conference slate features a home game with Maryland (Monday, Sept. 4) as the Terrapins come to Charlottesville for the first time since 2013. The two teams had played the previous four meetings in Washington D.C. Other non-conference games include George Mason (Thursday, Aug. 31) and James Madison (Tuesday, Sept. 12 in Harrisonburg) in state and High Point (Tuesday, Oct. 24) from out of state.
UVA’s ACC home games come against NC State (Saturday, Sept. 16), Louisville (Friday, Sept. 29), Pitt (Friday, Oct. 13) and North Carolina (Friday, Oct. 27). The Hoos travel to Notre Dame (Friday, Sept. 22) as part of its conference road schedule – the last 11 meetings between those two clubs have been decided by 1 goal or less.
The ACC Tournament begins Wednesday, Nov. 1 and the NCAA Tournament begins Thursday, Nov. 16. Virginia finished 10-4-5 last season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament before losing in penalty kicks in the first round. The full schedule, including regular season game times, can be found here (TV information will be updated once announced).
Cavalier Field Hockey Hosts ACC Championship
After the soccer teams kick off the sports year, the field hockey and volleyball teams begin their seasons in the final week of August. Like their Klockner counterparts, both also open with home games.
The Virginia field hockey team opens with a home game against Penn State on Friday, Aug. 25. That’s 1 of just 7 home games on the 16-game slate as the Hoos travel to St. Joseph’s and Temple for a weekend double dip (Friday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 3), while playing a pair of in-state road games at William & Mary (Friday, Sept. 8) and JMU (Tuesday, Oct. 24). The Cavaliers also have a non-conference road game at Duke (Sunday, Oct. 15).
Virginia plays Duke at home too for the official ACC standings game. The home games are against Liberty (Tuesday, Aug. 29), Harvard (Sunday, Sept. 10), Boston College (Friday, Sept. 15), Maryland (Monday, Sept. 18), Duke (Friday, Oct. 6), and UNC (Friday, Oct. 20). Of note, the Carolina game marks a weekend celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first UVA field hockey game.
While the regular season home schedule includes less games than on the road, Virginia does host the ACC Championship from Tuesday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 3. This is the 8th time the tourney is being held in Charlottesville, but the first time since 2015. Check out the full schedule here.
Virginia Volleyball Hosts Pair Of 4-Team Tournaments
The UVA volleyball team packed its schedule with 9 2022 AVCA Top 100 Teams, including 7 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. Quinnipiac (MAAC), UMBC (America East), Pitt (ACC), and Louisville (ACC) all won at least a share of a conference championship last fall.
Virginia begins its season with the Cavalier Classic on Friday, Aug. 25 and Saturday, Aug. 26. The Hoos host Rider on Friday, while Rutgers and North Carolina A&T play on the other side of the bracket. Winners will compete for the tournament title on Saturday. The same format is in place for the Jefferson Cup on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 16. The Cavaliers face Norfolk State on Friday, while George Washington and Wofford play in the other game with winners meeting on Saturday.
Other schedule highlights include Quinnipiac on Friday, Sept. 1 at the Big Apple Tournament in New York, ODU (Tuesday, Sept. 5) at home, and American (Sunday, Sept. 17) at home. Some of the ACC home games include Syracuse (Friday, Sept. 29), Wake Forest (Friday, Oct. 27), Virginia Tech (Sunday, Oct. 29), and Duke (Friday, Nov. 17). The Hoos and Hokies play in Blacksburg on Saturday, Nov. 25. Check out the schedule here.
Cavalier Cross Country To Host NCAA Championships
The Virginia cross country teams open the season with meets in Richmond (Spider Alumni Open, Saturday, Sept. 2) and Blacksburg (Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational, Friday, Sept. 15), but the Hoos have the opportunity to close their season at home in the biggest meet of the year. UVA hosts the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Panorama Farms.
There are a pair of other home meets as well. The Virginia Invitational is set for Saturday, Sept. 23, while the XC-23 Pre-Nationals are on Saturday, Oct. 14. The ACC Championships are at Florida State on Friday, Oct. 27 while the NCAA Southeast Regional is Friday, Nov. 10 in Spartanburg, S.C. Check out the schedule here.
