12 Virginia Women’s Athletes To Watch This Fall

The long summer wait for the return of Virginia athletics is almost over. The women’s soccer team plays the first official contest of the UVA sports year on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Klockner Stadium. The Hoos host Radford on Sunday at 6 p.m. as well before other teams get started in future weeks.

With the sports year about to begin then, it’s a great time to spotlight some individual Virginia athletes to watch this fall. Since the women’s soccer team kicks off the fun, this edition is devoted to the women’s teams at UVA. Stay tuned for athletes to watch from men’s teams next week ahead of the men’s soccer regular season opener against Iona next Thursday at 6 p.m.

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12 Virginia Women’s Athletes To Watch This Fall

The Virginia women’s soccer team enters the year ranked No. 5 in the nation and while preseason polls aren’t out yet for field hockey and cross country, you can expect to see the Cavaliers among the top 20 teams there too. Plus, the volleyball team continues to work steadily to climb the ACC standings.

Bottom line: there are a lot of familiar names and successful women’s athletes on Virginia sports teams this fall. So many in fact, that this list doesn’t include any incoming freshmen or transfers and everyone knows that someone from those groups will make an impact for the Hoos.

Here are a dozen names to watch this fall. Add your own in the comments, on the message boards, or via social media.

12. Veresia Yon, outside hitter, volleyball team. A transfer from D2 West Florida last fall, Yon started 21 of 25 matches, posted 125 kills, and led the team in kill percentage at .333, that being tied for 10th all time in program history for a single season. The 6’1” graduate student was one of five Hoos last year with more than 100 kills. With Grace Turner and Mary Shaffer both finished with their Cavalier careers and gone from that group, Yon will be one of the returning veterans asked to keep producing in 2023.

11. Madison Orsi, midfielder, field hockey team. Orsi quietly put together a strong rookie season for the Hoos in 2022. She was one of just five players (and the only freshman) to start all 21 games last season and she ranked second on the team in minutes played at 1,188. That makes her the leading returning player in minutes played from a year ago. This past April, she helped the US U21 Junior National Team win gold at the Junior Pan American Championship.

10. Daniela Mendez-Trendler, midfielder, field hockey team. Mendez-Trendler earned third-team All-American honors last season, just the sixth Cavalier freshman to ever do that in their debut season. The 5’9” midfielder also earned a first-team All-ACC spot. She finished second on the team in goals (8) and points (19). This past April, she helped the US U21 Junior National Team win gold at the Junior Pan American Championship.

9. Ashley Le, setter, volleyball team. Entering her upperclass years, Le brings a versatile skill set to the Hoos. She played as a setter in a 6-2 rotation and as a defensive specialist in a 5-1. The 5’9” junior finished second on the team in assists (359) and fourth in total digs (158); she also tied for second with four double-doubles. With nearly 200 sets played in her career now, her experience and versatility will make her a key part of the Virginia team this season.

8. Camryn Menninger, cross country team. Menninger made her debut for UVA last fall after transferring in from NYU. She had four top 5 finishes in smaller events, took 12th for All-ACC honors at the conference meet, and came home 26th at the regional. Those runs helped Virginia claim third at both the ACC and Southeast Regional events.

7. Cayla White, goalkeeper, women’s soccer team. White started all 20 games in which she appeared last season and posted 9 shutouts, tied for 10th most in a season at Virginia. That included shutouts against Duke, Georgetown, and Memphis while each were ranked in the top 25. The 5’6” graduate student made 51 saves on the season and the shutout against Duke included 6 saves to help preserve a 1-0 win.

6. Sophia Atkinson, cross country team. Atkinson played a key role in UVA’s top 10 finish at the NCAA Championships last season and helped the team earn its way into the field with strong postseason runs in general. Atkinson placed 22nd at the ACC meet to earn all-conference honors, led the team with a 13th place run at the Southeast Regional, and then posted a personal best 6K time of 20:15.9 to take 46th at the national meet. With the Hoos hosting the NCAA Championships in 2023, she should be a factor for the team to chase another successful season.

5. Adele Iacobucci, midfielder, field hockey team. Back as a graduate student for a fifth season thanks to the pandemic year eligibility waiver, Iacobucci will try to add to an already impressive career resume. She’s a three-time all-region pick, a two-time All-ACC Tournament team member, and a one-time All-ACC selection. The 5’8” midfielder has started 76 games for the Hoos with 15 goals, 7 assists, and 37 total points. That includes 5 game-winning goals in her career.

4. Maggie Cagle, forward/midfielder, women’s soccer team. Cagle burst on to the scene last year as a true freshman with 4 goals and 12 assists, the latter leading all D1 freshmen in the nation. That production included 7 game-winning assists and 2-game winning goals, meaning she showed up at critical times in 9 of the team’s 16 wins. The 5’5” Arizona native was named third-team All-ACC in her rookie season.

3. Abby Tadder, middle blocker, volleyball team. The rising junior started 52 of 57 matches in her first two years with the Hoos. Last season, she earned a spot on the all-tournament teams at Florida and Xavier. Tadder led Virginia in total blocks (114.0), blocks per set (0.99), block solos (10) and block assists (104). She finished second on the team in hitting percentage too at .333, which tied for 10th all-time at UVA in single season. The 6’2” junior could be in line for even bigger things in year three.

2. Talia Staude, defender, women’s soccer team. A fixture in the Virginia starting lineup since 2019, Staude enters her ‘Super Senior’ season thanks to the pandemic year eligibility waiver. Staude was the only Cavalier to play more than 2,000 minutes last season as she checked in at 2,037 while starting 23 times for the second straight season. She scored a goal in each of the last three seasons and all three came in big settings (2022 NCAA Tournament against Fairleigh Dickinson, 2021 game-winning goal i the 90th minute against NC State, 2020/2021 NCAA Tournament against SIUE).

1. Margot Appleton, cross country team. Appleton put together an impressive 2022-2023 campaign for the Cavaliers. In cross country, she won the Spider Alumni Open and posted four more top 10 finishes. That included 9th place on the way to All-ACC honors at the conference meet. She finished 16th at the regional event and 55th at the NCAA Championships. Appleton followed that up with a school record in the 3000-meter run during the ACC Indoor Championships and the ACC title in the 1500 at the ACC Outdoor Championships. She took the bronze medal at the NCAA meet in the 1500 too. The Massachusetts native is one to watch as that momentum builds.