UVA Women's Basketball Begins Brutal Three-Game Stretch at No. 9 Virginia Tech

The Virginia women's basketball team enters the new year with a lot of momentum having surpassed all expectations through the first 14 games of the season. In their first season under Coach Mox, the Cavaliers are 13-1, nearly tripling their win total from last season. UVA went 11-0 in non-conference play, including a pair wins over Big Ten opponents Minnesota and Penn State, defeated Wake Forest by 20, and most recently, outlasted Georgia Tech 69-63 on December 29th. The lone blemish on Virginia's record so far is a 70-56 defeat at Duke, who was unranked at the time, but is now ranked No. 19 in the nation.

The new year brings the Wahoos their biggest opportunity to prove themselves as they face three-consecutive ranked opponents, including back-to-back road games against top-ten teams over the next four days. Virginia visits its archrival in No. 9 Virginia Tech on Thursday, plays at the 2022 ACC Tournament Champions in No. 10 NC State on Sunday, and then hosts No. 22 North Carolina next Thursday.

For Coach Mox and her Cavaliers, these games are as much opportunities as they are challenges.

"Respect all, fear none," said UVA head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton ahead of this week's games. "We're going to respect those teams and we're going to respect them by being prepared and giving our best effort, but it's an opportunity to prove ourselves and we don't take that for granted."

The Wahoos have made tremendous strides through the first half of year one under Coach Mox and their next step is to prove themselves against the best of the ACC.

"We definitely do have more to prove and these three games are the perfect time to do it," said senior guard Carole Miller.

Virginia is seeking to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time since February 16th, 2017, when the Cavaliers knocked off No. 4 Florida State 60-51. UVA will have three opportunities over the next eight days to accomplish that feat, but as always, Coach Mox will have her team focused on one game at a time.

Focusing on just the next game shouldn't be a problem for the Cavaliers, as they prepare to face archrival Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash. UVA leads the all-time series 51-16, but the Hokies have had the upper hand as of late, winning four of the last five matchups, including a series sweep last year.

"Rivalry games are great. It always brings out an extra level of competition or competitive spirit," Coach Mox said of playing Virginia Tech. "We understand that it's a rivalry game and we also understand that we want to own this state... There's a lot that goes into it but we're not going to get too high on it. It's the next game. It's the most important game on our schedule because it's the next game."

Virginia Tech comes into Thursday's game with a 12-2 record, with those two losses coming against ACC foes Notre Dame and Clemson. The Hokies bounced back from their loss to Clemson with a big 68-65 win over North Carolina on Sunday. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, got back in the win column with a six-point victory over Georgia Tech last Thursday.

Also at stake on Thursday night is a half-point in the 2022-2023 Commonwealth Clash, which Virginia currently leads 4.5-0.5. A half-point will be awarded to the winner of this game, with the other half-point up for grabs when Virginia hosts Virginia Tech on January 29th back in Charlottesville.

Tip-off for Virginia-Virginia Tech is set for 7pm on Thursday, January 5th at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. The game will be broadcast the ACC Regional Sports Networks.

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