COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
Malik Thomas scored 16 points and Johann Grünloh had 12 to help Virginia edge Villanova 75-72 Friday night in a preseason exhibition before a large, curious crowd of 13,751 at John Paul Jones Arena.
Grünloh and Thijs De Ridder each pulled down eight rebounds, while Dallin Hall had a game-high five assists. New UVA coach Ryan Odom used 11 players on a team that is almost entirely revamped from last season.
Acaden Lewis led the Wildcats with 16 points, while Matt Hodge and Malachi Palmer had 13 apiece. They beat visiting VCU, Odom’s former team, in an exhibition last weekend.
UVA hit 24 of 53 field-goal tries, including 10 of 26 from 3-point range, and 17 of 19 free throws. The Cavaliers outrebounded Villanova 39-32 but committed 18 turnovers to the Wildcats’ 11.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
UVA receives another gift of millions
Virginia Athletics and the Virginia Athletics Foundation announced Friday a multimillion-dollar commitment to football from a friend of the program, who wasn’t identified. It marks the fourth transformational gift the program has received in the last 10 months.
This gift follows the investments in Virginia football announced Dec. 5, 2024, Dec. 19, 2024 and again on Sept. 11, 2025. According to UVA, in just 10 months, philanthropic investment directed for competitive operational support of the program has more than doubled what had been secured across the previous eight seasons combined. This comes after unprecedented financial support that led to the construction of the Molly and Robert Hardie Football Operations Center, one of the nation’s top football facilities and a centerpiece for Virginia’s Master Plan.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
CNU starts 20th in d3hoops.com poll
Christopher Newport was ranked 20th in the d3hoops.com preseason poll, the ninth consecutive year the Captains were picked in the top 20.
They finished 26-2 last season, 18th in the d3hoops.com rankings and 14th in the coaches’ poll. The Captains will need to replace more than 50% of their scoring and rebounding from last year’s squad after the exit of a large senior class.
New York University was first, Washington and Lee sixth and Randolph-Macon 21st.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Tribe prevails in 5-setter
William & Mary (7-13, 2-7 Coastal Athletic Association) won a 3-2 (24-26, 25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 17-15) thriller against Northeastern to open a two-match series at Kaplan Arena. Nicole Smith and Katherine Arnason had 15 kills apiece for the Tribe, while Audrey Brcka added 12 kills and 10 digs. Avery Horejsi made 23 digs, and Beatriz Silva had 39 assists and 16 digs.
The Huskies fell to 7-11, 3-6 entering Saturday’s 1 p.m. rematch.
Towson sweeps Hampton
Towson (20-3, 11-1 CAA) defeated Hampton 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-20) to finish a two-match sweep. The Pirates (1-21, 0-12) got seven kills from Racquel Frazier and 17 assists from Morgan Warren.
In Thursday’s match, the Tigers won 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-12).
COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY
No. 3 UVA shuts out Louisville
No. 3 Virginia (12-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) earned a 2-0 shutout at Louisville (7-8, 1-5) on goals by Mary Adams in the fifth minute and Amelie Rees in the 18th.
Nilou Lempers recorded six saves for her seventh shutout of the season, though the Cardinals outshot the Cavaliers 10-7. It was UVA’s first victory over Louisville since 2019.
