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18 CAVALIER CORNER to our success, so that's awesome," Agugua- Hamilton said. "Everybody's like, 'How are you gonna figure out playing time and start- ers and all that?' But that's a great problem to have, because I'm somebody that likes versatility. We recruit that, so to have that on my roster right now is beneficial. "If I need a shooting lineup or an athletic lineup or a defensive lineup, I feel like we have the pieces to put that in place. That's been a plus, but just who they are as people brings more joy coming into work, because they've just been great and have bought in." New to the program are first-years Yonta Vaughn and Cady Pauley and transfers Sam Brunelle (Notre Dame) and Alexia Smith (Minnesota). Vaughn, Pauley and Smith are guards. Brunelle is a 6-foot-2 forward. Since joining the program, Brunelle has formed a strong bond with Taylor, and they accompanied Agugua-Hamilton to the ACC Tipoff event in October. "They've been an integral part of that buy-in and culture shift," Agugua- Hamilton said. "They've been great leaders, they come in with great at- titudes, and they're talented players, obviously." Taylor, who began her college career at Marquette, opted out for personal reasons after 12 games last season. She's in a better place this year and has been a positive presence on the court and in the locker room. "She brings that energy, brings that passion and just truly is stay- ing present and trying to enjoy the journey, and she's helping our players do that," Agugua-Hamilton said. "But she's also ultra-competitive, and she holds people accountable. She's raising the level, she's understanding the standards, and she's echoing things that I say and the staff says. "She's really coming in and just walking into her purpose and her passion and her potential, and I just couldn't be more proud of that kid." Brunelle grew up near Charlottes- ville, in Greene County, and she was a ball girl at UVA women's games at John Paul Jones Arena. After gradu- ating from William Monroe High School, where she became one of the nation's most sought-after re- cruits, Brunelle spent three seasons at Notre Dame. Injuries hindered her there. Still, Brunelle played in 80 games and averaged 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Irish. She graduated from Notre Dame this summer and, with two seasons of eligibility remaining, decided to become a Cavalier. She was the first recruit Agugua-Hamilton landed after being hired at UVA, and Brunelle's presence figures to accelerate the building process at JPJ. "To me, she's like an ambassador for the sport," Agugua-Hamilton said, "and she gets the bigger picture." Brunelle had offseason shoulder surgery, and that limited her participation early in the fall. But she's an outstanding shooter who "stretches a defense for us," Agugua-Hamilton said. "She also can rip and drive a lot, so we've been working on that. I think the thing that people don't talk about with her is her ability to pass the ball. And so that changes a lot that we can do, because she's a phe- nomenal passer." In 2019-20, Brunelle started all 31 games for the Fighting Irish, averaged 13.9 points and 5.8 re- bounds per game, and made the ACC's All-Freshman team. She's thrilled to be back in famil- iar surroundings. "Being able to come back home was huge for me, and to be with a group of girls who really care about each other, really care about the process to get better and are dying to be successful, is great," Brunelle said. "I said coming back that it's going to be great to be part of the process to rebuild UVA back up to what it used to be. "I grew up watching it and so I know it can be great again. We just need the pieces, and everybody's so bought in to making that happen." Taylor agreed. "We have a great mentality," she said. "We're coming in every single day buying in. I feel like the energy 2022-23 UVA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Nov. 7 George Washington (ACCNX) 5 p.m. Nov. 10 UMBC (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Nov. 13 Wake Forest* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Nov. 16 at Loyola Chicago 7 p.m. Nov. 20 at American (ESPN+) 7 p.m. Nov. 23 Campbell (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Nov. 26 Minnesota^ (ACCNX) 2 p.m. Nov. 27 East Carolina^ (ACCN) 2 p.m. Nov. 30 at Penn State 7 p.m. Dec. 4 UNC Wilmington (ACCNX) 2 p.m. Dec. 7 at William & Mary (FloSports) 7 p.m. Dec. 18 Morgan State (ACCNX) 2 p.m. Dec. 21 at Duke* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Dec. 29 Georgia Tech* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Jan. 5 at Virginia Tech* (RSN) 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at NC State* (RSN) 3 p.m. Jan. 12 North Carolina* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Jan. 15 Boston College* (ACCN) 12 p.m. Jan. 19 Florida State* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Jan. 22 at Notre Dame* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Jan. 26 at Syracuse* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Jan. 29 Virginia Tech* (ACCN) 6 p.m. Feb. 2 at North Carolina* (RSN) 6 p.m. Feb. 5 at Pittsburgh* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Feb. 9 Louisville* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Feb. 12 NC State* (RSN) 12 p.m. Feb. 19 Duke* (ACCNX) 2 p.m. Feb. 23 at Clemson* (ACCNX) 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at Miami* (ACCN) 12 p.m. Mar. 1-5 ACC Tournament$ TBA * ACC game ^ Cavalier Classic; + ACC/Big Ten Challenge; $ at Greensboro, N.C.; RSN — Regional Sports Networks; ACCN — ACC Network; ACCNX — ACC Network Extra " I'm not going to come out here and be like, 'Oh, we're going to win a national championship.' Like I tell the players, 'Progress is the process.' We say that almost every day. I just want to continue to take steps forward. … If we just keep our focus on the little, small victories, I think we'll be all right." HEAD COACH AMAKA AGUGUA-HAMILTON