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APRIL 2018 17 much different feeling coming out of the locker room. The players weren't fazed. They never considered throwing in the towel. They knew they were much better than their record showed and were deter- mined to change the narrative. "I'm just so proud of the team and the growth we had throughout the season coming from a non-conference sched- ule when we weren't as consistent as we would have liked to been," third-year for- ward Moné Jones said. "We could have folded at any point, especially when it seemed like things weren't going our way and we weren't having the level of suc- cess we initially intended. "We just trusted the process and stuck with it." As the colorful autumn leaves began to fall and the blustery frigid winter began to set in — the UVA women's basketball team started to mesh, putting together one win after another. The Cavaliers fell to Rutgers Dec. 4, but then rattled off an eight-game win streak that included five victories over conference opponents. They continued to thrive on both ends of the court through January and had back-and-forth showings in February, but entered the ACC Tourna- ment brimming with confidence. UVA knocked off Georgia Tech in a close contest to open the ACC Tournament, but were dominated by Notre Dame — the eventual national champions — in the sec- ond game. In a year that was jam-packed with emotional highs and lows, it was dif- ficult to get a true pulse on the Hoos at the conclusion of the regular season. Was this group truly tournament wor- thy? Is there a chance they would miss it once again by a thin margin? "We are getting ready for postsea- son play and we've played some great teams this year,'' former UVA head coach Joanne Boyle said after the Notre Dame loss. "We've played a ton of top-25 teams … and then to come out tonight and not see the fight we've seen in some other games, that was a disappointing piece because we're better than that." Clearly the selection committee felt UVA had done enough. They were right — because Virginia showed grit and determination in outlasting No. 7 seed California in the opening round. Jones believed the NCAA Tournament win was the perfect showcase of all of the team's hard work and preparation. They had reached their potential. "At the end of the [Cal] game we had some huge defensive stops when they had the chance to tie the game or take the lead," Jones said. "Being in practice and thinking about all of the things we worked on, how many last-minute scenarios we prepared for, to see that on the court in a huge moment was just so gratifying. "Seeing that excitement in that moment. It was just like, finally we did it. Finally we saw everything we'd been working for transfer over. It was an amazing feeling." The Cavaliers — who fell 66-56 to No. 2 seed and defending national cham- pion South Carolina in the round of 32 despite hanging tough for three-plus quar- ters on the Gamecocks' home court — believe this year was a major step in the right direction and that they aren't far away from solidifying their place as an annual NCAA Tournament contender. "I'm just incredibly proud to have been the coach of this team this year," Boyle told VirginiaSports.com after the loss to the Gamecocks that prevented the program's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2000. "We just fought and believed in each other, and they really laid a foundation for what can be a part of this program moving forward." Virginia will lose a pair of fourth-year staples — Huland El (10.1 points per game) and forward Lauren Moses (7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest) — but enter next year with a core of return- ing playmakers in Willoughby, second- year point guard Dominique Toussaint and second-year center Felicia Aiyeotan. Toussaint paced a balanced attack — six players averaged at least 7.2 points — with 11.4 points and 3.7 assists per game, while Willoughby posted 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. The 6-9 Aiyeo- tan was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team after finishing the season as the conference leader in blocks (69, 2.1 per game) and ranking 11th in the league in rebounding (6.9 boards per game). She also averaged 7.4 points per game. A team that has become accustomed to change, though, will have to adjust to one of the biggest of all. Boyle, who has coached UVA for the last six seasons, suddenly retired from coaching after the NCAA Tournament run. "The person who is the head coach of this program needs to fully commit them- selves and give their all to these deserving young women," Boyle said in a statement released by UVA athletics. "Due to a fam- ily matter that may require more time away from the program, I am not able to dedicate the time I need to our team. For that reason, it is best for me to step aside." For Jones and Willoughby — who will be suddenly forced into leadership roles next year — this is just another challenge to overcome. They will miss their beloved coach, but respect her decision. They be- lieve there is a unit in place that is set up to thrive, no matter who takes over at the helm. "I think its hard at this point to see what's down the road but after the news was announced, Lauren [Moses], our se- nior leader from this season, told us that sometimes change can be good," Jones said. "We've been through this before with assistant coaches leaving, and there was a feeling of uncertainty then, but we discovered that good change can happen. "Just having the mindset and optimism that the same thing can happen, even though we're sad to see Coach Boyle go, we know there's good change and as long as we stay focused, stay together, espe- cially during this offseason working on our own to get better, we still have goals that aren't going to change. We need to stay true to who we have been." "I feel like the disappointment of not making it to the tournament last year truly made us want it more. We were really in sync with one another." SECOND-YEAR GUARD JOCELYN WILLOUGHBY Second-year point guard Dominique Toussaint paced a balanced UVA attack — six players averaged at least 7.2 points per contest — with 11.4 points and 3.7 assists per game. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA