Even in Europe, ex-Cav checks in

In the wee hours of the morning Tuesday, former Virginia point guard Sharnee Zoll rolled out of bed and turned on her computer.

Some seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in Romania, Zoll set her alarm for 3 a.m. — just six hours before an early morning basketball practice with her professional team.

The all-time assist leader in the ACC promptly discovered that her former teammates and a collection of rookies were in the process of doing the unthinkable.

Ultimately, Zoll watched as the final score — Virginia 83, Tennessee 82 — popped onto her computer screen, starting a screaming spree that may have startled half of the European country.

The buzz continued on Tuesday on national sports broadcasts, local radio shows and Virginia-based message boards.

“I am so proud of all of them for having the courage to go into Knoxville and do what not a lot of teams can say they have done,” Zoll, who currently plays for Romanian club team CSS LMK Sf. Gheorghe, said Tuesday.

By knocking off the two-time defending national champions, No. 16 Virginia (2-0) became just the third team in the past three years to beat the fifth-ranked Lady Vols in Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Cavaliers accomplished the feat the hard way — Virginia, playing without forwards Lyndra Littles and Enonge Stovall, eventually limited turnovers and outscored Tennessee 48-39 in the second half of the contest.

As those that attended a Virginia game during Zoll’s assist-filled career might expect, what the players achieved took a backseat to what Hall of Fame coach Debbie Ryan did.

“For coach Ryan, it just shows her persistence and perseverance with this team, organization, university, and with herself,” said Zoll, who played for two WNBA teams before heading overseas. “Throughout my four years at school there were many times when I had to hear people question whether coach Ryan ‘still had it.’

“This just proves it.”

Zoll said she envisioned the smile that was likely beaming from Ryan’s face when the team entered the locker room after the win.

“I’m sad that I couldn’t be there to see in person how happy she is,” Zoll said, “but she knows I love her and I am over here rooting for her and the Hoos in Romania.”

Virginia has little time to bask in the moment.

Capping one of the toughest non-conference stretches in recent history, the Cavaliers play at No. 25 Old Dominion on Friday at 7 p.m.

The Cavaliers’ last loss — which came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March — was at the hands of ODU in overtime.