I don't consider myself an expert, but have been around the game for the past 8 years with my oldest daughter having played in several VA state championship games.

To answer your question I suspect it's a combination of youth and recruiting. The younger players will continue to improve, but woman's lacrosse is so much about speed and aggression which tends to come naturally; thus, I think you need to recruit for these things.

Today's game was not a good indicator because of the poor weather conditions, but having watched a few games this season it appears VT is simply not a quick and fast as the better teams they have played. I thought VT matched up well against Duke today, but unfortunately it came down to a 10 second mental lapse at the end of the game. And that had a big impact on the outcome.

My daughter has played against some of the younger players on the team and I will say I am surprised by at least one recruit. This player is good, but was consistently held in check by my daughter's high school team. The best player on my daughter's team got a look by VT, but was passed over. She is now moving on to play for another D1 school next year. This player is the best high school player I have seen in years. You could tell back in 6th grade she would be special. I'm not sure why VT opted to pass on her, but this is the type of player VT needs. Fast, aggressive, can work in the set offense, or create her own offense.

Again, I think it's a combination of youth and recruiting, but I would expect to see VT up its level of recruiting with a focus on speed and aggression going forward.