Despite their 1-10 ACC record and first round loss at the ACC Tournament, there is still a glimmer of hope that the Terrapin men’s tennis team could qualify for its first NCAA Tournament this season.

Their 13-13 overall record, which represents the first .500 season for the program since 1992, qualifies them for consideration for an at-large berth for the Tourney, according to a team spokesman. The team brackets are released on May 4.

While the Terps’ chances are miniscule, first-year coach Kyle Spencer is still holding optional practices for his team.  He is blunt about their postseason chances, however.

“We won’t get in,” Spencer said on the phone today.

Whether they earn an at-large berth next Tuesday is yet to be seen, but the Terps’ season foreshadowed future success for a program that has not had much to smile about in recent years.  They will not lose any players to graduation, and will add the first recruiting class of Spencer’s, who was best known for his recruiting ability before arriving in College Park.

Conor Walsh is The Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s and women’s tennis beat writer. He can be reached at cwalsh@umdbk.com.

I hate to beat a dead cliche horse.

But after taking a few minutes to scan the statistics for all of NCAA Division I baseball, I have a firmer grasp on the depths of the Terrapin baseball team’s offensive struggles. I feel obligated to share and consolidate this information for our devoted readers so they too can understand the root of most of the Terps’ failure this season..

In all seriousness, for those who have watched the Terps play all season, it is painfully obvious that the team’s offensive ineptitude is the primary reason for their struggles as a whole.

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After a dominating victory against then-No. 1 North Carolina yesterday in the ACC Championship, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team put themselves in a position to vault up to somewhere it hasn’t been in a long time – the No. 1 overall ranking.

Inside Lacrosse has spoken, and through a very tight vote, the Terps grabbed the top spot in this week’s top 20 rankings, just barely edging out Northwestern. Although the Wildcats received more first place votes than the Terps, the Terps edged Northwestern in points 231 to 230.

It’s the first time the Terps have held the spot in coach Cathy Reese’s four-year tenure. After taking the head coaching reigns in 2007, Reese has gradually built the Terps back into national prominence.

Last time the Terps were ranked No. 1: April 5, 2003. The Terps then lost to James Madison 9-8 and dropped from No. 1.

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With the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team upending current No. 1 North Carolina in the ACC Championship today, Inside Lacrosse and IWCLA have a tough decision to make: who is ranked No. 1?

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The No. 4 Terps jumped to a three-goal lead in the first half of the first quarter, but since then the No. 2 Cavaliers have clawed their way back into the lead and took a 5-4 advantage into halftime.

The Terps started out on fire, continuing the whole-field domination they held throughout their win against  North Carolina on Friday. But Virginia recovered, reeling off a 4-0 run of their own to go ahead 4-3 late in the second quarter. That seemed to jolt the Terps, as Bryn Holms won the ensuing faceoff to set up a breakaway and attackman Travis Reed scored to regain a piece of the lead.

But no sooner had the Terps tied it than the Cavaliers took the lead again, as Rhamel Bratton scored on the next possession with 13 seconds remaining in the half to give Virginia the lead at the intermission.

Goalie Adam Ghitelman’s eight first-half saves helped keep the Terps in check early and later allowed the Cavaliers the chance to move into the lead.

Attackman Will Yeatman will sit out today’s ACC Championship game against No. 2 Virginia with a mild concussion. I can’t recall any particularly jarring hit on Yeatman in Friday’s 13-5 semifinal win against North Carolina as the cause, but he will not take the field at Byrd Stadium.

This comes as a blow for the Terps’ attack, as Yeatman led the charge in the regular season meeting between the two teams. The Terps lost that game 11-10 after a controversial call disallowed what would have been a game-tying goal. But despite the result, Yeatman had a breakout game, scoring a career-high for goals in his first game of the year at attack after spending the first half of the year at midfield.

Still, the Terps have options. Attackman Travis Reed, who Yeatman displaced in the starting line, moves back into a starting role, as he did two weeks ago when Yeatman sat out the Navy game with a broken thumb. Against the Midshipmen, Reed scored a team-high four goals. And Joe Cummings, an attackman who moved to midfield when Yeatman switched positions, also could see time on the front line.

Follow up-to-the-minute action with Jakob Engelke at www.twitter.com/DBKSports.

Kate Yanchulis is the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team beat writer for The Diamondback. She can be reached at kyanchulisdbk@gmail.com.

Finally, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team won their redemption against North Carolina.

Fueled on offense by co-captain Caitlyn McFadden, who won the tournament’s MVP award, and on defense by sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Dipper, the Terps ran away from North Carolina, never allowing the Tar Heels to sniff a comeback. The Terps won 10-5.

The Terps started fast on offense, scoring four goals in the first ten minutes to put North Carolina on their heels. For the rest of the game, coach Cathy Reese had her offense play a little slower than usual, wasting time and looking for great shots. The change resulted in much fewer possessions for the Tar Heels, who couldn’t forge a comeback.

McFaden, who contributed three goals and two assists this afternoon, was named unanimous ACC Tournament MVP. Much more to come about this one.

That’s ACC Championship No. 7 for the Terps’ program, more than any other team.

Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at ceckard@umdbk.com