Virginia fires Groh after nine seasons with Cavs

Virginia fired Al Groh after nine seasons as football coach at his alma mater Sunday, ending a tenure marked by his inability to beat rival Virginia Tech.

Groh's dismissal came less than 24 hours after the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6 ACC) lost 42-13 at home to the No. 11 Hokies, finishing their worst season since going 2-9 in 1982. It also was their eighth loss to the Hokies in Groh's nine tries.

Groh, 65, had two years remaining on his contract and will receive a buyout of approximately $4.33 million, athletic director Craig Littlepage said. The search for a replacement will begin immediately.

Groh went 59-53 with the Cavaliers and guided them to five bowl games, including four straight beginning with his second season (2004-07).

Groh, the ACC coach of the year in 2002 and '07, was 36-36 in conference games.

More football

Marshall coach resigns: Marshall coach Mark Snyder resigned Sunday, a day after the Thundering Herd lost 52-21 to Texas-El Paso to finish the regular season at 6-6.

Snyder, who went 21-37 in five seasons, said in a news release that he made the decision after meeting earlier in the day with athletic director Mike Hamrick.

Snyder, a 1988 Marshall graduate, said the two men agreed his resignation was in the best interests of the program.

It wasn't immediately clear who would coach Marshall if it plays in a bowl game. Hamrick said a search for a new coach will begin immediately.

Marshall lost three of its last four games, becoming bowl eligible on its third attempt two weeks ago in a 34-31 win over SMU.

ASU playoff set: Saturday's Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinal between fourth-seeded Richmond (11-1) and No. 5 Appalachian State (10-2) will kick off at 7 p.m. in UR Stadium in Richmond, Va., the NCAA announced Sunday.

The game will be televised nationally as part of ESPN's GamePlan package and online at ESPN360.com.

Volleyball

Five ACC teams in NCAA play: An ACC-record five league teams, led by league champion Florida State as the third seed overall, were selected for the NCAA Volleyball Championship field announced Sunday.

Duke, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Miami earned at-large berths to become the first group of five ACC teams to make the tournament in the 29-year history of volleyball in the ACC.

Florida State (28-2), Duke (27-5) and Clemson (23-9) will play in the Minneapolis Regional, and Georgia Tech (21-9) and Miami (18-2) are in the Gainesville Regional.

Florida State (28-2) will host the first and second rounds, meeting Alabama A&M (18-10) in the first round Saturday. In Friday matches, Duke will play at Tennessee (23-7), Clemson opens with Oregon (19-9) at Lexington, Ky., and Georgia Tech plays Baylor (22-9) at Los Angeles. Miami meets Florida International (31-3) at Gainesville, Fla., on Thursday.

From college news releases

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