Despite finishing third in the Fairfield Inn Jefferson Cup, the Virginia women's volleyball team remains optimistic about their chances as they travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech tonight at 7.
The biggest loss of the tournament might have been that of sophomore setter Lily Phillips, who collided with a teammate in the fifth game against the College of Charleston.
Phillips was named to the All-Tournament team earlier this season at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational and was averaging 9.06 assists per game. More importantly, she was the only setter on the Virginia roster.
Freshman outside hitter Kristin Chaney assumed the setting duties and will continue to do so until at least Sept. 20, the earliest Phillips could return.
Chaney had "never set before last night when Lily went down, so she had a great weekend," Virginia coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "We're trying to get a new setter ready, but we'll be ready to play."
This past weekend, Virginia (3-4) beat William & Mary but fell to both the College of Charleston and Georgetown. Junior outside hitter Paige Davis was named to the All-Tournament team, notching 36 kills and 34 digs over the weekend as well as eight service aces.
Junior libero Whitney Ashcraft also has stepped up her game, setting a career-high in digs against the College of Charleston with 28.
Ashcraft's leadership "is imperative to our success," Aldrich Shelton said. "We need her out there all the time, we need her ball control, her passing, leadership, we need her intensity, and she needs to figure out how much is too intense for her versus how much is too relaxed."
Ashcraft and Davis are just two members of the junior class to step up and make major strides as volleyball players.
"Our juniors have grown up," Aldrich Shelton explained. "They're starting to push the edge and become volleyball players, not just athletes, and we're looking for the sophomores to do that as soon as they can, and then we'll be a great team."
The Cavaliers will travel to Blacksburg to face a 3-3 Hokie team coming off a loss to Akron in the finals of the Radisson Invitational. It will be the home opener for Virginia Tech, who has enjoyed spectacular play from freshman setter Melissa Markowski. Markowski is averaging over 10 assists per game and was named to the All-Tournament team along with senior middle blocker Cheryl Stinson, who earned second team All-Big East honors last season.
Nevertheless, the Cavaliers are optimistic they can prevail over their in-state rival.
"Really right now we have no pressure on us because our setter went down and people don't expect much out of us right now," Ashcraft said. "I think that we'll come out of this OK. If we get our work done, we're even more focused now and it'll make us stronger."
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