The Virginia women's volleyball team looks to improve on its 2-5 home record against ACC rival N.C. State tonight at 8 at U-Hall. The Cavaliers will look to snap a seven-game losing streak and gain its first conference win this year.
The Cavaliers (6-16, 0-6 ACC) are looking to regain their winning form by beating the Wolfpack (3-20, 0-5 ACC) through good decisions and key leadership. Virginia Coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said she knows the Cavaliers can win and knows what must be done.
"We are concentrating on trying to hit high percentages," Aldrich Shelton said. "If we do that, we feel we can win."
The team is hoping to bounce back after their last game, a tough 3-1 loss against Florida A&M last Saturday. In that game, sophomore middle Alexis Geocaris recorded 12 kills for the Cavaliers. Junior middle Shannon Boyle contributed 11 kills and 5 blocks in the match as well. Aldrich Shelton sees these two players as key to the team's success tonight.
"They have really come on with their hitting and blocking," Aldrich Shelton said.
She also acknowledged the talent of sophomore setter Lily Phillips because of her ability to set up both Geocaris and Boyle for key plays.
The Cavaliers have benefited from a six-day break they hope will allow them to refocus and regain their winning swagger. The Cavaliers are looking for their first win since their Sept. 21 victory against IUPUI in the Dayton Flyer Classic.
Senior middle Simona Kuipers will hope to add to her team-high 71 blocks. Junior outside hitter Paige Davis will look to add to her team-leading 220 kills while helping the Cavaliers end their skid.
"The biggest thing for our team is to go out on Friday mentally tough," Davis said. "We have the skills and talent, we just have to execute. We all have to take care of our jobs on the court, keep the errors to a minimum, and play each point one at a time, 100 percent every time."
Strong performances also will be needed from junior outside hitter Whitney Ashcraft and sophomore defensive specialist Ruth Selby to end the Wolfpack's hopes of moving up in the ACC standings.
Tonight's match tonight will decide which team is at the bottom of the ACC standings.
The Cavaliers will have another tough task on Saturday night when they face off against the No. 11 North Carolina Tarheels. The game time has been moved to 6 p.m. at U-Hall.
The Tarheels would like to improve on their 18-1 overall record and national ranking. They remain unbeaten in the ACC, and the Cavaliers are looking to deal the Tarheels their first conference loss.
Over the past two seasons the team has gone unbeaten against the Wolfpack. Last year the team beat N.C. State 3-1 in Raleigh, N.C. and 3-0 in Charlottesville. Virginia looks to continue the unbeaten streak tonight. The Cavaliers will attempt to equal their nine wins of last season with strong performances this weekend.
So far it has been a tough season for the Cavaliers, who hope to rebound from their seven-game skid.
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