An overmatched Virginia volleyball team fell to No. 11 North Carolina 3-0 Saturday night at U-Hall. Virginia plummeted to 1-7 in the ACC and 7-17 overall, while the Tar Heels improved to 7-0 in ACC play with a 20-1 overall record.
The teams entered Saturday's match with two different perspectives. North Carolina was looking to extend its 11-game winning streak and remain undefeated at the top of the ACC standings. On the other hand, the Virginia squad was hoping to put up a good fight against a dominating North Carolina squad and possibly gain some respect as it plays out the rest of their season.
North Carolina put on an exhibition in the first game of the match, as it boasted a .405 kill percentage. The Cavaliers never took the lead in the first game, dropping the game by a score of 30-21. It was evident that the Tar Heels were superior in every aspect of the game.
"Usually a team will have one or two really good attackers, but with a team like this, they're all great," sophomore middle Alexis Geocaris said. "So we can't really focus on one player, and that leaves a lot of holes out on the court."
Virginia faired better in the early part of the second game, getting quality sets from sophomore setter Lily Phillips, who made her return to the lineup after missing time with an ankle sprain. But the Cavaliers, suffering from weak blocking, eventually fell behind after a string of North Carolina kills and never recovered, losing the second game 30-19.
"There are a lot of things we need to work on," Geocaris said. "I'm trying to focus on my blocking right now, and I know both of the middles need to work on getting up at the net, stopping their offense. Right now our defense is really what is going to win our games."
The third game started on an upbeat note as Virginia won the opening two points, quickly putting North Carolina on its heels. Running on sheer determination and emotion, the Cavaliers kept it close throughout the entire match before falling 30-23.
Virginia has struggled all year, lacking the capability to combine good offense and defense on every point. The Cavaliers have plenty of room for improvement.
"We have really great athletes, but we don't have really great volleyball players, and unfortunately in rally score you need great volleyball players to win," Virginia Coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "We're just not consistent enough in our skills yet."
Despite the loss, there still were many good aspects of the match the Cavaliers could point to.
"There are always positives," Shelton said. Junior right side Katie Synan "played well getting used to her new position on the left, and our middles hit well."
Though it was a rough night for the Cavalier squad, they came off a win over N.C. State on Friday and hope to improve as they solidify weak areas of their game.
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