The Virginia volleyball team came from behind Saturday evening to defeat North Carolina, 3-2. The Cavaliers (23-7, 7-7 ACC) posted their first win over the Tar Heels (18-10, 9-5), finally ending an 11-match losing streak.
Senior All-ACC selection Whitney Ashcraft tied her previous school record with 42 digs, set earlier this year against Syracuse, and she reached the 1,500-dig mark for her career. Playing an outstanding match, freshman setter Emily Kirkwood set the school record with 81 assists. She also received her seventh double-double of the season after a career-high 19-dig performance. With a team-high 28 kills and 25 digs, senior outside hitter Paige Davis set her career mark in both categories. Also, she is now tied for second place in U.Va. history with 73 attack attempts.
Lindsay Osco, a freshman outside hitter, went on to set a career-high with 28 digs while junior middle Alexis Geocaris surpassed her previous record with 19 kills. Geocaris also led all players with a .405 hitting percentage. Kristin Chaney, a sophomore outside hitter, and Shannon Boyle, a senior middle hitter, both added to the game with a career-high 16 digs and a season-high 15 kills, respectively.
As a team, U.Va. posted the second-highest single-match total in school history with 141 digs and 269 attack attempts. The team also bested the Tar Heels with 88 kills and a .212 hitting percentage.
Virginia volleyball resumes play Tuesday, Nov. 11 against Maryland in College Park at 7 p.m.