Defense, both good and bad, was the story of the weekend for the Virginia volleyball team as it closed out a home stand at Memorial Gymnasium. After jumping ahead of a powerful North Carolina team 2-0 Friday, the Cavaliers' lack of cohesion allowed the Tar Heels to surge back in a 3-2 heartbreaker for Virginia. The next day, following a focused film session with coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton, the team revamped its defense and easily dispatched N.C. State 3-0.
"We felt like defense was a deciding factor all weekend," Shelton said. "We didn't play good defense against [Carolina], and then tonight, it really picked up against [N.C] State. When we get the digs, teams just have a hard time putting it down on us. We transition so well and get great swings every time, so we win most of the long rallies, but coming up with a dig [against Carolina] was the issue, and I was glad to see the team turn it around [against N.C. State]."
Against the Tar Heels, who currently sit in second place in the ACC, the Cavaliers rushed out to an early lead before losing momentum down the stretch as the team seemed to run out of gas.
Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood led Virginia with 25 kills but was matched shot-for-shot by Carolina outside hitter Dani Nyenhuis.
After a disheartening 15-11 loss in the deciding fifth game, the Cavaliers regrouped before facing the Wolfpack.
Saturday, "[Shelton] showed us some clips of stuff that we really needed to focus on, and I think that, looking at those, we were able to turn it around and improve [against N.C. State]," sophomore defensive specialist Melissa Caldwell said.
And turn it around they did. Against the Wolfpack, the Cavaliers were able to pull out a 3-0 victory, snapping a two-match losing streak behind a season-high .404 hitting percentage. Freshman middle Shannon Davis paced the team with a career-best .615 percentage and no errors. Kirkwood again led the team in kills while also posting five service aces.
It seemed that after Friday's disappointment, the Cavaliers would do anything to lock a victory away against the Wolfpack. Midway through the third game, an errant pass forced junior setter Emily Kirkwood to go off the beaten path and around the other side of the net to save the ball and set up one of Virginia's points.
Though not as flashy as a well-placed kill or set, several key defensive plays once again made the difference for the Cavaliers.
"I think we're improving so much so fast defensively," Caldwell said. "We've really been focusing on keeping it up, and I think overall it's just going to end up being great."
After fading against the Tar Heels, Saturday's decisive win was just what the doctor ordered for a team in need of a convincing conference finish. Virginia's one-night turnaround ended the home stand on a good note, but success in the coming weeks depends on what kind of defense the Cavaliers choose to bring on the road.
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