Things are looking bright for the Virginia women's volleyball team. After performing the sunshine state sweep -- defeating Miami 3-1 Friday and Florida State 3-1 Saturday --the Cavaliers boosted their overall record to 12-6, and 7-2 in conference play.
More impressive, however, is the team's winning streak. Currently at five games, it is a Virginia team record. The Cavaliers credit their clutch play as a reason for their success.
"We used to be the team that when we were down or close, we'd let the game slip away," sophomore defensive specialist Taylor Russo said. "Now, we're the team that pulls it out in close situations."
The winning streak also has given the team a lot of confidence as Virginia hopes to continue its winning ways.
"Now, we're really looking forward to all the games because every game counts," Russo said. "We definitely don't dread playing on the road -- it's actually a lot of fun."
The road trip last week was especially fun for Russo, junior setter Emily Kirkwood and sophomore outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood. Because all three are from Tampa, Fla. (about five hours away from Coral Gables and Tallahassee), their families had the opportunity to see them compete.
"It was fun for them to get to play in front of some family and friends," Virginia coach Melissa Shelton said.
During the team's winning streak, which also includes wins over Virginia Tech, Duke and Wake Forest, Shelton said better health and fundamentals were key.
"We haven't really changed anything; we just have everybody back healthy," Shelton said. "We've kind of hit our rhythm now and really improved our passing."
As a result of the improved passing, players such as Emily Kirkwood are better able to set players up for kill opportunities.
During this winning streak, the Cavaliers have jumped to third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, trailing only Maryland and North Carolina. Being in the top fourth of the conference provides even more confidence for the Cavaliers.
"Being the team to beat now is really good for us," Russo said. "Now teams are scared when they come to play us, and that definitely gives us the upper hand."
Virginia will need that confidence for the middle stretch of the conference season. The Cavaliers will face such over-.500 teams as Georgia Tech, Maryland and North Carolina.
"We're getting to the point in the middle of the schedule where it's easy to look ahead instead of getting to work on the games at hand," Shelton said. "We're trying to keep the girls aware of what's going on with the standings and aware of the importance of every game."
The Cavaliers travel to Clemson to face the Tigers Friday and then head two hours south to face Georgia Tech Saturday.
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