The Virginia volleyball team kicks off the 2006 season Friday night as they travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to compete in the Comcast Lady Vol Classic. The Cavaliers open the tournament with Tennessee Friday night. Saturday they will have a day-night doubleheader against Miami (Ohio) and Centenary.
The Cavaliers begin the season with a formidable opponent in Tennessee. The No. 11 Lady Volunteers should prove to be an adequate test for the Cavaliers who have high hopes for the season ahead.
"We know we've worked just as hard as them and put in the time at practice," coach Melissa Shelton said. "Our run for the ACC title starts this weekend."
Tennessee, a Southeastern Conference power, progressed to the NCAA Final Four last season. This year, the Lady Vols look to rebuild with seven freshmen on the roster. The Cavaliers are looking to take advantage of that youth on the court.
"They aren't huge but they are very balanced," junior outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood said. "They lost a lot of leadership last year and we're hoping to take advantage of that."
There is no doubt Tennessee will prove to be a test of exactly how far the Cavaliers have come over the off-season. But the Cavaliers refuse to be intimidated by the Lady Vols' strong history and current ranking.
"Playing a top-20 team is going to give us a really good idea of where we stand right now," Kirkwood said. "We really can't look at it as playing someone above our level. We know that if we come out with our A game we will give them a run for their money."
The Cavaliers will then take on the Red-Hawks Saturday morning at 10 a.m. While Miami remains unscouted by Virginia, the Cavaliers aren't taking them lightly.
"We don't really know," Kirkwood said. "We haven't scouted them but Coach Melissa has said that there isn't a team this weekend that will be an easy match for us."
Miami returns five starters to a squad that finished 18-13 last season and came in second in the Mid-Atlantic Conference East Division behind Ohio.
After facing Miami, Virginia will take on Centenary at 5 p.m. to close the tournament. Virginia has faced Centenary only once, beating them in 2003 LSU Tiger Classic. Centenary finished last season with a 12-26 record and returns all but two players from the 2005 squad. As with Miami, the Cavaliers are not sure what lies ahead with Centenary.
"We don't know really" what to expect, senior setter Emily Kirkwood said. "We're not going to have any easy match so it's a good test of where we are."
The Cavaliers will likely have a demanding weekend ahead, but one that may shed light on how the rest of the season will go. According to Shelton, success depends not only on the record but on the effort as well.
"We know it's a process to get there," Shelton said. "We have to go in and show what we're made of. As long as we show a lot of mental fortitude, we can get what we need out of this weekend."
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