Hoping to bounce back from a disappointing start to conference play, the Virginia women's volleyball team will host two challenging opponents this weekend. Tonight, the Cavaliers will meet last year's ACC Champion, the North Carolina Tar Heels (3-7, 1-0 ACC), followed by the N.C. State Wolfpack (2-8, 0-1 ACC) Saturday.
The Cavaliers are determined to meet the lofty expectations set forth at the beginning of the season. In order to do so, they must exhibit some resilience and rebound from the loss to Virginia Tech. This weekend presents an opportunity to do just that, especially since junior outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood will be returning to the lineup after sitting out Friday because of an illness.
Though the Tar Heels have been off to an unimpressive start, Virginia will not underestimate the 2005 conference champs.
"[The Tar Heels] have by far the strongest out-of-conference schedule, so their record is not indicative of how they're playing," said Virginia coach Beth Shelton.
The Carolina defense is undoubtedly strong, as evident by its top-five conference ranking in both digs and blocks. UNC's ability to control and keep the ball alive in extended rallies will put Virginia to the test.
"We're going to have to play a mentally tough game but also physically, because it's going to be a long drawn out game," said senior Emily Perilli.
However, as an inexpxerienced squad, UNC's hitting percentage ranks second to last in the conference. This weakness is certainly one the Cavaliers will attempt to exploit.
N.C. State boasts a roster similar to UNC, full of talented new faces. As a result, the Cavaliers have yet to see much of the Wolfpack players in action, making preparation slightly more difficult.
"With a new coach and new players, we've seen them on film, but we haven't seen them live so it'll be a challenge," said Davis.
Ball control, however, is a weakness rather than strength for N.C. State. With eight new players, the Wolfpack may lack the unity and communication of a squad that has been together for years. Therefore, Virginia will prepare a game plan including a combination of lineups that will expose this flaw in the Wolfpack.
Virginia itself has been looking to correct some of the same problems. Consequently, much of the squad's practice time has been dedicated to a unified strategy.
"It's getting everyone mentally in the same place," said Perilli. "Figuring out what lineups work best is going to be a day-to-day thing we're going to have to work on.
Tonight's contest is set for a 7 p.m. start, while the Cavaliers will begin play at 5 p.m. Saturday.
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