Coming off their win over Virginia Tech Tuesday night, the Cavaliers (10-3, 3-1 ACC) must quickly return to the task at hand. This time it's a four-game road trip that begins tonight at Boston College (3-8, 1-1 ACC).
In the Eagles Virginia will face a team whose record may not reflect their ability. The Eagles, despite falling to Florida State earlier this week, won their ACC opener in a marathon game against Miami. Virginia, however, isn't taking any opponent lightly.
"Their out-of-conference record isn't that great, but they play us tough," Virginia coach Melissa Shelton said. "We cross recruit with them just like we cross recruit with Duke and Wake and other schools."
Boston College will have their hands full with the Cavaliers, who are riding high after wins over Virginia Tech, N.C. State and North Carolina. Since the absence of key player Sarah Kirkwood, the seniors have stepped up for Shelton, propelling the offense.
"I'm just really proud of all of them," Shelton said.
One major strength for the Cavaliers has been the play of senior Lindsey Osco. Osco had a career night Tuesday, becoming the fifth player in Virginia history to register 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. In addition, Osco registered 21 kills on the night, one lower than her career high, to lead the Cavaliers to the win. Osco, however, is quite modest about her contributions.
"Being a fourth year, it's been easy to step up," Osco said. "I want to do well for the team. I want us to finish as well as we can."
The Eagles will rely on libero Allison Anderson to counter Virginia's offensive barrage. Anderson stepped up with 33 kills for BC in their marathon win over ACC foe Florida State earlier this year.
Offensively, Boston College is led by junior Kelsey Johnson, who is averaging 3.97 kills per game. To counter, Shelton has a tough decision to make regarding the libero jersey. Beth Shelton has started recent games as libero, but she struggled mightily before being replaced by Melissa Caldwell at the beginning of the third game against Tech
Beth Shelton's "going to be a great libero when we get it all worked out," Shelton said. "Luckily we have a lot of depth in that position."
All the way around, things are looking up for the Cavaliers. The offense is hot, with four players in double figures in kills in the win over Tech. The defense is constantly improving and the team chemistry builds with every win.
"It was a huge confidence builder [beating Tech], and the team is ready to go," senior Emily Kirkwood said. "We've got great team chemistry going right now."
This match versus the Eagles kicks off a long road trip for the Cavaliers. After taking on the Eagles, Virginia will travel to Maryland Saturday before heading to Duke and Wake Forest next weekend.
"We have a long road trip ahead of us," Emily Kirkwood said. "We've got to get mentally prepared and back in the gym."
Thursday's match at Boston College is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at the Power gym in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
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