Once again this season, the Atlantic Coast Conference has proven to be one of the toughest conferences in the country for volleyball. With six teams playing above .500, the competition is stiff every game. Virginia continues their ACC homestand this weekend as the Cavaliers (13-6, 6-4 ACC) face tough opponents in both Clemson and Georgia Tech.
The Clemson Tigers (13-4, 8-1 ACC) come to Charlottesville red hot, riding the strength of an eight-match winning streak. While playing dominantly on both sides of the ball, the Tigers are particularly potent on offense. Virginia's defense, anchored by junior libero Beth Shelton, will have to step up to defend against an offense which has dominated the net as of late. Clemson's offense is anchored by freshman setter Kelsey Murphy, who has proven herself capable since early on this season, averaging 9.84 sets per game.
"Their offense is more balanced than it's ever been," Virginia coach Melissa Shelton said. "They have a great setter running the show. That's going to be tough to defend."
One thing that should reassure the Cavaliers is that while Clemson is 9-1 at home, they are only 3-2 on the road.
We just need to go out and play hard," junior Melissa Caldwell said. "They have a bunch of different offensive weapons."
However Virginia itself has multiple offensive options in Sarah Kirkwood and freshman Lauren Dickson, who is averaging 3.37 kills per game. Virginia's offense has proven to be effective this season, although problems have arisen when the serve is lost. Service errors plagued Virginia in their loss to Florida State last weekend and must be avoided if the Cavaliers are to win against Clemson.
The Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech (10-9, 2-7 ACC) come to town Saturday night to cap off the home stand for the Cavaliers. Virginia will need to capitalize on home court advantage against a team that is playing 0-6 volleyball on the road.
Again, it will be the Virginia defense that will need to turn in a strong performance against a young Georgia Tech offense that has multiple options for attack. Statistically, the Yellow Jackets are led by middle hitter Ulrike Stegemann, who leads the team with a .325 hitting percentage. Stegemann will provide ample chance for Virginia junior Katie Oakes to better her NCAA Div. I-A-leading 1.83 blocks per game.
"Georgia Tech runs a very fast offense," Shelton said. "The way to beat them is to break down their ball control."
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