Four freshman faces brought their skills and attitudes to this year's Virginia women's volleyball team. For a program that lost All-American setter Emily Kirkwood in May, the fresh faces could not have come at a better time.Right side Kendahl Voelker, defensive specialist A.J. Cushman, middle Sydney Hill and setter Kelly Irvin provide a diverse appeal that, with cohesion from the rest of the team, may fill many gaps caused by graduation. Winning two matches out of three this past weekend at the Jefferson Cup, the Cavaliers seem to have the adjustment period under their belt.
Perhaps the biggest gap on the team was left by the graduation of Kirkwood, who was setter for her four years with Virginia volleyball, holding the school's service record (165) until her sister Sarah broke her record in the first game of the season. After four years of Kirkwood manning the setter duties, the team has become accustomed to her method of play, making it difficult to adapt to a new setter like Irvin.
"There is a lot of pressure," Irvin said. "She has been the setter for four years."
The Cavaliers hope Irvin, a junior Olympic qualifier, will prove able to fill this spot. The rest of the team has quickly welcomed her and the other the freshman -- who are already building a strong relationship among themselves -- to the team.
"With the other first-year players, we are all so close," Irvin said. "We have bonded really well. The upperclassmen have been amazing and really inviting."
Voelker is coming off summer training with the Women's Junior National A2 Camp. With her summer preparation and natural athletic ability -- having participating in track and field as well as being a volleyball letterman in high school -- she has the potential to be an asset to the team this season.
Cushman, a Richmond native, brings her own unique set of skills to the Cavaliers. At James River High School, she held the honors of most kills (33) and digs (35) in a match. On top of that, she was honored as the 2006 Dominion District player of the year and named to the Richmond Times-Dispatch's All-Metro team.
One of only 15 competitors named to the all-tournament team at the Junior Olympics Championships, 6-foot-1 middle Hill brings a lofty set of credentials to the table. Hailing from Kalamazoo, Mich., Hill is expected to be a valuable recruit after being ranked No. 83 on ProVolleyball.com's list of the top 100 senior aces.
Virginia is already taking strides to mesh these diverse talents into a cooperative team.
"I think it's a matter of our setters determining our personality," Virginia coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "It's who is going to play what role and it takes a few matches to figure that out."
After falling to Arkansas on Friday, the Cavaliers came back hard and appeared much more put together as they won the final two matches of the weekend against Norfolk State and Temple.
"We are slowly working things out," Shelton said. "We're developing a more cohesive unit."
Read More
Volleyball holds off Boston College in tight five-set win
By Lauren Halak | 4 hours agoSenior outside hitter Elayna Duprey led the team throughout the match with 22 points and 18 kills.
Virginia annihilated 41-14 in a must-win contest versus North Carolina
By Peter Kriebel | YesterdayJust about everything that could have gone wrong for Virginia football went wrong.
No. 24 women’s soccer not to be denied in late win over Clemson
By Sam Chun | YesterdayThe Cavaliers topped Clemson 1-0 in front of a packed out Klöckner Stadium.
