A quiet buzz has been following the Virginia women's volleyball team around Grounds this season as the team shatters significant milestones on the way to its fifth-consecutive winning season.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood has set new Virginia records for career aces, kills and attack attempts; senior libero Melissa Caldwell is now second on Virginia's career digs list; and coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton has more than 100 career ACC match wins.
Kirkwood launched the Cavaliers' season with a bang Aug. 24 against Texas Tech by hitting seven aces to pass her sister Emily (167 career aces) and taking Virginia's all-time service aces record to 208 and counting.
Kirkwood moved into first place on Virginia's all-time kills list (1,753 plus) by passing Deanna Zwarich (1,528 kills) Sept. 7 when she recorded 15 kills against Oklahoma.
"For Sarah to reach both of those [records] just emphasizes that she has been both an important part for our play at the net and also our play in defense and passing," Shelton said.
On her way to setting the kills record, Kirkwood also set Virginia's attack-attempts record (4,462 plus) in the Cavaliers' ACC opener against Virginia Tech, surpassing the mark set by Paige Davis (4,018 attack attempts).
"[Sarah's] a great all-around player," Caldwell said. "It helps the team to be able to depend on her in different aspects of the game."
These records represent Kirkwood's high level of individual talent and commitment.
"Anytime anyone breaks a career record, two things are obvious," Shelton said. "One is that your teams have to have success during their career, and that two, they have been a big important part of match play during their four years as well."
Kirkwood has not achieved this level of success alone; she has worked with other accomplished Cavalier volleyball players, including Caldwell.
"We really understand how the other person plays," Caldwell said.=nce, and she allows us to really grow as players and people."
Shelton has more wins (229) than any other volleyball coach in Virginia history and has led the Cavaliers to their only two NCAA Tournaments in 1998 and 1999. Breaking all these records adds excitement to the games, Caldwell said, but it isn't everything.
"I have had a lot of really great teams and players who have come out and put it on the line everyday," Shelton said. "That's really what it is all about"
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