Coming off a dominant win against Wake Forest Oct. 28, the Virginia volleyball team entered the weekend with hopes of building a streak and securing the team’s first consecutive wins in conference play.
Unfortunately, Virginia (7-17, 3-11 ACC) dropped both matches in 1-3 fashion and failed to add to its win total for just the second time in the last five weekends.
Virginia started off the weekend traveling to South Carolina to face a confident Clemson team (14-13, 5-9 ACC) that had swept North Carolina a few days prior.
The Cavaliers fought hard in the first two sets, holding leads at various points, but lost both 22-25. The combination of the Tigers’ punishing offense and Virginia’s costly errors proved too difficult for the Cavaliers.
In the first set, Clemson freshman outside hitter Ashtynne Alberts led all players with four kills, including the set-winning play, while Virginia was held -.037 hitting in the second set. The Cavaliers seemed to turn it around in the third set, using a 9-2 run to take the lead and never gave it back. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Billiard stepped up to lead the Virginia attack with five kills in the set.
However, despite the confidence boost, Clemson finished the game in the fourth set, finishing with its most dominant performance of the night. The Tigers forced 11 Virginia errors and held the Cavaliers to a match-low -.071 hitting efficiency on their way to a third straight ACC win.
The Cavaliers, following the tough loss, headed to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech (16-11, 5-9 ACC). Virginia rebounded well, winning a long first set, 31-29. While the Yellow Jackets did well to extend the match, back-to-back terminations from Virginia freshman outside hitter Grace Turner and Virginia sophomore outside hitter Alex Spencer secured the opening advantage for the Cavaliers.
Unfortunately, Georgia Tech came alive in the following sets, winning three in a row to take the game. The Cavaliers hit .101 on average in the final three frames, compared to the Yellow Jackets’ much better .260 hitting efficiency.
Virginia will next return home to Charlottesville for two ACC rematches. The Cavaliers will face Virginia Tech (14-12, 5-9 ACC) and Clemson.
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