Virginia volleyball had another two-game homestand this past weekend, hosting rival Virginia Tech Friday and Wake Forest Sunday.
In the Commonwealth Classic on Friday against the Hokies (10-14, 1-11 ACC), the Cavaliers (8-14, 1-11 ACC) lost 2-3 in a valiant comeback effort, which was seemingly a game of the year for both squads.
After winning the first set 25-22, the Cavaliers seemed poised to continue their momentum into the second set. However, Virginia Tech fought back and took the second set 25-18.
Junior outside hitter Cera Powell and graduate student outside hitter Griere Hughes were key players for the Hokies, recording 17 and 16 kills in the match, respectively.
In the third set, the Hokies again played strong offensively, getting out to a 17-10 lead and securing the win 25-17. Virginia Tech hit .344, while Virginia had a sloppy set trying to contain the Hokie offense. The Cavaliers committed nine service errors alone in the third set.
With their backs against the wall, Virginia battled to a 30-28 wild fourth-set win to force the fifth-set tiebreaker.
The fifth set was as tense as it’s been this season in Memorial Gym. Down 8-13, the Cavaliers won four straight points to cut the deficit to 12-13. After the Hokies won a point to make it 14-12, the Cavaliers staved off two match-clinching points, tying the game at 14-14. On the next two points, Virginia committed a service error and saw Hughes get her 16th and final kill of the game, sealing the set 16-14 and the victory for Virginia Tech.
Freshman outside hitter Brooklyn Borum recorded her team-high sixth double-double this season, while freshman setter Ashley Le recorded her first career double-double. Borum had 11 kills and 11 digs, and Le had 27 assists and 11 digs.
On Sunday, the Demon Deacons (12-11, 3-9 ACC) took advantage of a worn-out Cavalier squad, and swept Virginia 3-0.
The Cavaliers seemed to be dealing with exhaustion after losing such a tough game against Virginia Tech on Friday. While the heart and perseverance were there, Wake Forest was sharer in the clutch. Virginia lost in straight sets of 20-25, 23-25 and 23-25 in a much closer match than the 3-0 sweep really tells.
In the first set, the Cavaliers cut a big Demon Deacon lead to two, trailing 20-22 when Wake Forest called a timeout. After the break, Wake Forest won three points in a row to clinch the set 25-20.
The second set was back-and-forth and was tied at 23-23. Again, the Demon Deacons were strong in important moments, as a kill and a block later saw Wake Forest take the set 25-23 and a 2-0 set lead.
The Cavaliers found themselves with their backs up against the wall in the third set, tied 23-23 with the Demon Deacons. Another strategic timeout gave Wake Forest the much-needed time to regroup as Virginia had won four points in a row. The Demon Deacons won the next two points, clinching the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Borum hit .391 over the duration of the match, while senior libero Kristen Leland had 13 digs in just three sets.
While a 1-11 ACC record is not what the Cavaliers were anticipating this season, there continues to be much to look forward to as Coach Shannon Wells develops her team. The freshman core of Borum, Le and middle blocker Abby Tadder is getting more experienced every game, with sophomore setter Hannah Prendergast and sophomore outside hitter Mary Shaffer adding to a young starting lineup for Virginia.
The Cavaliers are set to host Boston College Friday at 7 p.m. and Syracuse Sunday at 12 p.m. The Boston College match will be streamed on ACCNX, and the Syracuse match will be streamed on RSN.
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