For the opening match of its ACC season, Virginia played Wake Forest in an intense game Friday. The Demon Deacons (8-4, 0-1 ACC) took the lead early, winning the first two sets, but the Cavaliers (11-1, 1-0 ACC) remained unphased and rebuffed the would-be sweep with three straight wins of their own, securing the match with a final score of 13-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 15-7.
Wake Forest brought the energy for their home opener, but Virginia had been in situations like this before. Middle Tennessee State, Liberty and Coastal Carolina have all challenged the Cavaliers in five-set matches, and each time the Cavaliers held firm and closed out with a win. Coach Shannon Wells has done an excellent job preparing her team for moments like this — they play with energy and remain calm and collected in high-stakes moments. The team is on their best start to the season since 2003 and picked up their first win in an ACC opener since 2015.
Leading the charge Friday was senior middle blocker Abby Tadder with 11 kills and six blocks. Backing her up were junior middle blocker Kate Dean and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Bowie, who racked up eight kills and five blocks and 10 kills and seven blocks, respectively.
In the first set, the Demon Deacons took command, making five blocks and holding Virginia to only eight kills. Wake Forest also scored four aces from the service line to the Cavaliers’ zero, helping the Demon Deacons score the last eight points uninterrupted for a 13-25 win.
The second set went differently. Virginia woke up and took it to Wake Forest, challenging the Demon Deacons. Despite trailing in the early part of the set, the Cavaliers even held a lead at 19-18.
From there, the two teams traded points back and forth until freshman setter Zoey Dood and Tadder made a huge block, tying the set 24-24. Unfortunately, Wake Forest managed two back-to-back kills, escaping Virginia 24-26 and putting them one set from victory.
It was in the third set where Virginia wrestled control from the Demon Deacons. The Cavaliers initially trailed 9-5 but broke through Wake Forest’s defense with a 10-4 run that put them in front 15-13. The Demon Deacons knotted the score at 19 later in the set, but five kills in six points from Virginia brought them to set point with a 24-20 lead.
Though the Demon Deacons scavenged together a 3-0 run, tempting a sweep, the Cavaliers held firm and forced a Wake Forest error, closing the set for a narrow 25-23 win.
After the third set, the momentum was with the Cavaliers. The fourth set saw multiple 3-0 runs from each team, with Wake Forest even leading at one point. That would not last long as an 8-1 run put Virginia on top for the rest of the set. Recording six of their 14 total blocks in this set alone, the Cavaliers won it 25-16 and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
Finishing the night, the Demon Deacons scored the first two points of the final set but never led again afterwards. Bowie racked up three kills, including the game-winner, in a 15-7 win that sealed a comeback 3-2 win on the road.
Composure has been a common theme this season. Since sweeping their first three matches, the Cavaliers have seen four matches reach the fifth set, and they won all four. Virginia has been tested all through the preseason — very few wins came easy. With the experience the Cavaliers have had in close games away from home, an outcome like this is to be expected.
Virginia’s win against Wake Forest brings the team’s winning streak to eight, a feat they have not achieved since 2006. The next record on the list is from 2003, when the team won 13 straight.
Five more consecutive wins will not be easy — Virginia has now entered conference play and the competition has stepped up. Next up for the Cavaliers is an away game against NC State, who they will play Sunday at 1 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ACCNX.
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