The Cavaliers (10-1, 0-0 ACC) won back-to-back against MTSU (3-10, 0-0 CUSA) Tuesday and Wednesday night — 3-1 and 3-2, respectively. With their seventh-straight win, Virginia also has now won 10 of their 11 first matches — this has happened only four times in program history, the last being in 2003. With Virginia’s regular season right around the corner, it is vital that the team prepare themselves for strong competition if they want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament this fall. It is a good thing, then, that they have been doing just that.
Match 1 — Virginia 3, MTSU 1 (25-22, 22-25, 26-24, 25-12)
In the first set, the Cavaliers came out hot, with kills from senior outside hitter Brooklyn Borum and senior middle blocker Abby Tadder. Together, they contributed to Virginia’s 12-6 lead halfway into the set.
Never falling behind, the Cavaliers withstood the score being tied four times. They ended a threatening six-point run by the Blue Raiders, which closed the lead to just one point, 21-20. Senior outside hitter Elayna Duprey had eight kills in the set and secured the win for Virginia 25-22.
However, the second set was messier than the first. With 10 attacking errors, the Cavalier offense struggled to find a consistent rhythm, and that led to the team losing a 12-5 lead midway through. Virginia was able to tie the score 21-21 with both Borum and Tadder tallying kills, but MTSU was able to get the points they needed for the set win, ending 22-25.
Remaining competitive, the third set had four of the five challenges in the match. The two teams went back and forth, neither able to build a significant lead. Tadder scored six kills and senior setter Ashley Le had eight digs.
At the end, Virginia thought it had scored the set point, but a successful challenge by the Blue Raiders continued the play 24-23. Le performed a remarkable dig, diving into the benches to keep the ball alive in what would turn out to be the final point of the set. The Cavaliers won the third set 26-24 and were up 2-1 in the match.
In the fourth and final set of the night, Virginia’s veterans led the way. Borum, Tadder and junior outside hitter Kadynce Boothe made 13 of Virginia’s 15 kills in the set. Despite a formidable Cavalier front row and a spread of attacking errors, MTSU managed to climb out of the nine-point gap and close it to three points, 22-19. However, a Boothe kill and MTSU error secured a Cavalier victory and the final set 25-21.
Match 2 — Virginia 3, MTSU 2 (19-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-12, 15-6)
Returning to the Memorial Gymnasium Wednesday night, the Blue Raiders were excited to get another chance to test Virginia’s resolve.
The first set started a little slow, with the teams going back-and-forth for a period. They rapidly exchanged points while MTSU stayed slightly in the lead. The Cavaliers that weren’t on the court cheered the team on from the back corner of the court to keep team morale high and encouragement loud. With the score at 8-8, the Blue Raiders began to pick up the pace and pulled ahead 14-9. Virginia tried to throw them off with a couple of strong attacks, but they fell just out of bounds.
The Cavaliers called a timeout to recuperate. A pair of calculated kills by junior middle blocker Kate Dean got Virginia back into the groove, but MTSU was not fazed and widened the gap by a point, the score now 17-11.
A strong kill by Dean closed the gap back to five points, and freshman right side hitter Becca Wight went up against two blockers to have a successful kill of her own. Unfortunately, it was not enough to recover the lead, and MTSU took the set point, winning the first set 25-19.
The second set started with the Blue Raiders taking the first point, but Virginia was right behind them to take the second and third. A long rally gave the Cavaliers the third point in their lead — however, a pair of kills by MTSU and Virginia attack errors put the Blue Raiders back in the lead 7-6.
MTSU began to pull ahead, but Virginia was not backing down. A block by Dean tied up the score 15-15 and put Virginia back in the game. The score remained close, with neither team being able to take a lead, until a block and Blue Raider attack error put the score in the Cavaliers’ favor — 21-19.
A successful kill by junior outside hitter Kadynce Boothe gave Virginia the set point — which the Cavaliers attained with ease, winning the second set 25-20.
The third set started strongly in favor of Virginia, but MTSU quickly caught up and tied the score 3-3. A strong kill and calculated block by Duprey put the Cavaliers back in the lead once again until the Blue Raiders bounced back and pulled ahead 11-7.
The Cavaliers struggled to break the rhythm that the Blue Raiders had built in the third set, and they continued to widen the lead with the score at 15-8. Virginia managed to claw its way back up and closed the gap to three points with a 5-1 run, making the score 16-13.
The Blue Raiders managed to keep the lead though. At 24-18, the set point seemed to wake Virginia up, and MTSU took a time out after three set points were denied by the Cavaliers. The crowd came alive with a chant of “Let’s go Hoos,” hoping that a high-energy atmosphere will keep the ball in play.
The cheers did just that, and Virginia pushed the score to 24-23. Unfortunately, a return that went out of bounds gave the third set to MTSU 25-23.
In the fourth set, the Cavaliers attacked hard. Initially taking the lead 5-2, Virginia’s first few plays were defined by synchronized blocks and efficient kills. The Cavaliers continued to lead throughout the fourth set, initially staying ahead by at least a couple of points and slowly widening the gap.
Virginia was the team that just couldn’t be stopped. Beautiful digs by senior libero Milan Gomillion prevented the Blue Raiders from getting a strong attack in, and the Cavaliers secured the fourth set with a 13-point lead, winning 25-12 and forcing a fifth deciding set to determine the match’s victor.
With the fifth and final set remaining, the intensity of the game rose. The crowd got louder to show some Virginia support as the set was kicked off with a well-executed Cavalier kill.
Virginia would not let this fifth set start in favor of MTSU. A long rally that went in favor of the Blue Raiders only pushed the Cavaliers more for a strong final kick, pushing to lead 13-5. At set point, the crowd stood up to cheer for an electric finale and watched as Virginia took the fifth set and therefore the match 15-6 with a final kill. Despite the slow start, Coach Shannon Wells was proud of the grit the team showed in their second match against MTSU.
“I'm just really happy for our team,” Wells said. “It's hard when the audience sees eight people mesh, right? But really, what we know is that we are 16 strong, and to be able to come in and execute what we did with different people coming in and out, it’s just really impressive.”
The Cavaliers next go on the road for their first conference match of the season — playing Wake Forest Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.. The upcoming match will be a defining moment for Virginia, revealing how their hard work will compare to highly competitive conference opponents.
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