In its third-to-last game of the regular season, Virginia volleyball picked up its 21st win of the year with a sweep of Notre Dame at Memorial Gymnasium Sunday afternoon. The Cavaliers (21-8, 11-7 ACC) were catapulted to the win over the Fighting Irish (11-16, 4-14 ACC) by their seniors, fitting for the team’s senior day celebration.
The game honored all six seniors who make up a particularly impactful class for the Cavaliers. The class includes two transfers — senior outside hitter Elayna Duprey and senior libero Milan Gomillion — and four players who have played for the Cavaliers for all four years — senior outside hitter Brooklyn Borum, senior middle blocker Abby Tadder, senior setter Ashley Le and senior defensive specialist Heyli Velasquez.
In what has been a record-breaking season for the Cavaliers, many of those players have been crucial. Duprey, Gomillion, Borum, Tadder and Le have consistently been at the top of the leaderboards for many games, and throughout the year, Coach Shannon Wells has cited her veterans as a large part of the team’s success.
Across the stat sheet Sunday, the prowess of Virginia’s seniors was certainly evident. Tadder led the team in total points and kills, while Borum paced all Cavaliers in digs and Le in assists. Junior middle blocker Kate Dean led in blocks with eight.
The win puts the Cavaliers at 7-6 all-time against Notre Dame and continues a winning streak against the Fighting Irish. The conference foes faced off against each other last season in Charlottesville, where Virginia also swept Notre Dame.
Despite the Fighting Irish being ranked in the bottom half of the ACC volleyball standings, they held up against Virginia and forced a tight three sets. The Cavaliers won each set by no more than four points, and their largest lead of five points was only held twice — at the beginning of the first set as well as in the second half of the final set.
This opening five-point lead in the first set gave Virginia a quick lead, but Notre Dame slowly chipped away after taking a quick timeout. The Cavaliers were unable to stop two scoring runs from the Fighting Irish, which brought the set within one point. As Virginia held on to a slight lead, three kills from Tadder as part of a 4-0 scoring run gave the Cavaliers a 19-16 lead.
The score remained close for the remainder of the first set, but one final three-point run from Virginia featuring back-to-back Duprey kills carried the Cavaliers to their first set victory, winning 25-21 over Notre Dame.
Both teams remained neck and neck in the second set, as immediate tied scores and lead changes characterized the second set. While Virginia saw multiple chances to break away with a sizable lead, the Fighting Irish continued to respond and kept the score close. The Cavaliers were finally able to break away towards the end of the set, forcing two timeouts sandwiched by only one play — one that favored Virginia.
With the Cavaliers up 23-19 and Notre Dame with no timeouts left, Virginia cruised to its second set victory topped off by a kill from Tadder. The Cavaliers won the second set 25-22.
Looking to wrap up its senior night, Virginia once again held off the Fighting Irish for the third set in an all-out team fight. Six players recorded kills, including six from sophomore outside hitter Lauryn Bowie. These offensive plays allowed the Cavaliers to hold off various attacks from Notre Dame, taking multiple five-point leads in the closing half of the set. Tadder once again finished off the set with a kill, giving Virginia a 25-21 win.
This game marks the Cavaliers’ tenth home win this season and was a crucial reset for Virginia after its home loss to No. 3 Louisville Friday. Up next, the Cavaliers will face off against North Carolina Wednesday for the second time this season, hoping to avenge their loss to the Tar Heels in October. The match is set for a 2 p.m. start in Chapel Hill, N.C. and can be streamed on ACCNX.
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