In its last match of the regular season, Virginia volleyball faced off against Boston College at Memorial Gymnasium. This Saturday match was the second battle between these ACC foes — the first of which was a win Oct. 27 — and also the second time the match went to five sets. In this rematch, the Cavaliers (21-10, 11-10 ACC) lost to the Eagles (15-7, 8-12 ACC) in five sets, particularly struggling in the third and fifth sets.
While Boston College stands in the bottom half of the ACC standings just two places below Virginia, the Eagles have challenged the Cavaliers both times they played each other. October’s matchup in Chestnut Hill, Mass. went down to the wire, but that game ended in the Cavaliers’ favor.
Saturday’s matchup at home against Boston College not only marked Virginia’s final game of the regular season, but was a crucial game going into Sunday’s NCAA Tournament selection. The Cavaliers are one of a few teams toeing the line between having the opportunity to compete for a national championship and being left out of the tournament. Having lost its last two ACC games, Virginia will have to rely on its various upsets this season against ranked teams for any hope of being chosen.
A large reason Virginia was held off by Boston College Saturday was their defensive prowess — especially the Eagles’ senior middle blocker Julia Haggerty, who leads the NCAA in blocks per set. She led throughout the game, finishing atop the leaderboard with seven blocks and a hitting percentage of .571.
But Virginia’s struggles went far beyond failing to counter Haggerty’s defense. The Cavaliers cumulatively struggled across the board, also falling short to Boston College in kills, attacking, digs, assists and points in addition to blocking and hitting percentage.
While the Eagles defeated Virginia in the opening set, the Cavaliers still appeared to be in competition with Boston College. Sophomore outside hitter Lauryn Bowie led the way with four kills to keep Virginia close to the Eagles. But a four-point run from Boston College as the set neared its end led the Cavaliers to fall 20-25.
In the second set, Virginia found success as it held Haggerty to just two points. The Cavaliers marched to a commanding 25-15 set victory as two service aces in a row from senior setter Ashley Le contributed to a 4-0 run that brought Virginia to victory.
However, the Cavaliers faltered in the third set, scoring only nine points compared to the Eagles’ 25. Boston College scored 11 unanswered points as Virginia struggled — six of these 11 points were due to errors on the Cavaliers’ part.
Despite Virginia managing to push the game to five sets after coming from behind in the fourth set, the Cavalier offense once again fell apart in the final set. Despite diving saves from senior libero Milan Gomillion and senior defensive specialist Heyli Velasquez, Virginia could not seem to get anything going offensively and was stuffed by a strong Eagles defense, losing 9-15.
Despite Saturday’s tough loss against Boston College, the Cavaliers have much going for them leading up to Sunday’s 6 p.m. selection. It should not go unnoticed that Virginia took down No. 23 Florida State in straight sets, as well as Miami, which has consistently received votes from the American Volleyball Coaches Association all season. The Cavaliers also knocked a set off of No. 3 Louisville, their first set win against a top-five ranked team in school history.
The selection show will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday and can be viewed on ESPN, where Virginia will look to be one of 64 teams vying for a national championship. Whether or not they are selected, the Cavaliers have already made history breaking records, and Coach Shannon Wells’ campaign this season will not go unforgotten.
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