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    Virginia Volleyball Swept Twice in ACC Opening Weekend

    The Cavaliers suffered a pair of three-set losses at UNC and Duke, a disappointing start to conference play

    After a 7-3 start to the season, Virginia volleyball seemed to be looking good heading into conference play. The ACC has been an increasingly tough volleyball conference, and Virginia was 4-14 last year. Unfortunately, the momentum of non-conference play was quickly halted, as both UNC and Duke secured 3-0 wins over the Cavaliers.

    Friday 9/22 - North Carolina 3, Virginia 0

    Virginia fell 3-0 to North Carolina but had legitimate chances in all three sets, especially the last one. UNC led most of set one by several points, but a 3-0 run from the Cavaliers brought the team within one at 19-18. However, UNC responded with a 4-0 run, and then powered through to a 25-21 set one victory.

    Set two was the toughest for Virginia, with nine hitting errors and a -0.028 hitting percentage. North Carolina took advantage of the Cavalier miscues to jump out to a 12-5 lead. After falling behind early, Virginia attempted to mount a comeback several times, but the Tar Heels prevented the Hoos from going on any significant scoring runs.

    Finally, the third set was the most exciting by far, with nine ties and five lead changes, not to mention the best hitting percentage of the night for Virginia. Abby Tadder had four kills in the set and Virginia’s defense shone with four blocks and 17 digs, led by six digs apiece from Ashley Le and Heyli Velazquez. North Carolina led early on in the set, but a 6-0 run led by two kills and two block assists from Brooklyn Borum gave Virginia a 16-13 lead. UNC had a 4-0 run a few points later to retake the lead 20-18, and then the race was on. Virginia tied the score at 21 and even took a 23-22 lead after two consecutive Abby Tadder kills, but three different Tar Heel players earned kills for a 3-0 run that solidified the 3-0 UNC victory.

    Abby Tadder had ten kills and three blocks and Veresia Yon had six kills and six blocks for the Hoos. Ashley Le had a double double with 24 assists and 12 digs.

    Sunday 9/24 - Duke 3, Virginia 0

    Two days after suffering its first ACC loss in Chapel Hill, the Cavaliers drove a few miles over to Durham and suffered the same fate against Duke. It was all Duke in set one, as the Blue Devils hit .522 with 14 kills and just two errors. Duke had a 10-4 lead early on and expanded that to 16-6 and then 19-7. Virginia managed to stop the bleeding, but the major deficit remained, and Duke finished with a 4-0 run to win set one 25-12.

    The Blue Devils came back down to earth in set two, having 11 hitting errors after only two in the first set. This meant the second set was much closer, and there were longer rallies. Both Milan Gomillion and Ashley Le had eight digs in the set, and the Cavalier defense added four blocks. Despite the closer score, Virginia still trailed early on, and could never close the gap all the way. A few times, Virginia was within one, but then Duke was able to stop the run and earn the next point. In the end, a Duke kill gave the team a 25-21 set.

    Set three was a negative hitting percentage for the Cavaliers, making it very difficult to stage a comeback. Both ACC showings were subpar hitting percentages for Virginia, as the Cavaliers hit .067 against UNC and .029 against Duke. The third set was close early on, and Virginia managed to fight back once mid-set to tie the score at 17, but then Duke used a 7-0 run to give themselves match point and win the match two points later. The 7-0 run featured three consecutive blocks, stifling any attempt at getting the offense going. Milan Gomillion added seven more digs in the set as a bright spot.

    Gomillion finished with 16 digs and Ashley Le had her second consecutive double double with 19 assists and 12 digs.

    Virginia (7-5, 0-2 ACC) will regroup before hosting its first ACC matches, facing Syracuse on Friday night and Boston College on Sunday afternoon at Mem Gym. 

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