The Virginia women's basketball team has been on a high note as of late. The Cavs are on a nine game win streak, including upsets of then-No. 9 North Carolina and most recently No. 6 N.C. State Saturday. But even with their recent success, the Cavaliers have another challenge ahead of them as they face Clemson tonight at University Hall at 7:30 p.m.
While Virginia (13-4, 5-1 ACC) has a better record than the Lady Tigers (11-6, 2-3), who most recently fell to Duke Sunday, the Cavaliers know that there's more to the game than just how the team has done in the past.
"It really doesn't mean much in the ACC how you played the day before," Virginia Asst. Coach Shawn Campbell said. "We know that you have to come out every night strong and that we have to pack our hard hats and lunch buckets. There's a lot of parity in the ACC this year. You're only as strong as the last time you were out on the court."
That means the Cavaliers are pretty strong. In Monday's game against the Wolfpack, Renee Robinson scored 19 points, including four free throws down the stretch, and ACC Player of the Week Svetlana Volnaya added 18 to help Virginia win 80-73. Telisha Quarles also scored a career-high 21 points against N.C. State.
The three will be expected to continue their strong games against the Lady Tigers tonight.
Volnaya's "been playing well," Campbell said. "She knows that she has areas to improve on, but she had a great week last week and hopefully she can keep improving."
Clemson, however, has its own stars, namely freshman Chrissy Floyd and junior Erin Batth. Floyd leads the team with 12.2 points-per-game, while Batth, who is second on the team in scoring, leads the Tigers in rebounding at 7.4 rebounds-per-game.
"Their inside post game is really good with Batth and their freshman, Chrissy Floyd," Campbell said. "They've been doing great things for them."
Campbell also said Clemson is known for mixing things up a lot during the game, which should keep the Cavs on their toes.
However, with the increased bond that the Cavaliers have shown as of late, they may have just what it takes to knock off the Lady Tigers.
"Early in the year we didn't have that chemistry, that bond," Robinson said. "We didn't know what it took to win. In the second part of the season we've really improved. The camaraderie and togetherness have drastically improved"
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