After a disappointing road loss at Georgetown Tuesday, the Virginia volleyball team will return home Saturday night to host ACC rival Maryland.
The Cavaliers' recurring inability to capitalize on early advantages cost them dearly against the Hoyas Tuesday night. Virginia (6-13, 2-9 ACC) led in every game, but was unable to put away its hosts, who won, 3-0.
The Cavaliers had a similar problem with finishing in its first match against Maryland Sept. 25 as they let the Terrapins come from back from a 2-1 deficit to triumph in five games.
"It's not a lack of skill or a lack of athletic ability," Virginia coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "It's a lack of confidence because we've been losing so long. It's a race to 30, and we're stopping at 25 a lot of times. We need to have the confidence to push through those last five points."
Although Shelton said that practice could not always replace game experience, she said that the Virginia coaching staff had been seeing improvement in the team's personality and focus.
"It's close," she said. "It's mental durability, being able to stay tough and focused on every point, and being able to enjoy the successes and learn from the failures and the mistakes we make at a faster pace."
As they host the Terrapins (10-9, 6-5) the Cavaliers will be looking to build on last Sunday's conference victory over N.C. State. With the postseason looming around the corner, Virginia is looking to finish out the regular season on a roll and secure a higher seed in the ACC Tournament.
Besides their solid play against Maryland in September, another fact on the Cavaliers' minds as they prepare is the controversial decision by an official that cost them the first match.
"We took Maryland to five games in the first" match, Aldrich Shelton said. "We lost on what many people would call a controversial referee assessment. We're looking forward to playing them and seeing what we can do. I think that we're a team that can beat them."
Senior middle hitter Willette Dority, who currently is first in the ACC with a .363 hitting percentage, leads the Terrapins. Traditionally a strong outside-hitting team, Maryland uses long rallies to wear down opposing teams and create chances.
"We are focusing a lot on defense," Aldrich Shelton said. "Maryland loves extended rallies, so we've got to be able to rally with them and either stop it with a block or a great kill."
Taking recent improvements to heart, the Cavaliers are looking forward to the opportunity to take down the Terrapins and they hope they can succeed.
"They're a very experienced team," junior middle Simona Kuipers said. "But I think Maryland is ranked too high in the conference. We have the athletic ability and skills to put them back lower in the conference and help ourselves climb up in the ranks, which is where we want to be"
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