The adage in sports is that a win is a win. But the Cavaliers win over Towson last night left a bittersweet taste in the Virginia volleyball team's collective mouth.
"It wasn't a very pretty win," sophomore Sarah Kirkwood said. "We were struggling for some reason to stay in the system. They blocked a lot of shots at the net, which was really frustrating."
The Cavaliers started the night with a dominating 30-19 win in the first game, but were unable to carry the momentum to their next game. It looked like the two teams switched not only sides for the second game, but also talent levels. Virginia had the lead one time in the game, for a single play when the score was 4-3. That was it for the Cavaliers, as the Tigers would hold Virginia to .077 team hitting percentage in the game.
Virginia coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton appeared to have calmed her team during the break between the second and third games, as the Cavaliers pulled out to an eight point lead, 19-11. The Tigers, however, would not quietly surrender and battled back to tie the score at 28-28. Shelton had to call a late time-out to regroup her team. The Cavaliers responded by scoring the final two points, including a kill by Kirkwood that ended the game.
"We expected a tough battle, and we knew they wouldn't roll over," Shelton said. "Winning 30-28, I'll take it anyway I can get it."
In the fourth game, Virginia never surrendered the lead, but had to withstand a late charge by the Tigers that had many in the crowd nervous. Despite winning the match, the Cavaliers never equaled the dominating performance from the first game, when they hit .412 as a team.
This victory was also bittersweet because it came on the heels of a great team win against Penn on Saturday. In that victory, which secured the Jefferson Cup championship, Virginia came back from a two game deficit to pull out an amazing team win. It appeared to be one of those hallowed wins that change teams and yield an air of confidence and invincibility.
The Virginia faithful certainly hoped to help the Cavaliers build on their early season success. The crowd at Memorial Gymnasium was loud and raucous at the start of the match, waving signs and attempting to distract the Towson players. There was even a group of fans who had "U-V-A" painted on their chests. But by the end of the match, the crowd was no longer a factor due in large part to the Tigers' surprisingly impressive play.
Despite the challenge Towson presented, last night's match did end with the Cavaliers' seventh consecutive win. The match was an early season scare from a team the Cavaliers should have defeated easily, but it could serve as a wake-up call for the young Virginia team.
If last night's match was indeed a wake-up call, then it came at the right time and with a positive result. The Cavaliers, a team with only four upperclassmen on the roster, will not play at home again until Oct. 8, playing seven consecutive matches on the road. The ACC schedule is also looming a short 10 days away. And let's not forget, the Cavaliers did win the match. If this match is the closest that Virginia comes to a wake-up call, then the Cavaliers are in good shape.
After all, a win is a win.
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