As the regular season races closer to conclusion, the Virginia volleyball team finds itself in a position to control its own destiny.
With two wins this past weekend, the Cavaliers (15-7, 5-5 ACC) have pulled themselves out of the bottom third of the ACC. Virginia now finds itself in the middle-pack of a competitive conference with only six ACC matches left on the schedule. One of those matches will take place tonight in College Park as the Cavaliers travel to take on Maryland (10-10, 5-5 ACC).
"We're trying to take it one at time, but the good thing is that we play all the other teams that are 5-5," Virginia coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "Our fate is in our own hands as far as breaking out of this group or staying in this group."
The Cavaliers now find themselves tied with four other conference foes with 5-5 ACC records. Teams have started playing certain ACC teams for a second time, and Virginia players feel that the second trip through the conference will be more successful than the first one, when the Cavaliers went 3-5.
"We're continuing to improve," senior co-captain Alexis Geocaris said. "Everyone knew that we were a young team and we might have a hard time at the beginning. A 3-5 record for the first half of the [ACC] season is not bad. Now we're aiming for 6-2 for the second half. We're well on our way to that."
The Cavaliers showed they learned from their first trip through the ACC when they played Duke for the second time. When Virginia played the Blue Devils on Sept. 26, Duke won 3-1 in a close match. After that match, the Blue Devils would go on to compile the second best record in the ACC before coming to Charlottesville last Friday. Entering that game, the Cavaliers were ninth in the conference, but were able to defeat the Blue Devils easily, 3-0.
"To beat Duke at home in three games is incredible for our team," setter Emily Kirkwood said. "Everyone was on their 'A' game. Everybody was getting shots and playing smart."
Against Maryland, Virginia will have to form a game plan against a team it did not face during the first tour of the ACC. Maryland is a team whose talent level belies its .500 record. The Terrapins were picked second in the preseason ACC poll. Maryland began this season with five returning starters from last year's team that won the ACC tournament.
"I voted them first in my conference poll," Shelton said. "They're having a little tougher of a season than that, but they've made some position changes lately, and it seems to be working out for them."
One way Virginia could control the game is through its strong service. In the two Cavalier weekend wins, Virginia players combined for 18 aces, with eight of those coming from Kirkwood. "We have to serve tough," Shelton said. "We're known as one of the best serving teams in the conference. It takes people out of their rhythm and their system."
The Cavaliers find themselves with a chance to extend their two-match ACC win streak, their first win streak since conference play started. Virginia's upcoming schedule presents an opportunity for the Cavaliers to control where they will finish in the ACC. It's now a matter of whether this young team will be able to execute.
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