Normally when a team completes a tournament with a 1-2 record, it's members might feel disappointed. That isn't necessarily the case with the Virginia women's volleyball team.
While her team did lose its final two matches 3-1 (26-30, 30-13, 30-16, 30-15) to No.23 St. Mary's and 3-0 (30-22, 35-33, 31-29) to host No.16 Texas A&M, Virginia coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said she felt satisfied with the Cavaliers' performance.
"I was very pleased with our passing and defense, and we had some good heads up play," Shelton said. "Overall, I think it was a decent tournament."
One of the concerns that Shelton pointed out, however, was the sub-par offensive performance of the Cavaliers.
"We need to be more aggressive with our swings," Shelton said. "But they are all things we can work on."
One specific offensive statistic that proved to be a problem for the Cavaliers was their hit percentage. In the Cavaliers' lone 3-0 (30-15, 30-20, 30-19) win against Liberty Friday, Virginia's hit percentage was .369. In the team's two losses, however, hit percentage dropped significantly to .286 and then .173.
"We have to focus on getting hitters to transition aggressively and play strong every time," Shelton said, commenting on the weak hitting performance. "We got stuck against bigger teams, and hopefully we can fix that."
According to team members, another aspect that they need to work on is their mental toughness.
"We've got all the skills down, and we're physically there," senior co-captain Kristin Chaney said. "There are going to be some nerves, but for us it's about bringing our mental game up to our physical game."
One of the positives, as Shelton pointed out, was the defensive effort. Virginia had 28 total team blocks, with freshman Shannon Davis leading the way with 17 blocks (two solo). In addition, Virginia posted 204 digs throughout the tournament. Sophomore Melissa Caldwell led the team with 48 digs.
One of the surprises of the tournament was the performance of redshirt sophomore Beth Shelton. Last season, Shelton was sidelined for the year with an injury, and the season opener against Lehigh was only her second career match.
"She did very well in the tournament, but we knew she would," Shelton said. "Beth is a steady player, she keeps her head up, and she'll just get better as she plays. She's a very smart volleyball player."
Among her stats were 33.5 total points (including a team-high 16.5 points against Saint Mary's), 27 digs, 2 aces and 29 kills. In addition, Shelton was selected to the All-Tournament team along with sophomore teammate Sara Kirkwood.
The Cavaliers' next set of games will take place at the Dayton tournament in Dayton, Ohio. The Cavaliers play Dayton Friday at 7 p.m., Mississippi State Saturday at 1 p.m. and Indiana State Saturday at 5 p.m.
Read More
Is 2025 the program-defining year for Virginia football?
By Theo Moll | 42 minutes agoWith great resources, come great expectations.
No. 11 men’s soccer drops testy road match to George Mason
By Mofeoluwa Akande | 3 hours agoThe 4-1 result put a damper on the team's early success.
No. 3 Virginia field hockey meets No. 18 Penn State in season-opening brawl
By Eleanor Buchanan | 4 hours agoThe Cavaliers have reloaded with new talent.
