Virginia’s volleyball team opens its conference schedule tonight with a match against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
The match — in which the Cavaliers (8-4) will seek to improve upon a 1-2 performance in the Wildcat Classic — will also be the ACC debut for the Hokies (9-2).
One of the Cavaliers’ losses in Chicago was a Friday afternoon 0-3 match against UCLA. Senior middle hitter Shannon Davis, who was selected as a member of the all-tournament team, noted that the team learned a lot from the contest.
UCLA is “very good at ball control,” Davis said. “They dig well, they pass well. Even when they don’t, they get back into system easily, which is something all the great teams do.”
Virginia coach Lee Maes said the more disappointing loss was the Cavaliers’ 2-3 narrow loss against Northwestern later Friday.
“After the loss to Northwestern, we really spent some time assessing individually what needed to improve,” Maes said.
Virginia bounced back to defeat Georgetown 3-0 the next day. The Cavaliers then turned their attention to the upcoming match and its quest for an ACC title.
Although Virginia defeated Virginia Tech in Charlottesville last season, sophomore right side hitter Kendahl Voelker, who ranks second on the team with 85 kills so far this season, will look to avenge the Cavaliers’ loss last season at Cassell Coliseum.
“We want to beat them,” Voelker said. “Especially at their home.”
The Hokies are off to a fast start this season, tying the school’s record for most wins in the first 11 matches of the season.
Maes noted that one reason for the Hokies’ success is the team’s creative style of offense, using two quick hitters.
“Having a chance to watch them on video, they’re a very dynamic offense,” Maes said. “When you have two quick hitters in your offense, it makes it difficult to defend.”
The Cavaliers’ preseason play had its ups and its downs, but Maes and several players were quick to reiterate their confidence in the team’s system, which includes an emphasis on overall efficiency. Areas of focus in practice have included serving, passing and blocking.
“If we have great serving, you can make any good team average,” Maes said. “For us, if we can do a great job in the passing lane, then we will be a lot more efficient offensively.”
Though the match against the Hokies takes place in the middle of the week, it will likely feature the most hostile environment yet seen by Virginia under Maes’ coaching. Members of the coaching staff and players, however, are viewing the environment as a positive compared to the neutral environments of the preseason tournaments.
“We have to feed off the energy of their crowd,” Voelker said.
Maes said he values any opportunity for the team to play in an “intimate” and “energetic” environment, regardless of for whom the crowd cheers most.
The Cavaliers will have little time to recover from the match, as play continues this weekend in Memorial Gymnasium against Georgia Tech and Clemson, picked in the preseason by pollsters to finish second and first, respectively, in the conference.
The Cavaliers, however, are taking one match at a time and have been focusing on downing their in-state rivals.
“I think we’ll be excited when it comes down to it,” Davis said. “Especially [against Virginia Tech].”
The athletes, however, have not been shy in discussing their long-run goal for the season.
“We want the ACC Championship, first and foremost,” Voelker said.
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