Virginia’s volleyball team opens up its home conference schedule this weekend with matches against two of the premier teams in the ACC. The Cavaliers face off in Memorial Gym against Georgia Tech today at 7 p.m. and against Clemson tomorrow at 7 p.m.
Coming off a loss to Virginia Tech in its season opener, Virginia (8-5, 0-1 ACC) will look to rebound and be in top form against the teams picked first and second in ACC preseason polls.
Georgia Tech (9-2, 1-0 ACC) edged Clemson (8-4, 0-1 ACC) Sept. 18. Now both universities bring their perennially competitive programs against Virginia coach Lee Maes for the first time.
“Clemson and Georgia Tech are both very, very good,” Maes said. “They’ve had a history of being the leaders of this conference.”
This will be the second weekend of home matches for the Cavaliers after the Marriott Jefferson Cup Sept. 12 to 13 in which Memorial Gym drew unexpectedly large crowds, especially against in-state rival Virginia Commonwealth. Senior middle blocker Shannon Davis was selected as MVP of the Marriott Jefferson Cup.
“We had a lot of fans against VCU so we hope that they’ll come out again this weekend,” Davis said. “[Georgia Tech and Clemson] are two really good teams, and all that energy we can collect from the fans and atmosphere will definitely help us through the games.”
Maes, who has had positive things to say about the University and its environment since he joined the volleyball program in February, is rallying fans and supporters to show up to the weekend matches.
“We want Mem Gym just to be as intimidating [and] intimate a venue as anywhere we go, or even more so,” Maes said, noting that the stands are so close to the court that spectators are often only a few feet from the players. “We hope our own crowd can be a distraction and have a positive influence on the outcome of the match.”
This home atmosphere is something junior defensive specialist Brittani Rendina, who is tied for the most sets played this season among the Cavaliers, has settled into in her second year playing on the Memorial Gymnasium court. Rendina started her career at Rutgers where she excelled as a player, but the program struggled.
With the encouragement of longtime friend and former childhood teammate Tara Hester, currently a Cavalier junior outside hitter, Rendina transferred to Virginia and made the team as a walk-on for the Cavaliers.
“Me and Tara had played volleyball together since we were 15 years old,” Redina said, “Once I got [to Virginia], it was really easy to make the transition since I had Tara who I grew up with.”
Now a scholarship player and regularly starting for the Cavaliers, Rendina says she made the right decision.
“I had no problems with anyone. No barriers were put up or anything,” Rendina said. “It was really open and family-like.”
Rendina wears the dark blue libero jersey, meaning she is not allowed to block or spike the ball above the net but may replace any of the players in the back row between plays without notifying officials. Liberos are generally the most defensively skilled players on the team, so it is a testament to Rendina’s performance in practice and games that she is trusted. There remains room for improvement, though, Maes noted.
“Brittani has done a really nice job in assimilating a lot of the things we’ve instilled, from a technical and systems standpoint,” Maes said. “What we’re looking for from her is consistency in her play. She has the mindset we’re looking for on the court.”
And Redina seems to be up to the challenge.
“It’s crunch-time now,” Rendina said. “We need to realize that we don’t have any more opportunities to mess around. We have to start winning every match from here on out if we want to win ACCs.”
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