The Lee Maes era began with a bang this past weekend as Virginia’s volleyball team swept the James Madison University Days Inn Invitational to begin its season at 3-0 (0-0 ACC). Maes joined the Cavaliers in February after a search for a coach began in December when Melissa Aldrich Shelton stepped down from the position.
The 3-0 start, the first for Virginia since the 2003-4 season, follows a preseason that players and coaches alike described as physically intense.
Sophomore right side hitter Kendahl Voelker, who recorded 10 kills in the tournament championship match against James Madison, said the team has been training at a high level under Maes and new assistant coaches Ted Wade and Jill Kramer.
“We’re getting it done in the gym,” Voelker said. “I think it’s really going to reflect on the court.”
Maes, who has been preparing with the team for more than a month, complimented the squad’s work during the preseason.
“The players have been absolutely fantastic with their level of effort [and] with ... their attitude,” Maes said. “We’ve been really fortunate to have a great group of players that have done everything we’ve asked of them.”
The Cavaliers’ next test comes this weekend, when they will head west to Denver to play in the Denver Pioneer Classic.
The following weekend, Sept. 12 to 13, the Cavaliers will host the Marriott Jefferson Cup in Memorial Gym. Among the teams headed to Charlottesville for the tournament are Binghamton, Appalachian State and in-state opponent Virginia Commonwealth.
The final tournament in which the Cavaliers are scheduled to play before the conference slate begin takes place Sept. 19 to 20 in Chicago. The Northwestern Tournament will provide Virginia an early opportunity to prove themselves against the nation’s elite; along with Georgetown and host Northwestern, the Cavaliers are scheduled to play No. 6 UCLA.
The Cavaliers open their conference schedule Sept. 23 in Blacksburg against the Hokies. The following weekend, Georgia Tech and Clemson come to Charlottesville. No. 19 Clemson is the only ACC team ranked in the top 25, and Georgia Tech was picked by pollsters to finish right behind the Tigers in preseason ACC polls.
Voelker said that weekend’s matches, which could be an early barometer as to how Maes’ squad will fare against the ACC’s elite this season, are two matchups she is really looking forward to this season.
“We gave [Clemson] their only loss [against an ACC team] last year,” Voelker said. “We’re going to have get it done and take down the top ACC teams.”
Following the Sept. 27 match against the Tigers, the Cavaliers face a stretch that spans nearly three weeks in which every game will be on the road. Important matches during that stretch include an Oct. 10 face-off in Chapel Hill, N.C. against North Carolina.
Of the 13 regular-season games following that set of away games, nine of them are scheduled to be played in Memorial Gym. Among this final stretch of matches, Voelker highlighted two home matches, the Oct. 17 clash against Duke and the Nov. 28 regular season finale against Virginia Tech, as two of the team’s biggest. Maes, however, pointed out that he and his coaching staff will treat every game as a big one.
“With every opponent in the conference, we’re going to prepare the same way,” Maes said. “Every team is going to bring their best game.”
The Cavaliers enter the 2008 season with the high expectation of bringing Virginia an ACC title. With a long stretch of away games and multiple matches against some of the highly touted teams in the conference, it will be a long road for the Cavaliers. But with a new coaching staff, a disciplined workout ethic and a promising start, nothing seems impossible for Virginia’s squad.
Read More
Virginia volleyball crushed by Auburn in error-ridden loss
By Lauren Halak | 3 hours agoVirginia suffered a second-straight demoralizing loss.
Roy Horovitz is done waiting, and ready to make up for lost time
By Thomas Baxter | Yesterday"He's probably the hardest-working guy on the team right now," Dietrich said.
No. 3 Virginia field hockey continues undefeated start with gritty win over No. 16 Rutgers
By Eleanor Buchanan | YesterdayVirginia has started the season with three consecutive ranked wins.
