Through early conference losses, Virginia volleyball players and coaches said while the losses were disappointing, they were not going to dwell on them but would instead focus on improving. Now that the Cavaliers have won two games in a row, they are building confidence as they continue through their schedule in the tumultuous ACC.
“I think [beating Boston College and Maryland] is huge, just getting some confidence,” junior outside hitter Lauren Dickson said. “Going into the rest of the ACC season, it’s important to know you can beat the competition, so I think it was great to know that you can win on the road especially.”
Dickson, along with freshman Simone Asque, is part of Virginia’s unit of outside hitters that was very productive last weekend.
“It’s better to have a marked improvement on paper,” Asque said, noting the team’s improved win percentage and statistical averages after last weekend. The team will look to continue this improvement as it travels south of the border this weekend for the second consecutive set of conference matches on the road.
Tonight, the Cavaliers (10-7, 2-3 ACC) face off against North Carolina (9-7, 3-2 ACC) in Chapel Hill, N.C. Tomorrow, Virginia takes on N.C. State (8-11, 2-2 ACC) in Raleigh, N.C. N.C. State also plays Virginia Tech tonight, so its record will have changed by gametime tomorrow.
With the conference as balanced as it is — only Virginia Tech remains undefeated in conference play — each match is pivotal for gaining footing in the conference standings.
“It’s been a wild and crazy conference, every weekend seems like everybody is beating each other,” coach Lee Maes said. “I think everybody in the conference knows it’s going to be extremely competitive each night and they have to bring their A-game.”
Asque, who has received a lot of playing time as a freshman and has started several matches, noted an unexpected balance in conference opponents so far.
“I thought, especially looking at what happened last year, it would be more ‘These are the teams to beat’ and ‘This is everybody else,’” Asque said. “Right now, it’s very topsy-turvy and everyone’s playing each other and grueling it out. It’s really exciting, it almost feels like anyone can win.”
Asque gradually has seen more playing time because of her impressive performances on the court, including two double-doubles.
“It’s pretty cool to represent my school and be able to play for my team and be the one that’s out on the floor contributing,” Asque said.
Dickson and Asque are two of the five members on the roster who make up Virginia’s deep outside hitter position.
“Even though I’m maybe starting and playing, I’m also competing with other outsides on the team,” Asque said.
The outside hitters, who see many of the spikes on the court, will be key in determining the Cavaliers’ success against the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack.
“North Carolina has been up and down,” Maes said. “They had a really, really good preseason non-conference win against a highly-ranked Minnesota team, so that gave them a lot of confidence. They have a pretty fast offensive system that I think will put some stress on us defensively.”
N.C. State has struggled in ACC play in recent years, but has held its own so far this year.
“We know that they’re much improved, and we know they’re going to play hard,” Maes said. “We won’t really know their level of performance until we get to play them.”
The Cavaliers will look to excel again this weekend, despite the hostile territory and cheers of an unfriendly crowd in their ears. In the matches tonight and tomorrow, just like in the season as a whole, the team will look to succeed not by worrying about what is brought to them but what they can take to the court.
“I’ve found that when I’m playing, I always tune out the crowd,” Asque said. “I always try to focus on the coaches and what they’re saying.”
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