The Virginia volleyball team lost a highly contested 4-1 match Friday night against Georgia Tech before earning its first conference win Sunday afternoon against Clemson in five sets.
The Cavaliers (7-8, 1-4 ACC) began Friday night with a strong effort, winning the first set 25-19. But unable to maintain its momentum, the squad let the second set slip through its fingers. After tying the score at 18, the Yellow Jackets went on to take the lead 20-18. Although Virginia nearly clinched the set, it went on to lose five straight points, conceding the set 26-24.
"It was a combination of us not being aggressive enough to win that set and Georgia Tech making three big plays to help themselves," coach Lee Maes said.
The Cavaliers could not fight off a hungry Georgia Tech (9-7, 2-3 ACC) side, which also was striving for its first conference victory. Virginia dropped the third set 25-23 and the fourth 25-17.
Sophomore setter Beth Wildermuth commanded the offense with a career-high 50 assists. Senior libero A.J. Cushman, meanwhile, anchored the defense with 17 digs.
Offensively, Virginia sophomore middle hitter Jessica O'Shoney hit a personal best .750. O'Shoney connected on 19 out of 24 swings, with only one hitting error coming after her 15th consecutive kill.
Sunday afternoon, the Cavaliers faced off against an already exhausted Clemson squad (11-5, 2-3 ACC) that beat Virginia Tech in five sets two nights prior.
The Cavaliers started off slow, going down 12-17 in the first set. Despite Virginia's attempt to use a timeout to its advantage, the Tigers would not let up and went on to clinch the set 25-19.
The second set was almost a mirror image of the first, except this time it was the Cavaliers who took command. Virginia boasted a 21-12 advantage before finishing off Clemson with a score of 25-16.
With a third set usually deemed the difference maker after a 1-1 start, the two teams were neck and neck, eventually reaching a tie at 16. Virginia gained momentum, going up 21-18. Perhaps thanks in part to an earlier error from Virginia, the Tigers tied it at 21. The deadlock was followed by additional tie scores at both 22 and 23. After Virginia called a timeout with a 24-23 lead, the Tigers clawed back to tie the score at 24. The Cavaliers were unable to hold on, though, losing two straight points en route to a 26-24 defeat.
But then for the fourth set, Virginia came back swinging, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. The players never looked back, emerging from the set with a 25-19 win.
"We all came together as a team," freshman outside hitter Rachel Clark said. "We were positive. We recognized when mistakes happened but we didn't let it bring us down."
After being haunted by fifth-set losses to George Washington and Virginia Tech earlier this season, the Cavaliers went up 4-3 after a kill by freshman outside hitter McKenzie Adams. Virginia led the rest of the way, finishing off the Tigers 15-10. The team tallied 12 kills in the fifth set, six of which came from Adams.
"Part of being a good player is being able to read the block," Adams said. "You just have to be smart with the ball and know where to put it."
Adams finished the match with her second career double-double after knocking down a personal-best 29 kills to go along with a personal-best 16 digs.
This first conference victory of the season gives confidence to an inexperienced team that has lost close matches time and time again.
"We ended up being in the same type of situation as Friday night, and this time [the team] responded appropriately," Maes said. "It was great to see tonight, and we did it in the crunch. That's a testament of their character."
Junior outside hitter Simone Asque took on some of the offensive load, boasting 24 kills as O'Shoney added 19. The combination of Adams and Asque marks the first game during which two players have had more than 20 kills since the 2007 season. Four Cavaliers had double-digit digs, with Cushman leading again with 26.
The Cavaliers will use the win as evidence of growth and a chance to turn their season around.
"Now we want to continue building on that momentum," Maes said.
Virginia now prepares to travel north to take on Boston College Friday and Maryland this Sunday.
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