After losing six straight matches, the Virginia volleyball team still seeks its first conference win of the season this weekend. The Cavaliers enter this weekend's matches hungry for those elusive victories as they host two of the ACC's weaker teams in Wake Forest and Duke.
"I think we are chomping at the bit to make improvements from this past weekend and certainly from these past few losses," Virginia coach Lee Maes said. "We're trying to get everyone on the right page so that we're working and moving in the right direction."
Although the Cavaliers (6-9, 0-5 ACC) have stumbled recently, Wake Forest (4-10, 1-4 ACC) and Duke (8-6, 2-3 ACC) have endured struggles of their own.
The Demon Deacons are currently battling a five-game losing streak, during which they have seen their offense sputter. Wake Forest ranks 11th in the ACC in hitting percentage, assists and kills, and the team stole its only conference victory against Duke.
After dropping that ACC opener against Wake Forest, the Blue Devils picked up two conference wins, but most recently fell against Florida State and Miami. Duke's sophomore libero Ali McCurdy leads the conference with an average 5.8 digs per set, a bright spot for a team which hasn't been meeting its potential overall. The team has struggled to capitalize on its height advantage, however. Nine of the Blue Devil's 13 players are over six feet, but they average a league-worst 1.87 blocks per game.
Despite poor early-season showings, however, Duke and Wake Forest still pose a threat to the Cavaliers. Wake Forest has played well against some worthy opponents, including pushing No. 22 Florida State into a fifth set last Sunday. The Blue Devils entered the season as No. 17 in the country, and are a powerful team which will contest strongly against the Cavaliers.
"You know both teams are good," Maes said. "We have our work cut out for us in terms of going into Wake Forest and Duke this weekend, but the nice thing about it is we're going to be at home."
Virginia showed fleeting moments of good play on the road against Boston College and Maryland last weekend but seeks consistency to capture this weekend's matches.
"We had the opportunity to win that match," Maes said of the Maryland game last weekend. "We just weren't very good for three or four points at the very end in the fifth game [and] that made the difference ... To be that close to winning the match and not finishing it was certainly disappointing."
The Cavaliers face Wake Forest tonight and Duke Saturday. Both matchups are slated for 7 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium.
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