No matter what University sport is discussed, few achievements can match the feeling of beating the rivals from Blacksburg. The Cavalier volleyball team has now done it twice in one season for the first time since 2005, defeating Virginia Tech 3-1 Sunday afternoon after sweeping Notre Dame 3-0 Friday night.
“I’m the new guy here, but apparently any time you can beat [Virginia] Tech it’s a big thing,” coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “I like the fact that we got some big things done this year with them and I hope it’s not the last time we sweep them.”
The team left home for the last time this season to face the Fighting Irish (12-17, 6-12 ACC) Friday. Despite the lack of history between the teams — this is only Notre Dame’s first year in the ACC — the two teams set new records in a first set that ended 39-37. The 39 points was a new school record for Virginia, and the Cavaliers and their opponents had only ever combined for 76 points once before, in 2003.
“That was a doozy,” Hohenshelt said. “We’re out of subs, we’re out of timeouts, really you’re just standing there hoping your team plays better than the other team. There’s nothing you can do coaching-wise.”
The rest of the match did not create quite as much excitement, as Virginia closed it out with a 25-22 win in the second set and a 25-21 win in the third to complete the sweep. The Cavaliers outhit the Fighting Irish .326 to .250 and served up six more aces. Junior Tori Janowski posted a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs, and is now tied for the ninth-most kills in Virginia single-season history at 429.
With a win back under their belts, the Cavaliers readied for their Sunday match against the Hokies (21-11, 9-9 ACC). The day did not get off to quite the start Virginia wanted, as Virginia Tech claimed the first set 25-23. But the Cavaliers refocused and exploited the Hokies’ passing problems to take the second set 25-19. Virginia kept up the attack in the next frame, winning 25-18, and finished Virginia Tech off with a 25-19 triumph in the fourth to take the match 3-1.
“I thought we played really well [Sunday],” senior Emily Rottman said. “We were in system a lot, our ball control was good, and our hitters just were really aggressive and scored a lot of points for us.”
The match was of special importance to the team’s two fourth-year players, Rottman and redshirt junior Mallory Woolridge. The Cavaliers were winless against their in-state rivals through the pair’s first three seasons, but have now beaten them twice in the same year.
“It’s a great feeling going 2-0 against [Virginia] Tech this year, and especially beating them at home,” Rottman said. “I’ve had a lot of close games with them here, so to end with a win was awesome.”
In the victory, the Cavaliers again held the edge in hitting at .326 to the Hokies’ .200 and dominated in blocks, 14.5 to 5. Freshmen Haley Kole and Jasmine Burton recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively, continuing to leave their marks in their first year on the team.
The star of the past few weeks for Virginia, however, has been Bausback. With Woolridge sidelined by a long-term injury midway through the season, the coaching staff made the decision to shift Bausback from outside hitter to middle blocker. She has readily accepted the added responsibility that comes with the shift.
“I think I have more confidence in myself,” Bausback said. “Changing positions is hard — working, getting my swing down, getting blocks. But I think the main thing was just getting my confidence back.”
She certainly made a case for ACC Player of the Week in the two matches this weekend. Bausback had a team-high 17 kills both days and made a combined 11 blocks. Her .577 hitting percentage against Virginia Tech led all Cavaliers.
“Natalie is pretty unbelievable right now,” Hohenshelt said. “We started talking about her three weeks ago, that we thought she made a big jump in her game. The weekend she’s had is pretty big time right now. She’s embraced the position change and I’m thrilled for her.”
The team plays its last two matches of the season at home next weekend. First up is a Friday bout against Pittsburgh, followed Saturday by the last match between Virginia and Maryland before the Terrapins leave for the Big Ten.
“The team is feeling good,” Hohenshelt said. “[We’re] ready to win two more matches next weekend, so we’ll get to work a little bit [Monday] on it, work on Tuesday, work on Wednesday, work a little bit on Thursday, eat some Thanksgiving dinner together, and hopefully we’re ready for Friday.”
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