Virginia lost two matches over the weekend, losing 3-1 at Wake Forest and 3-0 to North Carolina at home.
The Cavaliers (8-18, 1-15 ACC) lost their 13th and 14th matches in a row. In the first matchup against Wake Forest, the Cavaliers jumped out to an early lead, winning the first set 25-20. The Demon Deacons (14-12, 5-10 ACC) took control after, however, winning the second, third and fourth sets to win the match 3-1, winning those sets 25-23, 25-14 and 25-11, respectively.
The second set was tight, with the score being tied twice — once at 16 and once at 23. The Demon Deacons then won back-to-back points to take the set. After two close sets, Wake Forest put the Cavaliers away quite easily — the Cavaliers never led in either the third or fourth set.
A positive for Virginia was the block differential — the Cavaliers outblocked Wake Forest 10-2. Graduate middle blocker Alana Walker and sophomore outside hitter Mary Shaffer both led Virginia with six blocks each. Walker also hit a big career milestone, recording her 900th career kill.
For the Demon Deacons, senior setter Andrea Fuentes had a huge game, dishing out 40 assists. Sophomore middle blocker Delaney McSweeney led Wake Forest with 11 kills.
In the second game of the weekend, Virginia hosted North Carolina. The Tar Heels (20-7, 9-7 ACC) swept the Cavaliers, winning the three sets 25-17, 25-17 and 25-11.
North Carolina wore Virginia down with consistent play throughout the match. In the first set, the Tar Heels had runs of 5-0 and 4-0, which proved to be a difference-maker. In the second set, the Tar Heels scored five out of the last six points to push the lead to 2-0.
To start the third, North Carolina went on a 5-0 run and never looked back, finishing off the Cavaliers in a sweep.
For the Cavaliers, sophomore libero Madison Morey led the team with seven digs, while freshman setter Ashley Le and sophomore setter Hannah Prendergast combined for 22 assists, with Le having 15 and Prendergast having seven. Despite these valiant efforts, the Tar Heels — led by freshman outside hitter Mabrey Shaffmaster’s team-high 14 kills and junior libero Karrena Wurl’s 13 digs — were simply too much to overcome.
The Cavaliers will host their last home game Saturday against North Carolina State. First serve is set for 3 p.m., and the match will be streamed live on ACCNX.
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