After setting attendance records at the venue last year, Virginia returned to John Paul Jones Arena Saturday to face off against No. 3 Stanford. On the big stage, the Cavaliers (7-4, 0-1 ACC) lost to the Cardinal (10-2, 1-0 ACC) in four sets, 15-25, 14-25, 25-22, 17-25, giving Virginia its first ACC loss.
The set started off promising, with the Cavaliers hanging in with Stanford for the first few points. However, the Cardinal quickly found its footing, scoring five quick points in a row. Stanford kept the momentum going with multiple kills from sophomore outside hitter Ipar Kurt, successfully converting four out of her seven attempts.
Despite Virginia trying to get something started with a couple of kills from junior outside hitter Lauryn Bowie and a pair of blocks from senior middle blocker Jasmine Robinson, it was already too far behind. The Cardinal won the set, 25-15, with a convincing performance.
Although Virginia looked to have made adjustments heading into the second set, Stanford kept its foot on the gas pedal, going on a five-point scoring run right out of the gate. The Cardinal dominated the set, giving the Cavaliers few opportunities to take matters into their own hands. Virginia was frazzled, troubled by missed hits and miscommunication.
After a Cavalier timeout, however, Coach Shannon Wells’ squad seemed to have settled in, going on a three-point scoring run. But the Cardinal shut that hope down almost right away, going on its own run and winning the set 25-14.
What might have been worse than losing the first two sets, however, was Virginia losing the crowd. Few cheers broke out, even when the Cavaliers did score, Cavman could be seen sitting on the sidelines and when the signature “U-V-A” chant began to play, there were crickets. The fans were at their loudest when the Jumbotron played highlights from the football upset against Florida State the night before.
However, the Cavaliers turned it around in the third. For the first time all match, Virginia led Stanford. Up 8-5, the Cardinal took its first timeout of the game, but the Cavaliers stayed hot. After two blocks from sophomore setter Zoey Dood, a pair of kills from freshman outside hitter Reagan Ennist and a point in a minute-long rally, the fans were back on their feet.
“The first set we had seven kills, second set we had five — you’re not going to win many volleyball matches with that,” Wells said. “We just made sure we had consistency in our offensive rhythm … It came down to trust, the center setting the tempo and the hitters being on time.”
Stanford began to look just like Virginia did in the first two sets — discombobulated. With three blocks from Robinson and a few kills from senior middle blocker Kate Dean, the Cavaliers prevented a comeback and took the third set 25-22, forcing a fourth.
Stanford came out hot in that fourth set, looking to redeem itself, yet Virginia held its own. Points went back and forth in the first half of the set, but, tied at 13-13, the Cardinal began to create separation. Stanford won the set 25-17, and the match in four sets.
Despite the loss, the Cavaliers showed might against one of the best teams in the nation. If it had gotten momentum earlier in the match, Virginia definitely had the potential to go all five sets. The Cavaliers will return to JPJ Sunday at 1:30 p.m. to face off against California.
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