Wednesday night was the first time this season Virginia faced Virginia Tech in the volleyball iteration of the annual Smithfield Commonwealth Clash — and it was in enemy territory in Blacksburg. After the first two sets, the matchup seemed over, but the Cavaliers (9-8, 2-5 ACC) were not done fighting yet. They put themselves on the offensive and fought like never before, taking the third and fourth set to force a final tiebreaker set against the Hokies (9-9, 1-6 ACC). Fortunately for Virginia, Virginia Tech made a grave mistake on match point and gave the Cavaliers the win, 22-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-12.
But the journey to victory was not easy. For senior middle blocker Jasmine Robinson, for example, she had to return to what was once her home turf and face down her old teammates of three years. The Hokies did not let her attacks slip by often, and she went up for block after block in the hopes of doing the same.
The fifth set became a battle of wills. At first, it seemed like it would go smoothly in the favor of Virginia Tech. The first four points, all ending in attacks or service aces, went by quickly. At one point, senior outside hitter Kadynce Boothe went up to the net to strike four times in a row and got shot down each time — eventually resulting in a point for the Hokies.
However, a couple of players truly stepped up on the offense and kept the Cavalier fighting spirit high enough to stay in the game — freshman right-side hitter Caroline Lang and freshman outside hitter Reagan Ennist.
Lang’s slide-strike and powerful kills quickly closed the gap that Virginia Tech had worked hard to build, while Ennist completely shut it down and kept the game close until the final few points. While Ennist has had more experience starting and being a dominant player this season, Lang did not at all seem daunted by this harrowing final set and pushed herself to earn a new season-high of eight kills.
At match point, everyone was on the edge of their seats. But, surprisingly, the set did not end with a strong block or a kill that flew into the stands afterwards. Instead, it ended with the Hokies making a debilitating passing error that could not be kept in play — the ball abruptly hit the ground and the Cavaliers exploded onto the court in cheers.
Virginia’s win was well-earned. The first two sets had just barely gone in Virginia Tech’s favor — with the first set being finished by a handful of Hokie kills, and the second set starting with a quick five-point lead that the Cavaliers never really managed to get ahead of.
The third and fourth sets showed that Virginia understood what changes needed to be made, and they executed those changes. The number of digs were higher, keeping the ball in play for longer, and the number of kills greatly increased after the first set.
Most importantly, though, the Cavaliers managed to have slightly better timing than Virginia Tech. While the teams’ number of kills and errors are relatively similar, Virginia’s kills came at just the right moment, while the Hokies made mistakes at crucial moments in the match.
It is necessary that the Cavaliers stay on their toes, though. Next up, Virginia Tech has the chance for revenge Sunday at 3 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena in the second Commonwealth Clash matchup.
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