Less than 24 hours after Coach Tony Elliott’s football team went into Durham, N.C. to beat Duke, Virginia volleyball headed down in the hopes of doing the same, and they were able to do just that. The Cavaliers (11-15, 4-12 ACC) won in four sets to the Blue Devils (5-22, 2-14 ACC) 25-20, 25-23, 25-22 and 25-23.
The first set started off highly competitive with senior outside hitter Kadynce Boothe putting the first kill on the board. Duke responded immediately with their star sophomore middle blocker Breonna Goss getting a kill as well.
With Virginia leading 15-13, both teams were hitting .400 and almost all of each of their points came from kills. Both the Cavaliers and the Blue Devils were back and forth, and it became clear that the set would come down to who could string together the most points to account for the high and lows.
After a timeout by Duke’s Coach Jolene Nagel, Virginia began to create separation, shutting down a late run by the Blue Devils. For the set point, freshman outside hitter Reagan Ennist was able to land a cut-shot, with the Duke defender diving but not being able to save it in time. The Cavaliers won the set 25-20 with major help from Boothe who had seven kills and only one error.
Set two highlighted the Virginia offense, with the Cavaliers capitalizing on the Blue Devil’s defensive confusion to grab their first three points. However, the Duke offense bounced back, their freshman outside hitter Ashby Zubchevich having four kills of her own, three of which were back-to-back.
At 14-11 Duke, things were looking bleak for the Cavaliers who had just given them two attack error points. But Virginia prevailed, regaining its composure and going on a five-point run. Despite Zubchevich leading the Blue Devil offense, the Cavaliers had a weapon of their own in Ennist.
Throughout the entirety of the set, Ennist had six kills, hitting all over the court and each hit being harder than the last. In fact, by Ennist’s last kill of the set, Duke defenders could be seen almost protecting their faces rather than blocking the passes. But Ennist was not alone in her domination — sophomore right side Becca Wight had four kills herself.
The result of the second set was up in the air until the final point, when Boothe put it away with yet another kill, winning it 25-23.
The third set for Virginia started with a service and attack error, putting them down 2-0. But the story of the game for Virginia was staying calm and playing its game. And with that, the score was quickly 5-2 Cavaliers, Dood getting involved in the offense with back-to-back kills.
Just like set two, the set was highly contested, Virginia and Duke each taking big swings. At 21-19 Blue Devils, the Cavaliers called a timeout to discuss the offensive plan — and whatever it was, it did not work. Despite Virginia picking up a few more points, Duke won 25-22.
The fourth and final set went point-for-point with the Blue Devils’ newfound confidence leading to play even more aggressive. But the Virginia blockers were feeling it too, with Dood and senior middle blocker Kate Dean combining for a total of four blocks.
However, the Cavaliers struggled to find a response to the Duke right side. But it seemed as though every time Virginia needed a point, Ennist was the answer. The freshman had three straight kills to gain back momentum for the Cavaliers, bringing the score to 23-22 Virginia. With a strong serve by Boothe, the match point was set up for Ennist’s 20th kill of the game, the Cavaliers winning the set 25-23.
Ultimately, this win not only snapped the Cavaliers out of their losing streak, but it also snapped them out of their nightmare of lost confidence. Virginia faced a gauntlet of opponents this November, facing No. 10 SMU, No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 15 North Carolina all in the matter of two weeks, not to mention No. 5 Louisville and No. 14 Miami earlier in the season. So, a hard fought win like this one was definitely needed for team morale.
The Cavaliers will return home to John Paul Jones Arena Friday at 7 p.m. to play their next ACC opponent, NC State.
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