Virginia volleyball has made a habit of defeating its in-state rival, Virginia Tech, over the past four seasons. The Cavaliers (6-10, 2-5 ACC) have now won nine straight against the Hokies, the longest winning streak by either program in the series. After snapping a five-match losing streak Wednesday, Virginia is looking to extend its rivalry dominance to 10 consecutive victories.
Virginia defeated Virginia Tech (4-12, 1-6 ACC) in four sets Wednesday at Memorial Gymnasium, winning 25-19, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-23. The Cavaliers will travel to Blacksburg Friday for a rematch against the Hokies at Cassell Coliseum, with an opportunity to sweep the season series and secure another ACC victory.
The Cavaliers and Hokies followed remarkably similar paths in their first six ACC matches. Each team earned its first ACC win against Clemson, with Virginia defeating the Tigers in five sets Sept. 25 and Virginia Tech defeating the Tigers in four sets Sept. 27.
Both teams have also lost in remarkably similar ways. Georgia Tech, No. 16 Stanford and No. 23 North Carolina have all swept both teams, while California defeated both in four sets and Duke defeated both in five sets. Wednesday’s victory gave Virginia its second ACC win, while Virginia Tech remains in search of its second.
These parallels were also apparent in last weekend's matches against Duke. Virginia led Duke 2-1 after the first three sets Oct. 9 but lost the fourth set 25-23 and the fifth set 15-13.
Virginia Tech also experienced a similar fate Oct. 11 against Duke. The Hokies led Duke 2-1 after the first three sets of play but lost the fourth set 25-23. Duke then completed the comeback with a 15-11 victory in the fifth set.
While both teams have struggled recently, Wednesday’s result further strengthened the Cavaliers' advantage in the rivalry — which remains one-sided. The Cavaliers traveled to Blacksburg last October and completed a reverse sweep after losing the first two sets of play. The Cavaliers went on to win a three-set match four days later at John Paul Jones Arena, giving them eight straight wins against Virginia Tech and raising their all-time series record to 45-40.
A key to that success was second-year outside hitter Reagan Ennist. In the match played in Charlottesville, Ennist led all Virginia players with 15 kills and three blocks. Ennist totaled 38 kills throughout the two-match series and was named ACC Freshman of the Week for the second time that season.
Wednesday’s victory demonstrated improvements in Virginia’s offensive output after a difficult match. The Cavaliers recorded 55 kills and a .283 hitting percentage, compared to Virginia Tech’s 48 kills and .218 hitting percentage. Becca Wight led Virginia with 11 kills, while MaryGrace Gonyeau and Lauryn Bowie each added 10. Virginia also overcame an early deficit in the fourth set to secure the victory.
In a match against Duke Oct. 9, third-year outside hitter Reese Wuebker matched her season high with 18 kills, and fourth-year middle Emily Fowler added 10 kills and five blocks. Virginia held a 19-15 lead late in the fourth set but lost the match.
Virginia’s struggles in close matches were once again on display in the loss to Duke.
"We keep putting ourselves in great positions to win matches," Coach Shannon Wells said after the loss to Duke.
The struggles in closing matches have somewhat transformed into struggles with maintaining offensive output. Virginia was swept by North Carolina in three sets, 25-13, 25-16 and 25-15. Wuebker and Fowler each registered six kills in the loss. Fowler added five blocks.
Virginia has also experienced some changes to its offensive lineup. First-year outside hitter Ella Brodner made her first two starts against California and Stanford while Ennist was unavailable. Brodner tallied 12 kills against the Golden Bears in one of those starts.
Virginia Tech has also struggled in offensive play.
In its loss to North Carolina Oct. 9, Virginia Tech tallied only 23 kills and a .009 hitting percentage, compared to North Carolina's 42 kills and .293 hitting percentage. Junior middle Izzy Mishler tallied five kills for the Hokies, while junior outside hitter Reese Hazelton tallied a team-high 16 digs.
However, Virginia Tech did register significantly more offensive output against Duke Sunday. Hazelton tallied 15 kills and 12 digs. Junior outside hitter Destiny Walker added 12 kills and 15 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Adeline Hundl also tallied 11 kills in a five-set loss to Duke.
Those offensive capabilities were also apparent Wednesday, despite the loss. Walker led Virginia Tech with 16 kills, while Frances Torres added a season-best 11 kills. The Hokies also managed to win the third set and nearly forced a fifth, demonstrating their ability to challenge Virginia despite the final result.
Walker was key in Virginia Tech's only ACC win. In its game against Clemson Sept. 27, Walker tallied 15 kills and 11 digs, while Mishler fished 10 blocks. Virginia Tech also totaled 13 team blocks, compared to only five for Clemson.
Virginia will need to do more to contain Virginia Tech's offensive threats — particularly Hazelton and Walker — while also improving on its offensive output. The presence of Fowler at the net could also be an important asset when facing a Hokies offense that has not produced consistent results in ACC play.
Beyond the ACC results, the rivalry also has an impact on the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. The Commonwealth Clash is an annual multi-sport rivalry between the two schools that gives half a point for each match played in the event. Last year, Virginia secured a full volleyball point in the Commonwealth Clash by winning the first match in five sets and sweeping the rematch.
With Wednesday’s victory, Virginia secured half a point in this year’s Commonwealth Clash. A victory Friday would secure the remaining half-point and give the Cavaliers another volleyball sweep over their in-state rival.
After a win Wednesday in Charlottesville, Virginia will travel to Blacksburg Friday looking to continue its rivalry success. Two wins would extend Virginia’s nine straight rivalry wins to 10 and, more importantly, give the team some much-needed momentum after a slow start in ACC play.
Read More
Five takeaways from the first two Virginia men’s basketball exhibition showcases
By Jordan Zimm | 24 minutes agoWith one more exhibition remaining at Villanova Thursday, here are five takeaways from Virginia’s first two preseason tests.
Virginia volleyball extends winning streak against Virginia Tech with four-set victory
By Jonathan Altshuler | 22 hours agoThe Cavaliers defeated the Hokies in four sets Wednesday night at Memorial Gymnasium with scores of 25-19, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-23. This was the Cavaliers’ first win since Sept. 25, extending a five-year winning streak against the Hokies since 2022.
A chance meeting led field hockey assistant coach Brendan Creed to Charlottesville
By Adair Reid | Yesterday“Ultimately we haven't won this thing here, so that kind of is a big attraction for me in terms of let's do something for the first time,” Creed said. “There's something to chase, which I think is also really exciting.”
