UVA Volleyball Loses Heartbreaking Five-Set Match to Virginia Tech

The Cavaliers defended four match points but ultimately fell to the Hokies in the Commonwealth Clash on Friday night

Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics Communications

On Friday night, the UVA volleyball team came extremely close to snapping its eight-game losing streak. The Cavaliers welcomed in-state archrival Virginia Tech to Memorial Gymnasium for a tilt between the two teams at the bottom of the ACC standings. The Hokies came into the match with a winless 0-10 record in conference play. It was the perfect opportunity for the Hoos to pick up a win and to do so in the Commonwealth Clash.

The two teams were evenly matched and both sides clearly wanted to win this one very badly. The result was a five-set showdown with all the makings of a highly-entertaining volleyball match.

With their backs against the wall, the Cavaliers rallied to defend multiple match points. But, when the dust settled, Virginia came up just short and lost to Virginia Tech 25-22, 18-25, 17-25, 30-28, 14-16.

The first set was a microcosm of the entire match. It was closely contested throughout the entire set, with neither team leading by more than three points, and it was hard-fought through the end. Virginia trailed 22-19, but, behind kills by Brooklyn Borum and Grace Turner, the Hoos won the next six points to take the opening set.

Borum led the Cavaliers with 11 kills, 11 digs, three blocks, and had an impressive.323 hitting percentage in the match. Turner added 11 kills and eight digs.

Virginia Tech responded strongly in the second set, winning the first five points. UVA rallied and tied the set multiple times at 14-14 and 16-16, but the Hokies led wire-to-wire and closed out the set strong, winning 25-18 to even the match at one set apiece.

In the third set, Virginia Tech got off to a good start again, winning seven of the first ten points. UVA only got as close as three points in the set, as the Hokies ran away with it for a 25-17 win to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the match.

Kills were 64-60 in favor of UVA for the match, but Virginia Tech had a better hitting percentage at .222 as compared to Virginia’s .193. The Cavaliers were also plagued by service errors, committing 13 of them in the match.

The fourth set had an entire match’s worth of action and drama. Virginia built a four-point lead at 21-17, but Virginia Tech scored four straight points to tie it at 21. The teams traded points until UVA had a set point at 25-24, but the Hokies successfully defended it. Virginia Tech then had a match point at 27-26, but the Hoos won four of the next five points to clinch a marathon fourth set victory, 30-28. A kill by Jayna Francis saved the match point, while an Alana Walker kill clinched it to force a deciding fifth set.

Francis had six kills and ten digs and Walker had ten kills and three blocks in the match.

In the first-to-15 fifth set, Virginia Tech once again came out of the gates strong. The Hokies built a 13-8 advantage, but Virginia rallied to score four in a row to come back within one. Virginia Tech won the next point to set up a couple of match points. UVA defended match points at 14-12 and 14-13 and managed to tie the set at 14-14. Kills by Mary Shaffer and Abby Tadder helped to close the gap. Tadder finished with eight kills and six blocks and Shaffer had eight kills as well.

It seemed the Hoos just might have enough in them to pull off the come-from-behind victory against their rival. Virginia Tech shut those hopes down, winning the next two points to clinch the match and put an end to Virginia’s admirable comeback effort.

Ashley Le had 27 assists and 11 digs, while Hannah Prendergast had 26 assists and five digs.

With the loss, Virginia falls to 8-13 overall and 1-10 in ACC play. The Cavaliers remain at home to host Wake Forest on Sunday at 1pm. 

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