Virginia Volleyball Earns Dramatic Five-Set Victory at Virginia Tech

The Cavaliers downed the Hokies in a 3-2 thriller in Blacksburg on Friday night

Virginia Athletics

Whenever the Virginia Cavaliers face the Virginia Tech Hokies, you can expect a thriller. Friday night’s volleyball match was no exception, as the two Commonwealth archrivals battled for five sets, two of which needed extra points. UVA pulled out the victory in the end, beating Virginia Tech 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 27-29, 16-14 at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. 

The Cavaliers opened the match with a 5-0 run, but then the Hokies clawed back to tie the set at 12. After trading points, Virginia Tech went on a 5-1 run to take a 20-17 lead. The Hokies maintained the lead for the rest of the set, taking it 25-21.

In set two, UVA had another fast start, this time going ahead 10-3. That included a 7-0 that featured three kills from Grace Turner. However, a few points later, Virginia Tech had tied things up at 13. The Cavaliers responded with a 4-0 run that included kills from four different hitters: Chloe Wilson, Simone Dominique, Abby Tadder, and Mary Shaffer, showcasing the depth of the squad. The two teams traded points in the 20s, with Simone Dominique coming up clutch with three kills in the final five points the Hoos scored to take the second set. 

The Cavaliers managed to hit .297 in set three with 16 kills and only five errors, which was the best performance of the match for the team. Six different Cavaliers registered kills in the 25-22 victory to make it 2-1. 

If the fans thought the first three sets were exciting, then the final two sets were truly electric. Trailing two sets to one, the Hokies were not ready to give up easily. The two teams traded points for the entire set, with no team leading by more than two for a stretch between when the score was 11-11 and when Virginia Tech took a 22-19 lead. The Hokies went up 24-20 and were one point away from forcing the fifth set, but the Cavaliers fended off four set points to tie the set at 24. From there, extra points were necessary, but a Hokie block ultimately gave the team a 29-27 victory.

Set five had all of the late stage theatrics that the Commonwealth Clash should have. UVA used a 7-1 run to switch the score from trailing 4-6 to leading 10-7. The Hokies bounced back with two big points to cap long rallies, and trailed by one. A Grace Turner kill gave the Cavaliers match point at 14-13, but the Hokies answered with a kill. However, a first ball kill from Abby Tadder gave the Hoos another match point and then Grace Turner registered a kill to end the match right after, putting the exclamation point on the signature win.

Grace Turner had 22 kills and 14 digs to lead the team, but Simone Dominique was a key offensive weapon too with 13 kills on 34 swings. Abby Tadder, Mary Shaffer, and Veresia Yon each had 11 kills, with Tadder adding five blocks and Shaffer and Yon contributing four apiece. Gabby Easton had a monster 49 assists, while Ashley Le had 12 assists and 15 digs, and Madison Morey chipped in with 17 digs. The stars shined bright in this rivalry matchup.

With the win, Virginia claims half a point in the Commonwealth Clash, with the other half-point up for grabs when the Hoos and Hokies meet again back in Charlottesville on November 11th. UVA now leads Virginia Tech 4.0-0.5 in the 2022-2023 Commonwealth Clash. 

This is the first time Virginia has won back-to-back ACC matches since ending the 2019 season with two-straight sweeps against Boston College and Virginia Tech. Now 11-11 overall and 3-8 in conference play, UVA will look to keep the momentum going at Wake Forest on Sunday at 1pm. 

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