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Volleyball Returns Home This Weekend
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (14-9, 9-5 ACC) returns home this weekend after playing its last four matches on the road. The Cavaliers welcome current conference leader and 24th-ranked Clemson (20-2, 13-0 ACC) for a 7 p.m. match Friday that will be broadcast live on ACC Select. After a day off Saturday, Virginia will battle Georgia Tech at 1 p.m. Sunday in Memorial Gymnasium.
PROMOTION HEADQUARTERS
Friday, Nov. 2 vs. Clemson
Pack Mem Gym to set attendance record
Kids Club Passport Night
Charlottesville and Albemarle School System Night (free Virginia drawstring bag)
Wednesday, Nov. 21 vs. Duke
One fan will win a HD LCD television from Crutchfield. Enter to win at the game!
SERIES INFORMATION
Against Clemson: Clemson leads 35-13
Last Meeting: Sept. 29 in Clemson, S.C.
Result: Clemson, 3-0 (30-24, 30-27, 30-21)
Against Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech leads 24-17
Last Meeting: Sept. 29 in Atlanta, Ga.
Result: Virginia, 3-2 (16-30, 22-30, 30-25, 32-30, 15-12)
CALDWELL NEARS CAREER DIGS MARK
Fourth year Melissa Caldwell is nearing the program record for career digs. The Houston native has tallied 1,802 digs this season and is 84 shy of tying Anne Marie Hammers, who tallied 1,886 career digs. Caldwell has tallied a team-best 335 digs this season.
WIN GAME ONE
Virginia is 11-1 this season after winning game one. The team’s only loss after a game one win was at 17th-ranked Duke, who pulled out the match in five games (30-18, 19-30, 19-30, 30-26, 15-17). In contrast, the squad is 3-8 when dropping the first game of the match to its opponent.
A GLANCE AT CLEMSON
No. 24 Clemson sits atop the ACC standings with an unblemished 13-0 record in ACC play this season. The Tigers, who are 20-2 overall, have won their last 16 matches. The squad’s only two losses were to Furman and Purdue, both back on Sept. 8, at the Big Orange Bash in Clemson, S.C. Last weekend Clemson defeated North Carolina 3-1 and NC State 3-0. Perhaps one of Clemson’s most notable wins of the season was at No. 13 and defending ACC champion Duke, a 3-2 win in Durham on Oct. 13.
Individually, Clemson’s Meghan Steiner and Danielle Hepburn rank second and third, respecitvely, among conference players in hitting percetage. In the latest report, Steiner has a mark of .403 (210 kills, 47 errors) while Hepburn boasts a .392 percentage (277 kills, 56 errors). Teammate Kelsey Murphy also ranks second in assists, averaging 12.25 apg. Didem Ege is fourth with 5.32 digs per game while Hepburn also ranks fourth among conference players in blocks (1.37 bpg).
A GLANCE A GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech has a slight edge over Virginia in the standings with a 9-4 mark in conference play. The Yellow Jackets are a solid 18-4 overall and have won their last four matches. Last weekend, GT defeated NC State 3-0 and slipped past North Carolina 3-2 in five games.
Georgia Tech’s Michelle Kandell is sixth among ACC players with 4.69 digs per game while Talisha Kellogg ranks eighth averaging 3.76 kills per game. Mary Ashley Tippins is ninth with 8.86 assists per game and Callie Miller is 10th with a .290 hitting percetage on the season (199 kills, 78 errors).
HOOS AMONG ACC LEADERS
Several Cavaliers rank among the top 10 in the latest statistical reports from the ACC, released Tuesday (Oct. 30). Sarah Kirkwood is second in the league in kills, averaging 4.56 per game. That mark trails Duke’s Carrie DeMange, who puts up 5.13 kpg. Kirkwood also ranks third in service aces. Teammate Katie Oakes stands eighth in blocks, averaging 1.24 bpg and Melissa Caldwell is seventh among the ACC leaders with 4.41 dpg.
UP NEXT
Virginia hits the road again for it second four-match road trip of the season. The Cavaliers will play at NC State next Friday before battling the Tar Heels of North Carolina Saturday. UVa swept NC State and North Carolina earlier this season at home.