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Cavaliers Conclude Tournament Schedule at Northwestern
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Cavaliers play in the 27th annual Wildcat Classic this weekend at Northwestern, for the first-time ever. Virginia opens the Classic with a pair of matches on Friday, the first vs. No. 4 UCLA at 11 a.m. ET, and the evening match vs. host Northwestern at 8 p.m. ET. Virginia concludes tournament play on Saturday, with a match against Georgetown at 7 p.m. ET.
Livestats for each of Virginia’s matches this weekend can be found on www.VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (7-2) enters the weekend knowing little about the competition. The Cavaliers take an all-time record of 14-10 into their match with Georgetown, but have only faced UCLA and Northwestern once, falling in both matches.
Virginia faced Northwestern in Blacksburg in 1995, with the Wildcats escaping with a 15-11 fifth-game victory to win the inaugural contest. This season, Northwestern is 4-4 and will be playing on it’s home court for the first time this weekend. Sabel Moffett leads the attack with 91 kills, a .397 attack percentage and 35 blocks.
UCLA brings a 7-1 overall record into the weekend, with the Bruins’ only loss coming at the hands of No. 1 Penn State. UCLA has currently won 18 consecutive sets and is led by two-time first-team All-American setter Nellie Spicer, who has dished out 214 assists this season.
In the one meeting between the Bruins and Cavaliers, the two were matched up in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. UCLA eliminated Virginia from the tournament, handing the Cavaliers a 0-3 loss.
The Hoyas are 6-3 this season and are coming off a sweep of their own Georgetown Classic. Freshman Tori Rezin was named MVP of the tournament and leads Georgetown with 116 digs.
The Cavaliers are currently on a one-match win streak over the Hoyas, as Virginia defeated Georgetown, 3-0, in 2006 to snap a four-match losing streak to the Hoyas.
The Wildcat Classic marks the conclusion of the Cavaliers’ preseason tournaments, as the squad opens Atlantic Coast Conference play next Tuesday (Sept. 23) at Virginia Tech. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m.