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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia volleyball team rebounded from a heartbreaking five-set loss to Duke on Friday night to win it’s first Atlantic Coast Conference match in Memorial Gymnasium this season on Sunday afternoon. After a slow start, the Cavaliers rallied for a 3-1 (14-25, 25-21, 25-26, 27-25) win over the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons to improve to 12-9 on the season and 4-5 in ACC play. Wake Forest falls to 13-8 overall and 4-5 in the league.
First-year Simone Asque (Chicago, Ill.) improved upon her pervious personal-best performance from Friday night to lead Virginia, landing a career-high 21 kills to become the first Cavalier this season to reach the 20-kill mark. Third-year Lauren Dickson (Austin, Texas) joined Asque in double-digits kills, landing 10, while collecting 16 digs to post her second double-double of the weekend.
Third-year Brittani Rendina (Lisle, Ill.) coming off her first-ever 30 dig performance collecting 38 against Duke picked up 18 to lead the defense. Middle blockers, second-year Sydney Hill (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and fourth-year Shannon Davis (Austin, Texas) each registered five blocks.
Setters, second-year Kelly Irvin (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) and fourth-year Marlow Bruneau (Lakeville, Minn.) dished out 24 and 21 assists, respectively.
Wake Forest’s middles paced the Demon Deacons, with Natalie Mullikin landing a team-high 18 kills, while Lauren McIntyre blocking nine attacks. Kelsey Jones dished out 47 assists and Megan Thornberry led four Deacons in double-digit digs, collecting a match-high 21.
A slow start plagued the Cavaliers to open the match, with Virginia falling behind 15-5 in the first set. The Cavaliers were unable to rebound from the deficit as Wake Forest went on to win 25-14.
The second frame was much closer as the two teams battled for eight tie scores, but it was Virginia that prevailed. Using a late 3-1 run to pull ahead 24-20, the Cavaliers held on for a 25-21 victory.
Competition remained close at the start of the third set, with the score tied at 8-8. Virginia gained control with a 4-0 run and maintained its lead with strong offensive play. The Cavaliers hit .379 the third set, while the defense held the Deacons to a .114 clip to capture a 25-16 win.
Wake Forest came out strong in the fourth set, leading the Cavaliers 5-0 at the outset before continuing on to hold a four point lead at 19-15. Virginia rallied late in the stanza to tie the score at 21, forcing the Deacons to call a timeout. The Cavaliers took their first lead of the game following the intermission and the two teams remained close until Virginia secured the win with two-straight points for a 27-25 win.
The Cavaliers will close out their four match homestand hosting Miami and Florida State next weekend. Opening serve with the Hurricanes is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, while the match with the Seminoles is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25.