Volleyball Blog

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Welcome to the 2010 Virginia volleyball blog! Below you will find blog entries from various players throughout the season – posted on Monday mornings, in addition to weekly Q&As, quick hits to help you get to know the players, photo galleries from select games, occasional video highlights and much more! You can also follow the ‘Hoos on VirginiaSports.com, Twitter and Facebook! Thanks for reading and Go ‘Hoos!

Westlake Picayune: Hooked on Volleyball
Former Cavalier Lauren Dickson is using her final season of eligibility at the University of Texas, where she is competing as a graduate student

Q&A: Hillary Trebels
Weekly Q&A with junior Hillary Trebels talking about road trips with the team, Thanksgiving plans, her favorite team at UVa and her major

Weekly Blog: Rachel Clark (11/15/10)
Freshman Rachel Clark talks about the teams trip to Clemson and Georgia Tech

Cavalier Daily: Team Hits Road For Final Stretch
Cavaliers enter weekend bouts against Clemson, Georgia Tech seeking more consistency on offense

Cavalier Daily: Team Splits ACC Home Matches
Maryland sweeps Virginia as O’Shoney tallies nine kills; Adams leads way against Eagles with 13 kills

Q&A: Nika Šimenc
Weekly Q&A with freshman Nika Šimenc, Virginia’s first-ever player from overseas talks about adjusting to life in the United States

Weekly Blog: Tobi Farrar (11/8/10)
Sophomore Tobi Farrar talks about this weekend’s Senior Day

Cavalier Daily: Squad Finishes Home Schedule
Improved efficiency, firm defense key turnaround; team hosts Terps, Eagles

Jeff White: UVa Volleyball Starting to Hit Its Stride
In retrospect, Lee Maes says, the schedule was probably too ambitious for such an inexperienced group.

Weekly Blog: Rachel Gray (11/2/10)
Sophomore Rachel Gray talks about Virginia’s wins over Miami and Florida State and keeping the goal of NCAAs alive

Video Highlight: UVa Volleyball Team Earns 2nd-Ever Win Over Nationally Ranked Opponent
NBC29’s coverage of the Cavaliers’ five-set victory over No. 25 Florida State

Cavalier Daily: Maes’ Squad Gains Historic Win
Virginia takes care of Miami, knocks off Florida State in five sets to notch second-ever victory against top-25 opponent

Video Highlight: UVa Volleyball Team Earns Win Against No. 25 Florida State
Cavaliers beat No. 25 Florida State for its first win against ranked opposition since 1996

Senior Spotlight: Kendahl Voelker
Program story from the Miami and No. 25 Florida State weekend

Cavalier Daily: Virginia Hopes to Avenge Past Losses
Cavaliers to begin second half of ACC slate; team hopes to improve upon past matches against foes

Q&A: Tess Udall
Weekly Q&A with junior Tess Udall talking about being from Colorado, her father as a Senator and her major

Cavalier Daily: Cavs Split Matches
The Virginia volleyball team split the weekend in North Carolina, beating NC State before falling to North Carolina

Weekly Blog: Emily Rottman (10/25/10)
Freshman Emily Rottman talks about wrapping up the first half of ACC play in North Carolina

Cavalier Daily: Squad looks to finish matches better at NC State, UNC
Virginia hopes to reverse trend in serving; young team expresses frustration with careless, costly mistakes during late stages of games

Q&A: Sydney Hill
Weekly Q&A with Sydney Hill looking back on her career as a Cavalier as her final season hits the midway mark

Weekly Blog: Hillary Trebels (10/18/10)
Junior Hillary Trebels talks about alumni weekend and the importance of each ACC match

Cavalier Daily: ACC Foes Topple Cavaliers
Tobacco Road teams take down resilient Virginia squad in close contests

Video Highlight: UVa Volleyball Falls to Wake Forest
Cavaliers fall to Demon Deacons in Four Sets (click play on the bottom left corner of the video player to watch video)

Senior Spotlight: Sydney Hill
Program story from the Duke and Wake Forest weekend

Cavalier Daily: Maes’ Squad Looks For Fourth-Straight Victory
Conference opponents Duke, Wake Forest visit Memorial Gymnasium

Q&A: Simone Asque
Weekly Q&A with Simone Asque talking about this season and her experience hosting the Cav Sports Weekly highlight show

Video Highlight: McKenzie Adams Named ACC Freshman of the Week
NBC29’s news highlight for Adams earning the ACC’s weekly award (click play on the bottom left corner of the video player to watch video)

Weekly Blog: Nika Šimenc (10/11/10)
Freshman Nika Šimenc expresses pride in reacting to fan’s interest during travels

Video Highlight: Cavalier Sports Weekly
Junior Simone Asque hosts Virginia’s weekly sports highlight show

Q&A: Rachel Gray
Weekly Q&A featuring Rachel Gray talking about the team earning its first ACC win and what it’s like to be a setter

Cavalier Daily: Team Wins First ACC Match
Victory snaps four-match losing streak, lifts some of pressure with close game

Weekly Blog: Kendahl Voelker (10/4/10)
Senior Kendahl Voelker talks about the Georgia Tech and Clemson weekend, and earning the first ACC win this season

Cavalier Daily: Sand Courts Provide New Training Outlet
Program hopes to expose broader community to sport, improve through outdoor conditioning

Senior Spotlight: AJ Cushman
Program story from the Georgia Tech and Clemson weekend

Photo Highlights: Virginia vs. Clemson
Photos from Virginia’s first ACC win; a 3-2 victory over Clemson

Video Highlight: UVa Volleyball Team Earns First ACC Win of the Season Sunday
Cavaliers beat Clemson in five sets in Memorial Gymnasium

Cavalier Daily: Team Collects First ACC Win
Strong closing sets hand squad win against Clemson; failure to finish dooms effort versus Jackets

Cavalier Daily: Team Eyes Victory
Maes looks for steady lineup as last-place Cavs face Ga. Tech, Clemson

Video Highlight: Make Dan Sweat
This week on Make Dan Sweat, Dan worked out with the Cavalier Women’s Volleyball team (click play on the bottom left corner of the video player to watch video)

Q&A: McKenzie Adams
Weekly Q&A featuring McKenzie Adams about coming back from injury and missing the first portion of the season

Weekly Blog: Jess O’Shoney (9/28/10)
Sophomore Jess O’Shoney talks about the team’s trip to Florida

Cavalier Daily: Trek to Florida Awaits Cavaliers
Defense must improve against high-octane Florida State, Miami offenses; re-tooled lineup infuses renewed confidence

Q&A: Tobi Farrar
Weekly Q&A featuring Tobi Farrar talking about the Marriott Cavalier Classic and coming back from an injury

Weekly Blog: Mallory Woolridge (9/20/10)
Freshman Mallory Woolridge, a native of Glen Allen, Va., talks about being so close to home and the atmosphere in Mem Gym this weekend.

Cavalier Daily: Virginia Drops Five-Set Match to Hokies
Squad loses close ACC home-opener, bounces back against Mason

The Sabre: ‘Hoos Fall In Five-Set Duel With VT
Virginia fought through a first-set loss and two match points in the decisive fifth set, but came up just short of an ACC victory.

Video Highlight: Virginia vs Virginia Tech
Volleyball loses hard-fought match to Virginia Tech, 3-2

Cavalier Daily: Players Hope For Turnaround On Home Court
Streaking Virginia Tech team poses big challenge at weekend tournament

Q&A: Rachel Clark
Weekly Q&A featuring Rachel Clark following her trip back to California with the team to face three top-25 nationally ranked teams

Weekly Blog: Beth Wildermuth (9/13/10)
Sophomore Beth Wildermuth talks about the team’s trip back to her home state of California, dinner at her house and playing three top-25 ranked teams

Cavalier Daily: Cavs Face Three Top-25 Foes
Virginia travels to California, looks to regain touch after tough five-set loss against George Washington

Q&A: Emily Rottman
Weekly Q&A featuring Emily Rottman prior to the Cavaliers’ trip to the west coast

Weekly Blog: AJ Cushman (9/7/10)
Senior AJ Cushman reflects on her thoughts of Mem Gym after the season opening Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup

Photo Highlights: Virginia vs. Liberty
Photos from Virginia’s match versus Liberty in the Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup

Photo Highlights: Virginia vs. North Florida
Photos from Virginia’s match versus North Florida in the Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup

Cavalier Daily: Virginia Falls to GW, Claims Cup
Cavs’ five-game win streak comes to end with five-set loss to Colonials; defeat North Florida, Liberty

Cavalier Daily: Team Hopes for 6-0 Start
Virginia returns to Memorial Gymnasium for home-opener, eyes third straight Cup

Video Highlight: Cavaliers at Practice
An inside look at UVa volleyball practice with coach Lee Maes mic’d up.

Q&A: Beth Wildermuth
Weekly Q&A featuring Beth Wildermuth wrapping up prior to the Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup

Jeff White: Start of Something Special for Volleyball?
To Simone Asque, practice provides a daily reminder of how much has changed in UVa’s volleyball program.

Cavalier Daily: Maes Attracts Top Talen to Revitalized Program
Coach’s past two classes set new high in rankings; recruits begin to thrive

Cavalier Daily: Cavaliers Blank Foes With Five-Set Finale
Recap of Virginia’s opening weekend at the Temple Invitational

Weekly Blog: Tess Udall (8/30/10)
Junior Tess Udall reflects on the opening weekend of play at the Temple Invitational

Cavalier Daily: Maes Tries Out New Lineups
Orange-Blue Scrimmage serves to gauge progress prior to regular season

Q&A: Jess O’Shoney
Weekly Q&A featuring Jess O’Shoney prior to the season-opening Temple Invitational

Preseason Blog: Jenny Andrew (8/25/10)
The pre-season is over and the season is finally here. The girls have battled through long days of two-a-day practices, weight training, film sessions and many meetings to prepare. We are about to embark on a very long season and I feel confident the hard work will pay off.

Cavalier Daily: Strong Recruiting Class Improves Team Depth
Former Texas standout joins Virginia squad to replace assistant coach

Preseason Blog: Day 14 – Nika Šimenc (8/22/10)
After two weeks of hard work, preseason is over. I can’t believe these two weeks went by so fast. Having this recovery day will definitely help us in the upcoming season.

Video Highlight: NBC29 Season Preview and Scrimmage Highlights
Video highlights from NBC29’s coverage of Virginia’s annual Blue-Orange Scrimmage

Preseason Blog: Day 13 – Simone Asque (8/21/10)
YAY BLUE VS ORANGE SCRIMMAGE!
It was so fun to finally play a full match out on our home court in Memorial Gym! In practice, we have played game like situation drills but normally they are only for five points or have a specific objective or thing that we must do. It felt good to just play a straight game and really compete for a whole match.

Preseason Blog: Day 12 – Rachel Clark (8/20/10)
So we are winding down to the end of preseason! The excitement of the season beginning is overwhelming! Today, we were fortunate enough to have our morning session off. This allowed us to sleep in a little, get a good breakfast, do some rehab before practice and get energized for our afternoon session.

Preseason Blog: Day 11 – Beth Wildermuth (8/19/10)
Today was another great day of practices for us volleyball HOO-tees! The team was excited to get back in the gym today after our day off and had two really good practices.

Photo Highlights: Media Day with the Volleyball Team
Select photos from Media Day with the volleyball team.

Preseason Blog: Day 10 – Kendahl Voelker (8/18/10)
Overall, today could be considered an “active recovery” day. At 10 a.m., we had team and individual class pictures on the lawn. Media day is always a highlight because its one of the few times we actually put time and effort into our hair! Hair management was key today. It was so humid that my straight hair immediately went curly 10 minutes after re-straightening a second time!

‘Hoos Top Chef Competition
The volleyball team held its third-annual ‘Hoos Top Chef competition Wednesday night. See what each of the student-athletes had to say about the experience.

Preseason Blog: Day 9 – Rachel Gray (8/17/10)
Today we had two practices. In the morning session, we always do a lot of serve and pass reps and we also work on a lot of defensive drills. We also went over our different defensive systems.

Preseason Blog: Day 8 – Mallory Woolridge (8/16/10)
Today marks the beginning of our second week of preseason. Wow! I can’t believe that I have already made it through my first preseason of college volleyball. Although it doesn’t seem like it while you are in the midst of a double day, time really does fly by. We are already in the home stretch of preseason with our Orange and Blue scrimmage only several days away and I honestly can’t believe that we only have one week left.

Preseason Blog: Day 7 – McKenzie Adams (8/15/10)
After a long week of hard work and playing volleyball, this recovery day is very much needed. There’s not much to it, except that we get to sleep in and hangout with the team and do absolutely nothing.

Preseason Blog: Day 6 – Hillary Trebels (8/14/10)
It’s hard to believe that we are halfway through preseason already, and that we have our Orange and Blue scrimmage in only a week!

Preseason Blog: Day 5 – Tobi Farrar (8/13/10)
The first week of preseason is comin to an end!! We are learning so much so fast, but I can not wait for preseason to be over and play our first match.

Follow Simone Asque on Twitter
Follow junior All-ACC honoree Simone Asque on Twitter

Preseason Blog: Day 4 – AJ Cushman (8/12/10)
Today was great! We got the morning off and I was very productive. I cleaned my ENTIRE apartment! (Hopefully my roommate will appreciate my efforts). We only had one practice yesterday my body really appreciated it. I also thought it was a really great practice.

Preseason Blog: Day 3 – Emily Rottman (8/11/10)
I was a little concerned this morning when I woke up and could feel the extreme soreness in my legs. But after a hearty bowl of oatmeal and an ice-cold glass of water, I was ready for the third day of preseason! Today was our most productive day yet and we are really coming together as a team.

Feature Story: Distributing Season Tickets
The Virginia volleyball team went out in groups to distribute season tickets to its fan base that resides in the Charlottesville area.

Video Highlight: Distributing Season Tickets
Video highlights from the Cavaliers’ journey of distributing season tickets to their fans that reside in the Charlottesville area.

Preseason Blog: Day 2 – Tess Udall (8/10/10)
We definitely took our time doing dynamic warm-up this morning – everyone was a little sore and stiff from our first day of double sessions on Monday! All of us were really excited for our first ice bath at the end of the day to get some good recovery in.

Preseason Blog: Day 1 – Jessica O’Shoney (8/9/10)
Day one is done!

Equipped with our new gear and new players, the HOO-tees cornered up on center court at 9 a.m., awaiting the wise words Coach Maes was sure to impart on us as we began the first official practice of our 2010 season.

Preseason Blog: Preview to Day 1 – Sydney Hill (8/8/10)
The very starting day of preseason is not full of court sprints, technique instruction, and a very sudden and strong onset of soreness in muscles unused in the offseason. The first day of preseason is instead packed with meetings, new gear “Christmas,” moving the first years into their two week home at the famous and well-loved “Res Inn” and a team dinner that lasts longer than any other dinner you will attend in the duration of the year. It is a great way to gradually prepare your mind and body for preseason mode.