Virginia Sweeps North Florida To Open Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team opened its 20th annual Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup tournament on Friday afternoon by sweeping North Florida in the Cavaliers’ home debut by scores of 25-13, 25-14 and 25-13.
“It’s always nice to be back at home in front of our supportive crowd,” head coach Lee Maes said. “I know our players were really excited to come out here and give our fans a great performance. We put a lot of stress offensively on North Florida and we had a lot of players contribute in many facets of the game. I was most pleased with the overall efficiency of our play and we are looking forward to continuing that efficiency this evening.”
The Cavaliers (4-0) put together one of their most complete games under Maes, hitting .452 for the match, while the defense held the Ospreys (0-4) to a .036 clip. Behind 11 kills from junior Preseason All-ACC honoree Simone Asque, Virginia tallied 39 kills as a team and only committed six errors, while North Florida had 25 kills and 22 errors. The defense was also effective, earning 30 digs and 11 blocks, as opposed to UNF’s 26 digs and three blocks.
Freshman Emily Rottman anchored the defense, collecting a team-high eight digs, while senior AJ Cushman picked up seven. In addition, Rottman and sophomore Jess O’Shoney each contributed seven kills for the defense.
At the net, Asque had a match-high five blocks, while O’Shoney blocked four attacks to record her 100th career block. Senior Sydney Hill and freshman Rachel Clark – making her first collegiate appearance – also contributed four blocks.
Sharing setting duties, sophomore transfer Beth Wildermuth dished out 16 assists, while sophomore Rachel Gray had 13.
Virginia jumped out to a 10-2 lead early in the first set, forcing North Florida to call a timeout. The Cavaliers then extended their lead to 12, at 18-6, cruising to a 25-13 victory.
The Cavaliers took control of the second set early in the frame, pulling ahead of the Ospreys 5-1. Virginia then added to its advantage, culminating with a 25-14 set victory to lead the match 2-0.
The third set opened much like the first two, with Virginia taking the lead – 14-5 this time – and forcing a North Florida timeout. Following the break, the Cavaliers and Ospreys traded points, working the score to 20-10. Virginia finished off the set and the match, taking the third frame 25-13 to mark the fifth time this season that UVa has held its opponent below 15 points in a single set.
Virginia improves to 52-10 in the Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup and will play Liberty (3-1, 1-0 Jefferson Cup) at 7 p.m. tonight in Memorial Gymnasium.