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Virginia Looks to Carry Momentum Into Matches at Boston College and Maryland
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team will look to use momentum from its first ACC win of the season as it heads north to face Boston College and Maryland this weekend. The Cavaliers will play the Eagles on Friday at 7 p.m., before heading to College Park, Md., to take on the Terrapins Sunday at 2 p.m. Live statistics for both matches will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (7-8, 1-4 ACC) enters the weekend coming off a five-set victory over Clemson on Sunday. Junior Simone Asque and sophomore Jess O’Shoney, who each rank among the best in the ACC in two statistical categories, lead the Cavaliers. Asque heads the team offensively and is ranked second in the league with 4.05 kills and 0.40 aces per set. O’Shoney, ranking third in the ACC with a .388 attack percentage, is also a threat defensively – being ranked sixth in the league with 1.16 blocks per set. Additional defensive support comes from senior AJ Cushman, who is second in the ACC with 4.81 digs per set.
Boston College brings an 8-10 record into the weekend and is looking for its first ACC win, as the Eagles are 0-5 this year. Kristen Baader leads the team’s defense, with 282 digs, holding an average of 4.34 digs per set. She has also landed 22 aces on the season, placing her third in the ACC. Tsvetelina Dureva leads the team’s offense, hitting a .233 average, the fifth-best mark in the ACC.
Since their first match in 1998, the Cavaliers are 9-1 against the Eagles. Virginia won the first six meetings, before Boston College claimed its lone victory, a five-set match in Power Gym, in 2007. Since then, the Cavaliers have rebounded to win three straight against the Eagles.
Maryland (12-5, 3-2 ACC) is coming off a 1-1 weekend and back-to-back five-set matches. The Terrapins defeated Wake Forest, but came up short against Duke. This season, Mary Cushman leads the way with 192 kills, while Bethany Springer has earned a team-best 276 digs. Remy McBain is in charge of running the offense, as she has dished out 605 assists.
In the all-time series with the Terrapins, Virginia trails Maryland, 18-33. The Cavaliers have faced the Terrapins at least once a year since 1982, with Virginia currently riding a seven-match win streak against its conference foe.
Following the weekend, the Cavaliers will return home to host Duke and Wake Forest. The Blue Devils will visit Mem Gym on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m., before Virginia faces the Demon Deacons Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m.