Virginia Downs Boston College, 3-1
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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Virginia volleyball team earned its second-straight Atlantic Coast Conference win Friday evening, defeating Boston College, 3-1 (25-17, 25-27, 25-21, 25-17), in Power Gym. The win moves the Cavaliers to an even 8-8 on the year and 2-4 in the ACC, while Boston College drops to 8-11 overall and 0-5 in league play.
Redshirt sophomore Beth Wildermuth led the Cavaliers with one of her best all-around performances. Notching her third collegiate double-double – a 43 assist and personal-best 18 dig performance, the setter also landed two kills, two aces and three blocks.
Offensively, junior Simone Asque and freshman McKenzie Adams led the way with 15 kills each, while Adams also tacked on a personal-best seven blocks and 10 digs for her third collegiate double-double.
Freshman Mallory Woolridge led the charge at the net, picking up a career-best and match-high nine blocks, and in the back row, senior AJ Cushman and freshman Emily Rottman had 16 and 14 digs, respectively.
Sophomore Jess O’Shoney added nine kills and four blocks for the Cavaliers.
For Boston College, Tsvetelina Dureva led the way with 12 kills and 17 digs, while Brennan Clark had 11 kills and 19 digs. Kristen Baader earned a match-high 24 digs, while Cagla Sen distributed 38 assists and hit a match-high .714 with five kills on seven attacks and no errors.
As a team, Virginia landed 53 kills, hit .142, collected 75 digs and had a season-best 15 blocks, while the Eagles combined for 43 kills, a .087 attack percentage, 77 digs and 10 blocks.
Jumping out to a 6-1 advantage in the opening frame, Virginia never let up. Controlling the game and working their lead to nine, at 20-11, the Cavaliers went on to win easily, 25-17.
The second set was much closer, especially late in the game. With seven tie scores, including an even frame at 22, 23, 24 and 25, the Cavaliers fought off two set points before giving up back-to-back kills – and a 27-25 set win – to the Eagles.
Virginia used a string of three 3-0 runs to pull ahead eight, at 16-8, in the third stanza. The streak wasn’t enough to quiet Boston College, though, as the Eagles later fought off three set points and for an 8-2 run to cut their deficit to four, at 24-20 – forcing the Cavaliers to call a timeout. Boston College went on to score another point following the short intermission before Virginia was able to secure a 25-21 victory on a block from Adams and Woolridge.
The freshmen tandem of Adams and Wooldridge picked up where they left off at the end of the third frame and got the Cavaliers out to a quick 6-0 start in the fourth set, combining for two blocks and a kill each. Virginia then extended its advantage to nine, at 12-3, before a 5-1 run by the Eagles erased a seven-point deficit and pulled Boston College within three, at 20-17. Virginia halted the streak though and finished off the match with five-unanswered points for a 25-17 victory.
The Cavaliers will return to action Sunday, heading to College Park, Md., to face Maryland at 2 p.m.