Virginia Claims Four-Set Win over NC State

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The Virginia volleyball team downed NC State Friday evening at Reynolds Coliseum by scores of 25-18, 20-25, 25-20 and 25-17. The win improves the Cavaliers to 10-10 on the year and 4-6 in the ACC, while NC State falls to 12-10 overall and 2-8 in the league.

Three Cavaliers paced Virginia with double-digit kills on the evening, led by sophomore Jess O’Shoney, who landed 12 and hit .474. Freshman McKenzie Adams tallied her third collegiate double-double, knocking down 11 kills to go with 10 digs, while junior Simone Asque contributed 10 kills. Senior Sydney Hill also had a solid offensive night for the Cavaliers, knocking down a season-high nine kills to go with a match-high .571 attack percentage.

Defensively, O’Shoney collected a match-high nine blocks, while senior AJ Cushman had 14 digs. Redshirt sophomore Beth Wildermuth distributed 40 assists.

For NC State, Luciana Shafer had 13 kills, while Alex Smith dug 14 attacks. Megan Cyr dished out 39 helpers and blocked five attacks, and Margaret Salata contributed 12 kills and five blocks.

The Cavaliers used a short run early in the first set to pull ahead 10-7, before Virginia was able to work its lead to seven, at 23-16, following an ace by freshman Emily Rottman. The Wolfpack knocked down a kill to halt the Cavaliers’ run, but committed two service errors to give Virginia a 25-18 win.

NC State shot out to a 6-0 lead in the second set, but the Cavaliers were able to regroup and knot the score at eight before taking a 10-8 advantage. Virginia wasn’t able to hold off the Wolfpack though, as NC State worked the score to an even 14-14. With four more tie scores throughout the remainder of the set, it was NC State that finally took control of the frame, scoring five-unanswered points for a 25-20 win.

With seven tie scores throughout the third stanza, neither team held more than a three-point lead before the Cavaliers used back-to-back blocks to close out the set, earning a 25-20 victory.

The Cavaliers stole the momentum after some controversial calls in the fourth frame. With the set tied at six, Virginia used a 6-0 run to pull ahead 12-6, before working its lead to 10, at 21-11. NC State was able to string together some points late in the game, but Hill capped off a 25-17 win for the Cavaliers with a kill.

Virginia will return home next weekend to host Miami and Florida State. The Cavaliers will face the Hurricanes on Friday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., before taking on the Seminoles Sunday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m.