UVa's Road Swing Continues With Matches at Virginia Tech and vs. UConn
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginia volleyball concludes a five-game road swing this weekend with matches at Virginia Tech and vs. Connecticut in Blacksburg, Va. The Cavaliers are 6-3 on the season and open Atlantic Coast Conference play Friday (Sept. 16) on the Hokies’ home court of Cassell Coliseum at 7 p.m.
On Saturday (Sept. 17), UVa faces Connecticut at 1 p.m. in a neutral-site match. Live statistics will be available for both matches at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia has had three-consecutive 2-1 weekends to open its season. Most recently, the Cavaliers earned victories over Marshall and Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, at the Bobcats’ tournament. The Cavaliers’ losses have come at the hands of No. 1 Cal, Louisville and Western Michigan.
Senior outside hitter Simone Asque (Chicago, Ill.) leads UVa offensively, averaging 4.07 kills per set. That average ranks third in the ACC. Asque was named to the all-tournament team this past weekend in Athens.
Junior middle blocker Jessica O’Shoney (Austin, Texas) joined Asque on the all-tournament team and ranks fourth in the ACC in hitting percentage (.391).
Joining Asque and O’Shoney in the conference’s top 10 lists is Emily Rottman (4.5 digs per game/fifth) and Beth Wildermuth (9.97 assists per game/fifth).
Virginia Tech (5-4) is coming off a 3-1 loss to Tennessee on Sept. 10. The Hokies are 5-1 at home this season and hold a 16-10 advantage vs. the Cavaliers in matches played in Blacksburg. The last UVa volleyball victory at Virginia Tech was on Nov. 1, 2005.
Virginia holds a 30-26 advantage in the all-time series. The Hokies claimed two five-set victories last season.
Cara Baarendse leads the Hokies by averaging 2.56 kills per set and hitting .342. Head coach Chris Riley is in his sixth season as head coach of Virginia Tech.
Connecticut (6-4) represents UVa’s second BIG EAST opponent of the year (Louisville on Sept. 10 was the other). Jordan Kirk averages 3.94 kills per set to lead the Huskies. Holly Strauss-O’Brien is in her sixth season at UConn.
Following this weekend’s action, Virginia hosts two ACC opponents on Friday, Sept. 23 (Florida State) and Sunday, Sept. 25 (Miami).