Virginia Rallies to Defeat Clemson, 3-2, for Fourth Consecutive ACC Victory
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Nov. 2, 2013
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CLEMSON, S.C.—The Virginia volleyball team rallied for the second consecutive evening to defeat Clemson, 3-2 (18-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21 and 15-12), for its fourth straight ACC win Saturday night (Nov 2).
The Cavaliers (14-10, 7-5 ACC) have won four consecutive ACC matches for the first time since 2006, when UVa picked up eight straight matches and finished 16-6 in conference play.
“It was a turning-point match for us,” UVa head coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “We had big contributions from a lot of people and had a very balanced attack with Haley (Kole), Tori (Janowski) and Jasmine (Burton) having real solid matches and Natalie (Bausback) hitting .500 with 12 kills on 22 swings out of the middle. I think we have the best setter in the conference right now in Lauren (Fuller) and she had a fantastic match tonight.”
“It’s a great feeling seeing that the team has really bought in to what we preach and practice every day in the gym and have hung tough. Their confidence right now is pretty extraordinary.”
The two teams were tied, 4-4, in the fifth and decisive set when the Cavaliers earned five points in a row to take a 9-4 lead. Clemson (12-11, 6-6 ACC) fought back and closed the gap to 13-12, but back-to-back kills by freshman Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) finished off the match, 15-12.
Four Cavaliers reached double-digit kills, including Kole, who led the team with 19 kills. Fellow first-year Jasmine Burton (White Hils, Calif.) recorded 18 kills, while junior Tori Janowski (Sterling, Va.) and sophomore Natalie Bausback (Carlsbad, Calif.) added 13 and 12 kills, respectively.
Sophomore Lauren Fuller (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) dished out 60 assists in addition to tallying 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Fuller became the first Cavalier to record 60 or more assists in a match since Oct. 3, 2010, when Beth Wildermuth had 73 vs. Clemson.
Clemson held the slight advantage in hitting, .233-.227, and the two teams were tied in digs at 72 apiece.
The Tigers hit .455 with 17 kills and only two errors in the first set en route to a 25-18 first-set win. In the second, the Cavaliers used five service aces and a .323 hitting percentage to even the match, 1-1, with a 25-19 win.
In the third, the Cavaliers managed only a .188 hitting percentage, while the Tigers capitalized on three UVa service errors on the way to a 25-21 win. Virginia claimed five of the first seven points in the fourth and never trailed after that point, winning the set, 25-21.
Clemson’s Moneshia Simmons led all hitters 21 kills.
Up next, the Cavaliers host No. 20 Florida State and Miami next weekend (Nov. 8-9) at Memorial Gymnasium. Both matches start at 7 p.m.