/
.
Virginia Volleyball Opens 2015 Season At LMU, UCLA
Story Links
Aug. 27, 2015
| Virginia at Loyola Marymount, UCLA | |
| LMU Date/Time | Friday, August 28, 8 p.m. |
| LMU Multimedia/Game Info | |
| Location | Los Angeles, Calif. | Gersten Pavilion |
| UCLA Date/Time | Saturday, August 29, 9 p.m. |
| UCLA Multimedia/Game Info | Live Stats – Pac-12 Networks |
| Location | Los Angeles, Calif. | John Wooden Center |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team will open the 2015 season on the road this weekend as it travels to Los Angeles, Calif. for a pair of matches. The Cavaliers take on Loyola Marymount at 8 p.m. ET on Friday (Aug. 28) and UCLA at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday (Aug. 29).
Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks. Live statistics will be available for both matches through VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia will face two teams that appeared in the 2014 NCAA Tournament to begin the season. Loyola Marymount returns 10 players, including four starters and the libero, from the 2014 team that finished 23-8 overall and 11-7 in West Coast Conference play. Friday’s contest will be the first meeting between Virginia and Loyola Marymount.
Last season, UCLA finished 22-12 overall and 11-9 in the Pac-12. The Bruins will have 12 returners from the 2014 season, including three starters plus the libero. It will be just the fourth meeting between the two schools, with UCLA holding a 3-0 advantage. The last time the two teams met was in 2009, when the Bruins won, 3-1.
The Cavaliers have 12 players, including five starters returning from the 2014 team that finished 17-14 overall and 10-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Senior Natalie Bausback (Carlsbad, Calif.) is a dual-threat after leading the team with a .368 hitting percentage, the second-highest single-season mark in school history, and adding 119 blocks (0.96/set) in 2014.
Also returning for Virginia are All-ACC Second Team selections, senior Lauren Fuller (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and junior Jasmine Burton (West Hills, Calif.). Fuller earned her second-straight Preseason All-ACC Team honor after tallying 1,329 assists (10.72/set) last season. Fuller ranks fifth all-time in assists heading in the 2015 season.
Burton was second on the team with 327 kills (2.87/set) and third on the squad with a career-high .275 hitting percentage. She notched double-digit kills in 19 matches.
Juniors Lexi Riccolo (Wheaton, Ill.) and Karlie Suber (Mechanicsville, Va.) led the defensive efforts last season. Both appeared in all 124 sets, Riccolo recorded 375 digs (3.02/set) and Suber added 310 digs (2.50/set).
Along with the veterans, UVa head coach Dennis Hohenshelt added the No. 30 recruiting class that includes Coral Kazaroff (Apex, N.C.), Harley Sebastian (Atlanta, Ga.), Anna Walsh (Grapevine, Texas) and Kat Young (Chantilly, Va.).