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Sept. 3, 2015

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (1-1) hosts the annual Fairfield Inn & Suites Cavalier Classic this weekend (Sept. 4-5) in Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers have their 2015 home opener against VCU on Friday at 7 p.m., and then take on Appalachian State (10 a.m.) and Iowa State (7 p.m.) on Saturday.

Live stats for all six matches will be available through VirginiaSports.com and all three of Virginia’s matches will video streamed live through the Cavaliers Live subscription package.

Single-match general admission tickets are $5. Youth, senior and faculty/staff general admission tickets are $4 and group tickets (20 or more) are $3 per ticket. Fans can order tickets online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of each match.

Game-day parking for volleyball matches is available free of charge at the Culbreth Road Garage, located behind Carr’s Hill Field. Limited parking is available at the Central Grounds Garage (hourly rates apply).

Virginia opened the 2015 season with a win over Loyola Marymount, 3-1, last weekend before falling to then No. 20 UCLA, 3-0, in Los Angeles. Freshman Anna Walsh (Grapevine, Texas) earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors after leading the Cavaliers with a .450 hitting percentage in the two matches. Walsh totaled 21 kills, including a team-high 11 against UCLA.

Senior Kayla Sears (Moorpark, Calif.) has 24 kills (3.43/set) after putting down 17 in the win over LMU. Senior Natalie Bausback (Carlsbad, Calif.) finished with a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs to help the Cavaliers top the Lions.

VCU (2-2) enters the weekend with two-straight wins. The Rams recently defeated William & Mary, 3-2, and picked up a win over Austin Peay, 3-1. Kalah Jones is leading the team with 60 kills (4.00/set), while Rebekah Strange is pacing the defense with 3.67/set.

The Cavaliers and VCU have a long history that dates back to the 1979 season. UVa holds a 20-14 advantage in the series, but VCU has won the last two meetings. The last three matches have all gone to five sets, with VCU winning the last two including last season’s 3-2 win on Sept. 20.

Appalachian State (3-1) has won three of its first four matches, including two at the Big Orange Bash hosted by Clemson. The Mountaineers defeated Charleston Southern, 3-0, and Clemson, 3-0, but fell to UNC Wilmington, 3-1. Most recently, Appalachian State topped Gardner-Webb, 3-0, on Tuesday night.

Virginia will look to remain undefeated against Appalachian State, having won each of the four previous meetings. The last time the two teams met was on Sept. 8, 2012, when the Cavaliers won, 3-0.

Iowa State (2-1) opened the season with wins over Dayton, 3-1, and North Dakota, 3-1, but fell to Marquette, 3-0, in its home tournament. The Cyclones, who are receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll, have four players with over 20 kills led by Jess Chaben’s 32 (2.91/set).

This will be just the third meeting between UVa and Iowa State. The teams split the two previous meetings, with Virginia winning most recently, 3-0, on Oct. 17, 1998.

Following this weekend’s tournament, the Cavaliers travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the Crimson-White Tournament Sept. 11-12. Virginia plays Saint Louis on the 11th and Troy and tournament-host Alabama on the 12th.

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