Virginia Holds Off Iowa State, Finishes 3-0 in Cavalier Classic
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Box Score Sept. 5, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team won both of its matches on Saturday to finish 3-0 in the Fairfield Inn & Suites Cavalier Classic. The Cavaliers held off Iowa State, 3-2, in the night match and came back to defeat Appalachian State, 3-2, in the morning session in Memorial Gymnasium.
“I thought the kids played really hard tonight, and really in all three matches,” head coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “I’m really excited for them. This is a big win for this program.”
Senior Natalie Bausback (Carlsbad, Calif.) and junior Lexi Riccolo (Wheaton, Ill.) earned All-Tournament honors for their performances in the three matches. Bausback was named MVP after totaling 45 kills, 29 digs and 18 blocks.
Virginia (4-1) was out to an early 2-0 lead over Iowa State (4-2), but dropped the next two sets to go to the must-win fifth set. The Cavaliers hit .421 in the final set and held the Cyclones to just .211 to take the win, 3-2 (25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 20-25, 15-9).
Three players finished with double figure kills against Iowa State, led by junior Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) with 17. Bausback picked up her second double-double of the season with 15 kills and 12 digs. Fellow senior Kayla Sears (Moorpark, Calif.) added 12 kills and three service aces.
In the first set, Iowa State held an 11-7 lead but Virginia used a 6-1 run to tie the set up at 14-14. Down three, the Cavaliers used a 3-0 run to tie the set up once again, 18-18, and force a timeout by the Cyclones. UVa found its rhythm with a 6-0 run that included three blocks and finished off the set with a kill from Kole to win 25-22.
The momentum carried over into the second set as Virginia quickly jumped out to a 6-1 lead to force Iowa State to call a timeout. The Cavaliers continued to apply pressure throughout the set to top the Cyclones, 25-16, and take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Iowa State surged ahead with an 11-0 run to win the third set, 25-18. Virginia had the early lead in the fourth, but Iowa State came back to win, 25-20, and send it to a tie breaking fifth set.
The Cavaliers bounced back in the final set with a 4-1 lead. Virginia continued to add to its lead and stretched it out to five with back-to-back aces from Sears. With match point on the line, Bausback punctuated the win with a kill to complete the weekend sweep.
Against Appalachian State, five players finished with double-digit kills to propel Virginia to the comeback win, 3-2 (20-25, 25-13, 15-25, 25-19, 21-19), on Saturday morning.
The Cavaliers had to come from behind after trailing 1-0 and 2-1 in the match. Virginia finished with a .301 attack percentage, hitting over .300 in four of the five sets, while holding Appalachian State (3-3) to .290.
UVa totaled nine blocks and added eight service aces on the day. Bausback led the team for the second-straight match with 15 kills and had eight blocks. Sears and freshman Anna Walsh (Grapevine, Texas) each finished with 13 kills, while Kole added 12 and sophomore Alex Thorson (Spring, Texas) had 11.
Junior Karlie Suber (Mechanicsville, Va.) led the defense with 18 digs and Riccolo added 13.
In the first set, Virginia was out to a 7-4 lead to force and Appalachian State timeout early. A 9-1 run for the Mountaineers put the Cavaliers down 17-12. UVa cut the lead to one, 20-19, with another run, but it wouldn’t be enough as Appalachian State held on for a 25-20 win in the first set.
The Cavaliers stormed out to a 6-2 lead in the second set. Sears landed three-straight aces to force an early timeout by the Mountaineers. Virginia kept the momentum in its favor throughout the set to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-13 win in the second set. UVa hit .423 in the set and Thorson led with four kills.
Appalachian State took control of the third set early and held on for a 25-15 win to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. The teams battled in the beginning of the fourth set, but Virginia slowly edged ahead with an 11-7 lead. The Cavaliers held off the Mountaineers with a 6-1 run to close the set with a 25-19 win and send it to a tie breaking fifth set.
The fifth set came down to extra points as the teams saw seven ties. Both teams traded the advantage, but Virginia rattled off three-straight points with kills from Thorson and Bausback followed by a combined block from the pair to cap off the win.
“What we are trying to figure out now is how to maintain that high level of play when we are really good,” Hohenshelt remarked. “We can play a pretty high level when we are good. I thought when we are good we can play with anyone, but when we struggle it just collapses. Overall I am pleased with the performances this weekend.”
Virginia is back on the road as it travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the Crimson-White Tournament, Sept. 11-12. The Cavaliers play Saint Louis on the 11th and Troy and tournament-host Alabama on the 12th.
Fairfield Inn & Suites Cavalier Classic All-Tournament Team
MVP – Natalie Bausback, Virginia
Lexi Riccolo, Virginia
Caitlin Nolan, Iowa State
Jess Schaben, Iowa State
Jess Keller, Appalachian State
Jessica Young, VCU