Volleyball Earns 3-0 Win Over NC State
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Box Score Nov. 20, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Three players recorded double figure kills to lead the Virginia volleyball team past NC State, 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 29-27) on Friday night in Memorial Gymnasium.
“I like how we competed tonight,” head coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “We are back to being pretty good with our offense, we are starting to get in a rhythm. Our block is not perfect, but it is getting better and that is the first step to improving in areas. The biggest thing right now is we have some confidence in what we are doing. We are a confident group and have had some good practices and that is starting to show in the gym right now.”
Virginia (18-10, 10-7 ACC) was solid offensively, hitting .323 on the night and finishing with 47 kills. The Cavaliers held NC State (15-15, 4-14 ACC) to a .194 hitting percentage and had the edge in blocks (9-8) and service aces (8-2). The Wolfpack finished with 32 digs to 31 for UVA.
Senior Natalie Bausback (Carlsbad, Calif.) led all players with 15 kills. Junior Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) finished with 12 kills, and became the 18th player in Virginia history to reach 1,000 career kills. It is the first time since 2005 that two players have reached 1,000 kills in the same season.
Junior Jasmine Burton (West Hills, Calif.) added 10 kills and led the team with a .588 hitting percentage. Senior Lauren Fuller (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) guided the offense with 37 assists.
Defensively, Kole led the team with eight digs and freshman Anna Walsh (Grapevine, Texas) was a force at the net with a career-high seven blocks.
The Cavaliers took the lead from the beginning in the opening set with a block by Kole and Walsh. NC State cut the lead to one, but an 8-1 run but Virginia in front 18-11. UVA closed out the set with back-to-back blocks from Walsh and Kole to win 25-14.
NC State was on the board first in the second game, but the Cavaliers tied it up at 4-4. After the teams traded points back-and-forth, UVA used a 3-0 run to lead 17-14. The Wolfpack came back to tie the set twice, but a 5-2 run for Virginia secured the 25-22 win and a 2-0 lead at the break.
UVA was trailing in the third set until a 6-0 run gave the Cavaliers a 14-10 advantage. Virginia was in control of the set, but NC State fought back to tie the it at 22-22. The Wolfpack had the edge after a block, but an error tied it up once again. The teams saw four more ties before kills by Kole and Walsh gave Virginia the 29-27 win.
Virginia hosts its final regular season home match on Saturday. The Cavaliers welcome No. 22 North Carolina at 7 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.