Virginia Falls 3-0 to Virginia Tech
Story Links
Box Score Sept. 30, 2016
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team fell 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-21) to Virginia Tech on Friday night at Cassell Coliseum in a Commonwealth Clash match.
“We simply have to compete for longer stretches,” head coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “When everything is going our way we want to compete, but when it is not we become laid back and we cannot afford to play that way. A really good coach once told me, if everyone could do one thing better we are going to win these matches so that is what we are going to do.”
Virginia (3-12, 0-3 ACC) hit .180 on the night and finished with nine blocks, while Virginia Tech (7-8, 2-2 ACC) had a .294 hitting percentage and tallied nine blocks. The Hokies had the edge in service aces (4-2) and digs (45-25).
Senior Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) led UVA with nine kills. Fellow senior Jasmine Burton (West Hills, Calif.) and redshirt junior Alex Thorson (Spring, Texas) each added six kills.
Freshman Chino Anukwuem (East Hanover, N.J.) finished with a team-high four blocks, while Thorson and Burton tallied three each. Senior Lexi Riccolo (Wheaton, Ill.) picked up seven digs.
After falling behind in the opening set, Virginia used a 4-1 run to cut it to 9-7 but Virginia Tech countered with a 3-0 run to go up 12-7. The Cavaliers made another run in the set to cut the lead to 16-13, forcing a Hokie timeout. UVA continued its run out of the break and tied the set at 16-16 after a block by freshman Kiley Banker (West Lafayette, Ind.) and Thorson. Virginia Tech went back up by two and led until the Cavaliers tied the set up at 23-23 after three kills by Kole. However, UVA couldn’t take the lead VT took the set 26-24 to lead 1-0.
The Cavaliers had a slow start in the second set, going down 7-2. UVA pulled within three, 10-7, but a 6-0 run gave the Hokies a 16-7 advantage. Virginia Tech remained in control to win the second set 25-15 and take a 2-0 lead into the break.
UVA scored the first two points in the third set with a kill by Kole followed by a block from Burton and redshirt freshman Kat Young (Chantilly, Va.). With the set tied at 4-4, the teams traded points back-and-forth until a 3-0 run put Virginia Tech in front 13-10. The Cavaliers came back to tie it up at 15-15. VT then scored two-straight to take a slight edge, but the Cavaliers kept the set close. Virginia cut it to one, 22-21, but the Hokies held on to secure the win 25-21.
Tonight’s game was sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of University of Virginia Athletics. With Virginia Tech’s victory, the Hokies have earned a half-point in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash. The score for the Clash is now University of Virginia – 1 and Virginia Tech – 0.5. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at TheCommmonewalthClash.com.
Virginia will continue conference play on the road at Pitt on Sunday. The Cavaliers and Panthers are set to begin at 1 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House. The match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.