Virginia Edged by Boston College in Five Sets
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Box Score Nov. 6, 2016
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team was edged 3-2 (19-25, 22-25, 25-20, 28-26, 15-12) by Boston College on Sunday afternoon in Memorial Gymnasium.
Virginia (5-21, 2-12 ACC) won the first two sets, but Boston College (8-16, 3-11 ACC) came back to win three-straight to take the match. The Cavaliers recorded 21.0 total blocks, which ranks fourth in school history for a single match. UVA also led in hitting percentage (.244-.170), but BC had the advantage in kills (65-58) and service aces (12-8). Both teams finished with 66 digs.
“We weren’t passing well all weekend, and that is what really hurt us,” head coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “We had 21 blocks and out-hit them, but couldn’t pass the ball. Boston College made plays at the end of those sets and we didn’t.”
Senior Jasmine Burton (West Hills, Calif.) tallied 20 kills to lead all players and added seven blocks. Fellow senior Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) finished with 18 kills.
Freshman Kiley Banker (West Lafayette, Ind.) and redshirt freshman Kat Young (Chantilly, Va.) led the Cavaliers at the net, each recording a career-high 10 blocks. Freshman Jennifer Wineholt had a double-double with 49 assists and 11 digs. Senior Lexi Riccolo (Wheaton, Ill.) led the back line with 16 digs.
The match started off very close, as neither team was able to score consecutive points until a Riccolo ace made the score 7-5 for Virginia. The Cavaliers then went on a 6-1 run, highlighted by four straight Kole kills. Kole would finish the first set with eight kills, most on either team. Boston College scored five of the next seven to close their deficit before a pair of kills by Young extended the Virginia lead to 17-12. The next eight points went back and forth before Virginia went on a 3-0 run to go up 23-17. Virginia scored to give themselves six set points before a Burton kill ended the first set, 25-19.
Virginia fell behind early in the second set thanks to a 4-1 run by Boston College before scoring two straight to get the score to 4-3. The Eagles pushed their lead to 11-6 as UVA called timeout. The Cavaliers were down 15-10, when a 9-1 run switched the momentum in their favor with a 19-16 lead. BC came back to tie the set at 20 and the teams saw two more ties before a kill by Kole and ace for Riccolo gave UVA a 25-22 win to lead 2-0.
Boston College put Virginia in a 6-0 deficit to begin the third set. UVA was down 11-4, when it used a 4-0 run to cut the lead to three but couldn’t get closer as BC remained in control and took the set 25-20.
UVA scored three-straight to open the third set, including a block by Banker and Wineholt followed by a kill for Banker. The Cavaliers were leading 7-4 when BC surged into the lead with a 5-0 run. UVA countered with three-straight points to go ahead 11-10. Both teams traded points until a 4-0 run put the Cavaliers up 16-11. UVA was leading 20-17 when the Eagles began to close the gap and eventually tied the set at 23-23. UVA had set point three times but couldn’t convert as BC closed out the fourth set, 28-26, to send it to a tie-breaking fifth.
Virginia trailed 4-1 in the fifth when it scored three-straight to tie the set at four-all. After four more tie scores, UVA took a 10-8 lead after a kill by Young and a block for Young and Kole. However, BC didn’t back off and the set saw three more ties before the Eagles scored three-straight points to win 15-12 and secure the match.
Virginia will be on the road for four-straight matches, beginning at Louisville on Friday, Nov. 11 and Notre Dame on Sunday, Nov. 13.