Virginia Volleyball Hosts Cavalier Classic

Aug. 24, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (0-0) opens the 2017 season hosting the Fairfield Inn & Suites Cavalier Classic on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 25-26) in Memorial Gymnasium.

TRACK THE MATCH
Live stats will be available on VirginiaSports.com through links in the Tournament Central page linked above.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY
UVA will host Hofstra (0-0), Liberty (0-0) and Villanova (0-0). The Cavaliers play one match on Friday, playing Hofstra at 7 p.m. Virginia will play two games on Saturday, meeting Liberty at noon and Villanova in the tournament finale at 7 p.m.

This is the second-straight year UVA is opening the season at home. Last year, the Cavaliers finished 2-1 in its home tournament.

HOOS HITS
Virginia returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished 7-25 overall.

Middle blockers Kiley Banker (West Lafayette, Ind.) and Kat Young (Chantilly, Va.) are the top hitters returning for UVA. Banker notched 152 kills, while Young tallied 120. At the net, Banker, Young and fellow sophomore Chino Anukwuem (East Hanover, N.J.) each had more than 70 blocks last season.

UVA’s newcomers include four freshmen, Hannah Barcus (Virginia Beach, Va.), Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.), Alex Spencer (Canton, Ohio) and Megan Wilson (Brookeville, Md.). The Cavaliers also added Penn State transfer Jelena Novakovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and Iowa Western CC transfer Olivia Wolodkewitsch (Omaha, Neb.).

The Cavaliers are led by first-year head coach Aaron Smith, who served as an assistant coach for four seasons and was the associate head coach last year.

SERIES HISTORY
Hofstra and Virginia are meeting for the ninth time. The Cavaliers trail the series 1-7, winning the most recent matchup on Oct. 17, 1992, 3-0. This will be the first time the two teams have played in Charlottesville.

Virginia holds a 30-3 advantage in the series against Liberty. UVA had won 30-straight until the Flames took the most recent meeting, 3-2, on Sept. 23, 2014 in Lynchburg, Va. The last time the two teams met in Charlottesville, Virginia won 3-2, Sept. 15, 2012.

The Cavaliers and Villanova have met eight times, with the series tied 4-4. The teams last met in Charlottesville in 2009, with Villanova taking the win 3-1. UVA’s last win in the series came at home on Sept. 19, 1997.

MORE INFO
Prior to Saturday’s match, season ticket holders can attend the first Chalk Talk of the season with head coach Aaron Smith. Free pizza will be provided.

Saturday will be a CavMan’s Crew night with special discounted tickets using the promo code VBCAVMAN1. There will be a face painter and balloon artist prior to the match. As part of the CavMan’s Crew, kids can stand with the Virginia players on the court for the national anthem and stick around for post-game autographs.

PARKING
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).

Updated Bag Policy
Put into place starting with this weekend’s athletic events (Aug. 25-27), Virginia athletics has updated its bag policies to mirror those already in place for Scott Stadium. At Klöckner Stadium, Turf Field and Memorial Gymnasium the following procedures have been put into effect.

All guests are subject to inspection and search for prohibited items. Event staff will examine the contents of bags, jackets, pockets, or any other personal item before admitting guests to the facility. In order to expedite entrance into the facility, it is recommended that guests not bring bags to events and arrive early at the facility entrances.

Prohibited Items

• Artificial noisemakers^ – see exception below for men’s and women’s soccer games at Klockner Stadium
• Balls, Frisbees, lacrosse sticks, and similar items
• Containers (including plastic or glass bottles, cans, coolers, or flasks)
• Food and beverages
• Strollers (except umbrella strollers) – prohibited at Scott Stadium only
• Umbrellas – prohibited at Scott Stadium only
• Weapons

^For men’s and women’s soccer matches only, artificial noisemakers are allowed; however air horns, whistles, bullhorns or devices that amplify electric sound, including battery-operated devices, are prohibited.

*The University of Virginia reserves the right to prohibit any item deemed hazardous or disruptive to the athletics event or the enjoyment of the event by other guests.

The above procedures are designed to provide a safe and positive experience for all fans in attendance at Virginia athletics events.