Virginia Falls 3-0 at Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech (10-4, 1-1 ACC) held the Virginia (4-8, 0-2 ACC) attack to just .167 hitting in a 25-20, 25-21, 25-20, sweep on Sunday (Sept. 23) afternoon in the Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529.
Jelena Novakovic (Belgrade, Serbia) led the Cavaliers with nine kills off the right side. Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.) added eight kills and Milla Ciprian (St. John’s, Fla.) hit a team-leading .333 with six kills, but the Hokies held a 47-32 advantage in kills to earn the victory.
Jaila Tolbert fired a Virginia Tech attack that hit .272 on the day with her team-leading 13 kills. Kaity Smith added 11 kills to the Hokies’ sweep.
SET 1: Virginia Tech 25, Virginia 20
Both sides struggled offensively to open the afternoon, but Virginia Tech found its footing late to pull away for a 25-20 victory. The Cavaliers hit just .067 in the set, committing nine errors in attack. Virginia also misfired four times from the service line in the set.
Ciprian led the Cavaliers in the set, knocking down three kills while hitting .400 in the set.
SET 2: Virginia Tech 25, Virginia 21
Virginia opened the set with kills on five of its first seven swings to establish an early rhythm. Virginia Tech clamped down defensively, however, as the Cavaliers failed to get a kill on their next 13 swings in the set.
The Hokies rolled off a 6-0 run to turn a one-point lead into a 20-13 advantage. With Virginia Tech leading 22-14, the Cavaliers pushed back with a 5-1 run to close within four, but it was too little, too late, as Virginia Tech took a 2-0 lead with the 25-21 victory.
SET 3: Virginia Tech 25, Virginia 20
Locked in another tight set through the middle points, Virginia Tech made the play of the day to seize momentum. Sarah Jane Lynch dove onto the floor for a pancake dig, sparking the Hokies to three-straight points to build a 20-17 lead.
Virginia was never able to recover, dropping the set 25-20.
QUICK HITS
• Kelsey Miller (Crestwood, Ky.) led all players with 13 digs in the match.
• The 32 kills are the fewest for the Cavaliers this season.
• Chino Anukwuem (East Hanover, N.J.) tied for the match lead with four blocks.
COMMONWEALTH CLASH
The Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529 is a head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Commonwealth Clash encourages a friendly, statewide rivalry between the two schools across all school-sponsored sports with 22 individual event points on the line. The school that accumulates 11.5 points or more will be crowned the winner and take home the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented by Virginia529. Visit TheCommonwealthClash.com for more information and current standings.
UP NEXT
Virginia returns home to open a four-match homestand on Friday (Sept. 28). The Cavaliers will host Florida State in a 7 p.m. first serve in the first ACC home match of the season.