Florida State Outlasts Virginia, 3-0
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In front of a capacity crowd of 1,089 fans in Memorial Gymnasium, Virginia (4-9, 0-3 ACC) pushed perennial power Florida State (7-6, 3-0 ACC) but fell 25-19, 25-23, 25-21 on Friday night.
Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.) returned to form, leading the Cavaliers and the match with 14 kills. Jelena Novakovic (Belgrade, Serbia) added 10 kills while hitting .333 to lead Virginia in efficiency.
ACC kill leader Payton Caffrey paced Florida State with 14 kills, matching Billiard for the match high. Taryn Knuth added 10 kills while hitting a match-best .667 to help the Seminoles down the Cavaliers.
SET 1: Florida State 25, Virginia 19
After trading points to a 7-7 tie, Florida State reeled off an 11-3 run to take a commanding 18-10 advantage. Alex Spencer (North Canton, Ohio) recorded back-to-back solo blocks to pull the Cavaliers within 22-16, forcing a Seminole timeout. Virginia claimed the next two points of the set and closed to 23-19, but Florida State recorded the next two points to take the set.
SET 2: Florida State 25, Virginia 23
The Seminoles jumped out to a 4-1 lead thanks to a pair of service errors and an ace. Florida State continued to build its lead, extending a 19-13 advantage before a furious Virginia rally.
A Novakovic kill sparked a 5-0 run for Virginia as part of a larger 7-1 spurt that tied the match at 20-20. Knotted at 23-all, the Seminoles pulled ahead on Payton Caffrey’s seventh kill of the night before a Cavalier error closed the set.
SET 3: Florida State 25, Virginia 21
A Christine Jarman (Boynton Beach, Fla,) kill capped a 4-1 start to the frame for Virginia. After the Seminoles rallied to tie it at 7-7, Novakovic put a pair of kills to the floor in a 3-0 run for the Cavaliers.
The Seminoles responded with a 6-1 run in the middle of the set to turn a 14-12 deficit into an 18-15 lead. Caffrey stepped up to floor three kills in the run and Florida State never looked back, earning a 25-21 victory.
QUICK HITS
• Jarman dug up 10 Florida State attacks, a personal best at Virginia for the transfer.
• Spencer’s two solo blocks marked the second time the sophomore has sent two attacks back in her career.
• Milla Ciprian (St. John’s, Fla.) racked up four block assists. She’s had three or more blocks in each of the past four matches.
• Kelsey Miller (Crestwood, Ky.) led the Cavaliers with 11 digs.
UP NEXT
Virginia returns to action Sunday, Sept. 30 at noon to face Miami (6-4, 2-1 ACC). The match is Cavman’s Crew Day with postgame autographs from the Cavaliers.