Virginia Drops Tight Match at Boston College
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Virginia (9-9, 1-4 ACC) held late leads in each of the first two sets but was unable to hold off Boston College (14-4, 5-0 ACC) in a 25-23, 28-26, 25-21 loss on Friday night (Oct. 11).
Freshmen Mattison Matthews (Charleston, S.C.) and Jayna Francis (Virginia Beach, Va.) led Virginia with 10 kills apiece. Matthews, who entered the match fourth in the ACC in hitting percentage, hit a blistering .692 in the match. Matthews added four blocks while Francis added six digs.
Three Eagles finished in double-figures, paced by Amaka Chukwujekwu with 12 kills. Cat Balido added 11 kills and Jewel Strawberry racked up 10 for Boston College.
Set 1: Boston College 25-23
Neither team led by more than two points through the media timeout where Boston College held a 15-14 advantage. Virginia used a 3-0 run, capped by a kill from Francis, to take a 17-15 lead. The Cavaliers built the advantage to three at 21-18, but a kill and block from Chukwujekwu pulled the Eagles back within one.
After a Virginia timeout, another block and a service ace put Boston College back in front 22-21. With the set tied 23-23, Strawberry floored back-to-back kills for the Eagles to take the opening set.
Set 2: Boston College 28-26
Virginia used a 3-0 run to open a 12-7 lead early in the frame. Milla Ciprian (St. John’s, Fla.) notched an ace to highlight the run. Boston College responded with a 3-0 run of its own to draw even at 16-16 after a pair of Cavalier miscues.
Once again, Boston College turned the set with a late run, taking the lead at 23-22. In extras, Virginia reached set point at 26-25, but a miscue on a free ball, block and attack error gave Boston College another tight frame.
Set 3: Boston College 25-21
A trio of Virginia errors in attack helped Boston College jump to a 6-2 lead. Another misfire made it a 9-5 lead for the Eagles, forcing a Virginia timeout. A service ace sparked a 3-0 Eagle run to extend the lead to 15-8.
Trailing 18-10, Virginia mounted a rally to close within three but it was too little, too late as the Eagles completed the sweep.
QUICK HITS
• Virginia’s middles, Matthews and Ciprian, combined for 17 kills on 27 swings.
• Libero Alex Spencer (North Canton, Ohio) led the Cavaliers with nine digs in the loss.
• Megan Wilson (Brookeville, Md.) dished out 22 assists, her most in a three-set match this season.
UP NEXT
Virginia takes on Syracuse on Sunday, Oct. 13 to finish off a four-match road trip. First serve is set for 1 p.m. on ACCNX.