Virginia Welcomes NC State, UNC to Memorial Gym
Watch (UNC Only) | Live Stats | Game Notes
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia volleyball (9-10, 1-5 ACC) returns home after a four-match road trip to host NC State (7-11, 2-4 ACC) and North Carolina (7-9, 4-2 ACC) in a pair of ACC matches. The Cavaliers and Wolfpack meet in Virginia’s annual Dig Pink match on Friday (Oct. 18) at 6:30 p.m. before the Tar Heels visit Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday (Oct. 20) in a 1 p.m. first serve.
GAME COVERAGE
Sunday’s match will air on ACCNX. ACCNX streams via the ESPN App and is available to authenticated subscribers of ACC Network. Links for the live stream and in-game live stats are available on VirginiaSports.com.
PROMOTIONS
• Friday’s match against NC State is Virginia’s annual Dig Pink match with the first 500 fans receiving a free pink rally towel.
• On Sunday, the Cavaliers will welcome local Girl Scouts to celebrate Girl Scout Day in Memorial Gym.
AGAINST NC STATE
• Virginia leads the all-time series against NC State 39-28 but has dropped three-straight matches to the Wolfpack.
• NC State earned a 3-1 victory last season in Raleigh, N.C. The past three matches in the series have been played on the road for the Cavaliers.
• Virginia is 20-7 all-time in Charlottesville against the Wolfpack, including a sweep in NC State’s last visit in 2015.
AGAINST UNC
• Virginia ended a 10-year, 15-match losing streak to North Carolina in 2018 with a 3-0 sweep of the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
• Virginia’s sweep was just its fourth against the Tar Heels in program history.
• Sarah Billiard (Matthews, N.C.) led Virginia with 12 kills and a then-career high .500 hitting percentage in the victory.
• North Carolina still holds a 48-15 mark in the all-time series.
MILLER OUT FOR SEASON
Virginia senior libero Kelsey Miller (Crestwood, Ky.) will miss the remainder of the 2019 season after suffering a knee injury at Florida State on Oct. 4. Miller ranks 10th all-time in career digs at Virginia, racking up 1,315 over four years on Grounds.
This season, Miller was averaging a career-best 4.48 digs per set. She posted double-digit digs in 13-of-15 matches prior to her injury, including 11 matches of 15 or more digs.
“Kelsey had elevated her game this year and was performing at a very high level for us in the libero position,” head coach Aaron Smith said. “I feel awful for Kelsey that her season, and career, ends with an injury. She will undoubtedly be missed on the court but, as a captain of this team, she has and will continue to lead.”
MATTHEWS MAKING WAVES
Freshman middle blocker Mattison Matthews (Charleston, S.C.) has made a big splash for the Cavaliers this season. The rookie ranks fourth in the ACC and 22nd nationally with her .413 hitting percentage. Matthews is averaging 1.60 kills per set, good for fourth on the team.
In ACC matches this season, Matthews has been even more efficient in her swings. Through the first six matches of league play, she is hitting .441 with 34 kills in 59 attempts.
NOVAKOVIC LEADS THE LEAGUE
Virginia senior right side Jelena Novakovic (Belgrade, Serbia) currently leads the ACC with 33 service aces. That mark also ranks 19th in the country.
The 33 aces are already a career high for Novakovic. She holds an outside shot at climbing into the top 10 in Virginia single season history, needing 25 more aces to reach 10th place.
UP NEXT
Virginia hits the road for matches at No. 23 Louisville and Notre Dame next weekend.