Virginia Concludes Road Swing at No. 10 Georgia Tech, Clemson

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (8-7, 0-4 ACC) rounds out its three-match ACC road swing when it travels to No. 10 Georgia Tech (10-3, 3-1 ACC) on Friday (Oct. 7) and Clemson (10-6, 1-3 ACC) on Sunday (Oct. 9).

Friday’s match from O’Keefe Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m., while Sunday’s contest at Jervey Gymnasium is slated for 1 p.m.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Both matches will stream on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) through the ESPN app, which is available through participating TV providers that carry ACC Network.
• Live stats will also be available for both matches and can be accessed via the Cavaliers’ schedule page on com.

SERIES HISTORY

• Georgia Tech leads the all-time series, 40-22, and has won the previous five matchups.
• UVA’s last win over the Yellow Jackets was on Nov. 4, 2017 in four-set victory in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers’ most recent win over the Georgia Tech in O’Keefe was on Nov. 1, 2013 in five sets.
• Clemson leads the all-time series, 44-23, and has been victorious in last two matchups, including the most recent, a five-set showdown in Mem Gym in 2021.
• In the lone meeting between the Cavaliers and Clemson in 2021, UVA won the first two sets before the Tigers came back to complete the reverse sweep despite 18.0 UVA blocks.
• Clemson has won four of the last five meetings. Prior to that, Virginia owned a seven-match win streak over the Tigers that spanned exactly five years to the day (Nov. 2, 2013 – Nov. 2, 2018).

LAST TIME OUT

• Virginia fell at Duke in four sets (25-14, 25-14, 16-25, 28-26) this past Sunday (Oct. 2).
• The Cavaliers never led a set until the third and won seven of the final eight points to win game No. 3, 25-16. UVA hit .458 (12-1-24) in the third despite registering a shaky .786 reception percentage.
• Duke claimed the decisive fourth frame in extra points, 28-26, which featured eight lead changes and 13 tied scores. UVA had set point twice in fourth, but the Blue Devils capped the match by scoring three straight, including on a pair of consecutive UVA attack errors. Five of Duke’s eight total blocks came in set No. 4.
• Virginia middle blocker Veresia Yon took a season-high 16 swings, which resulted in seven kills, also a season-high for the West Florida graduate transfer.

AMAZING GRACE (TURNER)

• Grace Turner has been a workhorse for the Cavaliers this season, having started in all 15 matches and appeared in all 63 possible sets as a six-rotation outside hitter.
• She leads the Cavaliers in kills per set (3.40), aces per set (0.44), points per set (4.10) and total receptions (466). Her 0.44 aces per set are good for fourth in the ACC, while her 4.10 points per set are sixth and her 3.40 kills stand at No. 8.
• Turner has posted four 20-kill matches on the season and has done so on back-to-back occasions twice: the first against Charlotte (Sept. 9 & 10) and the second against NC State (Sept. 23) and North Carolina (Sept. 25). Earlier this season, she became the first UVA player to notch back-to-back 20-kill performances since 2016.
• Turner also leads the Cavaliers with eight career double-doubles, including three this season.
• In just 15 matches this season, Turner has registered 28 aces, which is one more than her total for the 2021 season (27), which was a then-career best in a single season.

HOOS AMONG THE ACC’S STATISTICAL LEADERS

• In addition to Grace Turner, Virginia libero Madison Morey and middle blockers Abby Tadder and Veresia Yon are all amongst the ACC’s top-10 statistical leaders.
• Morey is currently 10th in the conference in digs per set (3.46). Both Tadder and Yon are ninth in the ACC in hitting percentage (.333) and blocks per set (1.08), respectively.
• Morey and Tadder have started in all 15 matches and appeared in all possible 63 sets for the Cavaliers this season.

WELCOME TO ATLANTA: HOMETOWN OF MADISON MOREY

• On Friday (Oct. 7), Atlanta native and UVA libero Madison Morey returns to her hometown.
• Morey, whose family has resided in the Atlanta-area since her birth, grew up attending matches in O’Keefe Gymnasium. Friday’s match will mark Morey’s first collegiate match in O’Keefe.
• Morey attended Walton High School (2016-20) and played club for A5 Pure Volleyball, where she was named an AAU All-American at the 16U level.

GABBY EASTON RETURNS TO CLEMSON

• Virginia setter Gabby Easton is set to return to Clemson on Sunday (Oct. 9), where she was a member of the program from 2018-19 before transferring to Ole Miss.
• Easton is a native of Anderson, S.C., which is located approximately 18 miles southeast of Clemson. Easton attended T.L. Hanna High School, where her mom, Becky, coached volleyball.
• Her mother also played volleyball at Clemson and her father, Lance, played football for the Tigers.
• In 2018, Easton was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team after finishing second in the conference in assists per set (10.83) and finished No. 2 all-time in total assists (1,397) by a Clemson freshman. Her 1,397 assists in 2018 stand at No. 9 all-time in Clemson history in a single season and are the most by a Clemson player in an individual season since 2007.

THE ACC: THE NATION’S PREMIER VOLLEYBALL CONFERENCE

• Last season, the Atlantic Coast Conference led all conferences in the nation in both RPI and adjusted RPI.
• For the first time in league history, two ACC teams (Louisville and Pitt) advanced to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament semifinals in 2021.
• In addition to the Cardinals and Panthers, Georgia Tech was also one of three ACC teams to advance to the Elite 8, also a first in ACC history.
• A record-tying six ACC schools made the 2021 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, including No. 1 overall seed Louisville, which won 32 consecutive matches last season.

SEASON OVERVIEW

• This year marks the 44th season of Virginia Volleyball, which held its inaugural season in 1979.
• The Hoos are slated to face four AVCA preseason top-25 teams, including three teams ranked in the top 10, in No. 4 Louisville (Oct. 21), No. 6 Pitt (Sept. 28), at No. 9 Georgia Tech (Oct. 7) and at No. 15 Florida (Aug. 27).
• Virginia’s 2022 schedule consists of seven 2021 NCAA Tournament teams in Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
• With a home-and-home series against Virginia Tech, both matches between UVA and the Hokies will be worth 0.5 points toward the Commonwealth Clash standings, presented by Smithfield.
• The Cavaliers will host 14 home matches in 2022.
• For the first time in history, Virginia faced Purdue Fort Wayne (Sept. 3) and is set to play Mercer (Sept. 16).