Cavaliers Host No. 2 Louisville on Friday, Notre Dame on Sunday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (9-10, 1-7 ACC) rounds out its four-match homestand this weekend when it hosts No. 2 Louisville (17-1, 8-0 ACC) on Friday (Oct. 21) at 7 p.m. and Notre Dame (9-9, 4-4 ACC) on Sunday (Oct. 23) at 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 VirginiaSports.com.

SERIES HISTORY

• Louisville leads the all-time series, 9-3, which began in 1995. The Cardinals are winners of the last five matchups against UVA. The Cavaliers’ most recent win over Louisville was a sweep on Nov. 11, 2016 in Louisville, Ky. Virginia’s last win over the Cardinals in Mem Gym was on Oct. 4, 2014 in a 3-1 decision.
• Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 6-5, which began in 1986. The Fighting Irish are also winners of the last five contests. Virginia’s most recent win over UND was on Nov. 13, 2016 in a five-set thriller at Notre Dame, when the Cavaliers won the fifth set, 15-13. UVA’s last win over the Irish at Mem Gym was on Oct. 23, 2015 in a 3-1 decision.

A WIN OVER NO. 2 LOUISVILLE WOULD…

• Deliver the Cavaliers’ highest ranked win in program history and just their third overall victory over a ranked opponent. Virginia is currently 2-76 all-time against AVCA ranked foes.
• Give UVA its first-ever win over a top-10 opponent. UVA is currently 0-17 all-time against AVCA top-10 foes and 0-9 against top-5 opponents.
• Ensure Virginia of its first-ever set win against a top-5 opponent. The Cavaliers secured the program’s second-ever set win over a top-10 opponent after defeating then-No. 10 Pittsburgh, 25-23, in the opening set on Sept. 28 earlier this season.

LAST TIME OUT

• Virginia split its pair of home contests against Florida State (W, 3-2) on Oct. 14 and Miami (L, 1-3) on Oct. 23.
• Middle blocker Abby Tadder posted a career-high 18 kills and hit .517 to lead the Cavaliers to their first win over the Seminoles since 2010. The win also marked UVA’s first in conference play this season, snapping a 22-match losing skid among ACC regular-season contests. The win over FSU was also head coach Shannon Wells’ first ACC victory at Mem Gym.
• Against Miami, Virginia won the opening set, 25-22, but lost the next three games to slip to 9-10 on the season and 1-7 in ACC play. The Hurricanes won set No. 2 in dramatic fashion, 31-29, marking the longest set (by points) the Cavaliers have participated in this season. Game No. 2 featured 19 tied scores and five lead changes as neither team led by more than three points throughout. UVA setter Gabby Easton dished out a season-high 36 assists and Heyli Velasquez – in her second career start at libero – tallied a career-high 15 digs.

MORE ON TADDER’S CAREER NIGHT AGAINST FSU

• Middle blocker Abby Tadder posted a career-high 18 kills and hit .517 (18-3-29) in Virginia’s five-set win over Florida State (Oct. 14).
• She also chipped in two service aces and a team-high four block assists in the Cavaliers’ first victory over the Seminoles since 2010.
• Tadder delivered when it mattered most against FSU. She tallied five kills and posted her pair of aces in the fourth to help force a decisive fifth set, which the Cavaliers went on to win, 15-12.
• Tadder’s 18 kills are the most by a Cavalier middle blocker since Oct. 18, 2015, when Anna Walsh tallied 20 kills at Syracuse.

AMAZING GRACE (TURNER)

• Grace Turner has been a workhorse for the Cavaliers this season. Turner has started in all 19 matches and appeared in all 79 possible sets as a six-rotation outside hitter.
• She leads the Cavaliers in kills per set (3.33), aces per set (0.41), points per set (3.99) and total receptions (562). Her 3.33 kills per set and 3.99 points per set are both good for ninth in the ACC, while her 0.41 aces per set are sixth.
• 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 19 matches this season, Turner has registered 32 aces, which is five more than her total for the 2021 season (27), which was a then-career best in a single season.

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 Mercer (Sept. 16).