Cavaliers Edged in Five Sets by No. 11 Georgia Tech

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (8-8, 1-5 ACC) nearly knocked off No. 11 Georgia Tech (14-2, 5-1 ACC), but ultimately fell 11-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 13-15 inside Memorial Gymnasium Sunday afternoon (Oct. 8).

Sunday’s result marked the first time in program history that the Cavaliers pushed a top-15 opponent to five sets.

Four Cavaliers recorded double-digit kills: Brooklyn Borum (15 kills, 13 digs), GG Carvacho (13 kills), Veresia Yon (12 kills) and Chloe Wilson (10 kills). Regan Trueblood set a season high with 39 assists while adding two aces, Milan Gomillion tied for a match-high 22 digs.

For the second consecutive match, the Cavaliers were without Abby Tadder, who leads the team in hitting percentage and has led UVA in kills in eight of its 16 matches so far this season.

Set 1: Georgia Tech 25, Virginia 11
After Virginia scored the first point of the match, the Yellow Jackets controlled the game for the remainder of the opening set. Georgia Tech recorded 17 kills, while the Cavaliers managed just six. UVA scored back-to-back points only twice in set No. 1.

Set 2: Virginia 25, Georgia Tech 21
Neither team led by more than two in the second until the Cavaliers closed out the frame by scoring the final six points to overtake the lead and tie the match, 1-1. The set win marked the program’s fourth-ever over a top-11 foe. This time it was the Hoos who registered 17 kills, 15 of which were assisted by Regan Trueblood. GG Carvacho (6), Brooklyn Borum (5) and Veresia Yon (4) combined for 17 of the Cavaliers’ 17 kills. Borum’s fifth kill cut UVA’s deficit to just one [20-21] when Madison Morey went back to serve, prompting the Hoos’ scoring spree to close out the game.

Set 3: Georgia Tech 25, Virginia 21
The Yellow Jackets quickly regained momentum after leaping out to a 5-1 lead to start the third. A 5-0 Tech run later in the frame doubled up the score, 12-6. The Yellow Jackets led 17-12, when a UVA kill brought Madison Morey back to the service line, who once again dialed up an unanswered scoring run by the Hoos – this one 4-0. Back-to-back UVA points later in the set trimmed the Tech lead to one [19-18] once again, but a 5-0 run by the Yellow Jackets put the game out of reach for the Hoos, who were sound offensively again with 15 kills, including four by Borum.

Set 4: Virginia 25, Georgia Tech 22
Georgia Tech led 10-7 when the Cavaliers exploded on an 8-0 run with Trueblood behind the service line. The run was highlighted by a Trueblood ace, two Borum kills and a pair of blocks from Lily Gervase (6 kills, 6 total blocks). After the Hoos went up 15-10, Tech chipped away and eventually tied the set, 19-19, but then UVA scored five of the next six points to secure set point. A huge kill from Gervase ended the set. Gomillion, who recorded seven digs in game No. 4, and the rest of the Cavaliers’ defense held Georgia Tech to a .122 hitting percentage.

Set 5: Georgia Tech 15, Virginia 13
Both teams were firing on all cylinders offensively in the fifth as Tech hit .455 and UVA hit .333. However, it was Tech that collected five more kills (13) than the Cavaliers in the decisive frame. UVA positioned itself nicely down the stretch as the two teams were tied 11-11, but the Yellow Jackets pummeled four kills on the last six plays to close out the victory.

FROM HEAD COACH SHANNON WELLS
“I’m just so proud of this team. To play the way we did Friday, have a practice yesterday and then come back today and play against one of the best teams in the country, I’m just very proud. We just keep asking this team to believe and put pressure on people and see how they respond. I think we had really big moments where everyone stepped up. We just keep talking about the potential of this team and I hope we can build momentum off this and continue to work towards our potential.”

MATCH NOTES

• Sunday’s result marked the first time in program history that the Cavaliers pushed a top-15 opponent to five sets.
• Virginia’s 25-21 win in set No. 2 marked just the fourth instance in program history that the Cavaliers took a set off a top-11 foe.
• It also marked UVA’s first set win in the series with the Yellow Jackets since 2018.
• With 15 kills and 13 digs, Brooklyn Borum registered her seventh career double-double and first since the 2021 season, her freshman year.
• Borum’s 15 kills match her career high, marking the third time she had tallied 15 kills (at NC State 9/24/21, at North Carolina 9/26/21).
• Regan Trueblood finished with a season-high 39 assists.
• Four Cavaliers—Borum (15), GG Carvacho (13), Veresia Yon (12) and Chloe Wilson (10)—recorded double-digit kills.
• Milan Gomillion tied for a match-high 22 digs.
• Georgia Tech extends its all-time series lead over Virginia to 42-22, and has claimed the last seven matches against the Cavaliers.

UP NEXT
Virginia travels to Notre Dame (9-5, 3-3 ACC) on Friday (Oct. 13) for a 6:30 p.m. matchup and Louisville (14-2, 5-1 ACC) on Sunday (Oct. 15) at 1 p.m. Both matches are set to stream on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).