Virginia Falls in Sunday Match to Cal At John Paul Jones Arena

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (7-5, 0-2 ACC) closed out the opening weekend of league play on Sunday (Sept. 28) by falling in four sets (19-25, 16-25, 25-17, 15-25) to Cal (5-7, 2-0) at John Paul Jones Arena.  

Reagan Ennist tied for the match high in kills with 13, which was also a season-best for the freshman. On defense for the Cavaliers, Kate Dean paced the squad with six blocks. Hannah Scott claimed a double-double with 11 assists and 12 digs.

 HOW IT HAPPENED 

Set 1: Cal 25, Virginia 19

In the opening set, the Cavaliers claimed the first three points of the match before the visiting Bears went on a 12-3 run to take control of the game. UVA forced a Cal timeout with a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to 17-16. The Bears took the first set by tallying four of the last five points.

 Set 2: Cal 25, Virginia 16

Cal led by as many as 11 points in the second set as the Bears sprinted out to a 16-5 advantage. A UVA 3-0 run brought the Cavaliers back to within eight at 18-10 before Cal claimed the set on a Virginia error.

 Set 3: Virginia 25, Cal 17

Following the break, the Bears captured seven of the first eight points of the set before UVA found its groove with a 14-2 run to seize control of the set. Virginia squashed an attempt at a Cal comeback in the game when Brodner and Robinson teamed up for a block at 24-17 prior to a Bear error ending the set.

 Set 4: Cal 25, Virginia 15

The final set started with a Kate Dean kill and block that put UVA up 2-0 in the early going. Virginia and Cal battled to a 6-6 tie before the Bears went on a 5-0 run. The Cavaliers answered with a five-point run of their own. In the latter stages of the set, Cal closed out the match on a 9-2 sprint to the finish.

 MATCH NOTES

• Cal now leads the all-time series 2-1 over UVA.
• Virginia falls to 2-2 all-time in John Paul Jones Arena.
• Hannah Scott tied her career high with three service aces.

 FROM HEAD COACH SHANNON WELLS

“We talked a little bit yesterday about controlling the controllables. I thought we did okay in the first couple of sets and then we really started getting back to UVA volleyball in the third set. We could sit up here all day and talk about the excuses that we might have. We got a lot of injured athletes, but I think there were some really great moments today, and some people stepped up that maybe haven’t had to do that all year.”

“I am really proud. I thought Reagan (Ennist) had a great day, and I thought Zoey (Dood) had a really great weekend. We were able to use all of our littles, which are DSs, throughout the weekend, and I think that changed the energy on the court a lot. It was really fun to see everyone contribute. Caroline Lang, our Charlottesville native, got in today playing right side, which is a position she played for two years of club, but has not played at all at UVA. She’s been playing in the middle to add some depth there. And so, she got thrown into a rotation that she’s never even practiced. I think we practiced it one day, and it was a little rough. So, I’m just really proud of this team for showing up. A lot of teams would crumble in the moment that we’ve had to overcome and I’m just really proud of us coming in each day, being brave enough to step across the line, and representing UVA volleyball on a really high level.”

UP NEXT

Virginia will return to action on Friday (Oct. 3) against Boston College at the Aquatic & Fitness Center. First serve for the match is slated for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ACCNX.