Cavaliers Sweep Hokies on Sunday at John Paul Jones Arena

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – To claim a full point in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, the Virginia Volleyball team (10-8, 3-5 ACC) downed Virginia Tech (9-10, 1-7 ACC) in three sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-20) at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday (Oct. 19).

For the eighth consecutive match, freshman Reagan Ennist led the Cavaliers on offense with 15 kills. Ennist also tallied three blocks on Sunday to tie Jasmine Robinson for the team lead. Hannah Scott added a match-high nine digs to aid in the efforts.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Set 1: Virginia 25, Virginia Tech 19

To open the Sunday matinee, Virginia Tech scored the first four points of the match. The homestanding Cavaliers dug themselves out of the early hole and claimed the lead at 10-9 with an Ennist kill. After playing to a 14-14 tie, Virginia tallied seven of the next eight points to force Virginia Tech to use both of its timeouts. UVA closed out the set with a Kadynce Boothe Kill and a Kate Johnson service ace.

Set 2: Virginia 25, Virginia Tech 21

In the second set, the two squads played to a 7-7 stalemate prior to UVA going on a 4-0 run that was highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Zoey Dood. Virginia Tech answered with a 4-0 run of its own to tie the set. A pair of kills for Lauryn Bowie put the Cavaliers out front for good in the game at 14-12. Virginia fended off a late Hokie surge and seized the game on a 3-0 sprint to the finish.

Set 3: Virginia 25, Virginia Tech 22

In the tightly contested third set that saw a match-high seven ties, Virginia Tech opened the game with a service ace. Following the ace, the in-state foes played to a 13-13 tie before Virginia broke open the game with a 4-0 run that was powered by a pair of Ennist kills. Dood’s fourth service ace of the match stretched the UVA advantage to 21-17. To put an exclamation mark on her first Commonwealth Clash, Ennist put the game away with her 15th kill of the afternoon.

WITH THE WIN

• Virginia moves to 45-40 against Virginia Tech all-time. The Cavaliers have won eight straight matches over the Hokies dating back to 2022.
• The eight-match win streak is the longest by either team in series history.
• UVA improves to 3-2 all-time at John Paul Jones Arena and 2-0 against Virginia Tech.
• Virginia leads the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, 2.5-0.5.

MATCH NOTES

• Zoey Dood’s four aces on Sunday tied a career high.
• Sunday’s attendance of 2,576 is the third-largest crowd in program history, only behind the 2023 and 2024 JPJ takeover matches.

FROM HEAD COACH SHANNON WELLS

“It feels really good. Obviously, the win is a bonus for us, but the way we came out and played and competed was the best we’ve played all year. The pre-game message was to give ourselves the opportunity to prove ourselves right that we are a good team, we are really physical and we are capable of competing at a really high level. I think we showed that today. So, I’m really proud of this group. It’s been a really tough few weeks for us with a lot of injuries and the obstacles of being on the road.”

“Kudos to the fan base. Every time we play here the fan base shows out and it’s a really exciting opportunity for the athletes. We appreciate them sticking with us this year even though our record isn’t what we want it to be, but they helped us take care of Virginia Tech tonight.”

UP NEXT

Virginia returns to the road next weekend as the Cavaliers head south for the Florida swing of ACC play against Florida State (Oct. 24) and Miami (Oct. 26). Both matches will be streamed on ACCNX.