CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia volleyball team fell 3-1 to Alabama in the second annual SEC-ACC ‘Showdown at the Net.’
The Cavaliers (3-1) dropped a pair of back-and forth sets to start as the Crimson Tide (4-1) came out on top 28-26 in the opener and 25-23 in set two. The Virginia defense, anchored by Lauryn Bowie with six blocks and Emily Fowler with five blocks, stepped up to take the third set 25-14 before the Tide responded with a 25-16 victory in the fourth set.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Alabama 28, Virginia 26
Virginia overcame an early 9-4 Alabama advantage and battled back to even the set at 10-10. The Cavaliers built a 21-16 lead late in the frame before Alabama rallied to tie the set at 22-22. Virginia fought off set point at 24-24 behind a Reafan Ennist kill, and Olivia Siskin followed with an ace to give the Hoos a 25-24 advantage. Alabama answered, however, and secured the first set, 28-26.
Set 2: Alabama 25, Virginia 23
Alabama jumped out to an early 10-5 lead before Virginia steadily worked its way back. The Cavaliers tied the set at 13-13 before taking a 16-14 lead. The Hoos and Tide traded points throughout the second half, with the score tied at 20-20 and again at 21-21. Alabama scored four of the final six points to take the set, 25-23.
Set 3: Virginia 25, Alabama 24
Virginia responded with a defensive clinic in the third set. The Cavaliers opened the frame with a 6-3 lead and continued to build separation to a 16-9 lead before closing the set on a 9-5 run.
Ennist, who led the Hoos with 12 kills in the match, picked up kills for 23rd and 24th point before an Alabama attack error ended the set. as the Cavaliers cruised to a 25-14 victory.
Set 4: Alabama 25, Virginia 16
Alabama controlled the fourth set from the start, racing to a 7-1 advantage. Virginia trimmed the deficit to 9-14 and later 15-21, but the Crimson Tide answered with four straight points before closing out the match, 25-16.
MATCH NOTES
- Hannah Scott totaled 15 assists, giving her 1,991 for her career. She’s now nine shy of 2,000.
- Lauryn Bowie’s six blocks were one shy of her career high.
QUOTABLE
“I think there are some things we need to work on, for sure. That’s the good part, that’s why you play these games - to prepare for the grind of the ACC. I thought Alabama did a really good job of coming out and taking some really big swings, and challenging us from a defensive perspective. We had 11 blocks in four sets which was awesome to see. The reality is, we lost the first two sets by just a couple of points, so there are some things we can easily clean up when we get some practice time.” - head coach Shannon Wells.
NEXT UP
Cavaliers head to the Sunshine State for a match at UCF in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday. First serve is set for 2 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+