CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia dropped its final match of its non-conference slate to Ohio State 3-0 at the Aquatic & Fitness Center on Saturday.=
The Cavaliers (4-5, 0-0 ACC) were led by middle blocker Emily Fowler with six kills and four blocks, while right side hitter Becca Wight also tallied six kills. The Buckeyes (7-3, 0-0 Big Ten) had four players in double figures. Naomy Govo and Kalli Jioshvili Ravva each had 12 kills, Alia Schnoover added 11 kills and Hannah Jones followed with ten.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Ohio State 25, Virginia 19
Ohio State never trailed in the opening set, starting things off on a 5-2 run before building its lead to 14-5. The Hoos made things interesting late, trimming the Buckeye lead to 20-17 before OSU closed the set on a 5-2 run.
Set 2: Ohio State 25, Virginia 17
The Buckeyes burst out to a 7-0 lead and led by as much as 17-9 in the second set. The Hoos trimmed it to 21-16 late but OSU finished with four of the final five points.
Set 3: Ohio State 25, Virginia 11
Ohio State jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the clinching set. Virginia cut the deficit to 10-4, but the Buckeyes extended their lead to 17-6. The Hoos mounted a late 4-0 run to pull within 22-11, but Ohio State closed the match with the final three points.
MATCH NOTES
- First-year middle Skyler Gates made her first career start.
- First-year DS Ruby McDermott made her first career start.
- Setter Zoey Dood matched her season high with ten assists.
QUOTABLE
“Obviously, losing two of our liberos is tough - we struggled passing today. Kudos to MG [MaryGrace Gonyeau]. I thought she really stepped up - played six rotations for the first time today. Ruby [McDermott] jumped into the libero jersey. So it was really good to get some young kids on the court. We weren’t performing at the level we needed to, so hopefully that’ll pay off going into the ACC.”
NEXT UP
Virginia opens ACC play next weekend with trips to Clemson on Friday and Georgia Tech on Sunday.