Volleyball: UVA pulls off sweep in Blacksburg in season finale

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia volleyball team concluded the 2023 season with a 3-0 victory over in-state rivals Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum. Abby Tadder led the Hoos with 15 kills and two errors on 20 swings (.650 hitting clip) to go along with two blocks while Milan Gomillion anchored the UVA defense with 18 digs.

Set 1: Virginia 25, Virginia Tech 18
The two sides battled closely through most of the opening set, trading points back-and-forth with neither side able to gain a commanding lead. The Hoos (11-17, 4-14 ACC) pulled away late in the set, scoring six of the last seven points to claim a 1-0 advantage over the Hokies.

Set 2: Virginia 26, Virginia Tech 24
The Cavaliers orchestrated a 7-2 run midway through set No. 2 to take a 22-16 lead over VT. The Hokies answered with a 7-2 run of their own to force extra points, but back-to-back kills from Tadder secured the set for the Hoos. Tadder led Virginia in the second stanza with six kills and two errors on eight swings.

Set 3: Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 25
Virginia Tech (13-15, 3-17) opened the final frame with a 13-4 advantage, its largest lead of the match. The Hoos slowly chipped away at the deficit before sparking an 11-2 run, which was capped off by a powerful block from Chloe Wilson, to take a 23-21 lead over the Hokies. Virginia Tech made it set point at 25-24, but a block from Veresia Yon and Lauryn Bowie, as well as two kills from Ciera Hecht completed the UVA comeback.

FROM HEAD COACH SHANNON WELLS

“I am just so proud. I’m really excited for our seniors. I’ve always said that I thought this squad would be playing their best volleyball at the end of the year. To see this team come together the way they did at the end and fight, I think it really shows who this team really is and led by our seniors. For CiCi [Hecht] to get the last kill and Regan [Trueblood] to be on the floor for that moment. Kudos to our middles for having such big matches against Virginia Tech, we relied on them so much at the very end. This is huge for us and for our program and I’m so happy for our seniors.”

MATCH NOTES

• With the win, Virginia extended its lead in the Commonwealth Clash standings, presented by Smithfield, 5-0.
• With the win, the Cavaliers now hold a 41-40 lead over the Hokies in the all-time series.
• Virginia is now on a four-match win streak over Virginia Tech, the longest win streak over the Hokies since 2003-05 (Four-match win streak).
• The win marked Virginia’s first sweep over an ACC opponent since 11/11/22 against Virginia Tech.
• Virginia had a 7.0-4.0 advantage in blocks over Virginia Tech.
• Gomillion had a match-high 18 digs.
• Kate Johnson led all players with three service aces.
• Tadder led all players in both kills (15), hitting percentage (.650) and points (16.0).
• Yon led all players in blocks (5.0)

THE SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH

The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-07), has been part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It’s an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions. With the win, Virginia increases its lead in the competition to 5-0.