Volleyball: Cavaliers pull upset, sweep No. 16 Seminoles

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Posted on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, 11:34 pm

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By Colin Moore
JerryRatcliffe.com correspondent

Photo: UVA Athletics

Virginia was able to get back in the winning column Friday night, upsetting No. 18 Florida State in three straight sets at Memorial Gymnasium (25-22, 25-21, 25-22). The win was the program’s first against a ranked opponent since the 2010 season.

In this very competitive, back-and-forth match, the Hoos were able to compete together and come up on top.

The Cavaliers (12-2, 2-1 ACC) were led by Elayna Duprey (14 kills, .357 Hit%, 1 ace), Brooklyn Borum (9 kills, 8 digs, 3 assists) and libero Milan Gomillion (19 digs, 7 assists, 1 ace).

HOW IT HAPPENED

Set 1: Virginia 25, Florida State 22
In a very close first set, the Hoos were able to battle exchanging points. The set began with a huge block by Kate Dean and then a kill by Duprey to give the Hoos an early 2-0 lead. Later on, the set was tied 19-19 before the Cavaliers began to pull away, winning the set 25-22.

The set was closer than it could have been, as the Hoos had to battle through a few service errors. Duprey didn’t stop after her early kill, as she tallied multiple kills along with teammates Borum and Abby Tadder.

Set 2: Virginia 25, Florida State 21
The Hoos fought point for point with the Seminoles before taking the lead midway through the set. UVA was able to gain a four-point advantage at 20-16 with an ace from Ashley Le, and the Hoos were able to maintain their lead with some dominant defense.

Gomillion made some incredible diving digs to allow the Hoos extra opportunities on offense throughout the match. Lauryn Bowie had two massive kills to end the set, allowing the Hoos to go up 2-0, keeping the momentum for the Cavaliers heading into the third set.

Set 3: Virginia 25, Florida State 22
The third set was no different from the first two as both teams had some tremendous plays, making this the most competitive set of the night. The best play of the night occurred late in the set (24-18) when Gomillion was forced to make numerous digs during a long rally.

When it looked like the ball was going to score for FSU, Gomillion decided to sacrifice her body and make an outstanding one-handed bump to get the ball over the net on the Hoos’ third hit. This ultimately led to a Seminole error, giving the Hoos a lot of momentum.

Florida State was able to make a late comeback run, forcing a Cavaliers timeout at Hoos 24, FSU 22. The coaching staff was able to settle the team down and finish off the great ACC win.

ADDITIONAL NOTES
Courtesy UVA Media Relations

  • In the second set, Abby Tadder recorded her fifth kill of the night to eclipse 800 kills for her career.  
  • Brooklyn Borum’s nine kills on the night pushed the senior over the 600–kills plateau for her career.  
  • Elayna Durprey also tallied the 500th kill of her career on Friday night. 

WITH THE WIN…

  • Virginia toppled just its third ranked opponent in the history of the AVCA poll (est. 1982). 
  • The last time the Cavaliers defeated a ranked opponent was Oct. 31, 2010, when they took down then-No. 25 Florida State in five sets.  
  • UVA’s only other win over a ranked opponent was over then-No. 22 Georgia Tech Oct. 5, 1996. 
  • Virginia claimed the program’s first-ever sweep over a ranked opponent. 
  • Virginia is 12-2 (or better) for the first time since 2003, when it won its first 16 matches of the season. 
  • It’s only the third time in school history UVA has started 12-2 or better. Other years include 2003 and 1998. 
  • Friday’s sweep for Virginia was the first three-set win over an ACC opponent since knocking off Virginia Tech in straight sets in the 2023 season finale. 
  • UVA improved to 17-43 in the all-time series with the Seminoles, which began in 1987.

UP NEXT

Virginia faces off against another ACC opponent in the Miami Hurricanes this Sunday at 1 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena. Last season, the crowd set a single-game attendance record for volleyball in the state of Virginia.