Volleyball: Cavaliers come away with 3-1 victory over Rams in ‘new’ home opener

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

In the first volleyball match played at the Aquatic & Fitness Center, the Virginia volleyball team downed VCU, 3-1 (25-20, 25-13, 16-25, 25-23), on Thursday night.

On offense, the UVA duo of Kadynce Boothe and Vivian Miller led the Cavalier attack with eight kills each, while the setting tandem of Zoey Dodd and Hannah Scott each recorded 16 assists. Boothe also had a match-high 16 digs to go along with her team-leading offensive performance.

HOW IT HAPPENED   

Set 1: Virginia 25, VCU 20
In the opening home set of the season for UVA, the two teams played to a 7-7 tie. VCU briefly took a 10-7 advantage before the Cavaliers (4-0) made a 5-0 run to take the lead for good. Another 5-0 run by Virginia stretched the Cavalier lead further before back-to-back kills from Reagan Ennist and Boothe put the game away for the home squad.

Set 2: Virginia 25, VCU 13
Virginia never trailed in the set as the game opened with another Ennist kill. Through the heart of the set, UVA extended its lead to 10-4 with a 5-0 run that was highlighted by a pair of Katie Barrier aces. The Cavaliers capped off a dominant set with a 3-0 run that included two kills from Becca Wight.

Set 3: VCU 25, Virginia 13
To open the frame, Virginia tallied five of the first eight points before the Rams went on a 6-1 run to take the lead. VCU ended the game by scoring seven of the final 10 points for its first set win of the match.

Set 4: Virginia 25, VCU 16
VCU carried its momentum over into the fourth set as the Rams jumped out to an 8-4 advantage before Booth returned serve to the Cavaliers with a kill. Virginia clawed back to tie the game at 15-15 when Wight and Kate Dean teamed up for a block. Following the block, UVA tallied seven of the next 10 points to pull ahead in the set. A Jasmine Robinson kill put the Cavaliers up at 23-20 before Lauryn Bowie provided a kill at match point.

ADDITIONAL NOTES 

• Off the bench, Vivian Miller hit .429 in the home opener.
• Kate Dean tied for a match-high with six blocks.
• Katie Barrier and Hannah Scott each tied their career-highs with three service aces each.

WITH THE WIN …

• The Cavaliers move to 4-0 on the season for the first win since 2014 when UVA started 6-0.
• UVA is 4-1 under Shannon Wells in home openers.
• Virginia improves to 22-15 all-time against VCU.

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers will host App State on Saturday to close out the Cavalier Classic. The first serve is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on ACCNX.