A rivalry match. A speech from a leader. A dramatic 5-set comeback. A lively crowd of record size. If you’re going to hold a first ever contest at the John Paul Jones Arena, the Virginia volleyball team made sure to make it as memorable as possible on Sunday.
The Cavaliers dug an 0-2 hole, but regrouped to stage a thrilling rally in front of 3,162 fans, a program record made possible by hosting their first ever match at the JPJ. The Hoos ripped off 25-15, 25-15, 15-11 scores in the final three sets to dispatch Virginia Tech in dramatic fashion, 3-2.
While Virginia coach Shannon Wells wouldn’t necessarily have scripted the difficult path to victory, she was grateful for her team’s spirit and for the moment.
“I know they were doing some sound checks earlier and they were like ‘Hey Hoos, you know what happens in the fifth set …’ and I was like gosh, I really hope we don’t get to that part, I did not wear my five-set shoes today,” Wells said. “But what else do you expect. You’ve got two teams battling and gritty and I’m excited. We did come in between sets two and three said hope you guys are ready to go five sets. That was always our plan and always our mission. We just made enough plays today to allow that to happen.”
Exactly how did the Hoos turn things around? Junior Abby Tadder had a lot to do with it.
After dropping the first two sets Sunday by identical 25-20 scores, the Cavaliers (9-13) used the intermission to settle down, make some adjustments, and focus on the things that alluded them early. The break also featured some determined words from Tadder to her teammates.
“I think after the second set, we just kind of flipped a switch,” UVA graduate student Versia Yon said. “Abigail stepped out of her comfort zone and gave everyone a pep talk that we needed to get the motor running because we were going in the wrong direction. I think Abigail’s little speech was definitely something that we needed in the moment, hearing it from a teammate.”
Just as important as the speech itself, the California native backed up her words. The third set started with a kill by Tadder, which became a theme of the set. She tied the scored at 6-6 with a kill and then helped her team take the lead with a block assist alongside freshman Lauryn Bowie. By the end of the third set, Tadder added 4 more kills as the Hoos marched to the 25-15 win.
In total, Tadder logged 6 of her team’s 13 kills in the key third set and added a pair of block assists for good measure. Over the final two sets of the comeback, Tadder put down 6 of her team’s final 21 kills too. That included the match-clinching point in the fifth set.
When the dust settled, the junior owned a stat line that will live on in rivalry lore. She posted 18 kills at a 44.1% rate with 3 service aces and 6 block assists too. The determination during the final three sets was etched all over her face as she took swing after swing for her team.
“Oh yeah, I wanted the ball,” Tadder said smiling with emphasis. “I mean I always want the ball, but I think in sets three, four, and five, I was like get me the ball. Ashley [Le] and I have a great relationship where I can just be like Ashley just set me the ball. She knows to set me and knows what I like so I think shoutout to Ashley and Regan [Trueblood] for just trusting me and the team trusting me. The passing was awesome. The passing also helped me be able to be so successful.”
“I wanted the ball to go to Ashley too,” Yon said laughing. “When I was coming in, I was like Abby stay. You killed it today.”
With the tone appreciably set, Virginia saw others rise to the occasion as well. In the fourth set, Chloe Wilson stacked a stretch of four points with 2 kills and a solo block that flipped a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 lead. Moments later, Yon logged a solo block, a block assist, and a kill during a four-point run too.
Yon had 4 kills in the fourth set and tallied 12 kills, 2 service aces, and 9 total blocks (2 solo, 7 block assist). Wilson added 8 kills total.
UVA junior setter Ashley Le dished out 14 assists in the final three sets and served 10 times as well. Le finished with 24 assists and 12 digs. Brooklyn Borum posted 5 of her 7 kills in the match during the final three sets and added 15 total digs. Libero Milan Gomillion recorded 18 digs and 6 assists, while Regan Trueblood tossed in 20 assists and 12 digs too.
All told, it was a collective effort to make the big comeback and fire up the crowd in the process. It’s support that the Virginia volleyball will remember.
“I’m really proud of the effort that we put out and I’m so thankful for the Charlottesville community coming out and supporting our program,” Wells said. “It hasn’t been the year that we wanted, but to know that they have our backs really means something for us.”
Great writeup Kris. I was one of the 3100+ there and it was a great comeback. Having worked as a manager for the vb team a looong time ago, it was really a big moment for the program to have the AD agree to play it in JPJ. The record isn’t very good but the conference is a very tough one. Hopefully the ladies and Coach Shannon can use this as a springboard into future success.
Thanks again, Kris!