Previewing the 2022 Virginia Volleyball Season

A brand new vitality has been infused into the Virginia volleyball program because it heads into its second yr beneath the path of head coach Shannon Wells. UVA unveiled a brand new courtroom at Memorial Gymnasium and revealed new orange uniforms for the upcoming season. Though her first season in Charlottesville was removed from a hit on paper, with the Cavaliers handing over a 8-20 document (1-17 within the ACC) and ending the season on a 16-game shedding streak, Wells is beginning to get this system pointed in the suitable path. 

Virginia brings again a number of gifted starters from final season, together with skilled veterans Grace Turner and Mary Shaffer and rising sophomores Brooklyn Borum, Ashley Le, and Abby Tadder, who every had implausible freshman seasons, in addition to a couple of impactful additions by way of the switch portal.

With pleasure rising surrounding this system, Shannon Wells will look to take a giant leap with the Cavaliers in yr two. 

This is a breakdown of the roster and schedule for the 2022 Virginia volleyball season:

Roster Breakdown

The setter is the engine of the offense and Virginia can have two high quality choices at that spot this season. Sophomore Ashley Le began in all 28 matches and performed in 98 units final season, main the crew with 506 assists at a fee of 5.16 assists per set. She was additionally third on the crew with 187 digs. Shannon Wells additionally introduced in graduate switch Gabby Easton from Ole Miss, who led the Rebels with 597 assists within the 2020 season. Easton started her profession at Clemson, the place she was an ACC All-Freshman choice in 2018. 

Sophomore Abby Tadder leads the way in which on the center blocker place. As a real freshman final fall, Tadder began 25 matches and was second on the crew with 88 blocks and fifth with 113 kills. This offseason, Virginia supplemented the place with Veresia Yon, a graduate switch from West Florida. Final season, Yon led her crew with 405 kills, set this system document with 157 blocks, and registered a .462 hitting share, the second-best mark in all of Division II volleyball. Yon was named the Gulf South Convention Participant of the Yr and a First-Crew All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Affiliation. Senior Mattison Matthews additionally returns, offering management, expertise, and depth. 

UVA has a lot of weapons returning at outdoors hitter. Junior Mary Shaffer was third on the crew in kills with 189 and fourth in hitting share at .175 and earned a range to the All-ACC Tutorial crew. Brooklyn Borum was sensational in her first yr with the Cavaliers, main the crew with 234 kills, seven double-doubles, and a reception share of .972. Borum was additionally voted the VaSID Rookie of the Yr. Graduate pupil Grace Turner is again for her fifth season at UVA. Turner led the crew with 27 aces and 283.0 factors, was second with 228 kills, and fourth with 157 digs final yr. UVA additionally added a pair of transfers to its hitting unit. Junior Chloe Wilson transferred to Virginia from fellow ACC college Wake Forest, the place she totaled 108 factors and 32 blocks and averaged 1.75 kills per set final yr. Junior GG Carvacho, one other switch from Ole Miss, was second on the crew in kills with 180 within the 2020 season. Carvacho had 95 kills and 22 blocks for the Rebels in 2021. Seniors Jayna Francis and Simone Dominique convey expertise to the UVA outdoors hitters as properly. 

UVA’s roster on the defensive specialist/libero spot options one participant in every class. Junior Madison Morey has probably the most expertise and performed 75 units final season, recording 93 digs (fifth on the crew) and 14 aces (third on the crew). Sophomore Heyli Velasquez appeared in 14 matches and 34 units final season, however made her first profession begin within the season finale in opposition to Boston Faculty. Senior Josi Williams has performed in 33 matches and 52 units over the course of her profession. Lastly, Kate Johnson is the only real freshman on the roster and involves UVA after a embellished highschool volleyball profession at Buchholz Excessive Faculty in Gainesville, the place she was the three-time Feminine Scholar-Athlete of the Yr. 

With a good mixture of skilled veterans and gifted newcomers, the Cavaliers have the firepower to compete for some wins within the ACC this season, however the convention nonetheless boasts a few of the high applications in all of collegiate volleyball that UVA must face this fall. 

Schedule Breakdown

Virginia’s 29-match common season schedule consists of 14 dwelling matches at Memorial Gymnasium. However, UVA will begin its season with back-to-back highway tournaments in Gainesville, Florida (in opposition to ETSU, North Florida, and Florida) and Cincinnati, Ohio (in opposition to Xavier, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Japanese Michigan). 

The Cavaliers then return dwelling for a pair of matches in opposition to Charlotte on September ninth and tenth. UVA hosts a house match the next weekend that includes East Carolina, Mercer and Maryland. 

After that, Virginia will start its 18-match ACC slate. This season, UVA has highway matches in opposition to Duke, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Boston Faculty, and Syracuse. The Cavaliers will host Pittsburgh, Florida State, Miami, Louisville, and Notre Dame at Mem Health club. Virginia will face 4 ACC foes twice this season, as soon as at dwelling and as soon as on the highway. These opponents are North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech. 

Virginia’s schedule consists of 4 opponents who’re ranked within the AVCA Coaches preseason ballot: at No. 15 Florida (Aug. 27), vs. No. 6 Pittsburgh (Sept. 28), at No. 9 Georgia Tech (Oct. 7), and vs. No. 4 Louisville (Oct. 21). 

See Virginia’s full 2022 volleyball schedule beneath:

The Virginia volleyball crew opens the 2022 season this weekend, competing within the Gators Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. UVA will face East Tennessee State on Friday at 4pm, North Florida on Saturday at 10am, and Florida on Saturday at 7:30pm. 

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