The Virginia volleyball team opened the second half of ACC play with a pair of wins over Miami and No. 25 Florida State. The Cavaliers dispatched Miami in four sets (25-21, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20) on Friday night, and, in head coach Lee Maes' first win over a naitonally ranked opponent, upset the Seminoles in five sets (25-18, 25-13, 18-25, 19-25, 16-14). It was only the second win over a top-25 opponent in Virginia school history.
In Friday's contest, three Cavaliers put together double-figure kills against the Hurricanes - junior Simone Asque (21), freshmen McKenzie Adams (18 kills, 12 digs) and Emily Rottman (14 kills, 21 digs). Senior AJ Cushman put together 27 digs in the winning effort.
Sunday's matchup against the Seminoles ended in much more dramatic fashion. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 2-set lead, before Florida State used a 4-0 run midway through the third frame to take its first lead of the match, carrying the momentum to go on to win the next two sets to force a fifth frame.
In the upset, four Cavaliers had double-figure kills - the highest number since the 2008 season. Asque had 20, followed by sophomore's Jess O'Shoney's 14, Adams's 13 and Rottman's 10. Rottman also led the team in digs at 19, folloed by Cushman's 18 and Tess Udall's career-high 8.
Virginia, now 12-11 on the season (6-7 ACC), will close out the home season with Maryland on Friday and Boston College on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Saturday is Senior Day.