The Virginia volleyball team (6-5, 0-1 ACC) hosts two top-25 ACC programs this weekend at Memorial Gymnasium in Charlottesville.
It's been a bit of a disappointing season so far for Coach Maes and the players. While I don't think anyone expected them to beat top-ranked California this year, some of the other losses have been unexpected. The other four losses were to Western Michigan, Louisville, Virginia Tech (ugh) and Connecticut (in Blacksburg).
Tonight, the Cavaliers host #23 Florida State at 7pm. The Seminoles are 7-4 on the season and 1-0 in the ACC. Their one conference win being over Miami in a match that was televised on ESPN-U. I have to assume that winning over a ranked opponent on TV is what pushed the 'Noles into the rankings themselves, because their record is otherwise unimpressive. All of their losses have come against teams currently ranked in the top 20. However, Miami is their only win over another top-25 program.
On Sunday, the ladies get to face the other part of the ranked Florida combo when Miami visits Mem Gym at 12:30pm. The Hurricanes' resume is a lot more impressive than FSU's, minus the fact that FSU beat them. They are 9-1 on the season with wins over Pepperdine and Oklahoma, both of which are ranked.
I still expect some good things out of this team - and I'm a little baffled that they haven't been doing better so far. But I'm not sure this weekend is when we'll see those good things. Then again, what's a better opportunity? Let's hope we can steal a win this weekend to make up for the loss to the Hokies.
By the way, if you're looking for a little more info on the volleyball team, go check out today's Q&A with first-year Tori Janowski.