In the final match of the season, the Virginia women’s volleyball team (8-20, 1-17 ACC) played a thriller against Boston College (16-16, 6-12 ACC), but ultimately fell in five sets by scores of 25-20, 14-25, 25-14, 18-25, and 13-15.
Overall, UVA had a hitting percentage of 0.095 and Boston College had a hitting percentage of 0.091, and there were 94 total kills to 77 errors. It wasn’t the most efficient match for either team, but each point was contested.
In the first set, UVA used a 7-2 run to pull ahead 21-17, highlighted by three blocks. From there, the Hoos traded points with the Eagles as Mary Shaffer registered two kills and Brooklyn Borum earned the winning kill at 25-20.
The difference in the second set was a 9-0 run for Boston College to stretch the lead to 22-11. Gabby McCaa was part of five blocks during the run, including three in a row to cap off long rallies. The Eagles won 25-14.
The Hoos took set three 25-14 as well. Similarly to set two, a 5-0 run and a 4-0 run late in the set propelled UVA to the win. Alana Walker had a kill and two blocks, and Abby Tadder had two kills during the runs.
In set four, Boston College jumped out to a 10-3 lead. UVA brought it back to 18-14, but the lead never shrunk below four points as Boston College took the set 25-18.
The fifth set proved to be a dramatic one. UVA had a 10-5 lead in the set off of two blocks, five kills, and three Eagles errors. However, Boston College strung together a 5-0 run a few points later to take a 12-11 lead. Alayna Crabtree served three aces to lead her team’s comeback. It looked like the Hoos could bounce back after a kill by Brooklyn Borum and a block by Alana Walker gave them a 13-12 lead, but then the Eagles finished the match by scoring the last three points. A block, kill, and UVA attack error made all the difference.
Brooklyn Borum finished her impressive freshman season with 10 kills and 10 digs. Alana Walker added eight kills and 10 blocks, and Mary Shaffer had eight kills and six blocks. Finally, Kristen Leland finished with 17 digs. Clare Naughton led the way for Boston College with 12 kills, and Gabby McCaa had 11 blocks.
Although the Cavaliers had a rough go of it in ACC play and finished with just one conference win, the team played tough competition that was nationally ranked and often were just a few points away from winning sets. Shannon Wells’s team showed a lot of determination and the majority of the lineup will be back next season, with only Alana Walker and Kristen Leland finishing with the team.
