Wahoo Wire

On Friday, the Cavaliers faced a tough opponent in #23 Florida State. Desperately clinging to a one game over .500 record after two straight losses, the team fought valiantly, but ultimately lost zero games to three (0-3). The loss dropped UVA to .500, 6-6, for the first time since starting the season 1-1, with another tough test, #21 Miami, on Sunday.

“This was an indication of our inability to sustain what we do from a passing and defensive standpoint,” remarked head coach Lee Maes. “We had opportunities to compete, but kept shooting ourselves in the foot with unforced errors.”

The Cavs had several opportunities to pull away, taking an early lead in Set 2 and trading the lead with the Seminoles 5 times in Set 3, but seemed unable to sustain momentum. Possibly the best chance the team had at swinging the momentum was an impressive rally in Set 2 with the Cavs down 17-19. After winning the rally, the crowd roared and the team was clearly energized. But the apparent shift didn’t last long as the Cavs won only two more points in the set and FSU went on to win the 25-20.

Although the Cavs are now 0-2 in conference play, there is a positive to look at. The team improved as the match went on, only scoring 16 points in Set 1 but increasing to 21 points by Set 3. It seems to show that the team was learning from its mistakes and not simply being complacent with their position. If the team can rally around this asset and combine it with some better starts, then they just might be able to get back on the path to victory.