Tournament: VCU Invitational
Score: Virginia 3, VCU 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-22)
Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 1-3, Virginia 3-1
Attendance: 1,677 (Program record)
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The short story: Freshman outside hitter
Molly McCall fueled a late VCU push, and junior middle blocker
Letizia Galli added seven kills, but the Rams fell Saturday night in front of a program record crowd of 1,677 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
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OPENING VOLLEY
- McCall entered the match in the third set and promptly supplied seven kills on 15 swings, as well as four digs as the Rams threatened to extend the match
- Galli hit .500 on the night on 12 attempts and added a block
- Sophomore middle Sarah Dibbs-Frantz kicked in four blocks and four kills for the Black and Gold, while senior middle Nina Boledovicova contributed five kills and two blocks to the effort
- Reagan Ennist led all players with 12 kills for the CavaliersÂ
THE DIFFERENCE
- VCU struggled to get into its offense for much of the night, and hit .088 in the match. UVA, meanwhile, hit .299, including .500 in the first set alone on the way to a 25-13 win
- The Cavaliers also owned an 8-6 advantage in blocks, a 5-3 edge in aces and a 48-40 lead in digs
- The Rams jumped out to an 11-9 lead in the second set, but three straight kills by Ennist, Caroline Lang and Lauryn Bowie changed the direction of the frame. The Cavaliers would not trail again
- In the third, the Black and Gold got four kills from McCall over an eight-point stretch to pull within 24-22, but could get no closer
NOTABLE
Saturday's announced attendance of 1,677 smashed the 17-year-old program record of 1,367, set during the 2009 season.
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NEXT UP
VCU will head to the West Virginia Invitational Sept. 10-11, where they will face the host Mountaineers on Thursday, and Toledo on Friday.
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