WISE – In the final match of the 2023 season, UVA Wise volleyball lost an intense, four-set match to the Catawba Indians 25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 25-22.
Freshman right side hitter Serina Petersen had the best night of her young career to cap off the season. She finished with a career-high in both kills and blocks with 10 and eight respectively.
The Cavs fell behind early in the match, trailing two sets to none after dropping the first two frames.
Catawba utilized a 4-0 run late in the first set to take a 21-16 lead. The Indians would end the set with kills on three consecutive points, two of which came from junior right side hitter Jordan Danielson.
In the second set, Catawba went on the biggest run of the night, rattling off 11 straight points after trailing 14-13 to take a 24-14 lead. With set point staring them in the face, UVA Wise converted on three consecutive points to put up a good fight, but ultimately lost the set 25-17.
The third set was by far the most competitive of the whole night. Reminiscent of a boxing match, the two teams traded blows the entire set and found themselves all square at 20-20 with the decision hanging in the balance.
UVA Wise, not wanting to end the season just yet and perhaps fired up from a questionable back row attack call, exploded for five straight points to push the match to a pivotal fourth set.
In the fourth, UVA Wise jumped out to an early 6-2 lead with six consecutive points after falling behind 2-0. Catawba responded and clawed its way back to retake the lead at 16-15. From there, the Indians would outscore the Cavs 9-7 and win a very intense final set.
Catawba's season continues as the Indians are firmly in the postseason picture of the SAC tournament which begins Monday, Nov. 13.
For UVA Wise, the 2023 season is one that ends in disappointment. In a year full of "what if's", the Cavs got significantly better from their first season under head coach Alyssa Hanley.
Junior outside hitter Kaylee Scarce was one of the best hitters in the conference, ranking among the best in the SAC all season long in kills categories. Senior middle hitter Cassidy Farley was the conference's best blocker on the year at 1.3 blocks per set which also ranked 12th in NCAA Division II.
Along with Petersen, freshmen Abigail Curtis and Riley Brandon made significant contributions in their collegiate opening campaign. Curtis finished the year third on the team with 289 digs. Brandon was versatile for the Cavs, playing all over the floor and ending the year third on the team with 136 kills.
The setter combination of sophomore Piper Suddeth and junior Lily Gutierrez was vastly impressive this season. The two combined for 883 assists and were stellar in service for the Cavs, totaling 57 aces on the season.
The Cavs can look forward to a productive season on the back row next year as well. This year, sophomore Kamryn Livingston led the team with 368 digs while Scarce added 330, Curtis had 294, Suddeth tallied 225, and Gutierrez finished with 158.
Looking at the win-loss total from last season to this season, it might be hard to recognize the Cavs improvement, but a closer look at the numbers shows just how much better they got in year two under Hanley.
In year one, UVA Wise finished ranked 12th or 13th in the SAC in every major statistical category. This season, the Cavs will finish no worse than 10th in any category, which includes being one of the top five defensive teams in the conference in both digs per set and blocks per set. UVA Wise also finishes the year as one of the best passing teams in the league, ending the season with a total of 117 serve receive errors, the fewest of any teams in the SAC.
With almost every player on the roster scheduled to return for the Cavs next season, the future is bright for volleyball at UVA Wise.
