- Hoos And Hooves Polo Tailgate at King Family Vineyards - Sept. 14
The Virginia volleyball team debuted in the John Paul Jones Arena in 2023 with a thrilling 5-set win against Virginia Tech in front of a program record 3,162 fans. This season, the Hoos will be in the building a lot more often.
UVA announced this week that five volleyball matches will take place at the JPJ. That includes appearances in September, October, and November. The Cavaliers face California and Stanford at home on Saturday, Sept. 27 and Sunday, Sept. 28 respectively. The Hoos bring the Hokies back to JPJ on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Finally in the latter part of the season, Virginia hosts NC State and Wake Forest on Friday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 23 respectively at the arena. To watch matches at the JPJ, purchase either single-game general admission tickets for $9 or JPJ volleyball season passes for $33. Parking is free.
“Playing five matches in John Paul Jones Arena this season is a milestone for Virginia Volleyball, the most we’ve ever had in one season in this amazing venue. JPJ’s energy is electric and every match there feels like something bigger than the game,” Virginia coach Shannon Wells said in a news release. “As we fight for an NCAA Tournament berth, these matches against some of the best teams in the ACC will be about proving who we are on the national stage. We are very excited for our season to begin and can’t wait for the Charlottesville community to support us at JPJ!”
The rest of the UVA’s home matches will take place at the Aquatic and Fitness Center this season and admission is free. That’s the temporary match home for the Hoos as Memorial Gym undergoes renovations and is closed until next year. They’re practicing at North Grounds.
Even with the relocation for the year, Virginia hopes to keep its momentum going under Wells. The Cavaliers finished 21-11 last season, posting the program’s most wins in a season since 2006. They also finished above .500 in the ACC for the first time since 2014 with an 11-9 mark in league play.
Nine players return from that team with four transfers and three freshmen joining the program. Virginia did lose Abby Tadder, Brooklyn Borum, Milan Gomillion, Elayna Duprey, Heyli Velasquez, and Ashley Le as significant contributors, though, so there is a bit of a reset happening in 2025.
“I really like this group,” Wells said in this Jeff White VirginiaSports.com article. “They’re super competitive, and super talented, and so I think we have a chance. For us it’ll be all about how we handle obstacles and how resilient, how tough we can be, because we just don’t have the experience.”
If the Cavaliers can sustain some of the momentum gained last season and harness the excitement of multiple matches at JPJ this season, it will be a big boost for a program trying to raise its own ceiling. Virginia made its only two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998 and 1998 under Melissa Aldrich Shelton.
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