Audrey Ross notched a season-high 21 kills against Virginia Tech. (Itzel Morales / Heights Staff)
Athletes strive to be the best player on their team. For Audrey Ross, that isn’t a goal, though. It’s been the case so far this season, as Boston College volleyball’s captain has repeatedly dominated the scoresheet and lifted her team to wins.
That was no different in Sunday’s game against Virginia Tech, when Ross set a new season high of 21 kills.
But the outcome of the game served as an example of how such a play style can be dangerous. Virginia Tech (9–6, 1–3 Atlantic Coast) eventually adjusted to counter Ross, and the Eagles (12–4, 1–3) struggled to put together kills, leading to a 3–2 loss for BC.
Following Friday’s 3–0 win against UVA, BC went into the matchup hoping for another ACC win. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, entered the game hoping to win its first ACC game in nearly a year.
The Hokies opened the first game strong in their home gym thanks to two big kills from Payton Woods and one from Adeline Hundl.
Those kills set the tone for the set, as Virginia Tech’s placement remained just out of the Eagles’ reach time and time again, forcing several free balls and allowing the Hokies to set up even more attacks.
Things were going well for the Hokies until Ross kicked BC into gear with a cross-court kill followed by an ace to give BC a 20–19 lead. The Hokies took that lead right back, though, bringing the score to 21–20, forcing BC head coach Jason Kennedy to call a timeout.
That seemed to be the right move, as the Eagles came out swinging noticeably harder, getting up to set point at 24–22. But BC’s failure to close the match there was its ultimate failure, as errors from both sides stretched the game on until the Hokies ultimately won 30–28.
Set two looked like a completely different game, with BC taking every offensive opportunity it saw, dominating Virginia Tech’s defense by forcing service and hitting errors.
Virginia Tech woke up slightly during the second half of the set, specifically due to the offensive efforts of Woods. But after going down 20–9, the Hokies were unable to come back as BC won the set 25–14.
The Hokies came back in the third set, going back and forth with the Eagles before tying the game 12–12. BC kept the pressure on offensively, but Virginia Tech had taken notice of some major hitters and began putting up blocks to try to counter Ross.
BC’s attempt to challenge a play failed, giving the Hokies momentum. They pushed BC point-for-point in the final stretch of the game, taking a 24–23 lead for set point.
Virginia Tech had four tries at set point to try and finish it, but BC kept pushing. In the end, though, it was an attack error by Ross that gave the game to the Hokies 28–26.
BC came out strong once more in the fourth set, quickly picking up four points until prime ball placement from Woods brought Virginia Tech back into it.
Missed serves continued to plague Virginia Tech throughout the set, with the Hokies racking up 12 by that point. That gave BC the ability to keep pushing and Ross the chance to bring her game total to 21 kills.
But errors on the net plagued the Eagles, ensuring the Hokies were never more than a point or two behind BC.
The Hokies finally took the lead with a cross-court shot from Hundl, putting them up for the first time all game. From there, they continued making offensive strides, pushing them within five points of their first ACC win this season.
With Ross stuck in the back row, the Eagles needed other offensive players to step up. Despite kills from Anna Herrington and Danica Rach to tie the game, Virginia Tech’s defense seemed to know what to expect.
An attempt from Ross was the Eagles’ last hope, but the well-adjusted Virginia Tech defense countered with a block, propelling the Hokies to a win.