VCU SWEEPS UNC WILMINGTON TO CAPTURE FIRST CAA REGULAR SEASON CROWN
11-15-09
Box Score

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Freshman phenom Michala Kvapilova (Liberec, Czech Republic) provided 16 kills and Virginia Commonwealth University clinched its first Colonial Athletic Association regular season title with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-19, 25-14) win over UNC Wilmington Sunday at Hanover Hall.

With the victory, VCU earned the right to host the CAA Tournament Nov. 23-24 at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The Rams have never played host to the CAA’s championship event.

VCU has won nine straight matches to improve to 24-8 and 12-2 in league play. It’s the school’s longest winning streak since a nine-game stretch to start the 2000 season. The Rams’ 24 victories are tied for the program’s most since 1985. The Black and Gold has defeated UNCW on 11 straight occasions, dating back to the 2004 season.

“It’s awesome,” VCU Head Coach James Finley said. “The girls were giddy and excited. It’s a really great feeling to put it together this season. We had to win nine in a row to get to this point, so for the girls to come out and be consistent night after night, that’s been really fun for me.”

With Delaware nipping at its heels, VCU needed to top both Georgia State and UNCW to stay atop the league. They did so with little trouble, sweeping to a pair of wins.

“I didn’t want there to be apathy,” Finley said. “I wanted them to know that they hadn’t accomplished anything yet. I told them, until we get this done, we haven’t won anything. They showed me today that they understood.”

On Sunday, the Seahawks (13-18, 3-11 CAA) had no answer for Kvapilova, who hit .407 in the match and also recorded eight digs and three blocks. Kvapilova started quietly, registering three kills in the opening set. However, she turned up the heat in the second and third, blasting six and seven, respectively.

Fellow freshman Marisa Low (Carlsbad, Calif.) booked 16 digs for the Rams, while senior Ivana Rich (Cumberland, Va.) was credited with eight kills, four blocks and a .438 hitting percentage.

VCU hit .303 in the match, while UNCW recorded a .050 mark. The Black and Gold also collected six blocks and five aces. The Rams recorded 20 more digs than their opponent, nearly seven more per set. VCU trailed just once all day.