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26 CAVALIER CORNER BY TYLER BRAIN T he road has been long and winding for the most recent fourth-year class of Virginia volleyball. From Snapchat streaks and awkward hellos at national club tournaments during the recruiting process to one of the most successful seasons in the program's history, the trio of Brooklyn Borum, Ashley Le and Abby Tadder, with the transfer addition of Milan Gomillion, have been at the heart of the rebuild every step of the way. "I am just really proud of this group," UVA head coach Shannon Wells said. "They came here to leave a legacy and turn this program around. I think it is one thing to say it, but something different to put in the effort and change behaviors, invest the way they did from Day 1 in our coaching staff and what we believe in. I am proud of them." When asked why the quartet chose Vir- ginia, the four non-Virginia natives touted UVA's academic prestige and the daily chance to be surrounded by Olympians, but the word "rebuild" also came up. "I just wanted to come and try to rebuild a program that feels like family," Borum said. After they signed up to be Cavaliers in the fall of 2020, the rebuild they envisioned took a turn a few short months later when Wells, who was a longtime assistant at Florida, was tabbed as the next head coach to lead the volleyball program. Wells understood from the very beginning why this group of athletes wanted to come to Grounds. "They were a group that won," Wells said. "Everywhere they had been, they came from great clubs and they knew how to do it. Maybe not at this level, but they were a group of winners and I could see why they wanted to come here and leave a legacy and something different for themselves." Despite the change in coaches, the ex- citement about the Wells era of Virginia vol- leyball appeared early and it started with a series of video calls. "I think we had a Zoom call with the peo- ple on the team and then also individually," Tadder said. "She just kind of seemed super positive and excited." The signature Wells positivity and excite- ment were even on display a few years later when Gomillion decided to transfer from Maryland to Virginia in the summer of 2023. "When I came on my first visit, you could see how detail-oriented she is just based off the conversations that I had with her," Gomillion said. "You could tell how badly she wanted it and how badly she wanted to win." By the time Gomillion stepped foot on Grounds, the trio of Borum, Le and Tadder had already spent a significant time playing together for the Cavaliers. In 2021, Borum was named to the ACC's All-Freshman team, while Le led the squad in assists and Tadder finished with the second-most blocks on the squad. "They were very young," Wells said. "You look at Ashley, Abby and Brooklyn and they've all played since their first year here at UVA. They kind of set themselves apart from the very beginning as people who came here with high skill and high experi- ence. To be able to play as first-years in the ACC is always really impressive." One year later, in 2022, the group ranked near the top in every statistical category for the Hoos. When Gomillion finally arrived in Char- lottesville after two impressive seasons at Maryland to round out the class, she fit right in with the rest of the Cavaliers by leading the team in digs during the 2023 campaign. That 2023 season also saw Tadder ascend to the top of the kills and hitting percentage leader- boards for UVA, while Le once again led the team in assists. Borum showed growth too by finishing third on the team in kills. The stats and win-loss records are easily calculable from the outside, but what is not is all the hard work behind the scenes that this group put in to go from just eight wins in 2021 to the first 20-win season (21-10) in nearly two decades in 2024. "I think it started in January, in the spring, after the season's end. We know what is expected and how much harder we have A SPECIAL A SPECIAL CLASS CLASS UVA Volleyball's Fourth-Years Have Made Their Mark In Rebuilding The Program Brooklyn Borum and the rest of the fourth-year class helped lead Virginia to its first 20-win season (21-10) in nearly two decades in 2024. (Photo courtesy UVA)