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Hi Hokie fans!

What a great weekend of VT Volleyball! We finished the weekend with two wins over Miami on Friday night, and #18 FSU on Saturday night. Both games went to 4 sets, and anyone that attended the games could tell you that the competitive atmosphere was very different this weekend.

During practice last week we worked on preparing for Miami’s offense. We also worked on serving tough and under pressure because we knew that serving was going to be a huge part of this weekend. We also worked a lot on being more competitive and challenging one another to perform at our very best. Our coaches really pushed us to perform at the highest level, and put us in pressure situations, in which we could either play tentatively or rise to the occasion.

We set out for our first challenge of the weekend on Friday night against Miami. We were ready and we were not going to take anything less of a win for an answer. After winning the first two sets, we went into our locker room energized about the game. We knew they weren’t going to give up though. We lost the third game, but quickly put that behind us. We came out in the fourth set hungry for a victory, with a mental toughness and focus I hadn’t seen in a while from this team. Nothing was going to get in our way as we took the fourth set from Miami.

With the win over Miami under our belt, we were ready for FSU. Yes we were physically ready, but more importantly mentally. I have never seen a more focused and energized team. Before the game everyone was doing their own thing to get focused. Some people were listening to music, some yelling and cheering, and some people were just taking a quiet moment before stepping out on the court. After winning the first set, we were even more confident in our abilities. We then lost the second set, and going into our locker room we knew that it was going to be a tough, yet fun, battle. We won the third game. And then the fourth. Throughout the whole match, we made the little plays, went for every ball, cheered like we’ve never cheered before. I’ve played on this team for four years, and I think the other seniors would agree with me when I say that this was one of the most exhilarating games we have ever played.

This is the second time in program history that we have beaten a ranked team; the first time was my freshman year (2010) when we beat FSU in 5 sets. As seniors, Sam, Allison, and I, have waited four years to beat both Miami and FSU in a weekend, and finally all our hard work has paid off! We are looking forward to the rest of our season as we take on #15/26 UNC and NC State at their gyms this weekend. We now know what we are capable of, and the expectation is even higher. And we are ready to rise to the occasion. Wish us luck!

VTVB #14

Tori Hamsher

For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_VBall).