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| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Virginia Tech (2-2) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
 VCU (1-3) | 19 | 18 | 17 | 0 |
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ATHENS, Ohio – The Virginia Tech volleyball team rolled past VCU, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-17) on Friday afternoon in the opening match of the 2014 Baymont Inn & Suites Invitational hosted by Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.
Kathryn Caine led the Hokies (2-2) with seven kills while hitting .417 on the attack. Lindsey Owens added six kills, knocking down .545 on the attack while Amanda McKinzie also knocked down six kills. Jordan Fish and Kyra Coundourides put up 15 and 13 assists, respectively.
Defensively, Megan Beckwith and Fish each tallied seven digs. Owens along with LaTasha Samson-Akpan put recorded two blocks each.
Tech hit .324 as a team while holding the Rams to just .173.
The Hokies got out to the early lead in the opening set and were up 14-8 just past the midway point. Tech took its largest lead of the set at 18-10 off a Rams’ error. VCU looked to make a late run, cutting it down to five at 24-19, but a VCU serving error gave the Hokies the point needed to win the opening set.
In the second set, the two teams kept it close early and were tied at 7-7, but the Hokies broke it open with a 9-3 run to go up 16-10 off a kill from Caine. The Rams cut it down to a four-point difference, 17-13 a few rallies later, but the Hokies answered, scoring three straight to go up 20-13 off an ace from LaTasha Samson-Akpan. VCU got no closer than five the rest of the way as Tech rolled to the 25-18 win.
Virginia Tech and VCU were tied at 9-9 early in the third set before the Hokies went on a 7-0 run to take the 16-9 lead off a kill from Katie Krueger. The Rams respond, pulling within three at 18-15, but Tech scored the next three including back-to-back aces by McKinzie to extend the lead 21-15. Virginia Tech allowed just two more points from the Rams as the Hokies took the set 25-17, winning the match.
Kalah Jones tallied eight kills for the Rams and Janelle Sykes posted six kills. Cecilia Aragao notched 18 assists.
The Hokies will return to the court on Saturday at 10 a.m. against Texas A&M before taking on host team Ohio in the 7 p.m. match.
For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall
