BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech volleyball team squared off against rival Virginia, going to five sets, but the Cavaliers were able to rally past the Hokies as Tech fell 3-2 (25-12, 25-17, 22-25, 18-25, 16-18) on Sunday afternoon in ACC action at Cassell Coliseum.

"It was a great match, but we came up short," said head coach Chris Riley. "This is a terrific rivalry and we are looking forward to playing them again soon."

Kathryn Caine knocked down 16 kills, hitting .652 on the attack. Kennedy Bryan added 13 kills and Lindsey Owens posted 11. Owens also tallied 11 digs to record her ninth double-double of the season. Jordan Fish put up 27 assists and Kyra Coundourides notched 21.

Megan Beckwith had her second consecutive 20+ dig match with 21 to defend the backcourt. At the net, LaTasha Samson-Akpan had six blocks and Ashley Battle recorded four.

In the opening set, the Hokie took control early and were up 15-8 just past the midpoint. UVA closed it to four at 16-12, but Virginia Tech answered in decisive fashion, closing out the set with a 9-0 run to roll to the 25-12 win and go up 1-0 in the match.

The two teams traded points early in the second set and were tied at nine before the Hokies broke open the scoring with an 8-2 run to go up 17-11 off a block from Caine and Samson-Akpan. The Cavaliers looked to make a run late, cutting it down to three at 20-17. Tech again finished out a set strong, closing with the 5-0 run to claim it 25-17 and take a 2-0 lead into the break.

The third set was back-and-forth between UVA and Tech with 14 ties. After being tied at 17, Virginia Tech pulled into the lead, going up 20-17 of the Samson-Akpan block. Virginia countered, scoring four straight to pull ahead 21-20. The teams again tied it up and were knotted at 22, but this time it was UVA’s turn to close out the set, winning 25-22.

Virginia Tech and Virginia were tied midway through the set, but the ‘Hoos pulled ahead to go on top 18-15. The Hokies struggled to get anything going on the offensive side, scoring just three more points on the offensive side as the Cavaliers took the set 25-18.

Virginia took an early lead in the final set and was up 5-3, but the Hokies responded with a 6-1 run to go on top 9-6. UVA chipped away at the lead, tying it up at 12. The Hokies got to match point at 14-13, but the ‘Hoos kept it alive, scoring on the next rally to tie it back up. Virginia Tech and UVA were knotted again at 16, but a pair of Tech errors gave the points to the Cavaliers to win the set 18-16 and the match 3-2.

Natalie Bausback led Virginia with 13 kills. Tori Janowski add 12 kills and posted 10 digs. Lauren Fuller put up 48 assists. On the defensive side, the ‘Hoos were led by Karlie Suber and Manon Fuller with 11 each. Jasmine Burton and Bausback each had three blocks.

This game was sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics. With a victory today from UVa Women’s Volleyball, they have added half a point for their school to the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash. The score for the Clash is now, University of Virginia 1.5 and Virginia Tech 0. Learn more about Virginia529 and this new competition at thecommonwealthclash.com.

The Hokies will be back on the court on Friday, Oct. 16 at Miami in a 7 p.m. match. Tech will remain in Florida to face Florida State on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.

For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall