1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia (3-12) | 24 | 15 | 21 | 0 |
Virginia Tech (7-8) | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech volleyball team saw five different players post five or more kills and held in-state foe Virginia to a .190 attack percentage as the Hokies topped the Cavaliers, 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-21), in front of 1,741 at Virginia Tech Carilion Court on Friday evening.
Senior Lindsey Owens hit .412 (9-2-17) with 13 digs and classmate Amanda McKinzie tallied a team-high 10 kills for Tech (7-8, 2-2 ACC). Freshman Carol Raffety held down the back row with 14 digs and two service aces while sophomore Kelly Esch racked up seven kills and three blocks off the bench. Friday marked the first of two meetings between the two programs this season in the Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529.
Tech jumped out to a 7-2 lead after an ace from Owens but the Hoos chipped away at the deficit and stayed close before knotting the score up at 24-24. Looking to take the first, McKinzie put the Hokies ahead, 25-24, and sophomore Jaila Tolbert followed with her first kill of the set that gave Tech a 1-0 lead.
The second frame saw no ties or lead changes as the Hokies led wire-to-wire. Tech saw even distribution offensively and Raffety notched both of her aces in the second game. The Hokies closed the second on a 4-1 run capped off by an ace from McKinzie that put Tech ahead 2-0 heading into the break.
With the score tied at 15-15 in the third, the Hokies created some separation on an error in service and a kill from Owens that made it 17-15. The Cavaliers would cut the deficit late to one, 22-21, but the Hokies rattled off three-straight to clinch the match.
Tech hits the road next week for its first ACC matches of the season away from Cassell Coliseum. They will first face Wake Forest at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 before taking on Duke on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.
MATCH NOTES
- The Hokies have now won three of its last four meetings with Virginia.
- Tech improves to 6-3 at Cassell Coliseum this season with the win.
- Riddled by injuries entering ACC play, Tech placed an emphasis on defense and serve receiving. It was on display on Friday evening against the Hoos as the Hokies out-dug UVA (45-25) and held them to a .180 attack percentage.
- Esch has now posted three or more blocks in her last three outings.
- After tallying five blocks this evening, junior Cara Cunningham has now tallied five or more rejections in the last three games and in seven of her 13 matches played this season.
- McKinzie currently sits at 995 digs for her career, five short of 1,000.
- Owens moved into the top five in program history with 1,292 kills after tallying nine this evening. Her 1,129 career digs ranks 11th in in the program record book.
For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall and on Instagram @vthokievolleyball