Tech falls in four sets to Boston College

1234F
Virginia Tech (8-15) 251419231
Boston College (6-16) 182525253
  • Power Gym - 287

Box Score (PDF)

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – On the final day of its trip to the Northeast, the Virginia Tech volleyball team was defeated, 3-1, by Boston College inside Power Gym Sunday afternoon.

Tech (8-15, 2-10 ACC) blocked a season-high 12 attacks against the Eagles (6-16, 3-9 ACC) and three players racked up over 10-plus digs in Rhegan Mitchell (14), Kaity Smith (13) and Carol Raffety (13).

The Hokies got out of the gate hot, leading 13-8 to cause a Boston College timeout. After the pause in play, the Eagles responded with a 4-0 run, however, Smith got a kill to stop the run and freshman Kai Young and co. blocked four in a row to push Tech’s lead to 21-14. The Hokies would go on to win the opening set 25-18.

With the score knotted at 8-8 to begin the second frame, the Eagles would go on a 7-4 run bringing the score to 15-12 at the media timeout. From that point forward, BC scored 10 of the next 12 points to take the stanza 25-14.

Just like the second set, play began with scored tied at eight. The two teams would go back and forth leading up to the media timeout, before BC gained a slim lead at 15-13. Out of the break, the Eagles scored five of the next six points to force a Tech timeout. Head coach Jill Wilson’s team rallied back and cut the deficit to three after a 4-0 run, but BC finished on a run of its own to claim the third frame 25-19.

In the final stanza, the Hokies got out to a 7-4 lead after a Kelly Esch kill – her first since Sept. 16. Tech would keep its three-point lead all the way up to 19-16, before the Eagles scored three unanswered to tie it all up at 19, forcing a Tech timeout. After numerous rallies and a couple ties to end the set, BC edged Tech by two to win it 25-23 and the match.

NOTES

- Mitchell, a setter, once again brought it on the defensive end, tying a season-high 14 digs and two blocks, while dishing out 32 assists. The redshirt junior has owned six or more digs in her last eight matches, and posted her seventh double-double of the season.

- Raffety registered her 15th-straight match of 10-plus digs, scooping up 13. The California native also chipped in four assists. She has racked up 22 assists over her last five matches at the libero position.

- Right side hitter Jaila Tolbert filled the stat sheet today, recording 12 kills, four blocks and an assist, while tying a season-high four digs. Tolbert has cracked the 10-kill plateau seven times out of her last eight matches.

- Smith pounded down a team-high 14 kills and had 13 digs, posting the fourth double-double of her career. The Kentucky native also registered three blocks to set a new career high.

- Young played arguably her best performance of the season, setting two career highs in kills (7) and blocks (7). The North Carolina native has had a knack for swats at the net recently, standing tall for 16 blocks her last five matches.

STAT OF THE MATCH

- For the first time in 2017, the Hokies racked up a season-high 12 blocks, topping the previous mark set twice of 11 versus Ole Miss and Milwaukee.

TWEET OF THE DAY

WHAT IS NEXT

The Hokies will head back to Blacksburg to host Georgia Tech (11-12, 6-6 ACC) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET and Clemson (7-17, 2-10 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m.

For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter and on Instagram @vthokievolleyball Instagram

HokieSports Shop