Tech closes ACC road swing at Notre Dame, Louisville

Hokies will have their first rematches of the season

November 9, 2017

Game Notes

BLACKSBURG – Hitting the road for the final time this fall, the Virginia Tech volleyball team will take on Notre Dame on Friday at 7 p.m. ET and Louisville on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Hokies (9-16, 3-11 ACC) will clash against two teams that they have already played this year, a first in 2017. The Fighting Irish (17-8, 7-7 ACC) have been on the losing end recently, dropping three of their last four matches, while the Cardinals (18-6, 12-2 ACC) are tied for first-place in the league.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 7 p.m. ET vs. Notre Dame | Stats | Stream
Sun. | 2 p.m. ET vs. Louisville | Stats | Stream

Both of Tech’s two matches will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. You can watch the action on your computer or on your phone via the WatchESPN app.

The last time out, the Hokies went 1-1 in league play to close the seventh week of ACC competition. Tech hosted Georgia Tech and Clemson, and lost to the Yellow Jackets, 3-0, and defeated the Tigers, 3-1, for its first win on a Sunday in 2017.

The Hokies were paced by middle blocker Stacey Christy, outside hitter Kaity Smith and right side hitter Jaila Tolbert, who combined for 36 of the team’s 50 kills against the Tigers (7-19, 2-12 ACC), while defensively Tech held Clemson to a .108 hitting clip.

Tolbert hit north of .400 for the 10th time this fall, hitting an even .500 while registering 12 kills, three blocks and two digs. The junior has cracked the 10-kill plateau nine times out of her last 10 matches.

Outside hitter Melody Caloyannides followed the best match of her career Friday night against Georgia Tech with another career best performance, tying a career-high four kills and setting a new career best in digs with 11, while stopping two attacks at the net for another career high.

Christy recorded nine kills, with only two errors, on 15 attacks to hit .467 – her second-highest in ACC play. The Maryland native also swatted a team-high four attacks, marking her third-straight match of leading the team in blocks.

Tech is third in the league for opponent digs, owning a 12.79 average per set. Redshirt junior Rhegan Mitchell is fifth among all ACC players in total assists with 913. Libero Carol Raffety is fifth in the league with 357 digs, averaging 3.80 per set.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

NOTRE DAME

• The Irish enter the weekend with a 17-8 overall record and are 7-7 in ACC play. Notre Dame was in The Tar Heel State this past weekend, splitting its two matches against Duke (L, 3-1) and Wake Forest (W, 3-2).

• Notre Dame’s 39.85 attacks per set ranks seventh nationally and it also checks in at No. 10 in the country in digs per set with 18.16. Sophomore Jemma Yeadon is second in the nation in attacks per set with 13.56, while teammate Ryann DeJarld is fourth in the land in digs per set with 6.12.

• Jim McLaughlin, who claims over 600 wins in his coaching career, is in his third year in South Bend. McLaughlin is the only person to coach both a women’s and a men’s volleyball team to NCAA titles. He is a former women’s volleyball national coach of the year at the University of Washington.

• In nine meetings, Notre Dame leads the all-time series slightly at 5-4. Earlier this year, the Irish picked up a 3-1 win over the Hokies inside Cassell Coliseum.

LOUISVILLE

• The Cardinals, who boast the best RPI in the ACC (22), enter Week 12 of the season with an 18-6 overall record and 12-2 reading in conference play. Louisville also played in the state of North Carolina, defeating Wake Forest, 3-0, and Duke, 3-2, to stay atop the ACC standings.

• Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly is in her first year in Louisville, just like three other coaches who are breaking in their rookie campaigns in the ACC – Clemson’s Michaela Franklin, Virginia’s Aaron Smith and Tech’s Wilson. Busboom Kelly came from Nebraska where she was the top assistant.

• Led by Wilma Rivera, who owns a team-high 929 assists, the Cardinals have been on a roll as of late winning 11 of their last 12 matches. The junior setter from Puerto Rico racked up 85 assists this past weekend, along with eight kills on a .471 hitting percentage and 40 digs.

• The all-time series stands at 22-3 in Louisville’s favor. UofL has won nine in a row, dating all the way back to 1992. The Cardinals won the last matchup in Blacksburg, 3-1, on Oct. 6.

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