Collegiate Times

sports in brief 9.16

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL NABS TRIO OF WINS

The Virginia Tech women's volleyball team won three matches over the weekend in the Arkansas Invitational to take home its second tournament championship of the season.

Tech played its first game of the tournament on Friday, defeating University of Tennessee-Martin in straight sets, 25-21, 25-23, 25-16.

Despite the apparent easy victory, the match was tight throughout. The Hokies needed rallies in the second and third sets in order to secure the match.

The Hokies won twice on Saturday, with their first win coming against Lamar: 25-16, 25-17, 18-25, 23-25, 15-13. Tech cruised in the early portion of the match, going up by two sets, but Lamar battled back to tie the match. They were able to force a fifth and deciding set before ultimately losing the match to the Hokies.

In its last match of the tournament, Tech defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference in five sets, 25-23, 19-25, 25-16, 19-25, 15-7.

The teams traded sets and the match went to a fifth set, but Tech went on a run after going down 4-1 early to win the final set and clinch the tournament championship.

Sophomore middle blocker Felicia Willoughby was named the tournament's most valuable player and junior Jill Gergen and freshman Justine Record made the all-tournament team.

The Hokies will travel again this weekend to Wilmington, N.C., to participate in another tournament before opening conference play at home against UVa on Sept. 23 at Cassell Coliseum.

--Joe Crandley

BLUE DEVILS AND RED STORM TOP MEN'S SOCCER

Tech's No. 22 men's soccer team lost to Duke, 3-1, on Friday night at home and to No. 11 St. John's, 3-0, Sunday night in Queens, N.Y.

Freshman defender Tobias Hottner scored his first goal of the season early in the second half of Friday night's match versus Duke. It proved insufficient, however, as Blue Devil senior midfielder Mike Grella scored two unanswered goals to cap the game. In the win, Duke out-shot the Hokies 19-6. It was the first in-conference match of the season for the Hokies.

"There was a complete lack of determination during several parts of the game," said head coach Oliver Weiss. "We showed a little fight and tied the game early in the second half. After we allowed the second goal though it was like we had nothing left in the tank."

Sunday night's match at St. John's saw the Hokies get shut out for the first time this season. Junior goalkeeper Brendan Dunn made two saves in 81 minutes of play before he was relieved by Stefan Caulfield. The junior recorded one save against the Red Storm. Freshman forward Emmanuel Akogyeram led the Hokies' offense with two shots.

Tech will wait five days until heading to Clemson for a conference meeting with the Tigers. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

-- Ed Lupien

MEN'S TENNIS PLAYS AT UVA

The Virginia Tech men's tennis team played in a tournament hosted by ACC rival Virginia.

The UVa Invitational had featured Hokies with the doubles-A pair of sophomore Sebastien Jacques and junior Yoann Re and the doubles-B pair composed of freshman duo Patrick Daciek and Zachary Pine.

Jacques and Re pulled off several upsets throughout the tournament, defeating the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds and advancing to the final on Sunday.

They fell just short of victory when they lost 9-8 to the top-seeded pair, Virginia's Barrick/Singh.

Daciek/Pine also fared well in the tournament, reaching the doubles-B consolation final and eventually losing to the pair of Robinson/Smith from James Madison.

The pair of freshmen lost its consolation match, 8-5. Representing the Hokies in the singles event was junior Eduardo Pinto. Pinto was strong all weekend and on Sunday competed in the singles consolation match.

He topped Andy Erickson from George Washington 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the victory. Also, junior Preston Lemon made it to the preliminary consolation final but eventually lost that match.

The team reportedly plans to split up next weekend, sending players to the Southern Intercollegiates in Athens, Ga., and the Steve Baras Collegiate Invitational in Chattanooga, Tenn.

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