Collegiate Times

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Virginia Tech’s volleyball team managed to take two out of three contests at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic this weekend at the University of Tennessee.

The Hokies completed a 3-0 sweep of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Lady Mocs in the first round of the tournament and followed it up with a tough 3-2 victory over Xavier.

However, the No. 19 Tennessee Lady Vols were too much for Tech in the championship match as the hosts strolled to their third consecutive sweep of the tournament, 25-18, 25-17 and 25-21.

“Tennessee put us on the defensive the entire match,” said Chris Riley, Hokies head coach. “They are humongous and aggressive. I think we were a little overmatched. We’re a good team, and we’ll be at that level quickly.”

In the Hokies’ match against Chattanooga, the team’s .356 hitting percentage was its best since Sept. 9, 2009, while they managed to hold the Lady Mocs to a dismal .142.

Junior setter Erin Leaser led the blocking attack with a career-high six block assists.

“I think our team did really well on offense, first off with kills and transition,” Leaser said.

The first set was rather close with 13 ties and four lead changes. The Lady Mocs jumped out to an early 7-4 lead, but the Hokies quickly tied it up at 7-7. The match held a one-point spread over the next several plays, until the Lady Mocs ran out to their largest lead of 22-17. Tech then won five points in a row and eventually prevailed in the set 28-26.

The Hokies maintained that momentum into the second set, as they cruised to a 25-19 win.

The Hokies were dominant in the third set as they quickly got out to a 9-1 lead. They didn’t let up, going on to win 25-10. All-American Felicia Willoughby led the team with 10 kills and added five block assists.

The Hokies second match against the Xavier Musketeers was far more challenging. The Musketeers took control in the first, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead. They never looked back, going on to take the first set 25-19.

Tech led throughout the entire second set in order to tie the match 1-1 with a 25-19 victory of its own.

The third set started out in a dead heat, with six ties in the first 22 plays. However, the Hokies eventually pulled away and went on to win the set 25-18.

The fourth set was the most exciting, with 11 ties and three lead changes. The deadlocks included 10-10, 15-15 and 21-21. The Musketeers were on the cusp of winning the set at 24-22, but a kill by Hokies outside hitter Justine Record followed by a bad set by Musketeer Stephanie Vorherr tied things up at 24-24.

However, the Musketeers stormed right back with their 14th kill of the set, and a crucial attack error by Willoughby gave them the 26-24 win.

With the match tied, the Hokies ultimately won the overtime set 15-10.

“I think as a team, we need to focus on communication more,” said Cara Baarendse, sophomore middle blocker. “Our front row needs to communicate better with our back row and we need to play more together as a team.”

In the final tournament match, the Lady Vols had too much firepower for the Hokies, as they swept Tech. The Hokies only led at one point throughout the entire match, 6-4 in the second set.

Leaser was a bright spot for the Hokies, recording her second double-double of the day.

“They have huge hitters so our blocking was a little out of sync in that game,” Leaser said. “They have a fast offense and they served very aggressively so we struggled on defense.”

Following the match, Tennessee announced the Comcast Lady Vol Classic All-Tournament team. Baarendse and Willoughby represented the Hokies.

“I expect to win every tournament, so that doesn’t change. I think our kids are disappointed with the way we played against Tennessee, not the loss, just the way they played,” Riley said. “I think they are looking forward to playing someone else. To get it out and put it on someone else.”

Tech returns to action this weekend to host Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville State and Long Island in the fifth annual Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational held in Cassell Coliseum on Sept. 3-4.

A version of this article appeared in the Sep 1 issue of the Collegiate Times.