Collegiate Times

Justine Record (#7) bumps the ball.

The Virginia Tech volleyball team welcomed several teams to Blacksburg as part of the Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational at Cassell Coliseum, posting a 3-0 tournament record, defeating Virginia, Chattanooga and Connecticut over the weekend.

On the court, the Hokies got down to business, as they got their second tournament sweep of the season.

Tech (8-4, 1-0) went to work on Friday night in the charged atmosphere of Cassell and opened up conference play, knocking off U Va. 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15). 

During the match, several players posted double-digit kills, including sophomore Victoria Hamsher and senior Justine Record.

They each claimed 10 kills, while junior Cara Baarendse had a season first double-double, racking up 13 kills and 16 digs.

Hamsher recalled the electricity of the Friday night match against in-state rival U Va.

“It was a really great environment,” Hamsher said. “Everyone was here. It was an awesome first match.”

It wasn’t long before the Hokies were back in action on Saturday morning against Chattanooga. 

Tech showed no signs of fatigue as they handled the Mocs, taking the match 3-1 (25-15, 25-17, 20-25, 25-15).

Tech’s players improved on the previous night’s stats, as Hamsher and junior Morgan O’Neill each claimed career highs
against Chattanooga with 16 kills and 29 digs, respectively.

O’Neill chalked up her career-high performance to great coaching.

“Our coaches do a really good job of preparing us for each game,” O’Neill said, referring to the coaches’ ability to observe teams and point out important things to key on.

By Saturday night the Hokies were on a roll, as they capped their home tournament undefeated with a solid win over UConn, 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-19, 26-24). 

As with each of the previous matches, the resilient Hokies dropped a set but regrouped to finish off their opponent.

Several Tech players again posted double-digit kills as junior Cara Baarendse had 13, while Jennifer Wiker and Samantha Gostling took 11 each.

In each of their matches, the Hokies dropped a single set, but after a break with the coaches, came out refocused and finished strong.

Head coach Chris Riley said he reminded his team of a few very important things, which helped the players regroup. 

“This is a game of errors, and if you make them, you give the other team free points,” Riley said. “They’re eventually going to earn their own.”

The reminder worked well, as the Hokies never lost two sets in any match.

The Hokies have certainly defended home court here in Blacksburg, as it was the second time they have swept a home tournament 3-0 this season.

Tech will aim to continue their stingy home-court defense as they resume conference play this weekend, hosting Miami at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, at Cassell. 

The team will then take on on Florida State on Saturday at 6 p.m.

A version of this article appeared in the Sep 21 issue of the Collegiate Times.