Hokie ClubWINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Virginia Tech volleyball squad dropped the first match of its final road trip on Thursday night, falling to Wake Forest 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-16, 25-23) at Reynolds Gymnasium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Hokies (20-9, 11-7 ACC) out-blocked Wake Forest (18-12, 9-9 ACC) 9-8, but only hit .205 in the match, while the Demon Deacons struck at a .236 clip in the contest.
Tech started slowly, falling behind early in set one, with Wake Forest exploding out of the gate to an 11-5 lead. The Hokies cut the deficit to two at 12-10, but a 6-1 run helped the Demon Deacons regain the big lead. Tech rallied again for one more run in the period, reeling off four straight points to pull within three. That was as close as the Hokies would get in the frame though, with Wake winning seven of the next ten points to capture the first set 25-18.
Another big run by Tech opened up the second set. The Hokies won the first five points, and eventually raced out to a 6-1 advantage. Tech saw its early lead all but vanish though, when Wake cut the lead to one at 9-8. The two squads battled until the Hokies went on a 6-1 run late to extend out to a 24-17 advantage. A kill by sophomore Felicia Willoughby sealed set two for Tech 25-18.
The two squads went back-and-forth early in the third set, but down 6-5, the Demon Deacons unleashed seven consecutive points to establish control of the frame. Tech could not close the gap, and Wake Forest carried the lead to a set three victory 25-16.
Both teams stayed close for much of the fourth frame. With the score tied at 15 apiece, Wake Forest scored the next four points to stretch out to a 19-15 advantage. Down 21-24, the Hokies rallied to pull within one at 23-24, but a kill by Wake's Natalie Mullikin, ended the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
Willoughby led the Hokies, ripping 18 kills and tallying four blocks in the match. Freshman Erin Leaser registered 45 assists and four blocks in the effort. Junior Taylor Parrish added 12 kills and junior Jill Gergen earned 13 digs for her 21st double-digit dig match of the season.
The Hokies continue the road trip on Friday against Duke at 7 p.m. Results will be posted on hokiesports.com following the match.