Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. - Home contests against Duke, Florida State and Virginia, a date at Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, along with 14 other postseason participants, highlight the 2010-11 Virginia Tech women’s basketball schedule. The Hokies return nine letterwinners from last year’s squad and welcome five newcomers to the team.
Tech will have two regular-season contests televised this year. A home contest with Virginia along with a road game at Clemson will be broadcast as part of the ACC television package on the Regional Sports Network (RSN). RSN affiliates include Fox Sports Net South, ComCast Sports Net, SunSports and the New England Sports Network.
The 2010-11 schedule will be another challenging one, as the Hokies face 2010 Elite Eight participant Duke along with eight other teams (Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, James Madison, North Carolina, NC State, Vanderbilt, Virginia) that made the 2010 NCAA Tournament and eight teams (Charlotte, Delaware, Florida Gulf Coast, Maryland, Miami, Robert Morris, Virginia Commonwealth, Wake Forest) that participated in the WNIT. In addition, the schedule includes three teams (#6 Duke, #9 Florida State, #24 Vanderbilt) that ended the year in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25.
The non-conference schedule presents the Hokies with many challenges, including home contests against Presbyterian, Wofford, Elon, Virginia Commonwealth, Winthrop, Robert Morris, Radford and Longwood. Tech will also host its annual holiday tournament, the Hilton Garden Classic, featuring Alcorn State, Delaware (WNIT participant) and Vanderbilt (NCAA participant).
The non-conference away schedule has Tech traveling to Cancun, Mexico, for the Caribbean Challenge, where the Hokies will face Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round and Iowa on the second day. Additionally, the Hokies will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to play Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The remaining away non-conference contests are against William & Mary and Charlotte.
The ACC schedule will once again present a tremendous challenge, as the Hokies battle in one of the toughest leagues in the nation. The ACC sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, including one Elite Eight team. With Maryland, Miami and Wake Forest being selected to the WNIT, the ACC had 75 percent of its teams in the postseason.
The women play a 14-game regular-season conference schedule, with each team playing member teams at least once a year. Primary partners will be utilized, meaning certain teams are guaranteed to play twice - home and away - every year. The primary partners can be changed after a minimum of two seasons of play. Tech’s primary partners this year are Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest. The Hokies will play Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest on the road. The conference home slate includes contests with Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Virginia and Wake Forest.
“We are excited about our challenging schedule for the upcoming season,” said Tech head coach Beth Dunkenberger. “Our schedule is highlighted with a trip to Cancun over Thanksgiving where we will face Iowa and Florida Gulf Coast who both participated in post-season play last year. The Hilton Garden Classic, which we host, also features two post-season opponents, Delaware and Vanderbilt. Our young team, with ten freshmen and sophomores, will be well prepared to match up with the great competition in ACC play.”