Hokie Club
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Starting opening day on a strong note, the Virginia Tech volleyball team defeated USC Upstate 3-0 on Friday afternoon inside Halton Arena at the Charlotte Invitational.
Behind a balanced attack, Tech (1-0) posted a .395 hitting percentage and held the Spartans (0-1) to a .010 clip. Sophomore Kaity Smith recorded a match-high 14 kills and the setter position was tag teamed by redshirt senior Rhegan Mitchell (14 assists) and freshman Talyn Jackson (16 assists) efficiently.
Jumping out to a 7-3 advantage in set one, Tech allowed USC Upstate to trim the deficit to one, 9-8, but the Hokies went on a run of their own, tallying a 16-5 run to claim it, 25-14.
The second stanza was knotted 9-9 before Smith got on a hot streak, putting down three kills to give Tech the advantage, 15-12. The Spartans cut it to two, but a block assist by sophomore Marisa Cerchio and Smith sparked the Hokies to score five straight points to win it, 25-18.
Smith turned in back-to-back kills and senior Jaila Tolbert followed it up with one herself to give Tech a 12-8 lead, forcing a USC Upstate timeout. Following the break, the Hokies extended their lead to 18-10, making the Spartans burn another timeout, but it wouldn't cool them off as they finished the final frame 25-15.
NOTES
- Smith hit .591 in the opening match of her second season at Tech, setting her career high. Her previous best was .451, which, ironically, was her opening match of last season against Idaho State.
- Tolbert led the team with the best hitting percentage, registering a mark of .636 – the second-best mark of her career. Her career high of .733 versus Pitt was on Sept. 28, 2016.
- The newcomers got to showcase their skill set today, as Jackson dished out 16 assists and had four kills, a block and a dig. Freshman Angel Robinson saw action and delivered a block assist.
- Middle blockers Cerchio and Kai Young racked up a combined 11 kills and eight block assists, holding down the middle of the court.
- Sophomore Ester Talamazzi posted seven kills and nine digs, which tied for the team best with Mitchell.
- Sophomore Kylie Thomas led the defensive specialists, scooping up eight digs – tying the second-most of her career. The last time the Sterling, Virginia native had eight digs was on Sept. 15, 2017, against Radford.
- Tech moves to 25-17 all time in season openers, including a perfect 2-0 under Head Coach Jill Wilson. Last fall, the Hokies defeated Idaho State 3-2 on Aug. 25, 2017, in Milwaukee.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
"I was really proud of our setters today," Wilson said. "We didn't pass as well as we normally do, but the set distribution was very even and they really gave our hitters some opportunities. So, I give our setters credit for that.
"Rhegan [Mitchell] and Talyn [Jackson] did a great job of balancing each other. All three of our setters really balance each other's strengths and weaknesses, and they're a really tight-knit group and empower each other. I'm really proud of that and I think they bring out the best in each other.
"We have worked a lot the last week since our scrimmage on block timing and I think today we really started to take off and have better timing in system and out of system. I appreciate their work with that and I hope that continues to improve."
STAT OF THE MATCH
- Tech was a force at the net, holding USC Upstate to a .010 hitting percentage behind nine team blocks. Tolbert and Cerchio led the charge, combining for 10 block assists.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Here. We. Go. #FuelTheFire | #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/O3DXxdmzLS
— Virginia Tech Volleyball (@HokiesVB) August 24, 2018
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will come back to Halton Arena on Saturday for two matches, starting at noon ET against Presbyterian and 6 p.m. versus Charlotte.