BLACKSBURG – Heading into its final road swing in ACC play, the Virginia Tech volleyball team will head Northeast to face Boston College and Syracuse this weekend.
The Hokies (14-13, 5-10 ACC) will face Boston College (13-14, 3-12 ACC) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET and will take on Syracuse (16-7, 12-3 ACC) at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Only the Boston College match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
Tech leads the all-time series between both schools, totaling an 18-7 advantage over the Eagles and a 7-4 mark against the Orange. Just two weekends ago, all three schools battled each other as 'Cuse won twice against BC on Oct. 31 3-1 and Tech 3-1 on Nov. 2, while Tech defeated BC 3-0 on Nov. 4.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 7:30 p.m. ET vs. BC | Stats | Broadcast
Sun. | 1 p.m. ET vs. Syracuse | Stats
Last Friday, Tech fell to in-state rival Virginia in a five-set thriller. The loss snapped Tech's six-match winning streak against the Cavaliers and made the teams split this fall, with each getting half a point in the Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529.
Kaity Smith owned a team-high 17 kills with nine digs, just missing a double-double. Jaila Tolbert led the team in hitting percentage, recording a clip of .282 with 16 kills.
Ester Talamazzi earned her sixth double-double of the year, collecting 11 kills and 10 digs. Carol Raffety scooped up 22 digs, marking her seventh match of 20-plus digs this fall.
The Hokies are No. 5 in the ACC for service aces per set with 1.36 and are No. 4 in opponent kills with a 12.13 mark. Smith owns the sixth-best average for kills per set (3.52) in the league, as well as the fifth-best points per set mark (3.91).
SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE
• Boston College (13-14, 3-12 ACC) is entering this weekend's matchup after falling at home to [RV] Louisville (20-7, 13-3 ACC) last Friday. Prior to last week, the Eagles fell twice in Chestnut Hill, first losing to Syracuse (16-7, 12-3 ACC) on Wednesday and then in straight sets to Virginia Tech (14-13, 5-10 ACC) on Sunday.
• After starting the year off with a perfect 9-0 record, the Eagles have lost 12 of their last 13 matches, dropping to being tied last in the ACC with North Carolina (7-18, 3-13 ACC). The Eagles' sole three league victories were recorded at home, as the Eagles own a 7-4 (.636) record when competing on their home floor at Power Gym.
• Head Coach Jason Kennedy enters his first season in Chestnut Hill after spending three seasons in Los Angeles with USC, two of which were as associate head coach. Kennedy helped lead the Trojans to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, as they went 75-25 (.750) collectively during his term.
• Junior Makenzie Morrison ranks 10th among conference foes in average digs per set (3.61) and fellow junior Jane DeJarld is the lone Eagle to start every match this season (25), dishing out 6.08 assists per set.
SCOUTING SYRACUSE
• Syracuse (16-7, 12-3 ACC) is coming off a road victory over Georgia Tech (16-12, 5-10 ACC) last Sunday, winning in straight sets. Prior to last weekend, the Orange traveled to Boston College on Wednesday before playing host to Virginia Tech on Friday. Both contests resulted in 3-1 decisions in favor of the Orange.
• Riding a four-match winning streak, 'Cuse ranks fourth in the conference standings. Only a full match separates Syracuse from [RV] Florida State (17-8, 13-2 ACC), and only half a match from [RV] Louisville, for second and third place, respectively.
• Head Coach Leonid Yelin enters his seventh year in Syracuse and owns an overall record of 105-107 (.495) with the Orange, while ranking 26th nationally in victories among Division I coaches throughout his career. Yelin led the Orange to their first postseason appearance in program history last fall (quarterfinals, NIVC).
• All-ACC senior Santita Ebangwese leads the conference with a .408 hitting percentage, while also ranking seventh in the league in average blocks per set with 1.29. Freshman Polina Shemanova also sits atop of the conference, ranking second among competitors in average kills per set with a mark of 4.33.
