Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women's basketball head coach Kenny Brooks announced the program's non-conference schedule Friday morning with the Hokies facing an 11-game slate ahead of the expanded 18-game ACC portion of the season, which will be announced at a later date.
"It's a challenging schedule, it may be a little bit more challenging than some coaches would want considering the fact that you add two more ACC games to the résumé, but also when you have so many newcomers you really don't know what to expect," head coach Kenny Brooks commented. "I think a lot of people will focus more so on what we lost as opposed to what we've gained. You really just don't know."
"We know it's going to be challenging, but we're trying to build a program here and building a program means that you have to go through some tough times and play some tough opponents and we have enough of those kind of opportunities on this schedule. We have some good mid-major opponents, in-state rivals, we play Georgia, we have Purdue. It is going to be a tough slate for us as we prepare for the ACC which obviously is going to be a monster in itself."
The slate features six home contests on Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum; St. Francis (PA), Liberty, Maryland Eastern Shore, Davidson, Purdue and Gardner-Webb. The matchup with Purdue is a part of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, where the Hokies have won four consecutive games in the competition.
In addition, the squad will travel to two tournaments, first to Daytona Beach, Florida in the Daytona Beach Invitational Thanksgiving weekend to compete against Belmont and Georgia.
The Hokies will conclude non-conference play by participating in the Coqui Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico December 20 and 21. The tournament will take place at the Mario Morales Coliseum.
The Hokies return six players from a season ago that saw the team finish the season in the WNIT's Sweet Sixteen, after a third consecutive 20-win season. Included in that group is Dara Mabrey, an All-ACC freshman team member in 2019. A sophomore from Belmar, New Jersey, Mabrey set the single season school record for made 3-pointers with 80.
To view the entire 2019-20 roster and meet the newcomers, click here.
Below is the complete non-conference schedule and a snapshot look at the matchup with each program.
Nov. 5 vs St. Francis (PA)
2018-19 record: 16-17
Hokies vs The Red Flash (last matchup): 1-0 (2004)
Nov. 10 at George Mason
2018-19 record: 16-14
Hokies vs Patriots (last matchup): 7-3 (2018 WNIT)
Nov. 15 vs Liberty
2018-19 record: 16-16
Hokies vs Flames (last matchup): 15-1 (2018)
Nov. 19 vs Maryland Eastern Shore
2018-19 record: 17-14
Hokies vs Hawks (last matchup): 2-0 (2017)
Nov. 24 vs Davidson
2018-19 record: 17-15
Hokies vs Wildcats (last matchup): 1-0 (2004)
Nov. 29 vs Belmont in Daytona Beach
2018-19 record: 26-7
Hokies vs Bruins (last matchup): First meeting
The Bruins won the Ohio Valley Conference a season ago and featured in the NCAA tournament, falling to fourth-seeded South Carolina 74-52 in the first round of the competition.
Nov. 30 vs Georgia in Daytona Beach
2018-19 record: 18-12
Hokies vs Bulldogs (last matchup): 0-3 (1999)
Virginia Tech guard Taja Cole graduated from Georgia in the spring after a stellar 2018-19 season in Athens. She led the SEC and was fifth nationally in assists per game with 7.0. Cole was included on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List as a candidate for the nation's top point guard. She averaged 11 points and 5.3 rebounds a season ago.
Dec. 5 vs Purdue in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
2018-19 record: 19-15
Hokies vs Boilermakers (last matchup): 0-1 (2003)
Dec. 8 vs Gardner-Webb
2018-19 record: 16-15
Hokies vs Bulldogs (last matchup): 3-0 (2016)
Dec. 20 vs Rice in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2018-19 record: 28-4
Hokies vs Owls (last matchup): First meeting
The Owls won the Conference USA championship last season and appeared in the NCAA tournament, falling to Middle Tennessee in the first round.
Dec. 21 vs Wichita State in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2018-19 record: 12-18
Hokies vs Shockers (last matchup): First meeting
All game times and television designations will be announced at a later date.
Season tickets for the 2019-20 season are available for $100 for an adult reserved seat ($90 for faculty/staff), $40 for a youth reserved seat, $80 for an adult general admission season pass and $35 for a youth general admission season pass.Additional benefits of purchasing women's basketball season tickets include free parking adjacent to Cassell Coliseum, exclusive giveaways, opportunities for messages on the video board and more. Click here to view season ticket options.
The ONLY way to see the Hokies on the court this season – other than in-person – is on ACC Network. Go to www.GetACCN.com to see if your provider is currently slated to carry ACCN. Don't see yours listed, contact them to inquire about ACCN.