RICHMOND, Va. – Facing an in-state foe for the second match in a row, the Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to VCU 3-1 on Tuesday night inside the Siegel Center.
The Hokies (3-4) got off to a strong start, winning the first set, but the Rams (5-3) would win the next three by six points in each frame to claim the match and get revenge from Tech's 3-0 victory last season in Blacksburg.
Junior Kaity Smith got back to her form from last season, recording a season-high 15 kills, the same number as fellow junior Marisa Cerchio had too. Sophomore Talyn Jackson turned in her second straight double-double, a first for her, collecting 43 assists and a team-high 12 digs.
Tech's middle blockers also shined, as junior Kai Young had four kills and hit .429 and freshman Anabel Zier registered five kills on a .364 hitting percentage with three blocks, combining for nine kills and a .397 clip.
THE MATCH
Tech jumped out to a 12-8 lead in the first stanza and would get up by as many as seven points, following an ace by Smith at 20-13. VCU would rebuttal a little bit, but Tech maintained a four-point lead the rest of the way to win it 25-21.
The Rams began the second frame by getting a three-point advantage at 10-7. However, the Hokies fought back to tie it up at 12-all after a kill from Smith. But VCU would catch fire and go on a 10-4 run to make it 22-16, and would eventually claim it 25-19.
Knotted at 8-8, VCU ripped off seven of the next 11 points, forcing Tech to call a timeout at 15-11. The Hokies would chip away at the deficit, trimming it to one at 19-18, but the Rams would go on another run to win the third set 25-19.
The final frame saw Tech get in a hole early, falling to a 14-8 deficit. The Hokies would trim it down to a five-point disadvantage on two occasions at 20-15 and 23-18, but it would be as close as they got it, with VCU claiming it 25-19.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
On what she saw from the middle blockers:
"I have been really proud of our middles," Tech coach Jill Wilson said. "Kai [Young] really came back tonight and did a very solid job. Anabel [Zier] had another stellar night hitting .364. I really think that's going to be a strength for us in the future."
On what the team will take away from tonight heading into its trip to Colorado this weekend:
"I think we just had a few people off tonight, and I think that happens sometimes when you have young kids out there," Wilson said. "I think we'll respond in a positive and driven way and get back to work tomorrow."
NOTES
- Jackson's consecutive double-doubles give her 74 assists and 22 digs her last two matches, averaging 9.25 assists and 2.75 digs per set over that two-match span. It also marked her third-ever double-double.
- Cerchio picked up where she left off after this past weekend, making the Liberty Invitational all-tournament team, with her fourth straight match of owning 13 or more kills. During this four-match stretch, she has racked up 57 kills to average 3.56 kills per set.
- Smith, who doubled her season-high total for kills versus the Rams, had her most kills in a match since Nov. 16, 2018, against Boston College. Over the course of her career, she's compiled 20 matches of owning at least 15 kills.
- Freshman Cera Powell posted nine kills on the night, her second most at Tech and her highest total since the season opener versus USC Upstate on Aug. 30.
UP NEXT
Tech will hit the road for the third weekend in a row, heading west to Colorado Springs, Colorado, competing at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic.
Gallery: (9/10/2019) 2019 VOLLEYBALL vs. VCU