BLACKSBURG – Taking its first flight of the year, the Virginia Tech volleyball team will fly to Colorado to play at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic this weekend in Colorado Springs.
The two-day tournament begins on Friday and will wrap up late Saturday night, as Air Force (2-4) play host to UC Irvine (1-5), Loyola Chicago (3-4) and Virginia Tech (3-4). All matches will be broadcast on GoAirForceFalcons.com inside the Academy's Cadet East Gym.
The weekend marks Tech's final nonconference tournament away from the friendly confines of Cassell Coliseum, following two weekends of play on the road in Lynchburg, Virginia and Oxford, Ohio.
MIDWEEK SCHEDULE
Fri. | Noon ET vs. UC Irvine | Stats | Watch
Fri. | 4:30 p.m. ET vs. Loyola Chicago |Stats | Watch
Sat. | 9 p.m. ET at Air Force | Stats | Watch
The last time out, the Hokies took on in-state foe VCU (5-3) this past Tuesday and fell 3-1 at the Vines Center. Juniors Kaity Smith and Marisa Cerchio both had 15 kills against the Rams, while sophomore Talyn Jackson turned in her second straight double-double, a first for her, with 43 assists and 12 digs.
Cerchio is third in the ACC for points per set with a 4.31 mark (minimum 15 sets played) and is fifth for kills per set with 3.86. Freshman Logan Mosley sits atop the league for digs per set, boasting a 5.58 digs per set average.
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
• UC Irvine, playing host to the UCI/adidas Invitational this past weekend, went 1-2, taking down UNLV (3-3) in four sets.
• Head coach Ashlie Hain begins her fifth year in Irvine, following a stint with American River College. She has led the Anteaters to the NCAA Tournament, both as a coach and a player.
• The Anteaters are paced by setter Kelly Negron, who is coming off of winning the Big West Freshman of the Week award after she had a big match versus North Carolina (1-4) with a season-high 43 assists.
• The all-time series stands tied at 1-1 between the two squads. Tech has won the most recent matchup, though, winning a five-setter on Sept. 10, 2005, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO
• Loyola Chicago recorded a 2-1 weekend last time out, getting two wins on its home court inside Gentile Arena against Loyola Maryland (2-5) and Montana State (2-4).
• Head coach Amanda Berkley begins her second year in Chicago, after winning more than 100 victories at Southern Miss during her five-year stint. In her first year, Berkley led the Ramblers to 16 wins and a winning record, getting more than a 10-match improvement, respectively.
• The Ramblers are led by Quinn Spieker and her team-best 3.13 kills per set mark, while Maddy Moser runs the show on defense with a 5.20 digs per set.
• The contest this weekend marks the first time the two clubs will meet.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
• Playing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Air Force went 2-1 this past weekend defeating Little Rock (0-6) and Oral Roberts (4-5).
• Head coach Keith Barnett begins his first year in Colorado Springs, making the move from associate head coach last year to the skipper in charge in December 2018. He helped most recently the 2018 senior class to becoming the winningest senior class in school history.
• The Falcons' Bailey Keith owns a team-high 3.00 kills per set and 1.35 digs per set. Setter Andi Ahlers has an 8.30 assists per set, running the offense.
• Tech leads the all-time series 1-0 against the Falcons, winning in sweep fashion on Sept. 8, 2000, in Manhattan, Kansas.
