COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – When a team hits its stride, there's not a lot you can do about it, and Loyola Chicago, which played fairly well – hitting .304 – couldn't overcome a Virginia Tech volleyball team that was clicking on all cylinders, winning 3-1 Friday evening inside Cadet East Gym.
Getting stellar play from a group that executed their roles, the Hokies (5-4) had three players have double-digit kills and three with 10-plus digs.
As mentioned above, the Ramblers (3-5) hit north of .300, marking Tech's first win over an opponent that did so since Tech coach Jill Wilson took over in 2017. The previous high by an opponent in a Hokie win was on Aug. 25, 2017, versus Idaho State when it hit .290.
THE MATCH
To say the first set was a tightly-contested frame would be an understatement, as 10 lead changes and two ties occurred. Knotted at 15-all, Loyola Chicago put together three straight points and that would be enough as Tech couldn't make one of its own to fall 25-21.
Beginning the second stanza with a 6-0 lead after back-to-back aces from junior Kylie Thomas and a combo block from junior Kai Young and sophomore Tessa Wyner, Tech rolled the rest of the way to hit .406 in the set to win it 25-20.
Trailing 15-13 heading into the media timeout, the Hokies strung together a 5-2 run behind consecutive kills by freshman Cera Powell, forcing a Rambler timeout. Out of the break, Tech would hold onto its advantage, never allowing Chicago Loyola to regain its lead by winning it 25-23.
Tied at 8-8 in the fourth set, Tech would get into a rhythm and score seven of the next nine points, causing a Loyola Chicago timeout at 15-10. The Hokies would keep their momentum, get some clutch kills down the stretch and go on to win 25-22.
QUOTING OUTSIDE HITTER CERA POWELL
On how the team played in rhythm:
"I thought we were really in rhythm passing and our sets were amazing," Powell said. "The middles were doing a great job of drawing the other team's middles, which created windows for me and Tessa [Wyner] as well. So, I thought everyone did their job very well."
On setter Talyn Jackson distributing the rock:
"She did a great job of reading what the other blockers are doing with finding what's open," Powell said. "And her passing was really great today, too. She did a good job of sharing her sets with everyone."
NOTES
- Tech's .333 hitting percentage marked the 13th time in the Wilson era of it hitting north of .300 (seven times in 2018, five times 2017) and the first of 2019.
- Powell (16 kills) and Wyner (career-high 22) for the second match in a row went off, combining for 38 kills, which was 56 percent of Tech's kill total. On the day, they had 72 kills for over half of the Hokies' offense in both matches combined.
- Jackson once again had a double-double (50 assists, 12 digs), marking her fourth straight. It marks the first time a player has done that in the Jill Wilson era. The Nevada native had 104 assists on the day.
- Right-side hitter Marisa Cerchio extended her streak of owning 10 or more kills in a match, getting 12. She is averaging 3.20 kills per set during this six-match streak.
- Defensively, the three players that had 10-plus digs were libero Logan Mosley (13), Jackson (13) and Thomas (11).
UP NEXT
Tech will finish the four-team tournament with playing the host, Air Force (2-4), on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. It will mark the first time the two schools have met since 2000, a 3-0 win for the Hokies.