Hokie Club
BLACKSBURG – Sophomores Tessa Wyner and Talyn Jackson turned in big performances in Virginia Tech volleyball's 3-2 win over Chattanooga Friday afternoon, but the Hokies would later fall 3-1 to Arkansas State at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum in the Hokie Invitational sponsored by the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Christiansburg.
The split makes Tech (7-5) 1-1 at home this fall, thanks to Wyner's 13 kills and Jackson's 50 assists versus the Mocs (5-7). In the nightcap with the Red Wolves (8-3), junior Kai Young tallied a team-high seven blocks and fellow junior Kylie Thomas scooped up a career-high 15 digs.
MATCH 1 – VT 3, CHATTANOOGA 2
A very competitive match took place with 25 ties and 14 lead changes between the two schools, starting with Tech winning by three points at 25-22 in the first set. However, Chattanooga found its groove in the second frame, winning by six – the most of any set by either team.
The third and fourth stanzas were eerily similar, with both scores being 25-23, but each team flip flopping the victor. In the fifth set, Wyner took it to a whole other level, scoring seven of Tech's 15 points off of kills to claim it, 15-7.
MATCH 2 – VT 1, ARKANSAS STATE 3
The first frame started off with each team throwing punches one after the other, with no team gaining a lead greater than four. Knotted at 25-all, Arkansas State scored two straight to win it 27-25.
The second set was all Hokies, as they jumped out to a big lead at 18-13 and never looked back, winning by six points, 25-19. The next two sets, though, would be heartbreakers, as Tech loss by three points in each 25-22.
QUOTING OUTSIDE HITTER TESSA WYNER
On going off in the fifth set:
"It was a lot of fun," Wyner said. "Even though you see the seven kills on the stat sheet in that set, it was because Logan [Mosley], Kylie [Thomas, Abby [McKinzie} and everyone got amazing digs and Talyn [Jackson] set great. It just works out well when everyone does their job."
On being 2-0 in five-set matches and why is that:
"I would say that everyone's attitude is just that we all know how much effort we put into practice," Wyner said. "So once we get to the game, what makes us good in five-setters, with that pressure, is that we want to play hard for each other, because we want everyone around us that puts in that hard work to get to see the fruit of it. I think it makes us more aggressive, with everyone having each other's backs."
NOTES
- Jackson's 50 assists against Chattanooga marked her third 50-assist match this year, following her 54 assists versus UC Irvine and 50 against Loyola Chicago last weekend. The Nevada native also had double-digit digs, marking her seventh straight double-double to extend her Jill Wilson era best for most consecutive double-doubles.
- Wyner was close to getting her first-ever double-double in both contests, recording exactly nine digs in each while putting down 19 kills against the Mocs and 12 versus the Red Wolves. The nine digs are her new career high.
- Young's seven blocks versus the Mocs tied her season high, which she set on Sept. 6 against Elon. She also had eight kills in the both matches combined today.
- Freshman Anabel Zier hit .364 against Arkansas State with five kills, while she put down eight versus Chattanooga. The Blacksburg native also had three blocks on the day.
- Libero Logan Mosley had another 20-dig outing, collecting 24 against the Mocs, giving her fifth 20-dig contests this fall, the most in the Jill Wilson era.
UP NEXT
Tech will wrap up the four-team tournament on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, taking on Charlotte (8-6). The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, with Evan Hughes (play-by-play) and Jake Lawrence (analyst) on the call.
Gallery: (9/20/2019) 2019 HOKIE INVITATIONAL GAME 1
Gallery: (9/20/2019) 2019 HOKIE INVITATIONAL GAME 2