BLACKSBURG – Kicking off ACC play on the road this weekend, the Virginia Tech volleyball team will head east to in-state rival Virginia and No. 4 Pitt.
The battle with the Cavaliers (8-6, 0-1 ACC) will be Tech's second contest with them, as women's soccer is going on as we speak in the Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics and the University of Virginia Athletics. To learn more about Virginia529 and the competition, visit www.thecommonwealthclash.com.
The Hokies' (7-6) match against Virginia will be shown on ACC Network Extra, while their match with the Panthers (12-1, 1-0) will be broadcast on ACC Network, marking their first time on the new network.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 6:30 p.m. ET at Virginia | Stats | Watch
Fri. | 4 p.m. ET at No. 4 Pitt | Stats | Watch
The last time out, Tech went 1-2 on its home court at the Hokie Invitational sponsored by the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Christiansburg. In its 3-2 win over Chattanooga (5-9), sophomore Tessa Wyner came up big with 19 kills and a career-high .310 hitting percentage.
In the ACC rankings, libero Logan Mosley owns the No. 1 mark in the ACC for digs per set (4.67) and setter Talyn Jackson ranks sixth in the league for assists per set with a 9.50 average.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA
• Virginia hosted the Jefferson Cup this past weekend, going 3-0 by defeating Lehigh, Elon, and UNC Greensboro, while falling to Pitt this past Wednesday 3-0.
• Head coach Aaron Smith leads the Cavs for his third season in Charlottesville. Coach Smith has brought in four High School All-Americans in the 2019 signing class, the third-most All-Americans in a recruiting class in the country.
• The Cavaliers are led by Jelena Novakovic, who has tallied 135 kills and 24 service aces so far this season. Additionally, Megan Wilson has propelled the Cavs with 232 assists this year.
• Tech leads the closely contested all-time series 37-35 against Virginia. The Hokies had won six straight contests against the Cavs before losing in Charlottesville last November.
SCOUTING NO. 4 PITT
• No. 6 Pitt hosted No. 4 Penn State this past weekend for back to back games, winning on Friday before losing on Sunday.
• Head coach Dan Fisher is in the midst of his seventh year with the Panthers, having been named ACC Coach of the season the previous two years.
• Pitt is led by Lexis Akeo and her 451 kills this season, while four different players have registered over 100 kills.
• Tech trails the all-time series 10-6. The Hokies last defeated Pitt back in November of 2015 and have dropped the five matches since then.
