BLACKSBURG – Heading into the second weekend of the season, the Virginia Tech volleyball team will head east to Lynchburg, competing in the Liberty Invitational at the Vines Center on Friday and Saturday.
The Hokies (1-2) will take on host Liberty (0-2), Elon (1-2) and Davidson (1-2) in a four-team tournament. Tech's matchup versus the Lady Flames will be broadcast on ESPN+.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 6 p.m. ET vs. Elon | Stats
Sat. | 1 p.m. ET vs. Davidson | Stats
Sat. | 7 p.m. ET at Liberty | Stats | Broadcast
Last weekend, Tech played in Oxford, Ohio and came away with a win over USC Upstate (0-4). In the season opener, the Hokies were led by three players that had double-digit kills, including freshmen Cera Powell (12 kills) and Anabel Zier (10) and junior Marisa Cerchio (11). Freshman Logan Mosley scooped up 19 digs on her way to being named to the all-tournament team.
In the ACC statistical rankings, Mosley is second in the league for digs per set with a 5.45 mark and is 10th for aces per set with 0.64, while Zier is 10th for blocks per set with 1.09.
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon lost its first two matches last Friday before taking down Manhattan (0-3) on Saturday in five sets on the campus of Robert Morris.
• Head coach Mary Tendler begins her 17th year in Elon, after serving as an assistant at Illinois State, Drake and James Madison. She led the Phoenix to a school-record 23 wins in 2009 and owns over 200 wins in her storied career.
• The Phoenix are paced by sophomore Leah Daniel, who owns a team-high 58 kills through three matches. Libero Isabella Seman has a 4.13 digs per set average to lead Elon on defense.
• Tech leads the all-time series 3-0 and won its most recent matchup in 2015, a 3-0 sweep in Blacksburg.
SCOUTING DAVIDSON
• Davidson lost two five-set heartbreakers before breaking through the door and picking up its first win of the season over North Carolina A&T (0-3) 3-0 last weekend on the campus of Winthrop.
• Head coach Chris Willis begins his ninth year in Davidson, following a seven-year stint as the head coach of Missouri Southern State. Willis has led the Wildcats to over 100 wins since 2011, while his best stretch came in 2013 when the team turned in 16 victories.
• Outside hitter Hattie Rodriguez leads the Wildcats with a team-best 23 kills and seven digs. Libero Josie Treadwell has a team-high 37 digs, averaging 2.85 digs per set.
• Tech leads the all-time series 2-0, winning the most recent matchup back in 1992 by a score of 3-0 in Blacksburg.
SCOUTING LIBERTY
• Liberty flew down to San Marcos, Texas this past weekend, playing in the Texas State Invitational. The Lady Flames fell in both of their matches by the same score of 3-1 to the Bobcats (1-3) and UNI (2-1).
• Head coach Trevor Johnson begins his second year in Lynchburg, following two years as an assistant at Texas A&M. Johnson led Liberty to a 10-6 reading in conference play, the Lady Flames' first campaign in the ASUN, last season.
• Middle blocker Anna Gragg leads Liberty offensively, owning the top mark in the conference for hitting percentage with a .558 clip. Senior Hannah Morris was picked as the ASUN's Preseason Setter of the Year, orchestrating the offense.
• Tech leads the all-time series against Liberty 38-6, including winning the last 19 matches in a row. Of Liberty's six wins in the series, five have come in Lynchburg.