BLACKSBURG – Playing its first weekend of ACC action at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum, the Virginia Tech volleyball team will play host to Clemson on Friday and Georgia Tech on Sunday.
The Hokies (7-10, 0-4 ACC) will seek to get their first league win of the season and defend Cassell like they have in the past, owning a .684 winning percentage (377-174) in Blacksburg.
The Tigers (6-10, 0-5) and Yellow Jackets (9-7, 2-3), who both met this Wednesday in a 3-0 Tech win, look to advance their league record on the road.
Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, with Evan Hughes (play-by-play) and Jake Lawrence (color) on the call.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 6 p.m. ET vs. Clemson | Stats | Watch
Sun. | 1 p.m. ET vs. Georgia Tech | Stats | Watch
The last time out, Virginia Tech went into the Tar Heel State and came away with two losses in Raleigh and Chapel Hill.
Against NC State (6-10, 1-3) last Friday, freshman Logan Mosley (26 digs) and junior Kylie Thomas (22) combined for over 45 digs defensively in a tough five-set loss. Versus North Carolina (5-9, 2-2) on Sunday, junior Kaity Smith posted her first double-double (12 kills, 16 digs) of the season in a competitive four-set setback.
In the ACC rankings, Mosley owns the No. 2 mark in the ACC for digs per set (4.45) and setter Talyn Jackson ranks seventh in the league for assists per set with a 9.45 average.
FAN INFORMATION
The weekend's marketing promotions are fan-centric, with both contests featuring appreciation nights. Friday night while be student appreciation night, with the first 100 fans receiving a free T-shirts, while Sunday afternoon will be Family Sunday: Fan Appreciation Day with the first 100 fans again receiving free T-shirts.
SCOUTING CLEMSON
• Clemson, similar in nature to the Hokies, in hopes of earning its first conference victory, did not defend its home court in its most recent match, losing to the Yellow Jackets in straight sets. Before the loss, the Tigers were on the road and fell in both contests to No. 25 Louisville (11-3, 4-0) and [RV] Notre Dame (11-3, 4-0).
• Head coach Michaela Franklin enters her third season in Clemson, following her time at Iowa as the associate head coach. Franklin, who came in at the same time as Virginia Tech coach Jill Wilson, has the upper hand in series with a 3-2 record over the Hokies.
• The Tigers are led by preseason All-ACC selection Kaylin Korte, boasting the 10th-best kills per set average in the league with a 3.60 average.
• The Hokies trail in the all-time series against Clemson 19-12 and have lost two straight to the Tigers. Virginia Tech is 9-5 inside the friendly confines of Cassell Coliseum against Clemson.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
• Georgia Tech comes to Cassell after already winning once this week, a sweep in Clemson. The Jackets, who have wins over two nonconference Power Five foes (Georgia, Arkansas), also loss to the Fighting Irish and Cardinals this past weekend.
• Head coach Michelle Collier enters her sixth year in Atlanta after being the skipper at Jacksonville. On The Flats, Collier has got the Jackets back in the mix in the postseason, a first since 2009.
• A member of the Brazil national team, Julia Bergmann owns the sixth-best kills per set mark in the ACC (3.71) and paces Georgia Tech offensively.
• Georgia Tech leads the all-time series 16-10 over Virginia Tech, but the Hokies got the best of the Jackets the last time out, a 3-0 win in Atlanta last season.
