CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Beginning an ACC Northeast road swing, the Virginia Tech volleyball team came up short against Boston College 3-0 on Friday night at Power Gym.
The Hokies (9-17, 2-11 ACC) saw big performances from outside hitter Kaity Smith, who notched a season-high 17 kills, and junior Kylie Thomas, who tallied 16 digs in three sets. The Eagles (18-9, 9-5) were paced by Clare Naughton, who matched Smith's 17 kills.
THE MATCH
Tech fell into a hole early as the Eagles jumped off to a hot start. The Hokies rallied midway through the first, but Boston College would ultimately regain composure and take the first frame 25-17. Smith had six kills and Thomas tallied six digs in the opening frame.
The second was a back-and-forth nailbiter that came down to the wire. Late in the stanza, Tech rattled off three straight points to pull within two at 24-22. However, Naughton recorded a kill for the Eagles to take the last point and win the frame.
Boston College, again, came out of the gate strong, giving them a significant advantage over Tech. The Hokies kept fighting and pulled within three midway through the third, following a kill from freshman Anabel Zier. But the Eagles ended the final frame on a 4-1 run to win the set 25-16 and claim the match.
QUOTING VIRGINIA TECH COACH JILL WILSON
"I was really disappointed in our offense tonight," Wilson said. "We just have to come out more aggressive, and we definitely got a little tentative. I'm proud of Kaity Smith as she has continued to improve and got 17 kills tonight, so we will look for her to have another big match for us on Sunday.
"In the back row, Kylie Thomas had 16 digs in three sets, which is an extremely high number and played really hard to give our hitters some more opportunities. We will just have to keep working to be able to take advantage of that and execute at a higher level offensively."
NOTES
- Thomas, a defensive specialist, scooped up 16 digs in three sets against the Eagles. Sixteen digs are her second-highest mark on the season, previously tallying up 22 digs in five sets against NC State on Oct. 4.
- Cera Powell, a freshman, had a total of four blocks on Friday at BC, which is tied for her third-highest block total of the season.
- Middle blocker Angel Robinson played tough at the net, posting three blocks for her second-highest block total on the season.
- Talyn Jackson, a sophomore, registered 27 assists on the night, which pushed her assist total for the season to 901.
UP NEXT
Tech will stay in the Northeast as it hits the road to Syracuse, New York, to face the Orange on Sunday at noon ET.