BLACKSBURG -- The Virginia Tech volleyball team looks to keep its undefeated start going as they head to the UNF Invitational this weekend in Jacksonville, Fla. The Hokies will open the Invitational against Georgia State on Friday at 11 a.m., followed by another match against North Florida at 7 p.m. Tech will finish the tournament on Saturday against Davidson at 10 a.m.
THINGS TO KNOW
Scouting the Panthers
Georgia State opened the season 1-2 at the GSU Invitational with a win over California Baptist and losses to Chattanooga and Memphis. With 25 kills and a .347 hitting percentage over the weekend, the Panthers Meisheia Griffin was named to the GSU Invitational All-Tournament Team. The Panthers return 11 players from last season and welcome nine newcomers.
Scouting the Ospreys
North Florida is coming off the FAU Tournament with a 3-0 record, recording wins against Wofford, FAU and Stony Brook. The Ospreys were led by Dariana Hollingsworth-Santa with 31 kills, followed by Gabby O'Connell with 25. Bre Walps also had a solid weekend at the net, where she registered 19 blocks over three matches, earning ASUN Player of the Week honors. North Florida ended the spring 2021 season with a 10-10 record, with notable wins against Georgia Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville and Stetson.
Scouting the Wildcats
Davidson hosted the Wildcat Classic opening weekend, beating UNC Asheville and Western Carolina. The Wildcats' Hattie Rodriquez and Malia Kay led the team offensively as Rodriguez tallied 38 kills and Kay added 30. For her efforts, Rodriguez was named A-10 Player of the Week. Defensively, libero Bella Brady led the program with a team-high 15 digs and was named Defensive Player of the Week. The Wildcats finished the 2020-21 season with a 2-11 record with wins against Jacksonville and VCU.
Virginia Tech Invitational Recap
The Hokies took down all three of their opponents, Lehigh, Toledo and Elon during the Virginia Tech Invitational last weekend, posting their first sweep of the season against Toledo. Cera Powell grabbed 37.5 points, leading the team in kills and was named to the All-Tournament Team alongside teammate Tasha Vipond. Vipond hit .477 with six blocks. Logan Mosley led the Hokies in digs this weekend with 57 and Angel Robinson led the team in blocks with 12.
Freshman Debuts
Two freshmen, Elayna Duprey and Mary Page, made their Hokie debuts during the Virginia Tech Invitational this past weekend. Page played in all three matches at the Invite and finished the weekend with 23 digs and 2.30 digs per set. The defensive specialist recorded a 1.000 reception percentage over 45 total attempts. Duprey got the start in the final two matches of the weekend against Toledo and Elon, where she finished the weekend with 21 kills, good for 1.75 kills per set. Duprey also had a hand in three blocks and tallied 22.5 points.
Career-High Weekend
Graduate student Tasha Vipond had a standout weekend for the Hokies, recording multiple career-highs in the win over Elon. The middle blocker had 11 kills and 12 points, both career-highs. Vipond joined the Hokies in 2020 after spending the previous
four years of her athletic career playing basketball at Lafayette College.
Up Next
Virginia Tech will hit the road again and head to the Chattanooga Classic for a three-match event on September 10-11 to take on Troy, Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga. The Hokies will start the tournament on Friday at 3 p.m. against Troy, followed by a matchup against Chattanooga on Saturday at noon. The Hokies will end the Classic at 5 p.m. on Saturday against Tennessee Tech.