CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Virginia Tech volleyball team beat the Eastern Michigan Eagles in five sets (29-31, 25-20, 25-22, 24-26, 15-9) Friday at McGrath-Phillips Arena to open the DePaul Invitational.
The non-conference win improved Virginia Tech's overall record to 5-2 on the season.
The Hokies offense was paced by Sydney Petersen, who finished with 14 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .357. Both are season-highs in a Hokie uniform. Elayna Duprey added 11 kills, as well as Cera Powell with 11 as part of a balanced Virginia Tech attack. Defensively, Tech had two players reach double figures in digs as Maddie Slagle had 14 and Hanna Borer added 11. From the front row, Anabel Zier contributed eight blocks, tying her season-high she set in Wilmington.
Game Notes
» Virginia Tech had three players in double figures in kills.
» Hanna Borer had a team-high two aces in the win.
» Sydney Petersen had a team-high 14 kills for Virginia Tech.
» Virginia Tech got a team-high 14 digs from Maddie Slagle.
» Virginia Tech attackers were helped by a team-high 31 assists from Hanna Borer.
How It Happened
The Hokies fell in a back-and-forth first set, losing 31-29 in a game that featured four lead changes and was tied 17 times. Neither team led by more than four points. Petersen jumped out early with four kills and Zier added two kills and two block assists.
Virginia Tech rallied after dropping the first to take set two 25-20, tying the match at one set apiece. The Hokies grabbed the win with the help of a strong performance on the attacking end. Virginia Tech put together a .308 attack percentage with 12 kills. The Hokies ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point to finish out the stanza. Virginia Tech's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Eastern Michigan attacks as Zier led the way with two solo blocks.
Another set win in the third gave Tech a 2-1 match lead. The Hokies maintained the lead after an Eastern Michigan rally, posting the 25-22 win after leading by eight points at 22-14. The Virginia Tech offense also got a boost from three aces in the set.
The Eagles forced a decisive fifth set with a 26-24 fourth-set win. The Hokies couldn't hang on in a back-and-forth battle, falling in a set that featured nine lead changes and was tied 14 times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than four points along the way.
The Hokies held off Eastern Michigan to win the fifth 15-9 and the match 3-2. Tech took set five due to a solid showing on the attacking end. The Hokies registered a .500 attack percentage with six kills in victory. Virginia also stretched their lead to its largest point to finish out the stanza.
Tech returns for its second match of the day at 8 p.m., taking on host DePaul.
Support Virginia Tech volleyall by making a Pledge Per Set Win today.