Hokies earn first ACC win of the season with 3-0 sweep against Syracuse

SYRACUSE, NY --The Virginia Tech volleyball team racked up 12 blocks en route to a three-set victory (25-16, 25-13, 25-18) against the Syracuse Orange Friday on the road at the Women's Building.

The conference victory improved Virginia Tech's record to 11-5 overall and 1-4 in ACC play.

The Hokies' offense was paced by Hailey Pearce, who finished with 10 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .333, and by Leandra Mangual-Duran, who had 10 while hitting .429. Defensively, two players reached double figures in digs as Iliana Rodriguez had 14 and Hanna Borer had 13. From the front row, Sydney Petersen contributed five blocks.

Game Notes

» The Virginia Tech front row did a great job defensively, picking up 12 blocks in the match.
» Virginia Tech never trailed on the way to winning the second and third sets, winning the sets 25-13 and 25-18, respectively. 
» Virginia Tech served up five aces on the way to a third-set victory.
» Hailey Pearce and Leandra Mangual-Duran had a match-high 10 kills each for the Hokies.
» Virginia Tech got a match-high 14 digs from Iliana Rodriguez.
» Virginia Tech attackers were helped by a match-high 31 assists from Hanna Borer.
» Sydney Petersen recorded her 1,000th career point in the match.

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Hokies took control of the lead at 3-2 and held the lead the rest of the way to win 25-16. Virginia Tech led by as many as nine points at 23-14 before closing out the set, totaling 15 kills.

SET 2 | Virginia Tech continued to roll after a set-one win by earning a 25-13 victory in set two. The Hokies scored first and never trailed in the set to secure the victory. Virginia Tech opened up as much as a 13 point lead at 20-7 before closing out the set. Virginia Tech's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking six Syracuse attacks in the frame.

SET 3 | Virginia Tech then capped the three-set sweep with a victory in set number three. The Hokies took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in the set to secure a 25-18 victory. Virginia Tech opened up as much as an eight point lead at 11-3 before closing out the set. The Virginia Tech offense also got a boost from five aces in the stanza. Virginia Tech's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Syracuse attacks in the stanza.

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