Hokie ClubThe Virginia Tech women's basketball program is one of the hottest in the country right now and is about to head to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season after missing out on the event for a 15-year span.
Since the 2021 "bubble tournament" in San Antonio, the program has become a staple in the competition and eagerly awaits its seed and opponent in the upcoming 2024 tournament.
There are numerous factors that have led to the program's success, from the leadership of National Coach of the Year candidate Kenny Brooks, to dynamic players like Aisha Sheppard, Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore. But there is another asset that the Hokies have that no other program in America has – a home court advantage like the one that Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum provides.
The Hokies' current 25-game home winning streak is the fourth-longest in the nation and ties a program record for longest stretch going unbeaten at Cassell. That's no small feat in the ACC, which many consider to be the strongest conference top to bottom in America. Tech has won 17 consecutive league games in Blacksburg dating back to December 2022, while the next longest streak in the conference is three games.
And the wins have been convincing, too.
The average margin of victory in the 25 games is +21.0 points, while the 17 ACC games have been a +13.7 point margin.
On Jan. 7, 2024, the program had its first regular-season sell out as then-No. 13 Tech played host to then-No. 3 NC State. Trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Hokies rallied and finished with Kitley's game-winning shot with less than two seconds remaining to give the Hokies an improbable victory.
"I've said it a lot," Brooks said in his postgame press conference following the night-biting win. "That crowd can make a good team great and we needed every bit of them tonight. When they announced the sellout, it may have given us a little boost."
But don't take his word for it. There is a long line of opposing coaches who have tried, and failed to find success in the building.
Katie Meier, Miami (Fla.) head coach
"Not a lot of people are going to come here and get a win … It was really cool to pull up and see people waiting in line to get into the arena. I'm just really proud of what [Kenny Brooks] has done here. I'm proud of this community, too, to get behind women's basketball like they've done. Those are really talented players and I'd pay to watch them as well."
Wes Moore, NC State head coach
"Tough environment, obviously a great crowd for them … ACC wins on the road are tough, but against a great team like Virginia Tech it's even tougher, obviously."
Kara Lawson, Duke head coach
"It was a great crowd … I thought it impacted [Virginia Tech] in a positive way. When you have a big crowd at home, you get that energy or you make shots and the momentum of the game gets turned your way."
This season has been special, with seven of the top 10 highest-attended games in the Kenny Brooks era. The five sellouts all rank inside the top 10 of all-time highest-attended games and the average attendance of 6,338 is a new program record.
There is no doubt that Hokie Nation and the environment inside Cassell contributed to the third unbeaten regular season at home in program history. Tech was 14th nationally in average attendance in 2023-24 and ranked eighth in terms of filling 71% of available seats in the venue compared to other women's college basketball programs.
While this season set a new watermark, Cassell has been a fortress for the Hokies for some time now. Graduate students Cayla King and Kitley are 65-10 at Cassell (.867) and in league play are 36-9 (.800) in their five years in Blacksburg.
And under the direction of Brooks and Hokie Nation's electricity, it's not stopping anytime soon.
Writing HERstory Campaign
Coinciding with Women's History Month in March and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Virginia Tech Athletics launched a multi-platform brand campaign celebrating the incredible achievements of its female student-athletes, both past and present, while inspiring the next generation of women who aspire to achieve their dreams through athletics. In partnership with Truist, Tech will share stories of its past and current female student-athletes over the course of the calendar year. Ranging from podcast interviews to feature stories and more, the incredible moments and achievements by women over the years in Virginia Tech Athletics will be celebrated. To make a direct impact on the program or to sign up for the monthly Writing HERstory newsletter.