Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. — The Virginia Tech volleyball team secured a 3-1 victory over Clemson on Friday night at Cassell Coliseum. The Hokies are now 10-12 overall and 2-9 in ACC play.
Virginia Tech opened the match with an early 7-3 lead, forcing a Clemson timeout. While the Tigers worked to close the gap, the Hokies maintained their advantage and posted a 5-0 run to extend the score to 14-7. The run included a service ace from Ivy Cooper, kills by Payton Woods, and key blocks by Reese Hazelton and Isabella Mishler.
Woods led the set with five kills (.400), while Mishler (.750), Hazelton (1.000) and Holladay each added three kills. Hazelton closed out the set with her third kill, giving Tech a 25-21 win.
Continuing their strong start, the Hokies jumped out to an 8-4 lead before Clemson responded with an 11-3 run. Virginia Tech called a timeout trailing 15-14, then battled back to tie the score at 22-22. A Clemson attack error gave the Hokies the lead, followed by a Woods kill and another Clemson error to close the set 25-22.
Elizabeth Aylward continued to step up, finishing the set with four kills on four swings for a 1.000 hitting percentage. She also added one block and one assist.
Clemson opened the third set with a 10-4 lead, forcing a Hokies timeout. Despite four kills from Woods and two kills and a service ace from Aisha Keric, the Tigers pulled away with a 5-0 run to win the set 25-16.
Needing a response, Virginia Tech opened the fourth set on an 8-3 run. After five ties throughout the set, Aylward broke her career high of seven kills, posting her 10th to even the score at 19-19.
Ainsley Ranstead entered the match and immediately helped the Hokies take control with the 20th and 21st points. From there, Tech never looked back, closing out the match with another Woods kill followed by a Clemson attack error to win the set 26-24.
The victory marked Virginia Tech’s second consecutive win over Clemson.
Up Next
The Hokies return to Cassell Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 2, to host Georgia Tech at 1 p.m. ET. The match will stream live on ACCNX.
Match Notes
- Elizabeth Aylward posted a career-best 10 kills and led the Hokies with a .450 hitting percentage. She also added two blocks, two digs, one service ace and one assist.
- Payton Woods led the team with 18 kills, along with two assists, 14 digs and one block for a match-high 18.5 points.
- Aisha Keric and Brianna Holladay each contributed six kills. Holladay also led the team in blocks with four.
- The victory marks Virginia Tech’s second consecutive win over Clemson.