The 2010 season begins in less than a week when the Hokies will travel to Knoxville, TN for the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, where they will take on the #19 Tennessee Lady Vols on their home floor. Not your typical opening weekend warm-up tournament, right? Well, the Hokies will be challenging themselves early and often in 2010 as they try to earn an NCAA tournament bid for the first time. The tournament is the goal, and this season they have more tools than ever to make it a reality.
The Schedule
| Final RPI by Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Overall Record | RPI |
| 2006 | 17-14 | 125 |
| 2007 | 14-18 | 144 |
| 2008 | 20-11 | 90 |
| 2009 | 19-12 | 71 |
The Hokies schedule this year is one of their most challenging ever. If Tech is left out of the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year, it won’t likely be because of their strength of schedule. With this schedule, if the Hokies can get 22-23 wins, they should find themselves getting their first ever tournament invite. Tech will play a total of 12 matches at home inside Cassell, where they were 12-3 last season. The first home match is Friday, September 3rd at 7 PM, versus Coastal Carolina.
Key Games- August 28th, at #19 Tennessee
- October 14th, vs Duke
- October 22nd, at North Carolina
- October 29th, vs #15 Florida State
Setters
Key Losses: Michelle Lang, 2,936 career assists (5th all-time)
Key Additions: Allison Munter, 5’9” FR
The setter is the quarterback of the volleyball team. Like her gridiron counterpart, the setter is involved in virtually every offensive play. The Hokies lost two senior setters to graduation, but bring back two year starter Erin Leaser. Leaser led the ACC in assists last year and was 24th in the nation in assists per set. For Tech to have a successful season, it will be crucial for Erin to pick up where she left off last season and continue to grow as a team leader on the floor.
Middle Blockers/Opposite Hitters
Returning Starters/Key Players: Felicia Willoughby, 6’0” SR; Cara Baarendse, 6’1” SO; Kirsty Blue, 6’1” JRKey Losses: Betsy Horowitz, 3rd on team in blocks
Key Additions: Victoria Hamsher, 6’2” FR
With Virginia Tech’s only two-time All-American anchoring the front line, middle blocker is clearly still the Hokies strongest position. Baarendse had a stellar first season on the weak side, setting the Tech freshman hitting percentage record at .354 (good enough for 3rd all-time among all players). Top-100 recruit Victoria Hamsher should add qaulity depth at the position as well.
Outside Hitters
Returning Starters/Key Players: Justine Record, 5’8” JR; Jennifer Wiker, 6’3” R-SOKey Losses: Taylor Parrish, 1,264 career kills (7th all-time)
Key Additions: Samantha Gostling, 6’1” FR
Outside Hitter is another position that the Hokies will be loaded at this coming season. Junior Justine Record is a versatile athlete who lead the team in kills and service aces last season, while tallying the second most digs on the team as well. Her service ace average of 0.45/set was good for 22nd best in the nation. The Hokies will also have the services of sophomore Jennifer Wiker and freshman Samantha Gostling, who bring added height to the position off the bench.
Liberos/Defensive Specialists
Returning Starters/Key Players: Amy Wengrenovich, 5’10” SR; Morgan O’Neil, 5’9” SO; Kirsten Higareda, 5’4” JRKey Losses: Jill Gergen, 1,708 career digs (3rd all-time)
Key Additions: Rachel Lindsey, 5’8” FR; Laura Misiewicz, 5’5” FR; Corrie Sanders, 5’8” FR
As the fastest player on the team, senior Amy Wengrenovich will likely take over the starting Libero job that Jill Gergen has held for the past 3 seasons. There’s plenty of talent to go around in the back row, but establishing chemistry early on will be the key to maintaining a solid defense.
What to Look For- Defense: One of the biggest keys to the Hokies success this year will be replacing Jill Gergen’s 1,708 career digs. Good blocking up front will be important to help take some pressure off the back row, especially early in the season.
- Road Record: With 18 road trips compared to only 12 home matches, the Hokies success on the road will be crucial to earning an NCAA bid. A .500 record on the road would be a significant accomplishment, and do wonders for a post-season berth. The Hokies were 7-9 away from Cassell last season.
- Start Strong: Tech was only 15-16 in the first sets of matches last season, compared to 41-21 in sets 2 and 3. Digging into a hole early will not work out well against this year’s quality opponents.
- Finish Strong: The Hokies have had a tendency to fall off in the latter half of the season in recent years. The back half of the Hokies ACC schedule this year includes home matches with defending champion Florida State and Miami, and road trips to Gerogia Tech and Duke.
The Hokies have had the talent before to win games. The past two years have seen win streaks of 9 and 11 games, however, making it to the next level will require consistency. With a veteran core and a talented freshman class, Tech has all the tools in place to be a successful team. The Hokies are picked to finish 8th in the conference by the media, but I expect somewhere in the 3rd to 5th place range is more likely. Knocking Florida State or Duke from the top ranks of the ACC will be tough, but an at-large NCAA tournament bid is a real possibility for this year’s squad.
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