Basketball
Virginia Tech basketball coach Seth Greenberg, along with three other NCAA coaches, will be heading to Washington, DC tomorrow to speak before Congress. The group will be speaking on behalf of the American Cancer Society to raise funding for cancer research, a disease that took the life of former Virginia Tech basketball player Allen Calloway in 2009. You can read Coach Greenberg’s comments here on hokiesports.com
The 2010-2011 Men’s Basketball poster has been unveiled on designer Clark Ruhland’s website. This thing looks awesome!! The thing I like most about it is the background which incorporates some of Coach Greenberg’s famous tweets and even the lyrics from the Hokies’ entrance song “All the Above”. It even makes a great desktop for your computer until the paper copies hit Cassell so check it out!
In recruiting news, 6’7” forward Dorian Finney-Smith is expected to make his college choice tomorrow at 1 pm from his high school in Portsmouth, VA. Finney-Smith is a prized recruit who is ranked as high as 15th overall. The Hokies are considered the favorite, but he has also made visits to Old Dominion and Florida.
Volleyball
Last week:
The Hokies opened the weekend in Coral Gables, Florida against the Miami Hurricanes, who were coming off a tough 3-1 home loss to in-state rival FSU. Miami jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first set and maintained a 3-4 point advantage through most of the set before pulling away for a 25-18 victory. Tech started the second set strong, eventually pulling out to a 17-13 lead. Things went downhill quickly however, as the Hurricanes reeled off 6 straight, taking a 19-17 lead. The Canes scored 12 of the final 14 points in the set including 3 service aces to win the second set 25-19. The third set was much of the same, as the Hokies struggled to get a side-out and Miami cruised to a 25-14 victory. Cara Baarendse led both teams with 14 kills, but the Hokies had a season-low 2 blocks and only forced Miami into 5 hitting errors.
Things would not get any easier for the Hokies on Sunday as they faced the 13th ranked Seminoles in Tallahassee. After dropping a close decision in the first set 25-23, the Hokies struggled in the second set, eventually falling 25-13 and faced an 0-2 hole. With their backs against the wall on the road, the Hokies fought back and held FSU to a .086 hitting percentage in the third set, taking the frame by a score of 25-19. Tech found a new life offensively in the fourth set, tallying 18 kills in a second consecutive 25-19 victory. Despite the valiant comeback, a 7 point rally by the Noles at the beginning of the fifth set proved to be to much to overcome. The Hokies got as close as 14-13, but eventually fell to the Seminoles 15-13.
Up next:
The Hokies should now know that they can beat anyone. It was a gutsy performance to end a long road stretch, and despite falling just short of a major victory, Tech should take a lot away from this weekend. After nearly a month on the road, the Hokies finally return to Cassell Friday night to face the Clemson Tigers. The Tigers are 10-3 on the year, having dropped two in a row to Wake Forest (3-0) and Duke (3-2). Clemson returns 4 starters from a 23-10 team that finished 4th in the ACC last year and are led by 6’0” outside hitter Sandra Adeleye (3.13 k/set) and 6’3” middle blocker Alexa Rand (1.34 blk/s). Saturday’s opponent will be the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. The Jackets were picked to finish third in the league but have stumbled to a 7-7 (0-3 ACC) start to the season. Georgia Tech has struggled in close matches, posting a 1-4 record in matches decided in 5 sets. Friday’s match against Clemson will be played at 7pm and Saturday’s match versus Georgia Tech will begin at 6pm. Admission is free.
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