This Week in The Cassell – Hokies Seek Quality Wins for Tournament Resume

Basketball

     Believe it or not, one of the most anticipated seasons in Virginia Tech Basketball history is right around the corner.  According to Coach Greenberg’s August Roundball Club update (via @hokieguru), the 3rd annual Late Night With the Hokies will be held on October 15th after the volleyball match against Wake Forest.  Mark your calendars because this also happens to be Homecoming weekend as the football team plays Wake Forest the next day, making it a great weekend for a trip to Blacksburg.  By now most have you have probably seen the 2010-2011 schedule that was released last week, which includes a school record 15 nationally televised games.  When you throw in hosting College Gameday in February, that’s an unprecedented opportunity for the Hokies to make a name for themselves on the college basketball landscape.  Some quick notes:

• The Hokies open the season in Cassell against Campbell on November 12th, then hit the road for 5 straight games, including at Kansas State.  That’s a tough road stretch very early in the season that will test the veteran leadership of the team to come out strong on the road.
• Tech will host FSU on January 8th in Cassell.  This is the game that happens every year smack in the middle of winter break, so it will be important for Alumni to come out in full force since the students will be on break.
• I see the Hokies having 6 potential opportunities to pick up quality wins at home, hosting Purdue, FSU, Miami, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Duke.  Obviously that depends on how well these teams do this season, but odds are at least 3 or 4 of them will be in the top 50.

Volleyball

Last week:

     Tech hosted the fifth annual Hokie Invitational last weekend, sweeping Coastal Carolina, Long Island, and Jacksonville State, all by a score of 3-0.  The Hokies improved to 5-1 on the year and are now 18-0 in home tournaments under coach Chris Riley.  The Hokies were led over the weekend by sophomore Cara Baarendse, who tallied 31 kills on a .491 hitting percentage.  Her efforts earned her tournament MVP honors, Virginia Tech Athlete of the Week, and a spot on CVU.com’s National Top Performers list.  Senior Felicia Willoughby set a new Virginia Tech record with 375 career block assists, and fellow senior Amy Wengrenovich recorded her 700th career dig.

Up next:

     Today the Hokies travel to Bowling Green, KY for the Western Kentucky Tournament, where they will face Central Arkansas and host WKU on Friday, and Big 12 foe Missouri on Saturday.  Central Arkansas is 5-3 on the season, with their 3 losses coming at the hands of undefeated Wyoming, Oklahoma, and #21 LSU.  Western Kentucky is riding a 5 match winning streak after sweeping the Xavier Invitational last weekend.  The Hilltoppers defeated their only common opponent with the Hokies, Xavier, 3-1 (Virginia Tech won by a score of 3-2 two weeks ago).  Missouri enters the tournament boasting a perfect 6-0 record and received 41 votes in the latest top 25 poll (good for 27th).  This will be a challenging tournament for the Hokies, but one that provides a chance to get multiple quality road wins to help bolster a NCAA Tournament resume.  Live stats for all thee games should be available here.