The Hokies and the Blue Hens of Delaware meet this Friday at 5:00 pm in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Volleyball Championship. It’s Virginia Tech’s first trip to the NCAAs and first postseason trip since the 1992 WNIT where the Hokies beat, of all teams, Delaware. The Hokies will look to extend what has already been a groundbreaking season and earn a date with three-time defending national champion Penn State on Saturday.
Getting to know the Blue Hens:
| Overall Record: | 26-5 |
| Conference Record: | 13-1 CAA (1st) |
| Tournament Appearance: | 3rd |
| Tournament Record: | 1-2 |
Delaware won it's third Colonial Athletic Association title in 4 years after posting a 26-5 record in 2010. Their best win came at home against RPI #58 Villanova and the Blue Hens also took down RPI #80 Notre Dame in South Bend.
Delaware is led offensively by 6-0 right-side/outside hitter Katie Dennehy and 6-0 OH Alissa Alker, who both average over 3 kills per set. Senior middle blocker Paige Erickson leads the team in blocks with 1.24 per set. Senior Greta Gibboney leads a strong back row that ranks 34th in the nation with 17 digs per set.
The rest of the bracket:
- Niagara Purple Eagles
Overall Record: 25-8 Conference Record: 17-1 MAAC (1st) Tournament Appearance: 2nd Tournament Record: 0-1 Niagara makes it second overall and second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference automatic bid. The Purple Eagles fell in straight sets in the first round of last year's tournament to #13 seed Michigan.
- Penn State Nittany Lions
Overall Record: 26-5 Conference Record: 16-4 Big Ten (1st) Tournament Appearance: 30th Tournament Record: 66-25 Penn State enters the 2010 Tournament as the #4 overall seed, and hosts the opening rounds of the tournament for the 21st consecutive season. The Nittany Lions are the three time defending national champions and held a record 109-match winning streak before losing 5 times during the 2010 campaign.
Prediction:
Think of this weekend as a four team tournament. Survive and advance. The Hokies should have confidence knowing they played 3 preseason tournaments away from home, winning 2 of them. Tech is 5-0 so far this season on a neutral court, and 17-6 overall under Coach Chris Riley.
In Delaware’s last 3 losses, they’ve been out-blocked a combined 33-10.5, a weakness that Tech must exploit defensively. The Hokies have a clear advantage offensively, boasting a significantly better hitting percentage and a wider range of attacking options. In 26 wins, Delaware has averaged 1.74 aces per set, compared to only 1.0 aces per set in 5 losses. If the Hokies can execute in their serve-receive game, there won’t be much Delaware can do to stop the Hokies’ attack.
Hokies 3 Delaware 1
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