Familiar demons haunted Virginia Tech volleyball in a three-set sweep at the hands of Miami on Sunday in Cassell Coliseum: Inconsistent execution and unforced errors proved to be the Hokies’ downfall.
An example of that uneven execution? Virginia Tech (7-14, 4-8 ACC) came out firing on all cylinders in the third set, stringing together a 7-1 run to open the frame. Just as quickly as the Hokies began the run, their momentum dissipated. Eighteen of the set’s next 24 rallies ended in Miami (11-10, 9-3 ACC) points, fueling the Hurricanes’ straight-sets victory.
Virginia Tech struggled to contain a balanced and effective Miami attack; outside hitters Ruth Martinez and Sonja Danilovic each finished with 10 kills and combined for 16 digs. Fellow pin hitter Asia Harvey also totaled nine kills, while middle blocker Denitsa Angelova put together an effective six kills on a .545 clip.
Miami posted a .270 hitting percentage, nearly quadrupling Virginia Tech’s .070 mark. No Hokie hit better than .227 in Friday’s sweep, with Hazelton’s eight kills leading the way. Outside hitter Destiny Walker was the next-closest with five kills, though she also committed four attack errors. The two teams combined for 36 attack errors, but Miami’s struggles were largely concentrated in Harvey, who accounted for eight.
Virginia Tech’s errors, meanwhile, were more distributed, with four Hokies committing at least three. Walker, Mishler and Hundl each recorded four attack errors, while Hazelton added three.
Miami – the Hurricanes the owners of a program-worst 0-7 start, though they’ve rebounded by winning nine of their last 12 – found itself behind the 8-ball midway the opening set. Virginia Tech took the lead 11 rallies in and briefly extended its advantage to 9-6.
Miami trimmed the deficit to 10-9, but Virginia Tech responded with four straight points to extend its lead to 14-9. From there, however, the Hurricanes clawed their way back. Miami setter Ariana Rodriguez delivered a service ace, and outside hitter Sonja Danilovic followed with a kill to bring the Hurricanes within two.
Miami tied the set at 15 on an Harvey kill before taking the lead when Harvey and middle blocker Logan Wiley combined to block Virginia Tech outside hitter Adeline Hundl at the net.
The Hokies reclaimed the lead three times down the stretch, eventually reaching set point at 24-23 following a Miami service error. Tech, however, could not close it out. With their backs against the wall, the Hurricanes responded with a Danilovic kill to level the score. Hundl answered to give the Hokies another set point, but Miami had the final word, rattling off three consecutive points to claim the opening set, 27-25.
Looking for a case of unforced errors? Virginia Tech led 4-2 in the second set, but back-to-back attack errors by outside hitter Destiny Walker eventually led to the Hokies falling into a 6-4 hole. Miami took advantage from there, scoring on four of the next five rallies to lead 9-5 when Tech took a timeout.
Miami stretched its lead as far as nine points (15-6) at the media timeout and continued to confuddle a Virginia Tech attack that never found its footing in the second set. The Hokies compiled seven kills to nine errors in the second frame.
The third set followed a similar script, albeit with more pronounced highs for Virginia Tech. The Hokies raced out to a 7-1 advantage, but Miami responded with four straight points, capitalizing on three Tech errors to cut into the deficit.
The Hurricanes eventually erased the six-point gap, tying the set at nine. After two more ties, Miami pulled away, weathering a brief Virginia Tech surge before extending its lead to 19-13. From there, the Hurricanes maintained control, cruising to a 25-18 third-set victory to complete the sweep.
Virginia Tech is back in action on Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m. ET when it hosts Notre Dame. As part of its weekend slate, the Hokies will also play No. 3 Louisville on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. ET.
Virginia Tech has lost 14 of its last 15 games against Notre Dame, with the lone triumph coming on Oct. 20, 2023. The Hokies are 4-29 against Louisville all-time; their last win against the Cardinals was on Oct. 20, 2019.
