BLACKSBURG, Va. — In a matter of moments, Virginia Tech volleyball found itself on the verge of snapping a streak that hadn't been broken in 1,813 days — plus another that hadn't been broken in 2,189.
Those two streaks correspond to the Hokies' drought against Virginia overall (last win: Oct. 29, 2021) and at home (last win: Oct. 18, 2020). On Friday evening at Cassell Coliseum, Tech snapped both, swiftly handling the Cavaliers in a three-set sweep.
"Oh man, it feels really good," Virginia Tech coach Marci Byers said. "It had been a long time coming — but after we lost on Wednesday night, we came back Thursday and the team was just locked in to changing some of the things we needed to change. Our game plan — they did it to perfection tonight."
Streaks of nearly five and six years were snapped on a final rally that saw a Virginia (6-11, 2-6 ACC) kill attempt sail wide right of the lines, securing the Hokies' (5-12, 2-6 ACC) first victory against the Cavaliers in five years. The contest also snapped another streak: Virginia Tech's five-match losing streak ended with Friday's victory.
FINAL | Virginia Tech 3, Virginia 0 The #Hokies swept the Cavaliers at Cassell Coliseum today. It was Virginia Tech’s first win against UVa. since 2021 and its first home victory against the Cavaliers since 2020. Video of the final VT point: https://t.co/yBXihLZQTR
— Thomas Hughes (@thomashughes_05) October 16, 2026
"They knew the things they needed to do," Byers said of the shift from Wednesday's defeat — and from last year, which featured a reverse sweep at Cassell Coliseum. "… The energy had been there since last night at practice, and it held all the way into today."
The victory also improved Byers' career record to 305-304, putting her back above .500. Her record against ACC opponents improved to 22-96 with Friday's win.
The victory was powered by two players who weren't on Virginia Tech's roster in 2025. Outside hitter Destiny Walker, a junior transfer from Eastern Illinois, and senior pin hitter Frances Torres, who transferred from Colgate, combined for 26.5 points and 23 kills. Torres' 13 kills against Virginia, accomplished on a .423 hitting percentage, led the team, while Walker totaled 10 kills and eight digs.
"She's so fiery, and she's obviously versatile," Byers said of Torres. "She hasn't really played six rotations since high school, club — but I knew she had the skill set to do it. Just watching her play and being a leader on this team is something that has been invaluable. She believes in what we're doing in our program, and it's been awesome to have her."
Torres and Walker were newcomers to the rivalry, having never played Virginia before. Still, there was ample motivation, both within themselves and from the team's returning players.
"I think coming in as transfers in January, we really wanted to elevate the program and break some records," Torres said. "That was really special that we could actually do that on our home court. I think that [the returners] really lit the fuel to the fire. … It was a team win."
It wasn't just newcomers, though. Returnees Reese Hazelton and Isabella Mishler tallied eight kills apiece, with Mishler doing so on a remarkable .800 hitting percentage. The quartet of Torres, Hazelton, Mishler and Walker accounted for all but one of the Hokies' 40 kills.
"Reese is always very vocal, and she's always there for us in any type of way," Walker said of Hazelton, who is in her second year with the program. "… She always has this fire in her [where] she just talks all the time, and she always has something positive to say."
Virginia Tech established control early in Friday's contest, turning a 5-5 tie in the opening set into a 13-10 advantage before pulling away for a 25-18 victory. The Hokies carried that momentum into the second set, opening a 7-4 lead before doubling up the Cavaliers at 16-8.
The second set quickly turned into a rout. Virginia Tech hit .444 with just two attacking errors, overwhelming a Virginia squad that struggled to find answers offensively. By the time the Hokies closed out the set, 25-11, they were one set away from ending nearly five years of frustration against their in-state rivals.
Deadlocked at 14-14 in the potentially match-ending third set, Virginia Tech rattled off three consecutive points, capped by a co-block from Torres and Mishler, to take a 17-14 advantage. The Hokies continued to build their lead, stretching the advantage to 21-16 behind kills from Walker, Hazelton and Torres.
Virginia, however, wasn't finished. The Cavaliers scored five of the set's next six points to trim the deficit to 22-21, threatening to extend the match to a fourth set. Torres responded with her 13th kill of the evening before setter Camilla Brandalise delivered a service ace to reach match point. A Reese Wuebker attack error on the ensuing rally, which sailed wide right, sealed the 25-21 victory, ending the Hokies' nearly five-year drought against their in-state rival.
Virginia Tech's victory came despite unremarkable hitting percentages in the first and final sets. In the deciding third set, the Hokies hit .171, while the first set was marginally better at .179.
But the second set — a 25-11 rout — served as one of Tech's sharpest sets of the season, one in which it converted four of every nine attacks into kills and committed just two errors. The Hokies were equally efficient in serve receive, converting all 11 sideout opportunities in the set after managing a 63.2% sideout rate in the opener.
"That was something we locked in on in practice," Torres said of limiting unforced errors. "… I think it was a lot cleaner today. It showed up."
The Hokies were stout defensively, recording six team blocks while being blocked just once themselves. Virginia struggled against Virginia Tech's defense, hitting -.018 for the match. Cavaliers right-side hitter Becca Wight led Virginia with six kills.
The Hokies' next opponent presents a unique challenge. Boston College — one of two ACC opponents Virginia Tech defeated at Cassell Coliseum last year — is next on the schedule, though this time, the matchup shifts to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Hokies are just 1-7 on the road this season, having won only two sets away from Cassell Coliseum since Sept. 13.
"We always go game-by-game," Walker said. "We never look more forward than the game we have next. We always have it in mind, but we always focus. Like in-game, we always focus point by point. So it's same with match by match. Like, we have no rush."
Virginia Tech's Oct. 23 matchup against the Eagles is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. After that, the Hokies face Syracuse on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. ET, also on ACC Network Extra. Virginia Tech defeated both teams last year, accounting for half of its ACC victories.
