BLACKSBURG, Va. — What’s the significance of the number 4,738?
On its own, it may not carry much significance. On Friday, it did. Virginia Tech volleyball took down Florida State in four sets (25-20 VT, 30-28 VT, 25-23 FSU, 25-20 VT) at Cassell Coliseum, snapping a 4,738-day drought in the process.
The last time the Hokies (7-13, 4-7 ACC) had beaten the Seminoles (11-10, 5-5 ACC) was on Nov. 9, 2013. The seniors on Tech’s team — setter Camilla Brandalise and outside hitter Sara Gasparini — were in third grade at the time.
As for the juniors, who were in second grade during Tech’s last win over FSU, middle blocker Isabella Mishler and outside hitter Reese Hazelton spearheaded the effort with a combined 27 kills. Hazelton finished with her sixth double-double of the season, accumulating 14 kills and 16 digs.
“That’s crazy,” Hazelton said of her reaction to Tech’s last win over the Seminoles being in 2013. “I think our wins and losses on the season don’t show how hard we work in the gym, in the weight room, in the offseason. … But I think being able to get that win today and close it out is amazing.”
Several other statistics underscore the significance of Tech’s win over Florida State. Before Friday, the Hokies had not won a set against the Seminoles since Sept. 22, 2023. Then they won three. Virginia Tech had not won back-to-back ACC matches since Nov. 2-4, 2022. Then it did.
It took four sets, including a grueling second that stretched into extra points, for the Hokies to close it out. But on the final rally, with Virginia Tech leading 24-20, Mishler leapt from the pin, rising above several Seminoles defenders before finding an opening just inside the sideline. Cue proverbial thunder and applause.
FINAL | Virginia Tech 3, Florida State 1 The #Hokies just snapped a streak that went for over 4,700 days — they just beat Florida State for the first time since Nov. 9, 2013. Video of the final VT point: https://t.co/f832SrgwCj
— Thomas Hughes (@thomashughes_05) October 31, 2026
Mishler’s 13 kills marked a new season-high and came one short of her career high of 14, set against Virginia on Oct. 15, 2025.
“God, she’s amazing,” Hazelton said of the 6-foot-3 junior. “She is one of my favorite people on and off the court. She is one of the hardest workers ever. Just an amazing teammate and amazing athlete. … She works really hard with everything she does. She always has a positive attitude and just happy to be here.”
Virginia Tech leapt out to a seven-point lead in the fourth-set decider, though Florida State refused to go quietly. The Seminoles strung together a three-point rally to pull the deficit to 13-11, but that was the closest Florida State came in the final frame.
Tech extended its lead to 16-11, and while Florida State eventually trimmed the deficit to 21-18, self-inflicted errors haunted the Seminoles. Florida State committed seven attack errors in the fourth set, including one that gave the Hokies a 23-19 score.
Though the Seminoles pushed back by forcing an attack error from Virginia Tech outside hitter Destiny Walker, it came to little avail, being followed by Mishler’s match-ending kill.
The fourth set followed a third that served as both the thesis and antithesis of the match. Virginia Tech leapt out to an early 3-1 lead, but Florida State responded with four unanswered points to seize the advantage.
A 5-1 Florida State run later extended the Seminoles’ lead to 21-17, and despite a three-point Virginia Tech surge, Florida State found itself on the doorstep of cutting into the Hokies’ two-sets-to-none advantage. The Seminoles initially believed they had secured the third set when a kill attempt from Destiny Walker sailed wide, but a video review overturned the call. Officials determined that Walker’s swing had grazed the hand of a Florida State defender, keeping Virginia Tech alive.
It came to little avail, however. Florida State put a bow on the third set just one rally later, as Seminoles outside hitter Kyleene Filimaua punctuated the frame with a kill. The senior finished with a match-high 17 kills, though her production came at the expense of 14 errors. Eleven were attacking errors, while the remaining three came from the service line. Filimaua finished with eight kills in the third frame.
“They’re very outside heavy,” Mishler said of Florida State’s attack. “… They also run a lot of back row attacks, which is something that we’ve seen a little bit, but not a ton. They have a pretty strong back row attack as well.”
Florida State’s third-set victory followed two vastly different frames, one in which Virginia Tech seized control late and another in which the Hokies had to claw their way back from the brink of defeat. Virginia Tech leapt out to a quick 6-2 lead, and though it fell behind via a 10-2 Seminoles run, it bent but never broke.
Virginia Tech tied the set at 14 and then 15 before seizing the lead for good off a pair of Filimaua attack errors. The latter was stuffed by Hokies outside hitter Adeline Hundl and middle blocker Georgia Trexler. Hundl finished with seven kills after her career-high 14 against Syracuse, while Trexler set a new career-high in kills with eight.
“Georgia works so hard, and we’re so proud of her,” Mishler said of the sophomore, who made her fourth start of the season in as many appearances after missing the first 17 matches. “She’s just super athletic, super quick side-to-side. She’s just got a really strong block, and it’s really hard to hit around her.”
The second set was by no means as easy. Neither team built a lead larger than three points, though Florida State held a small advantage. That lead eventually grew into a 24-21 gap, but facing three consecutive Seminole set points, Virginia Tech delivered on each occasion, evening the frame at 24. A Hazelton attack error was countered by a Florida State service error that sent the set into extra points, and both teams continued to trade blows.
Tech eventually secured the set off a Payton Whalen attack error, with Trexler and setter Camilla Brandalise combining for the block to survive Florida State’s five set points. The Seminoles also committed three service errors after reaching 25 points, digging themselves into a two-set hole from which they never recovered.
“Our big thing this season is just taking it point by point — not worrying about two points from now, not worrying about 24, 25, whatever the score is,” Hazelton said.
With the victory, Virginia Tech has now won three of its last four matches, snapping several streaks that had plagued the program for years. For Mishler, it's been a welcome change.
“It’s been really fun,” Mishler said. “… It keeps practice and lift and everything a lot easier to focus and come in every day with a positive attitude. We’ve been putting the work in, so it’s really nice to see that rewarded on the court.”
Virginia Tech wraps up its weekend slate with Miami on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET before a five-day break. Then, it’s back to Cassell Coliseum for matches with Notre Dame (Friday, Nov. 6, 6 p.m. ET) and Louisville (Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m. ET).
