Hokies fall in five-set battle to Virginia

BLACKSBURG, Va.  — Anabel Zier racked up 14 kills with a .565 attack percentage, but the Virginia Tech volleyball team fell in five sets (25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 29-27, 14-16) to the Virginia Cavaliers Friday at home at Cassell Coliseum.

The loss dropped Virginia Tech’s record to 9-13 overall and 2-9 in ACC play.

The Hokies offense was paced by Cera Powell, who finished with 16 kills on the day. Zier added 14 and Cara Lewis chipped in with 10 as part of balanced Virginia Tech attack. Defensively, Tech had three players reach double figures in digs, including Logan Mosley’s 14, 12 from Hanna Borer, and 10 more from Maddie Slagle. Borer finished with her ninth double-double of the season, recording a career-high 45 assists. From the front row, Lewis contributed seven blocks and Sarah Malinowski added five rejections. The Hokies totaled 10 blocks.

Game Notes

» Virginia Tech had three players in double figures in kills.

» Virginia Tech had three players in double figures in digs.

» Anabel Zier was efficient in attacking situations in the match, accumulating 14 kills while hitting .565.

» Sierra Cates had a match-high three aces in the loss.

» Cera Powell had a team-high 16 kills for Virginia Tech.

» Virginia Tech got a team-high 14 digs from Logan Mosley.

» Virginia Tech attackers were helped by a team-high and season-high 45 assists from Hanna Borer.

How It Happened

The Hokies opened up an early one set lead, winning the first set 25-21. Virginia Tech grabbed the advantage for good at 17-16 in a set that had just one lead change before the Hokies took over in the second half of the stanza. The Hokies got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Virginia attacks, as Lewis led the way with two. Zier got going early, leading the way with four kills in the first.

Virginia Tech then fell in the second set 25-23, evening the match at a set apiece. The Hokies battled back from an eight-point 11-3 deficit to tie the match up at 14-14, but Virginia hung on to take the set. The Hokies took the lead at at 23-22 off a kill from Lewis before UVA bounced back on a 3-0 scoring run to finish off the set. For the Hokies, Powell added five kills and hit .364 in the second set.

A third-set loss put Virginia Tech down two sets to one. The Hokies came up short by the score of 25-22. Virginia Tech trailed by as many as six points as Virginia grabbed the advantage for good at 6-5 in a set that was knotted up…