WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The new season rolls on as the William & Mary volleyball team heads to Virginia Tech to compete in the Hokie Invitational from Aug. 31-Sept. 1. The Tribe starts the event with a Friday doubleheader against Virginia Tech (noon) and Robert Morris (5 pm), before ending the weekend versus Campbell on Saturday at 2 pm.
The matchup with VT will be live streamed on ACC Network Extra via Watch ESPN and live stats will be available for each contest. Links can be accessed on the Tribe Volleyball schedule page.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (0-3) is looking to collect its first couple of wins after dropping close contest at the Wildcat Classic. The Tribe fell in five sets in two of its three matches last weekend. Almost every set from the Wildcat Classic was intense as five of the last eight games were decided by no more than three points. Individually, rookie
Madeleine Bertz was named to the All-Tournament team. Sophomore
Kate Dedrick and freshman
Claire Farrell recorded double-figure kills twice, while junior
Autumn Brenner averaged 7.67 assists per set.
Scouting the Hokies
Virginia Tech (3-0) dropped just two sets at the Charlotte Invitational last weekend to start the season unbeaten. The Hokies defeated USC Upstate and Presbyterian in straight sets, before outlasting Charlotte in five. VT got off to the solid start by hammering 14.18 kills per set and making 3.09 blocks per set. Sophomore Kaity Smith is a key piece in the Hokie offense with an average of 3.75 kills per set, while classmate Marisa Cerchio owned the net with an ACC-best 1.73 blocks per set.
Scouting the Colonials
Robert Morris (0-3) aims to recover from a winless start to 2018 at the Catamount Volleyball Classic. The Colonials managed to claim just one set after competing against Western Carolina, Middle Tennessee, and Charleston Southern. RMU will have to pick up its offensive production after posting only 10.70 kills per set and holding a .123 attack percentage. The Colonials top performers from last weekend were sophomore setter Whitney Brown (8.10 assists per set) and sophomore middle blocker Emma Granger (1.20 blocks per set)
Scouting the Camels
Campbell (1-2) strives to reach .500 at the conclusion of the Hokie Invitational this weekend. In its season debut, the Camels pulled out a five-set victory against CSU Bakersfield in their final match of Aztec Invitational. Individually, CU has two players ranked top two in the Big South statistical categories. Freshman Sarah Colla produced a strong debut after averaging the second-most kills (3.55 per set), while Alysha Mitchell tops the conference and ties 14
th in the NCAA in blocks (1.73).
Series history vs. Virginia Tech
W&M and Virginia Tech will meet for the 23
rd time in series history. The Tribe holds an all-time series lead of 13-9 against the Hokies. The previous meeting occurred in Blacksburg in 2013 and the Hokies won the match, 3-1. The Hokies have defeated the Green and Gold in five of the last six meetings.
Series history vs. Robert Morris
Friday's last match will mark the second meeting of W&M and Robert Morris. The previous meeting took place in 2011 on a neutral court in Kent, Ohio. The Tribe dispatched the Colonials in straight sets. The first two games were decided by a combined five points, while the final set took extra points.
Series history vs. Campbell
W&M faces off against Campbell for the fourth time in series history. The Tribe claimed the first two matches in holding a 2-1 series lead over the Camels. During the previous matchup, CU pulled out a five-set victory in 2013. All three meeting were held in Williamsburg.
Immediate Impact
A duo of Farrell and Bertz both made significant contributions in their collegiate debut. Bertz needed just 45 attempts to land 23 kills, committing just six errors for the CAA's fourth-best hitting percentage (.378). She also recorded five aces and eight block assists. Farrell smashed a team-high 33 kills and added seven block assists
Brenner with the Double-Double
Brenner was the first Tribe player in 2018 to record a double-double. The McLean, Va., native led all players with 49 assists and added 13 digs versus Central Arkansas. She dictated the entire offensive flow for the Tribe after setting up 90 percent of the team's kills. Brenner also served two aces and assisted on two blocks.
Serves Up
W&M's intention on aggressive serving led to the second-most most aces per set (1.92) in the CAA. The Tribe landed a total of 25 aces during the Wildcat Classic. In the season-opener, W&M tied fifth in school history for the most aces in five sets. The four aces from Bertz tied the sixth-most at W&M.
Digging Doyle
The Tribe was able to nab a rising star in
Tim Doyle as he was selected to the 2017 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 list. Doyle built up quit the resume before accepting his first head coaching opportunity at W&M. In four years at VCU, he helped the program capture 80 wins and make a 2017 NCAA Tournament appearance. He also mentored 13 all-conference selections and saw five players sign professionally contracts during his six total years as an assistant. Additionally, Doyle bring Big Ten experience to Williamsburg following two years at Ohio State.
Sideline Help
Doyle brought in high caliber assistants to help steer the program in a new direction. His first hire was former VCU standout
Janelle Sykes. She recently competed abroad in Azerbaijan and Belgium. Sykes is one the most elite middle blockers in Rams' history, ranking second all-time in blocks per set (1.21) and fourth in total blocks (345).
Colby Arrington was the second hire and he brings a championship pedigree from James Madison. Arrington spent three years on the JMU staff serving in various roles, most recently as the volunteer assistant. He was also a key member of the JMU nationally-ranked men's club volleyball program.
