hokies show heart in 3-0 loss to no. 2 louisville

Ryan Duvall

Staff Writer

October 15, 2021

BLACKSBURG — As the second set ended in a 30-28 loss, Virginia Tech trotted back into its locker room. Anyone in Cassell Coliseum could tell the Hokies looked defeated.

After all, the set was one that proved to be especially grueling with Virginia Tech going back and forth against a Louisville squad that was ranked second in the nation. But in the end, the Cardinals managed to come back on Tech and score the final few points in a costly set.

This, and another win in set three would lead to a 3-0 sweep for Louisville, maintaining its undefeated record on the season at 17-0 (7-0 ACC). What may be even more impressive for the Cardinals, though, is that they haven’t yielded a single set to an opponent in eight games, as they continue to dominate not only the ACC, but the entire NCAA.

The Hokies, on the other hand, dropped their eighth straight game, while continuing their ACC drought, still searching for an elusive first win. Overall, it has been a season full of ups and downs, much like Friday’s match.

Tech started off with a promising 9-2 record, showing flashes of excellence in non-conference play, but since ACC play started, it’s a bit dismal for Virginia Tech.

But for Tech, the loss to Louisville might’ve been a silver-lining. It showed fight and promise against one of the best teams in the country. The Hokies showed that maybe — just maybe — they can play spoiler down the back-end of the ACC schedule.

“I mean if we can play like this every single night coming in and out, there’s no telling what we’ll be able to do,” head coach Marci Byers said. We’ve gotta make sure we harness this energy right here and how hard we played and continue that in conference.

From the get go, it was clear that the Hokies wanted to come out and make some noise against the highly touted Cardinals. And they showed that, getting up early in the first two sets and forcing Louisville to grind out the sweep.

The middle blockers and outside hitters shined for Tech, sending shots back over the net that somewhat exposed Louisville’s defense. Senior Marisa Cerchio led the way in kills for VT, with 11, and seemed to be more impactful than the stat sheet showed, making plays all over the court.

Logan Mosley's eight digs gave her 1,000 for her career.

The most impactful moments of the game easily came in the second set. The Hokies were down early, but quickly got things going and tied the set up before taking a late lead.

Unfortunately however, they weren’t able to hold the lead. The set went past the 25 point mark, and neither team was able to finish it off until the Cardinals grabbed a few points in a row, narrowly avoiding giving up their first set in seven games, 30-28.

“Would have had a better effect on the morale of the team if we were able to pull that set out,” Byers said. “But, it showed that we can battle back and forth with a team like that.”

The second set proved to be a very wearing one, as there was less energy felt from both teams when the third set started, leading Louisville to prevail, and ultimately win the match.