Virginia Tech Volleyball Concedes Friday Tilt to Wake Forest

BLACKSBURG, Va. – There’s often a saying around sports: it’s not how you start, t’s how you finish. For Virginia Tech volleyball, the saying rung true in spades.

The Hokies (11-17, 3-14 ACC) couldn’t consistently convert, yielding their Friday evening contest to Wake Forest in four sets. The defeat kept head coach Marci Byers at 299 career wins, one shy of the vaunted 300.

“I think the first set was really good,” said outside hitter Payton Woods. “I think we fed hot hitters in the first set, and then I think just we started making stupid errors throughout the next sets, and I don't think we're putting balls away.”

Tech played its most composed volleyball in the opening frame, siding out efficiently and keeping Wake Forest (14-14, 8-9 ACC) from building extended scoring runs. Woods and outside hitter Reese Hazelton provided steady swings, and Virginia Tech controlled the tempo on its way to a 25-21 win.

Wake Forest answered in the second set with sharper passing and stronger defensive positioning. The Demon Deacons limited their errors and found more consistency in transition, pulling even in the match with a 25-21 result. Virginia Tech struggled to generate the same rhythm it had in the first, and the shift carried into the third set.

The third frame tilted further toward Wake Forest, which created separation early and maintained it. The Hokies’ attack percentage sat at .185; Wake’s sat at a convincing .483 mark where it took advantage of longer rallies to stretch the margin, winning 25-18 to move ahead, two sets to one.

Virginia Tech showed pushback in the fourth, trimming multiple deficits and staying within reach behind Woods’ continued production. Hazelton added eight kills and 17 digs, helping keep plays alive, but Wake Forest closed the final points cleanly to take the set, 25-22, and the match.

The Hokies finished with an 8-4 edge in total blocks, but the Demon Deacons held the higher attack efficiency at .208, compared to Virginia Tech’s .150. Woods led the Hokies with 13 kills and 16 points, while Virginia Tech recorded 41 assists to Wake Forest’s 45.

With the season nearing its end, the Hokies continue to search for a complete match across all phases. Wake Forest departs with a road win and momentum, while Virginia Tech turns its attention to finishing the year with a steadier offensive showing and stronger late-set execution.

“I think we just need to play cleaner volleyball,” Woods said when asked what area of improvement was needed heading into the last four games of the season. “I think when you stop making errors, I think we're missing too many serves. I think we're making a ton of hitting errors. I think we just need to lock in, feed the hot hitter and put balls away.”

Woods also spoke about maintaining perspective through the ups and downs of the year and how she stays grounded regardless of results, thanks to her faith.

“The Lord has really worked through me,” Woods said. “I don't find my identity in volleyball, no matter how good or bad I do, no matter we win or lose. I'm still a daughter of the King, and I humble myself before every game. I pray during the national anthem, and I'm like, ‘No matter what happens, this is for the Lord, audience of one, all for His glory. And then after the game, I just surrender it to Him, no matter what happens. And I've stayed very levelheaded and haven't gotten really up or down this season.”

And for five seniors, the contest marked their third-to-last home outing. Three have been on the team since their freshman year: outside hitter Sarah Malinowski, libero Sierra Cates and middle blocker Jordan Hallman. Even for the freshmen, those three’s resilience has been key in elevating the team, particularly during a difficult stretch of the season where the team lost seven straight. Woods pointed to Hallman and Malinowski in particular.

“[Hallman and Malinowski] are great, especially together,” Woods said. “They work very well together. They've been here four years. They're also seniors. We look up to them a lot. They're our leaders, and so that just really gets the team going, and they get very hyped, and they just really pour into the program.

“They have really poured into me, given me a ton of advice going through the season. Obviously, I'm new. I've been new to different things happening here. They kind of have shown me the ropes of the program. So, they've been great.”

Virginia Tech will stay in Blacksburg for a pair of home contests; the first will be against N.C. State on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. ET for the team’s senior day. The second, the home finale for the Hokies, will be against Notre Dame on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 3 p.m. ET. Then, it’s the season finale: Syracuse, on Friday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. ET.