The Corner: Virginia Tech Women's Fall Sports - Tennis, Cross Country, and Golf Start Their Seasons

WOMEN'S FALL SPORTS UPDATES AT THE CORNER

The Corner will provide regular updates of women's sports news and events this fall. Visit Sons of Saturday for a round up of both in-season activity as well as off-season updates for other programs. Check out our recent coverage of the women's soccer as well as volleyball seasons.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Women's Soccer - Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 pm - at Pittsburgh - then Syrcacuse - Sunday, Sept. 20, 12:00 at Syracuse - Both games are on ACCNx

Volleyball - Friday, Sept. 18 at 6:00 pm - at South Carolina - SEC Network

Women's Cross Country - Friday, Sept. 18 at 6:00 pm - Hokie Invitational

Women's Tennis - Friday, Sept. 18 all day - Kentucky Invite - at Lexington, KY and Sept. 19-27, the ITA All-American Championips at Cary, NC. Stream available on https://web.playsight.com/facility/town-of-cary/home

Women's Golf - Saturday, Sept. 19 all day - Schooner Fall Classic - at Norman, OK

Women's Swimming and Diving - Saturday, Sept. 19 - Hokie Belt Challenge - Christiansburg, VA

SOFTBALL RECRUITING AND FALL BALL

Recruiting  

Ila Hughes: Virginia Tech Softball program picked up a commitment from right-handed pitcher Ila Hughes on September 7.  Hughes is a two-time First Team All-Northwest Conference and two-time First Team All-Ohio selection from Middlepoint, Ohio.  She is Virginia Tech’s first commit for the Class of 2028.

She plays for the Tennessee-Mojo-Purdue travel team and helped her team to the 2025 PGF National Championship, where she gave up zero runs in 26 innings. Hughes struck out 18, walked 3, and held hitters to a .103 batting average.

Line Drive media ranks her as the #8 recruit in the country and had this comment, “At 6-foot-1, she is an imposing figure on the mound and, throwing in the high 60’s for the several seasons, the hurler from Dephous, Ohio, according to Mojo head coach Michael Purdue, “has definitely lived up to all of our expectations when we brought her in to play on the team. Ila’s an absolute workhouse who can take command of a game and cripple another team’s offensive hopes.”

Brooke Black: The softball program also received a commitment on September 15 from right-handed Brooke Black, a second baseman from Richmond, Virginia. Black can play muiltiple posiitions, including the outfield, but her main area of work is as an utility middlefielder.

Black most recently play for the Starz Gold Bunn 16U club team where she hit .410 last season. She plays for Deep Creek High School, where she has a career .380 average.

Alliance Fast Pitch commented on her recruiting profile: "Known for her exceptional defensive instincts, Brooke maintains a strong presence on the field, demonstrating advanced reads and impressive range. Offensively, she approaches each at-bat with plate discipline and a strategic mindset, aiming to capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Her ability to adapt and contribute in multiple positions makes her a valuable asset to her team."

Fall Ball Schedule?

Though Virginia Tech normally holds practices and games in the fall, the Hokies have not formally released a finalized softball fall schedule.  While It might be premature to communicate dates that are not formally acknowledged by the Virginia Tech softball program, other schools have references to fall games with Virginia Tech on their websites:

Radford University:  See the link to Radford’s fall schedule

• Game on October 3 (Saturday) at 12:00 at Radford

• Game on October 16 (Friday) at 5:00 in Blacksburg

George Mason: See the link to George Mason’s fall schedule announcement

• Doubleheader on October 24 at 12:00 and 2:30 in Fairfax, Virginia 

Stay tuned for further updates when Virginia Tech announes exact game dates and opponents for the fall.

VIRGINIA TECH WOMEN'S TENNIS PROGRAM BEGINS ITS FALL CAMPAIGN

The Virginia Tech women’s tennis program begins its fall season September 18. Coached by Terry-Ann Zawacki-Holdren, the Hokies finished their 2025-26 season with a 5-17 record and a 1-11 conference record, finishing tied for last in the ACC. Eleven of its twelve ACC opponents were ranked in the top 70 nationally, including matches again eight in the top 40:  no. 5 UNC, no. 14 NC State, no. 16 UVA, no. 18 Clemson, no. 23 Cal, no. 24 Duke, no. 30 Miami, and no. 36 Stanford. 

Virginia Tech closed out its year by defeating Louisville, 4-2, in the first round of the ACC tournament, highlighted by a doubles win by then freshmen duo of Elizaveta Castillo and Alston Myatt. Sophomore Linda Ziets-Segura earned a straight set sweep singles win.

Earning a trip to the second round, the Hokies fell 4-2 to no. 33 Stanford where, once again, the doubles tandem of Castillo and Myat earned a win, this time over a no. 54 Cardinals pair.

Roster - Fall 2026

Departures

The Hokies lost seniors Ozlem Uslu and Arima Gamretkaia to graduation. In addition, Mila Mulready, the former 5-star recruit from California and top 90 national recruit, transferred to the University of Maryland after two seasons at Virginia Tech. She had appeared in every match in the 2025 season, recording singles wins against SMU and FSU, while notching seven wins in doubles with Linda Ziets-Segura.

Returning Players:

Virginia Tech returns five players, one senior, one junior, and three sophomores:
Elizaveta Castillo is a sophomore from Peru who finished her freshman season with six singles wins and six doubles wins. She went 11-7 overall, including 5-2 in tournaments. Castillo paired up with fellow freshman Alston Myatt to go 4-4 for the year in doubles. The pair notched the clinching win against Louisville in the first round of the ACC Championship and earned a point in the second round loss to Stanford.

Alston Myatt is a sophomore from Hilton Head, South Carolina. She earned five doubles wins last season, while going 10-11 overall in singles competition.  Myatt shows the potential to have a successful singles and doubles career for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech Women's Tennis
@HokiesWTennis

First ACC Championship in the books ✅ So proud of our freshies for their two doubles wins this week, including this one over Stanford! #Hokies

Sirena Waas, a sophomore from London, England, did not play in the 2025-26 spring season due to injury. Ranked as high as No. 56 nationally in England, she went 2-2 in Fall 2025 and went 2-1 in doubles with Alston Myatt, reaching the Round of 16 with Myatt in the ITA Atlantic Regional Championship.

Linda Ziets-Segura is a junior from New York who started her career at Virginia Tech primarily as a doubles player. She appeared in 23 matches and recorded ten wins her freshman year. Last season, she went 7-15 in singles while continuing to make an impact in doubles action.

Laima Frosch is the program’s lone returning senior. The German native, and former no. 3 recruit in Virginia, has played her entire career at Virginia Tech. She went 13-11 in singles play last year after winning 13 matches also in her sophomore campaign. Frosch will likely be expected to anchor what will be a relatively young squad.

Newcomers:

Virginia Tech welcomes four transfers who will bring a winning, competitive mindset to the program’s culture.

Lamija Advic, a rising senior, transferred to Virginia Tech from Seattle University. While at Seattle, she earned WAC Freshman of the Year and All-WAC second team honors as a freshman and then WAC player of the year as a sophomore. She comes to Virginia Tech with a 7-11 singles record and 14-7 double record from her 2025-26 season.

Maddie Rexroat, a junior from Georgia, transferred into the Hokie program after two seasons at Xavier. She owns a career 29-16 singles record and 11-15 doubles record. She won the Big East Freshman of the Year award and All-Big East Second Team honors as a freshman, and then followed that up with All-Big East First Team as a sophomore.

Blair Gill is a sophomore who was a former 5-star recruit,  no.1 recruit in Virginia, no. 18 nationally ranked player, and three time VISAA state player of the year. The Lynchburg, VA native transferred to Virginia Tech from the University of Virginia after finishing her freshman season with a 12-1 singles and 7-3 doubles record.  Gill did compete against Virginia Tech last year, losing to Ozlem Uslu in three sets, 1-6, 7-5, 4-6.

In the Virginia Tech press release announcing her transfer to Blacksburg, head coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Holdren said, “Blair is not only an exceptional player but also a tremendous person. Her work ethic, competitive nature, and leadership qualities make her a great fit for our culture.” Indeed, she will be a high-impaction to the Hokie program.

Mary Sidelnyk is another sophomore who transferred to Virginia Tech after one season at Alabama. The No. 1 junior player from Ukraine played in three matches her freshman year. She won the U14 and U16 Ukrainian Open titles.

Coach Zawacki-Holdren was also pleased to add Sidelnyk to the Virginia Tech program. “Mary is an outstanding player who immediately stood out to us because of the energy she brings both on and off the court,” Zawacki-Holdren said. “Her toughness, drive, and willingness to compete make her an ideal addition to our program.”

Fall 2026

The Hokies begin their fall campaign on Friday, September 18 with two sets of competitions. Virginia Tech will travel to the Kentucky Invite in Lexington, Kentucky from September 18 to September 20.

The team will also compete concurrently in the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, North Carolina from September 19 to September 27.

Virginia Tech will then compete in the ITA Regional Championships in Lynchburg, VA from October 15-19, which is a step toward making it to the NCAA Individual Championship at the end of November. 

The Hokies will compete in a Hidden Dual at Williamsburg from October 30 to November 1, and also compete in two W15 ITF tournaments, in Sumter from October 24 to November 1 and in Hilton Head from October 31 to November 5.

Virginia Tech will wrap up the fall season with the ITA Sectional Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from November 5-8, which serves as a final qualifying event for the NCAA Individual Championships November 17-22 in Athens, Georgia.

Final Thoughts:

The Virginia Tennis program is in its twenty-third season under Coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Holdren. It has seemingly always had an uphill battle in the ACC, a conference full of perennially ranked programs. Zawacki-Holdren’s program has only finished with more than 4 wins the ACC twice, across the 2014-2016 seasons.

The program feels promising, though young. There are five sophomores on the nine player roster. While mainstays Frosch and Ziets-Segura will provide experience and stability, talented sophomores Castillo, Myatt, and Waas got tested to varying degrees as freshmen in 2025. They will be joined by a number of newcomers, highlighted by Blair Gill, who bring competitive, winning mentalities to the roster. It will be interesting to see how the 2026 fall goes, but the future looks bright for the Hokies.  Follow and support the Queens of the Hard Court this Fall.

VIRGINIA TECH WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM BEGINS ITS FALL SESON WITH A DOMINATING PERFORMANCE AT THE VIRGINIA TECH INVITATIONAL

The Virginia Tech cross-country team has already started its season, hosting the Virginia Tech Invitational on September 4. Regional collegiate programs from Washington and Lee University, University of Lynchburg, Concord University, Ferrum College, and UVA-Wise competed in the event.

The Virginia Tech women dominated the 4.4 k with four Hokies taking the top four spots and ten of the top twelve spots. A number of runners raced unattached, meaning their scores did not count toward Virginia Tech’s team points. Thirteen overall runners affiliated with Virginia Tech in some capacity finished in the top 23 rankings.

Washington and Lee’s senior Olivia Warren finished in 8th place and graduate student Cassie Carr finished 13th to help the Generals secure second place.  Lynchburg, Concord, UVA-Wise, and Ferrum finished 3rd through 6th in that order.

Fall Schedule:

Virginia Tech will host the Hokie Invitational on September 18.

The Hokies will then compete in the Fire Tower Project hosted by Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina on October 2.

The final regular season meet will be the Panorama Falls Invitation hosted by the University of Virginia at Earlysville, Virginia on October 16.

Virginia Tech then turns its attention to the post-season when it hosts the ACC Championships in Blacksburg on October 30. After the Hokie Open in Blacksburg on November 6, the Hokies compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by South Carolina in Spartansburg, South Carolina on November 13.

The Hokies wrap up the fall cross-country season with the NCAA Championships hosted by Indiana State in Terre Haute, Indiana on November 21.

Come out and support both the women and the men’s Cross Country Teams this fall.

VIRGINIA TECH WOMEN’S GOLF STARTS FALL WITH A RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE AT THE NITTANY LION INVITATIONAL

The Virginia Tech women’s golf team finished eighth in the 2026 ACC Women’s Golf Championship and then sent five golfers to compete in the Louisville Regional of the NCAA Championship.  Unfortunately, the team finished in 6th place, finishing 4-under par and five strokes behind the cutoff for the final advancing spots for the NCAA Championship..

The fall 2025 version of the golf team boasts a talented, experienced lineup that returns six players who set a single season scoring average program record of 288.78 last year and four players who competed in a NCAA Regional. After making its third consecutive NCAA Regional, the Hokies have the goal of making the NCAA Tournament this season.

The Hokies kicked off the 2026 fall season traveling to Penn State to compete in the Nittany Lion Invitational on September 7 and 8. With three Virginia Tech players finishing inside the top 10, the Hokes recorded a tournament-record 20-under 844 (286-278-280). The 844 score broke the tournament record, previously held by Penn State.

Valentine Delon fired a tournament-record 13-under (69-66-68), setting a program record for relation to par and setting the individual tournament record by two shots.  She won the tournament four strokes ahead of Yale’s Hannah Wang and Maryland’s Nicha Kanpal. The Nittany Lion Invitational was her second collegiate title to go along with her 2025 victory in the Advance Golf Partner’s Collegiate.

Delon, a senior from Paris, France, has had a remarkable career as a Hokie. She has led the Hokies in scoring average the last two seasons, including a 71.67 last season.  Delon recorded a team-best seven top 20 finishes in 2025. She tied for 11th at the 2026 ACC Women’s Golf Championship,  finished tied for 34th at the NCAA Louisville Regional, and then won the 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield in June 2026.

Xin Yao Wang earned ninth place at 4-under 212 at the Nittany Lion Invitational. 

Wang, a sophomore from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had four top 20-performances and six par-or-better rounds in 2025. She also finished tied for 18th at the 2026 ACC Women’s Golf Championship, including finishing in the red (part or better) and scoring a program historical best 67 in her final round. She went on to finished 36th at the NCAA Louisville Regional.

Raquel Walker tied her teammate Wang for ninth at 4-under 212 at the Nittany Lion Invitational.

Walker, a freshman from Burke, Virginia, was ranked 108th in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings as a high school golfer. The two-time state runner up and a state champion as a high school sophomore is starting her Hokie career with a bang.

Emily Mathews earned 38th at 4-over 220 at the Nittany Lion Invitational.

Mathews, a senior from Mebane, North Carolina, has been in the top three in scoring average for all three of her previous years at Virginia Tech, including 72.03 in 2025.  She also recorded a team-best nine par-or-better rounds in ten events in 2025. Matthews also finished 27th at the 2025 ACC Women’s Golf Championship, scoring two of her three rounds below par, and then went on to finish tied for 20th (1 under par) at the NCAA Louisville Regional Tournament.

Savannah Dupre tied her teammate Matthews for 38th at 4-over 220 at the Nittany Lion Invitational. 

Dupre, a senior from Boerne, Texas who transferred to Virginia Tech in 2025 after two seasons at St Mary's, produced four par-or-better rounds last season. She also earned 50th place finish at the 2026 ACC Women’s Golf Championship and 45th place at the NCAA Louisville Regional.. Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, Dupre earned WGCA Division II First-Team All American honors as a sophomore after receiving All-American honorable mention as a freshman.

Other Members of the Roster:

Olivia Meinecke is a junior from Bielefeld, Germany, who transferred to Virginia Tech from Wingate University for the 2026 season.  Meinecke was a WGCA First-Team All-American and ranked no. 3 in the NCAA Division II individual national rankings. 

Emerson Dever is a sophomore from Durham, North Carolina who compiled a 74.67 scoring average, with one par-or-better round, as a freshman in 2025.  She finished tied for 77th at the 2026 ACC Women’s Golf Championship.

Alina Ho, a sophomore from Great Falls, Virginia, redshirted in 2025. Ho did compete in 2024, compiling a 76/25 scoring average in seven events.  She finished tied for 58th at the 2026 ACC.

Schedule / Up Next:

With the Nittany Lion Invitation championship secure, the Virginia Tech women’s golf team will play in four more fall events:

• Sept. 19-21 - Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Oklahoma.

• Oct. 5-7 - The Ally in West Point, Mississippi

• Oct. 16-18 - Ruth’s Christ Tar Heel Invitation in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Oct. 26 - Keswick Invitational in Charlottesville, Virginia

After the winter break, the team’s schedule continues with five events in the spring:

• Jan. 29-30 - College Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico

• Feb. 14-16 - Moon Golf Invitational in Melbourne, Florida

• March 9-10 - Alamo Invitational in San Antonio, Texas

• March 21-23 - Clemson Invitational in Sunset, South Carolina

• April 5-6 - Hokie Highlander Invitational in Radford, Virginia

The schedule for the post-season includes:

• April 15-18 - ACC Women’s Golf Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina

• May 10-12 - NCAA Regional

• May 21-26 - NCAA Championship

  

VIRGINIA TECH WOMEN'S SOCCER STARTS ACC PLAY

After a bit of time off to reflect on their 1-0 loss to Illinois, the Hokies travel to Pittsburgh to begin ACC conference play this coming Thursay, 9/17. The 7:00 pm game will be streamed on the ACCNx network.

The Panthers come in at 6-2-1. They lost 1-0 to Texas at home and then dropped their ACC opener, 4-2, to Louisville this past Saturday.

Pittsburgh may have more offensive balance than Virginia Tech. Four players generate a significant number of shots for the Panthers - Adi Bianchin (29), Lola Abraham (26), and Sage Steltzer (21), with Katie Ellemeyer contributing 15. In comparison, Virginia Tech's two-headed monster Eliana Salama and Anna Weir have 51 and 31, respectively. Gabby Ciocca has been coming on of late and has 11 shots.

Pittsburgh has 56 shots on goal as a team compared to Virginia Tech's 73. The Panther shooting percentage is .105 and they hold opponents to .101. Virginia Tech's percentage is .108 and its defense is holding opponents to .111. While Virginia Tech is likely to generate more attacking opportunities, it feels like neither team is going to convert enough to make it a high-scoring affair.

VIRGINIA TECH VOLLEYBALL LOOKS TO TAKE DOWN SOUTH CAROLINA

After its 0-3 outcome in the Northwestern Invitational, Virginia Tech volleyball team is looking to rebound in its final non-conference match up before beginning ACC play. The Hokies travel to Colombia, South Carolina to take on the 6-2 Gamecocks this Friday, September 18. The 6:00 pm match will be streamed on the SEC Network. The Hokies then travel to Georgia Tech on Friday, September 25.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

In case you missed it, the Virginia Tech women’s basketball program released its non-conference and ACC schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 season. The team is also in the midst of off-season workouts in preparation for the start of official games in November.

Follow the women on X and Instagram to see their grind. I also recommend following Virginia Tech’s Director of Broadcasting @EvanKHughes and watch his “Between the Arches” series where he interviews various members of the women’s team. 

Lastly, check out the Sons of Saturday off-season update to find out about the developments within the women's basketball program before the season starts.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE ANNOUNCES NEW HIRES

Olivia Adamson: The Virginia Tech women's lacross program hired Olivia Adamson as an assistant coach. Adamson won a national championship with Northwestern in 2026 after a stellar four-year career at Syracuse. She earned ACC All-Freshman as well as All-ACC First Team accolades during her playing career.

Emily Bejeck: The lacross program also hired Emily Bejeck as Director of Lacrosse Operations. Bejeck will bring her experience with the Maryland football and men's lacross programs to manage the operational and administration aspects of the Virginia Tech lacrosse program.

The team is also in the midst of fall practices in preparation for its spring season.

Rule Changes:

The NCAA approved major rule changes for women's lacrosse for the 2026-27 season:

Yellow Cards: All yellow cards are now standardized as a 2-minute, non-releasable penalty.

Foul Categorization: The NCAA looked to simplify penalties. Existing stick and body contact rules are reorganized into clear "illegal check" and "illegal contact" categories. Swinging stick motions (chopping, hacking) are strictly penalized.

Flopping and Targeting: Flopping is categorized as a flagrant foul (2-minute penalty) and targeting (without playing the ball) is a red card.

Red Cards / Suspensions: Red cards no longer carry an automatic suspension for the next game.

There are other rules revolving around expanded video review usage, carrying over a man-up advantage into the next quarter, clock stoppage for defensive fouls inside the critical scoring area or dot, and requirements for Division I and II officials to use headsets.