Virginia Tech Volleyball Splits Matches Against Winthrop and ODU

After starting the 2026 season 2-1, the Hokies volleyball team traveled to Rock Hill, South Carolina to take on Winthrop and Old Dominion in the Winthrop Invitational.  

VIRGINIA TECH SWEPT 0-3 BY WINTHROP TO LEAD OFF INVITATIONAL (18-25, 23-25, 20-25)  

Virginia Tech faced the host Eagles in the first match Thursday night.  Last year, Virginia Tech and Winthrop split a home-and-home series with the Hokies winning 2-1 in Rock Hill and the Eagles sweeping 0-3 in Blacksburg. Given Winthrop was coming off losses to Davidson and Wofford, Virginia Tech had an opportunity to show growth from last season.

FIRST SET - VIRGINIA TECH LOSES 18-25

The Hokies jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in the first set after a Winthrop poor receive that forced it to just get back the ball over the net. The Eagle miscue resulted in a nice kill by Destiny Walker. Virginia Tech worked the set to a 7-5 lead off a nice tap over by Adeline Hundl, a kill by Isabella Mishler from the middle, and errors by Winthrop.

Despite the lead, small things reared their heads for the Hokies that allowed Winthrop to stay close. Poor receptions and long service errors gave the Eagles points, but the timing between setters and hitters seemed to be a larger issue.

For example, a receive took setter Camilla Brandalise close to the net where she could only tap the ball with one hand. Laylor Moore had to reach high to just get the ball over, which led to a kill by Winthrop making it 1-2 in favor of the Eagles.

Several points later, Brandalise put the ball behind her with Walker coming from the back row. The timing and spacing was just off, which led to Walker just pushing the ball back over. Virginia Tech eventually won the point when the ball came back over, leading to that kill by Mishler to the middle that made it 4-3.

Winthrop consistently went to the right pin, and each time, the Eagles delivered with cross court kills that found space between defenders on the left side.

• She gave Winthrop the 2-3 lead with a kill to the left side that surprised Brandalise.

• Winthrop executed a right side kill to Lexi Thatcher who found the floor to pull within 6-5.

• The Eagles went back to Glover on the right pin for another cross court hit to make it 7-8 in favor of Winthrop.

The Eagles gradually took control of the set thanks partially to service and attack errors by the Hokies. However, with the score 8-10, Virginia Tech’s Layla Moore, Reeese Hazelton, and Walker all came through with kills that helped draw Tech even at 12-12.

Winthrop regained momentum to take a two point lead. While kills by Walker and Hazelton kept Tech close, the Eagles went on a 5-0 run aided by a discombobulated Hokies offense At that point, the score was 18-23, and, with Winthrop dictating much of the action, the Eagles closed out the opening set, 25-18, punctuated by another kill by Laila Glover - her fourth of the set.

SECOND SET - VIRGINIA LOSES 23-25

Virginia Tech came out strong to start the second set with three consecutive kills. Adeline Hundl sent the ball off a block. Then Camilla Brandalise went twice in a row to Destiny Walker, who delivered strong kills to stake the Hokies to a 3-0 lead.

Winthrop came right back with two kills of its own before Walker struck once again to make it 4-2.The Eagles, however, tied it up at 5-5 behind service and attack errors by the Hokies.

Virginia Tech went on a 3-0 run behind kills from Hundl and Walker to take a 12-9 lead. Walker and Reese Hazelton kept up the pressure to build a 15-13 advantage for the Hokies. Winthrop fought back to tie it at 19-19 and, unfortunately, carried that momentum with three strong kills to give the Eagles the 23-19 lead and force a Virginia Tech timeout.

Virginia Tech Volleyball
@HokiesVB

Addie Hundl with her 4th kill tonight! 🔥 S2 VT 11 | WU 9

Coming out of the timeout, Virginia Tech responded with a 4-1 run. Destiny Walker put away a set from behind the 8-foot line. Then, with a 24-20 set point looming, the Hokies’ Adeline Hundl and Layla Moore blocked WInthrop, and Hazelton delivered a service ace to make the score 24-3. The Hokies could not finish the comeback as their receive went back over the net, setting up the Eagles to put the set away, 25-23, with another kill.

THIRD SET - VIRGINIA TECH LOSES 20-25

The Eagles carried their momentum into the third set, building a 6-2 lead behind three kills and a service ace. Virginia Tech closed the deficit to 6-5, but Winthrop kept making plays to carve out 6-pt leads at 14-8 and 15-9. A kill by Isabella Mishler cut the deficit to three at 19-16, but that was the closest the Hokies would get. Winthrop closed out the set and match 25-20, scoring four of the final six points off kills.

Match Notes:

• Virginia Tech had 40 kills for the match, compared to Winthrop’s 43. 

• Virginia Tech’s hitting percentage was .202, with a low of .129 in the third set and a high of .250 in the first set. For comparison, Winthrop had a .306 hitting percentage, with a blazing .414 to start the match. Its lowest mark was .250.

• Isabella Mishler had a team-high hitting percentage of .538. Layla Moore had a .400 hitting percentage

• Destiny Walker led the Hokies with 11 kills.

• Reese Hazelton was second on the team with 10 kills.

• Isabella Mishler had 8 kills for the Virginia Tech,

• Three other hitters had kills: Adeline Hundl had 5, Frances Torres had 4, and Layla Moore had 2.

• The Hokies had 18 attack errors.

• Camilla Brandalise led Virginia Tech with 27 assists. Camdynn Gonzalez had 8 assists

• The Hokies finished the match with no (0) set errors.

• Virginia Tech had 10 service errors

• Ivy Cooper led the team with 16 digs while Reese Hazelton was second with 10 digs.

• Reese Hazelton led the way with 3 blocks whereas Adeline Hundl and Frances Torres each had 2.

VIRGINIA TECH BOUNCES BACK AGAINST OLD DOMINION WITH 3-0 SWEEP (25-17, 25-23, 25-19)

Coming off the Thursday night loss to Winthrop, the Hokies faced Old Dominion Friday evening. Looking to regain momentum.  Old Dominion came in with a 2-2 record, recording losses to USC Upstate and Elon and wins against St. John’s of New York and Norfolk State.  Virginia Tech last faced ODU In 2022, when it swept the Monarchs 3-0.

FIRST SET -  VIRGINIA TECH WINS,  25-17

The early part of set one was the Adeline Hundl show. She had all four of Virginia Tech’s initial points off of kills, helping the Hokies jump out to a 4-2 lead. She finished with 5 kills for the set, all assisted by Camilla Brandalise.

Virginia Tech began flexing its height and depth at the hitter position as multiple players produced points.  Behind 6 blocks by combinations of Isabella Mishler (2), Frances Torres (2), Reese Hazelon (1), and Destiny Walker (1), the Hokies put up a literal wall that defused the ODU attack, including holding ODU to a .71 hitting percentage.

In addition, Torres (3), Mishler (2), Walker (2), Hazelton (1), Layla Moore (1), and Ivy Cooper (1) all finished kills to the tune of a .357 hitting percentage. Setters Camilla Brandalise and Camdynn Gonzalez each had 7 assists to help improve Virginia Tech’s efficiency level dramatically in the first set.

SECOND SET - VIRGINIA TECH WINS, 25-23

The Hokies picked up where the second quarter ended with an extended 8-2 run on the basis of an ace by Camilla Brandalise kills by Layla Moore, Reese Hazelton, Adeline Hundle; and hitting struggles by ODU against the Tech frontline.

The Monarchs recovered from the poor start and battled back to tie the set at 11-11. ODU was able to block a number of Hokie attacks. From that point on, neither team could move ahead by more than two points. Virginia Tech lost its lead briefly at 12-13, but quickly regained control behind kills by Walker and Moore. 

ODU did manage to tie the set up three more times, at 18-18, 20-22, and 23-23, the last time on a service ace that could have given momentum to the Monarchs. However, Virginia Tech closed out the set on the basis of a service error by ODU and a combined block by Mishler and Reese that sealed the final 23-23 score.

THIRD SET - VIRGINIA TECH CLOSES OUT THE MATCH, 25-19

The third set began as a back-and-forth affair with both teams exchanging kills. Isabella Mishler and Adeline Hundle led the way early with two kills apiece. Frances Torees and Reese Hazelton both also contributed a kill. Add in a service ace by Camdynn Gonzalez and a block by Mishler, and Virginia Tech’s offense was doing well.

Old Dominion, though, found ways to stay in the set and tied the scorer up at 8-8, benefitting from two bad sets and an attack error. However, Reese Hazelton nailed a hit, and Layla Moore and Frances Torres combined to block a Monarch shot, giving the Hokies back the lead. From there, Virginia Tech pulled away behind a diverse and crisp offensive attack. Twice, the Hokies had seven point leads (at the 21-14 and 23-16 marks) and ultimately won the set 25-19 to sweep the Old Dominion.

Match Notes:

• Virginia Tech recorded 45 kills in the match, with seven different players notching kills

• Adeline Hundl led the team with 11 kills, personally setting the tone for the Hokie defense.  Destiny Walker had 9 kills while Reese Hazelton and Layla Moore both had 7 kills. Frances Torres had 6 kills, Isabella Mishler had 4, and Ivy Cooper had 1 kill.

• Virginia Tech had a hitting percentage of .357 in the first set and .382 for the set. It hit .296 overall for the match. The team had 16 attack errors for the match, including only three in the third set.

• Adeline Hundl led the team with a .474 hitting percentage while Layla Moore was second at .455

• Camilla Brandalise led the Hokies with 20 assists while Camdynn Gonzalez had 17 assists. The Hokies only had 2 setting errors and 2 reception errors the entire match.

• Virginia Tech had 21 for the match. Frances Torres and Isabella Mishler led the team with 6 blocks each. Layla Moore added 4 blocks.

TWO OVERARCHING THOUGHTS:

Viiginia Tech controlled the Old Dominion match and cruised to a 3-0 victory. Unfortunately, Winthrop swept the Hokies. 

Winthrop played very clean volleyball. Overall, the Eagles received well, passed cleanly, and set up their hitters for crisp cross-court kills that put pressure on the Hokie defense. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, seemed discombobulated on offense, making too many errors and just playing cleanly. This can be seen in at least two areas:. 

Service Errors: 

Virginia Tech had 4 aces but also had 10 service errors for an .841  percentage, essentially gifting points to the opponent and preventing the Hokies from adding points. For example, Virginia Tech had a 5-3 lead in the first set when it committed a service error that went long. Instead of having the opportunity to expand its lead to 6-3, the error narrowed the lead to one. Yes, Winthrop committed an error right after that to recreate the 2 point lead but that was not predictable when Tech committed the long serve. 

Later in the first set, when Virginia Tech cut the deficit to one at 8-9, another long serve extended Winthrop’s lead back to two.  The rest of the match had similar moments, when an ill-timed long serve changed momentum for the Hokies. Service errors are part of the game, but suffering 4 in the first and third sets handed Winthrop points and put a heavy burden on Virginia Tech’s offense

Winthrop, in contrast, only had 7 service errors for a 904 percentage.  Winthrop gained 13% of their points off Virginia Tech service errors.

The Receive-Set-Hitting Operation:

Virginia Tech hitters had 40 kills to Winthrop’s 43. Destiny Walker led the way with 11, Reese Hazelton had 10, Adeline Hundle had 5, Frances Torres had 4, and Laylor contributed 2. In addition, Mishler provided 8 kills, mostly from the middle, showing a diversity in Tech’s attack. 

In addition, Camilla Brandalise also had 27 assists for a .443 percentage while Camdynn Gonzalez contributed 8 assists for a .348 percentage.

However, something is off with the Hokies offense. Despite the number of individual and team kills, the Hokies had 18 attack errors for a hitting percentage of .202. The hitting percentage for the Hokies worsened progressively over the course of the match:  .250 in the first set, .217 in the second, and .192 in the third. In contrast, Winthrop had a hitting percentage of .306, with a blistering .414 and only 1 error to start the match.

Something has to change with the hitters to raise their hitting percentage. Low .200s and below .200 are just poor for hitters handling high-volume sets. W

There were times that the receive-serve-hitting operation was off or discombobulated from the start, leading to a scrambled offense. Random instances where the reception was sent back over the net took away an opportunity for a kill and allowed Winthrop an opening for a kill. At the other times, a pass carried the setter too close to the net, preventing the setter from cleanly delivering the ball to a hitter.

We saw moments when the timing between the setter and hitter seemed off. The setter delivered the ball, but the timing and location led to a hitter hesitating or having to reach behind their head or reach higher than anticipated, leading to push or tap overs. While these miscues made attacks less threatening, Winthrop also inevitably took advantage of the opportunities to finish its own points. 

By themselves, a random service error, an attacking error, or a lost opportunity to put the ball away may seem innocuous. When enough instances of all three occur in combination in a match, the team is susceptible to scoring dry spells and falling behind.  

There remains great promise to the 2026 versions of the Hokes.  They have quality hitters and a libero-setter combination that has the potential to unlock the offense. These early season matches are opportunities to work out kinks in preparation for ACC conference play.

UP NEXT:

The Hokies go on the road again to Evanston, Illinois to play in the Northwestern Invitational. They play the host Northwestern on Friday, September 11 at 8:00 pm.  Virginia Tech recorded wins against the Wildcats in 1994 and 1995; however, Northwestern has taken the most recent matches. The Wildcats defeated the Hokies twice in 2016, both times winning 3-0. Their most recent meeting occurred in 2019, when Northwestern defeated Virginia Tech 3-0 at the Miami Best Western Sycamore Invitation.  

The Wildcats are 2-3 on the season with losses to George Mason, American, and Mississippi State, while taking wins against Georgetown and Alabama.

Virginia Tech will take on Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday, September 12 at 5:00 pm. The two programs face off for the first time in their history. The Phoenix are 2-4 on the season with wins over Navy and Tennessee State and losses to Western Michigan, Indiana State, Tennessee Tech, and Austin Peay. Northwestern-Green Bay went 11-19 in 2025, with a 10-8 conference record.

The Hokies close out the weekend with a match against Long Island University on Sunday, September 13 at 12:00 noon. Virginia Tech owns a 1-0 record against LIU, last playing the Sharks in 2019 when the Hokies won 3-0 (25-16,25-14, 25-18).  The Sharks have a 0-3 record, having started the season against three P4 teams in Michigan, Michigan State, and Oregon. However, they are a Northeast Conference powerhouse, going  20-9 last year and 15-1 in the conference, and making it to the 2025 NCAA tournament.

There is no streaming information for the Invitational as of publication.