Virginia Tech Volleyball Opens The Season 2-1 in the Hokie Invitational

VIRGINIA TECH TAKES DOWN KENT STATE, 3-0, TO LEAD OFF THE HOKIE INVITATIONAL 25-20, 26-24, 25-23

FIRST SET - VIRGINIA TECH WINS, 25-20

Virginia Tech and Kent State led off the Hokie Invitational with a Friday morning game. After Virginia Tech tied the set at 1-1, Kent State reeled off two straight points via a kill and a service ace to go up 1-3. The two teams traded service errors for several sequences that brought the score to 3-4.

Neither team was playing particularly efficiently. However, instead of capitalizing on miscues by the Golden Flashes, the Hokies had their own range of mistakes such as attack errors. Destiny Walker had an attack into the net.  Kent State then had yet another service error. 

Finally, both teams started getting untracked with kills in regular play with the action going back-and-forth until the score was 18-18. The Hokies then uncorked a 5-0 run. Reese Hazelton and Destiny Walker delivered kills surrounding a service ace and attacking error by Kent State to make it 23-18.  Hazelton and Isabella Mishler closed out the set with a resounding block to give the Hokies the 25-20.

SECOND SET - VIRGINIA TECH WINS 26-24

After falling behind 0-2 to start the second set, Virginia Tech reeled off 5 consecutive points to take a 5-2 lead. Reese Hazelton had two kills, Destiny Walker added one, and Adeline Hundl contributed her first kill of the season.

Kent State battled back to tie it behind mistakes by Virginia Tech: a service error and two attacking errors gave the Golden Flashes renewed life and tied the score at 5-5. From there, the two teams traded leads with neither team going up by more than three points until the score reached 19-19.

The Hokies and Flashes traded kills with Kent State getting the upper hand at 20-22 and threatening to take the set from the Hokies. A service ace by Ivy Cooper and two kills by Isabella Mishler, including one in which she circled under a set to the right side,brought the Hokies back from the brink to tie it at 23-23.

A Virginia Tech dig that went back over the net allowed Kent State to hammer home a kill and give it a 23-24 lead  Hazelton came back for the Hokies with a soft push over the net that hit ground to tie it up. She followed that up with a tough service ace to give the Hokies the 25-24 set point. Paloma Zubiri, assisted by Camdynn Gonzalez, closed the set out for Virginia Tech with a kill. 

THIRD SET - VIRGINIA TECH WINS, 25-23

Kent State started the third set with a 3-0 run behind an attacking error by Virginia Tech, a kill, and a service ace. A kill that Isabella Mishler laid over the net barely interrupted Kent State’s momentum as the flashes built a 3-7 lead.

The Hokies found a response and went on a 5-0 run. Isabella Lopez knocked down a kill over the middle while Reese Hazelton served up an ace and her own kill. A block by the combination of Lopez and Layla Moore completed the run to give the Hokies a 8-7 lead.

From there, the teams traded leads, with no team going up by more than one point until the score was 16-16. Another kill by Hazelton and a service ace by Camdynn Gonzalez, combined with errors by the Golden Flashes sparked a second 5-0 run that put the Hokies up 21-16.

Kent State responded with its own 3-0 run to close the gap to 21-19. The two teams traded errors that brought the Golden Flashes within one at 22-21 and then tied it at 23-23. Destiny Walker delivered a resounding cross court kill that was touched for the 24-23 lead, Then, Isabella Mishler put away a kill from the middle off an assist by Camilla Brandalise to finish the 3-0 sweep for the new look Hokies. 

Match Notes:

• Reese Hazelton led the way with 13 kills.
• Destiny Waller was second on the team with 9 kills and 11 digs.
• Isabella Mishler led Virginia Tech with 4 blocks and was third with 7 kills.
• Ivy Cooper was all over the place with 17 digs.
• Destiny Walker had 4 service aces whereas Reese Hazelton had 2.
• Camilla Brandalise led the Hokies with 21 assists. Camdynn Gonzalez had 12 assists.
• The Hokies had a 77% attack percentage in the first set and 66% in the second set.
• Adeline Hundl had the first kills of the season.
• Virginia Tech had 14 blocks to Kent State’s 8.
• The Hokies had 9 service aces to Kent State’s 2.

VIRGINIA TECH LOSES TO WILLIAM & MARY IN FIVE SETS, 3-2  (18-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 12-15)

FIRST SET - WILLIAM & MARY WINS, 18-25

Neither team started out sharp, but Virginia Tech quickly found itself down 1-3 after an opening service error into the net, a hit out of bounds, and a block that also went out of bounds. William & Mary kept up the pressure when Tech blocked another ball that fell on its side of the court. With the score 2-5, Virginia Tech’s only points came off service errors by William & Mary.

Even as Virginia Tech tried to respond, the Tribe continued to add points. A nice set by Camilla Brandelise led to a hit for a point by Reese Hazelton, but William & Mary followed with a cross court kill into the middle of the court. After the Hokies blocked another hit out of bounds and a Destiny Walker strike hit the antenna, they found themselves down 4-8.

The Hokies were just inconsistent. A strong kill by Layla Moore was followed by a hit long out of bounds and giving up a kill by the Tribe into the heart of the Virginia Tech defense that widened the deficit to 5-10.

With the match in danger of getting away from Virginia Tech, the Hokies needed to respond. Walker delivered a strong kill. Then, Isabella Mishler partnered with Isabella Lopez and Walker to block back-to-back attacks by the Tribe, narrowing the score to 8-10.

A Hazelton ace finally drew Virginia Tech even at 14-14, and a subsequent Walker kill kept the Hokies close at 17-16. Unfortunately, Willam & Mary went on a quick run highlighted by strong kills and Virginia Tech miscues. Too many times, Virginia Tech failed to generate attacking opportunities and, instead, had to settle for non-dangerous returns, allowing William & Mary to close out the set, 25-18. 

SECOND SET - VIRGINIA TECH WINS, 25-21

Virginia Tech started strong in the second set off of some nice kills by Adeline Hundl and Reese Hazelon and a service ace by Ivy Cooper to give Tech a 3-1 lead. William & Mary regained momentum and pulled ahead at 7-3 as the Tribe hammered the Hokies with several service kills and aces.

From there, the Tribe maintained control of the match: even when Virginia Tech started to close the gap, William & Mary responded with decisive plays to go up by four points twice at 6-10 and 16-20. At risk of losing the second set by a significant margin, Virginia Tech needed to respond. 

Isabella Mishler and teammates put on their superwoman capes and delivered. Mishler and Frances Torres blocked three straight attacks by William & Mary. Mishler came right back and partnered with Reese Hazelton to block two more attacks. The intimidating Mishler Wall and her five consecutive blocks with Torres and Hazelton allowed Virginia Tech to take a 22-20 lead. From there, the veteran Reese delivered a kill and a service to finish the set in favor of Virginia Tech, 25-21.

Set Notes:

• Isabella Mishler led Virginia Tech with six blocks, including five consecutive to swing the set in Tech’s favor.

THIRD SET -  WILLIAM & MARY WINS,  25-27

The third set truly was a back-and-forth battle, with 16 ties and 9 lead changes. Neither team could pull away from the other as neither could extend any lead past two points. Virginia Tech evened the score at 19-19, and then Camilla Brandalise put the Hokies up 21-19 with consecutive service aces. The Hokies continued to hold the advantage, gaining match point at 24-22 after a combined block by Layla Moore and Reese Hazelton and a service ace by Ivy Cooper. 

Poised to take the set with two set points, the Hokies could not close it out. William & Mary delivered an attack that Virginia Tech could not handle. Then, Hazelton hit an attack too strong that went long and was called out. The coaching staff challenged the call, saying it was touched by a member of the Tribe. The challenge failed as the call was upheld to tie the match up at 24-24.

Both teams delivered attacks that their opponent could not handle the reception to keep the match knotted, 25-25.  William & Mary took the last two points off an attack that went out of bounds, but the call was a Hokie touch. The Tribe closed out the set with another attack that sailed off a Tech player out of reach.  The failure to close out two match points hurt the Hokies and put them down 2 sets to 1 entering the fourth set. 

FOURTH SET -  VIRGINIA TECH WINS,  25-17

The fourth set was a must-win for the Hokies if they wanted any chance of winning the match. Once again the two teams trade blows, keeping it close through the first nine points. Indeed, it was 9-9 when the Hokies made a move.

Two kills by Adeline Hundle and Frances Torres put the Hokies in front 11-9. Even after a service error by Virginia Tech narrowed the gap to one, Reese Hazelton, Frances Torres, and Isabella Mishler held a block party for two straight possessions that extended the Tech lead to 13-10. A bad set by William & Mary and a service ace by Camdynn Gonzalez made it 15-10 and put Virginia Tech firmly in control. 

Over the next several sequences, Destiny Walker had 2 kills, Adeline Hund had 1, Frances Torres had 2 kills and a service ace, Isabella Mishler had 1, and Reese Hazelton had 1 kill to extend the Virginia Tech lead to 24-16. After William & Mary tried to extend the set with its own kill. Walker put the set to bed with a slam to make it 25-17 and even up the match 2 sets to 2.

FIFTH SET - VIRGINIA TECH LOSES, 12-15

With the final set only going to 15 points, it was imperative that the Hokies play well in order to win the match. William & Mary won the first point as Virginia Tech struggled to handle the serve. Destiny Walker came back with a kill and Adeline Hundle and Layla Moore held a block party to stonewall the Tribe and put the Hokies up 2-1.

Virginia Tech could not sustain the momentum enough to pull away. Two service errors kept the set close. In addition, the Hokies sets were not setting up hitters to do well: too many times, Tech hitters had to simply give the ball back to William & Mary just to get it back over the net without creating threatening situations for the Tribe. William & Mary took advantage of Tech’s offensive woes to stretch its lead to 4-7, forcing a Virginia Tech timeout.

Out of the time out, William & Mary delivered a service ace to make it 8-4. Virginia Tech, however, would not go away. A service error by William & Mary and a tip over by Reese Hazelton made it 6-8. However, even with William & Mary scrambling weakly to save the ball a Tech block down on its own side cost a point. The Hokies still could not close the gap: a kill by Mishler down the middle was followed by a William & Mary kill and an ace on the serve to make it 7-11.

Virginia Tech closed the gap to 9-11 on the heels of a slam by Adeline Hundl, but William & Mary delivered a serve that landed in front of people not moving up and a set to Hazelton at the 10-foot line resulted in a misfire into the net. With the score 9-13, Virginia Tech tried to rally, but a William & Mary slam that Tech could not handle closed out the set and match, 12-15 and 3 sets to 2.

Match Notes:

• Reese Hazelton led the Hokies with 13 kills
• Destiny Walker was second on the team with 9 kills and 20 digs.
• Isabella Mishler led Virginia Tech with 4 blocks and was third with 7 kills.
• Adeline Hundl (2), Isabel Lopez (2), Frances Torres (1), Layla Moore (5), and Paloma Zubiri (1) rounded out the hitter kill statistics.
• Virginia Tech had 40 kills to William & Mary’s 28, but also had 25 attack errors for a .124 attacking percentage.
• Camilla Brandalise led the Hokies with 21 assists. Camdynn Gonzalez followed with 112 assists.
• Ivy Cooper led Virginia Tech with 17 digs.
• Virginia Tech led Wililam & Mary with 9 service aces to 9, but also had 9 service errors.

VIRGINIA TECH  DEFEATS COPPIN STATE  3-1  (25-21, 20-25, 25-16, 25-21)

Virginia Tech finished out the season-opening Hokie Invitational on Saturday with a 3-1 victory (25-21, 20-25, 25-16, 25-21) over Coppin State. With the win, the Hokies went 2-1 over the weekend to start the season.

Coppin State came into the tournament as a formidable mid-major program. It won the MEAC conference in 2025 with a 13-1 record and made the NCAA tournament in 2023 and 2025. The Hokes and the Eagles had played each other twice before, in 1998 and 2022, with Coppin State never having won a set against Virginia Tech

FIRST SET -  VIRGINIA TECH WINS, 25-21

The first set between the Hokies and the Eagles was a back-and-forth affair with several ties and neither team going ahead by more than one-to-two points until it was 11-11.  Destiny Walker led off the set with a kill to start Virginia Tech strong, and Adeline Hundl had her own kill two points later. However, for every nice hit, the Hokies suffered through a service error, a mishit, or a poor set that forced hitters to adjust that kept the match close. As soon as Coppin State threatened to take advantage of Tech’s miscues, Izzy Mishler or Reese Hazelton came up with a huge block or Frances Torres-Esperanza placed a touch down the line to keep the Hokies close.

With the match tied at 11-11, Coppin State threatened to take charge, twice going up by 3 points. Hazelton was blocked at the net, and Coppin State notched a shallow service ace to go up 11-13. After the two teams traded serves out of bounds, the Eagles unleashed a serve just down the line that Virginia Tech let fall to give Coppin State an 12-15 lead. The Hokies would not go away. After a service error by Coppin State, the Hokies put down two kills, including going back to Walker to tie it up at 15-15.

The momentum swung back to the Eagles as the Hokies missed on their own serve, missed on a cross-court hit, and suffered through a set that forced a hitter to reach behind her. Just like that, Coppin State had surged ahead again, 15-18.

Walker delivered another kill to bring Virginia Tech within one. After a Coppin State miss that closed the gap to one, a key sequence occurred in favor of the Hokies. Walker hit a ball long, but the Hokies called for a review claiming the ball was touched by an Eagle. The original call was indeed reversed to give Virginia Tech a point that tied it at 19-19.

With the match tied at 20-20, libero Ivy Cooper made a nice diving dig to her right, and then Hazelton caught the corner to give the Hokies the lead at 21-20. Layla Moore and Adeline Hundle combined to block a point blank attack by Coppin to extend the Hokie lead to 22-20 and force a Coppin State timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Cooper made yet another instinctive save before Hazelton and Walker combined to stonewall the Eagles at the net once again to make it 23-20. Hundl delivered a kill down the line and Walker finished the set with a kill from the 10-foot line to give Virginia Tech the first set, 25-21.

Set Notes:

• Destiny Walker led the Hokies with 8 kills for a .438 percentage. She added 4 digs.
• Reese Hazleton paced Virginia Tech with 3 kills, 3 blocks, and 2 digs.
• Adeline Hundle added 2 kills.
• Camilla Brandalise led the team with 6 assists and added 4 digs.
• Isabella Mishler and Layla Moore added 2 blocks apiece.
• Ivy Cooper led Virginia Tech with 5 digs.
• Virginia Tech had an attacking percentage of 63% to Coppin State's 54%.

SECOND SET - COPPIN STATES WINS, 25-20

Virginia Tech jumped out to a 2-0 lead off an inspiring dig by Reese Hazelton, a kill by Adelline Hundl, and an attack error by Coppin State. The Eagles battled back with their own kill and two service aces, and benefitted from attack errors by Virginia Tech to take a 3-4 lead from the Hokies.

From there, it was a back-and-forth match with neither side going up by more than one point until the Hokies took a 10-8 lead. The Virginia Tech attack seemed to be gathering steam as Destiny Walker had 3 kills, Hazelton had 2, Hundl had 1, and Layla Moore had 2.

The tide turned, however, as the Eagles reclaimed the lead and began to slowly pull away. The margin reached five at 13-18. While Coppin State was claiming points with efficient kills, the Hokies were helping the Eagles with bad sets, service errors, and giving up service aces.  Even after the Hokies fought back to close with two points, three straight attack errors by the home team pushed the margin back to five at 18-23.  A timeout by Virginia Tech did not stem the tide, and Coppin State closed out the set 20-25.  This was the first set Coppin State had ever taken from Virginia Tech after being 0-for-7 historically.

Set Notes:

• Even though Coppin State did not have a good attack percentage (.172) and Virginia Tech had the same number of kills (14) as it did in the first set, Tech’s percentage dropped to .222. It finished the second set with 6 attack errors, wasting opportunities to score points. 
• Frances Torres-Esperanza led the Hokies in the second set with 4 kills. 
• Destiny Walker only had 2 but had 2 attack errors. 
• Reese Hazelton had 3 kills but 2 attack errors
• Adeline Hundle had 2 kills and 2 blocks
• After only having 2 reception errors in the first set, the Hokies suffered 4 in the second set.
• Whereas the Hokies had 8 blocks in the first set, they only had 5 in the second set.

THIRD SET -  VIRGINIA TECH WINS, 25-16

Virginia Tech and Coppin State were nip and tuck throughout the early parts of the third set. Neither team went up by more than two points. Adeline Hundl paced the Hokie attack early with two kills. Unfortunately, attack errors, bad sets, and service errors allowed the Eagles to stay close. The teams shared 4 ties and two lead changes until the middle of the set. 

With the teams tied 8-8, Virginia Tech pulled away behind a 5-0 run.  Destiny Walker and Reese Hazelton converted three kills between the two of them to help build a 13-8 Hokie lead. From there, Virginia Tech kept up the pressure and dominated the net. The Hokie offense was efficient and diverse with the ball being spread around among Hazelon, Walker, Hundl, Isabella Mishler, and Frances Torres. In addition, the Hokies defense shut down the Eagles to the tune of ten team blocks. Coppin State also became unraveled, suffering from their own spate of attack errors that gifted the Hokies at least seven points as the set swung in Virginia Tech’s favor.  

Set Notes:

• Adeline Hundl led Virginia Tech with 6 kills and two blocks.
• Reese Hamilton and Destiny Walker added 3 kills apiece.
• Isabella Mishler and Frances Torres added 2 kills apiece.
• The team had a match high 76% kill percentage in the third set.
• Layla Moore led the Hokies with 3 blocks. Isabella Mishler added 2 blocks also.
• Ivy Cooper had a team high 5 digs in the set while Walker defended with 4.
• Camilla Brandalise led the Hokies with 10 assists.

FOURTH SET -  VIRGINIA TECH WINS, 25-21

Virginia Tech controlled the fourth set early, working to carve out a 15-11 lead. However, Coppin State slowly fought back. A service error by Camdynn Gonzalez made it 15-12. A mishit off a poor set that just got over the net was sent deep by Coppin State for a point that closed the gap to 15-13. Even after Virginia Tech widened the margin back to four with a Reese Hazelton kill, the Eagles pulled their bag of tricks. They worked the dump over by the setter effectively throughout the match, but it had several instances in the fourth set in which the Hokies were not ready for it, cutting the lead to 18-16.

The next key stretch determined the outcome of the set and the match. Both teams engaged in a long rally full of poor sets and mi-shits in which Virginia Tech could not get a kill until Layla Moore pounced on the ball at the net and put it down for a 19-16 lead. However, a member of the Virginia Tech staff was ruled to have touched the net, giving the point and serve back to Coppin State. Instead of being up 19-16, the Hokies found themselves only up 18-17 in what could have been a key turning point in the set.

A set to Destiny Walker by freshman Camdynn Gonzalez on the right side resulted in a kill. A huge dig by Camilla Brandelise in which she got the back of her hand under as the ball was about to hit the court led to a kill by Adeline Hundle, and the lead was 20-17.

That breathing room was short-lived as Coppin State closed the gap to 20-19 behind a block and poor set by Virginia Tech that resulted in a hit into the net. The Hokies were doing enough to maintain that two point margin when they put the game away. Leading 22-20, the Hokie libero Ivy Cooper made an amazing one-handed diving dig that she turned into a point over the net to make it 23-20. After another kill by Hundle, Virginia Tech’s  Isabella Mishler got a near miss at the net over into a Coppin State scrum. The ball went the wrong way resulting in a 25-21 score - set and match for the Hokies.

Set / Match Notes:

• Destiny Walker had 4 kills in the fourth set. She finished the match with her first double-double of the season - 17 kills and 10 digs.
• Adeline Hundl contributed 4 kills and a block in the fourth set. She had a career high 13 kills and 5 blocks for the match.
• Camille Brandalise finished the match with 29 assists.
• Layla Moore led Virginia with 6 blocks. Adeline Hundle and Izzy Mishler both added five blocks.
• Virginia Tech finished with 59 kills on a .268 hitting passage.
• Virginia Tech held Coppin state to 36 kills and a 086 hitting percentage.
• Coppin State held a 6-1 advantage in service aces and recorded more digs than Virginia Tech, 60-54.

SIX THOUGHTS 

One-Two Punch - Destiny Walker and Reese Hazelton are the Real Deal

The Hokies brought in four transfers and seven freshmen. Newcomer Destiny Walker, the transfer from Eastern Illinois, was strong all weekend. She finished with 37 kills (9 against Kent State, 11 against William & Mary, and 17 against Coppin State) and was second on the team with 30 digs. There were times during the weekend where it felt like the team needed to go to Walker even more, that when the offense went through some doldrums, it because it went away from her.

Whereas Destiny Walker might get a lot of attention as a dynamic newcomer, returner Reese Hazelton might be the one in the One-Two Punch for the Hokie offense. She led the team in kills with 38, second in service aces with 4, fourth in digs with 22, and third in blocks with 13. Hazelton did a bit of everything for the Hokies.

These two are going to lead the Hokies as the primary outside hitters on offense. They will also be key in other facets of the game: Hazelton is going to bring her all-around serve and defensive game, while Walker is active on defense with digs.

Hitting Depth

The Hokies lost four of their six players who had over 100 kills. Hazelton and Isabella Mishler are the only returning players with over 100 last year.  Adeline Hundl had 32 as a freshman. She already has 22 this season, so Hundle is on pace to improve her production in her second year. 

Transfers Frances Torres-Esperanza and Layla Moore, along with Isabel Torres, look like they are going to provide quality contributions.For example, Moore is second on the team with 16 blocks. Lastly, Isabella Mishler is going to provide offense from the middle spot and is going to bring her intimidating presence on defense at the net as she leads the team in blocks.  

Libero and Setters Are Showing Out

The three main players who manned the libero and setting positions largely had a good weekend. There are areas of the game to work on, but setters Camilla Brandalise and Camdynn Gonzalez were active setting up their Hoke hitters while minimizing setting errors. Libero Ivy Cooper was active on defense, diving and instinctively moving to dig out opposing spikes. 

Ivy Cooper had 45 digs for a 3.75 dig per set ratio.

Camilla Brandalise had 74 assists for a 6.17 assist per set ratio.

Camdynn Gonzalez had 43 assists for a 3.58 assist per set ratio.

Set to Hitter Connections Need Development

The chemistry between setters and hitters will be a work in progress through the early part of the season. Setters are like the quarterback of volleyball. They read the defense, make decisions where to go with the ball, and have to deliver fundamentally sound and usable sets. Over the course of the matches this past weekend, there were sets that the hitters had to adjust to and could not get a solid kill hit on. Hitters had to reach behind them and often just had to get the ball over the net which takes away an opportunity for a kill and doesn’t threaten the opponent. This was more apparent in the William & Mary loss. While hitters need to work on keeping the ball inbounds, those connections contributed to attacking percentages of .124 and .175 against Kent State and William & Mary. Of course, the season just began; the timing of the setters and hitter will improve over the course of the season.

Defense - Receiving in the Middle 

The middle hole between the front line and the back line was vulnerable at times this weekend, especially in situations where they were hit. Opposing teams attacked this area with the result often being balls falling to that area where people did not move up to cover. We also need to have better coverage on defense behind the front line as opponents surprised the team this weekend with surprise dump overs by both setters and hitters.

Improvement from Last Year - Avoid Errors

The Hokies are showing energy, chemistry, and excitement when a teammate does well. It is too early to determine how much improvement the team has made from last season when it comes to performance. With several new players with championship experience, Virginia Tech should improve from a talent, depth, and experience perspective. However, it has to show up on the court and avoid errors that stymie the offense.

• Attacking Errors - 65 → attacking percentage across the weekend was .194 (to the opponents .152) - last year’s attacking percentage was .198 to opponents’ .223, which includes ACC play).
• Service Errors - 37 across 12 sets.
• Reception Errors - 17 across 12 sets (last year - 1.595 errors per set).
• Ball Handling Errors - 0

Again, the season is young. The team came out of the Hokie Invitational sporting a 2-1 record and taking 8 of 12 sets. The Hokies had opportunities to win the William & Mary match but faltered late in the sets.  The key, though, is to take advantage of opportunities, especially earlier in sets. It felt like the Hokies struggled in the middle parts of sets, whether due to the inability to generate points, errors, or other miscues.They need to find a rhythm and a point of attack that can be consistently successful. These early matchups are going to provide opportunities for that growth before ACC play.

UP NEXT

Virginia Tech travels to South Carolina to compete in the Winthrop Invitational September 3-4. The Hokies will face Winthrop and Old Dominion. Winthrop is a strong team that went 18-7 overall and 12-2 in the Big South Conference last season. The Hokies split with Winthrop in 2025, winning their first match against the Eagles 3-2 before losing the second matchup 0-3. The Thursday 6:00 pm game against Winthrop will be streamed on ESPN+.