Virginia Tech Women's Basketball 2025-26 Season Preview!

The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team opens its season Tuesday, November 4 against Towson in Cassell Coliseum. The 6:00 game will be televised on ACCNX. With the opener just around the corner, it is a good time to preview this year’s team.  For a first hand preview of the 2025-26 season, watch Carleigh Wenzel's interview with Sons of Saturday's Billy Ray Mitchell!

Last year’s Virginia Tech women’s basketball team was a young program in transition. A coaching change and the departure of key players left the program in the hands of  players who decided to stay and make it their own program. Players like Carleigh Wenzel, Carys Baker, Mackenzie Nelson, and Samyha Suffren got their first full year of real playing time. Ekh and Micheaux had been role players the previous year, with Micheaux coming off a season in which she was essentially banished to the bench until she was needed. The team deserved a lot of love.

The 2024-25 pre-season media predictions picked Virginia Tech to finish 14th in the 18-member conference. However, the Hokies exceeded expectations and finished 9th with a 9-9 conference record, including key signature wins over ranked Louisville and Georgia Tech. Inconsistency reared its ugly head at times leading to some critical losses that resulted in Virginia Tech just missing the NCAA tournament. Still, the team participated in the WNIT post-season tournament, winning its first game before bowing out in a season-ending loss to Texas Tech.

This year, ACC media types picked Virginia Tech to finish 10th. However, with a year of experience and growth under their belt, the new look roster aims to improve upon its last year’s record, rise in the ACC pecking order, and reach the NCAA tournament. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the Virginia Tech women’s roster with detailed breakdown of players, past tendencies, areas of improvement. We draw from information provided by Coach Megan Duffy and players from the ACC Tip Off as well as the Coach Duffy’ recent press conference.  You can also find Coach Duffy talking about the season on the Megan Duffy Show carried on Spotify and other platforms.

Let’s take a look at this year’s roster (here is the roster on the official Virginia Tech website). It is a mix of six returnees and seven newcomers. The portal took away three players, but brought in three new players. In addition, the program welcomes four new freshmen.  According to Coach Duffy, the staff “wanted to retain our top players and make sure they knew they were valued and am really excited for them to turn the page to a new year. The likes of Carleigh, Mackie, and Carys got just great experience in these roles. That is a big positive coming back with players you are familiar with. We went out into that portal and tried to fill some needs, whether that is a little bit of scoring, some rebounding, a little bit more athleticism, and our first true recruiting class in a cycle bringing four freshmen in. They have been a joy, really excited to be at Tech. Working hard in the classroom and obviously on the court as expected. I am looking forward to introducing them to our fans very soon.

The off-season has been about building chemistry, habits and an identity amongst the new look roster.  Duffy indeed said that the “off-season has been about coming together and building relationships before we talked X’s and O’s, starting lineups, and all the things that will matter here pretty soon. How do we get to know each other? How do we bond? How do we know our strengths and weaknesses? And those will continue to change as you spend more time with each other. So, that was our most important thing this summer, and then once you get into fall, it becomes more about strategic and tactical things. The competition of playing against each other, playing against boys, playing against another opponent. I think one of things I challenged our coaching staff with was we can’t get too far ahead with a group of new players and even returning players who, yes they have experience now, but you have to fall in love with that process of those small things: Your preparation of getting in the gym, taking care of your body and your mind, and all those things come into play. You are almost resetting yourself whether it is with new players or building with those returners. Once you have that foundation, you can get into the grit and grind of competing and mixing it up, just those competitive moments with basketball, but that foundation has to be set. Some of those things I learned in my coaching career is that you have to keep going back to those identity things and process moments where it will make or break you when you get into a tough moment in the season or you lose a game or you feel good about yourself because you are on a streak. How do they stay steady in this marathon of a college basketball season?

GUARDS

The key words that describe this year’s set of backcourt players are depth, versatility, and experience. With six to seven guards that bring different skill sets, the coaches have options depending on how they want to attack and defend opponents. 

Carleigh Wenzel - Redshirt Junior

Carleign Wenzel is a 6’0” redshirt junior guard from San Antonio, TX. She was perhaps Virginia Tech’s best offensive player last year. She took a huge leap from her redshirt freshman year to lead the team with 14 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game (3-way tied for first). Unfortunately, some fans will focus on turnovers, finishing layups, inconsistency.  Inconsistency means avoiding the swings from scoring 24 points against Georgia Tech and going 1-for-9 in the season ending loss to Texas Tech. However, critics forget that last year was her first full season as the starting point guard after receiving limited playing time and limited confidence building under a previous coaching staff. As Coach Duffy put it, “Last year, she was thrust into a key role, having to take a lot of shots and defend some of the best players. I think she handled it really well.”

Wenzel pointed to preparation and confidence, and acknowledged growing pains, when asked by Kelly Gramlich at the ACC Tip-Off how she made the leap from her redshirt freshman year. She said that “Coach Duffy and Coach Nee pour into her the confidence to do the things you have yet to do. How we prepared in practice and how they have pushed me into things they wanted me to see throughout practice, and the standard they held me to in terms of being a true point guard my first real year. It was not easy and, obviously, there were nights when you are just not happy with your performance. Coming in the next day with a clean state and knowing the people next to you are going to pour into you, and they have full trust and confidence in you, it makes things a lot easier.”

What about this season? Coach Duffy talked about playing Carly in a similar fashion to last year. “She will play on the ball, off the ball, and can play either wing position. She will be at point.”  Duffy also loves the maturity of Carleigh this year. She said that Carleigh “just has a steadiness about herself so far. She is so open to whatever the coaches need her to do on the court.”  For Wenzel herself, she feels being coached by two point guards who pour so much knowledge and confidence into her will help her be a leader and learn small things that she can tweak to make her lead better or just play better.  Wenzel was just scratching the surface last year. With more experience, consistency, confidence, she is poised to elevate her game even more.  

For Wenzel's 2024-25 season highlights, see the following Youtube video:

To revisit Wenzel’s performance in the double overtime win over Georgia Tech:

Mackenzie Nelson - Redshirt Sophomore

While Mackenzie Nelson seems to be flying under the radar this off-season, I think she  represents the potential to be “the breakout player for the Hokies in the 2025-26 season and the player who has the greatest potential to elevate Virginia Tech. Nelson, a 5’8” redshirt sophomore guard from Greenwich, Connecticut, was last year’s energizer bunny, whether it was taking charges to fire up the team or swooping in for steals leading to scores in transition (she was tied in a 3-way lead for most steals per game). Nelson averaged 24.2 minutes a game either in relief of or alongside Wenzel and helped to steady the offense at times. She showed the ability to find seams and get to the basket for key layups. However, her outside game was limited either due to choice or confidence. She only shot 24 three pointers all year and only hit 6, for a 25% shooting percentage.  Her outside shot never looked comfortable as she focused on being more of a facilitator.

Even with the increased depth at guard, Nelson could carve out either a starting role or be a key reserve. She should be able to take a major leap from first year to sophomore year. Off-season video vignettes show her working on her outside shot. If she indeed looks for her own shot more, she will provide the offense with another consistent weapon that could be the difference in winning key games this season.

Here are highlights from last year's Clemson game in which Nelson tied a career high of 14 points.

Samyha Suffren - Junior

Samyha Suffren is a 5’8” junior guard from Charlotte, NC.  Samyha has shown flashes over the past two seasons where she went from averaging 1.5 points per game over 6.9 minutes per game (15 games) in 2023-24 to 8.1 points per game for 18.9 minutes per game last year. She excited fans with her speed and quickness getting to the basket as well as defensive steals leading to transition opportunities. However, her season was cut to just ten games due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

“The shoulder injury and surgery she had last year was long and tedious, and you could not speed up the process,“ according to Duffy. However, last year may have been a blessing in disguise as watching the games from the side may have helped her mental growth. Suffren herself told Coach Duffy, “Coach, it is so much easier to know what to say or do when you are sitting on the sideline.”

Now that she is back in action, Samyha is working every day, improving with reps in practice and scrimmages. Suffren has to knock rust off and translate what she saw last year onto the court. Per Coach Duffy, she has “to play to her strengths and not try to bite off more than she can chew. Those strengths - speed, athleticism, and spirit for the game - will be a great addition to our team this year.”  While Suffren is not yet a consistent threat from behind the 3pt line, she will provide a change of pace on offense, especially with her ability to attack the basket at speed. She is also a great on-ball defender and has great anticipation for help-side steals. 

Leila Wells - Sophomore

A 5’9” sophomore guard from Chelsea, Michigan, Leila Wells averaged 9.2 minutes per game in the 2024-25 season, with increases in playing time occurring after Suffren was injured.  There was a stretch of six games over nine ACC matchups that Wells averaged double digit minutes. Otherwise, her minutes fluctuated most likely because, as Coach Duffy said, the game was moving fast last year.  Even though she was thrown into the fire in small doses, it seemed like she hit a key three point shot in important moments.

Coach Duffy hopes that experience will lead to the standard leap from freshman to sophomore year. That being said, Duffy describes Wells as a tremendous leader, who is bridging the freshmen and veterans. She is steady, does the right thing every day, and knows what work it takes, which should translate to her playing better. Wells is showing more confidence and improving her ability to knock down the 3-pointer, which will allow the offense to stretch the floor. 

Mel Daley - Graduate Student Transfer from Northwestern

Mel Daly is a 5’11” guard from Hastings, NY who played four seasons at Northwestern before transferring to Virginia Tech. She is listed as a graduate student with the 2025-26 season being her last year of eligibility.  Daley originally chose Northwestern over Kansas State, Villanova, Butler, Boston College, Temple, Providence, East Carolina, George Washington, Boston College, and Virginia Tech. Daley was second in points and assists and third in steals for the Wildcats, who finished 17th out of 18th in the Big Ten last season with a 2-16 conference record (2 losses were by forfeit).  Daley averaged double digits in points. 

Here are her career stats at Northwestern.

Coach Duffy describes her as a scorer and a smart player who has played a lot of different roles, has been in big moments in the Big Ten, and wants to help her teammates. She came to Virginia Tech to be on a team that can get into the tournament. 

When you watch her film, Daley reminds me of Lani White from Virginia Tech’s 2024-25 season…without the 3-pt shot.  Daley didn’t bring the ball up a lot for the Wildcats and did not serve in what you would think of as a true point guard role. She tended to set up in the corner and then curl up the 3-pt line to receive a pass or hand-off for a drive, pull up, or other next action, similar to White’s role in the VT offense.  She took 7 three-pointers all last season and only 4 the season before, so - unless the VT coaches are encouraging her to expand that part of her game - don’t look for a flurry of 3-pt shots from Daley this year. She is more of a pull-up shooter/slasher. Daley has a very nice pull up mid-range jump shot off the dribble.  She is going to be a player who should be on the receiving end of passes in transition and can finish well under duress. Defensively, she has good anticipation at the top of the key that can lead to steals. 

For highlights of Daley’s play with Northwestern last year, watch the following youtube videos (excuse the quality). She is number 21.

Sophie Swanson - Junior Transfer from Purdue

Sophie Swanson is a 5’10” junior shooting guard from Barrington, Illinois who played two years for Purdue before choosing to transfer to Virginia Tech with two years of eligibility remaining. If there is a question of who might replace Matilda Ekh’s three point shooting, Sophie is the part of the answer according to Coach Duffy.

What to expect from Swanson this season? Coach Duffy describes Sophie Swanson as a knockdown shooter who can also get down hill. She shot 30.1% on 146 shot attempts (39% as a freshman) for the 2024-25 season. For comparison's sake, Wenzel shot 33.6% on 140 attempts, Baker 41.8% on 122 attempts, and Ekh shot 39% on 161 attempts last year. Swanson is not just a 3-pt shooting specialist. While 58% of her shots came from beyond the arc, she will mix in mid-range shots as well as layups. She led Purdue on shot attempts, was 4th on the team in assists and turnovers, and 3rd in steals

During the last seven games of the 2024-25 season, Swanson showed what she is capable of:  her average minutes per game consistently exceeded 20 minutes (she averaged 26.7 minutes over that stretch) and also averaged 14.86 ppg (bolstered by the 29-pt outing against Penn State on 83.3% 3-pt shooting and 76.9% overall. 

Here are her career stats at Purdue.

The first, key quality that stood out to me was her basketball intelligence.  Independent of set plays, you want players to move to spots without the ball in a way that facilitates the offense and gives teammates viable options.  Sophie Swanson is very good at moving to open space. Multiple times in film, she moved into position to receive a pass for a 3-pt look. For esample, when a teammate on the wing passed into the post and cut, Swanson moved over from the top of the key to the wing to get an outlet. 

Swanson is not afraid to drive and has a nice step-back shot off of the drive in her tool bag. She shows the ability to pull up in transition. Swanson also does things that fit well in our inbounds and offensive sets where the corner player comes off a screen for a pass or curls off a screen on an inbounds set for a jumpshot.  Defensively, she has good help anticipation. There are multiple instances of her showing vision to see where a pass is likely to go and flashing into the lane for a steal and transition opportunity. She has a little reverse spin that occasionally shots to finish or draw a foul. 

For highlights of Swanson’s play with Purdue last year, watch the following youtube videos (excuse the quality). She is number 31.

Kate Sears - Freshman

Kate Sears is a 5’9” true freshman from Boone, NC. She is a 4-star prospect ranked 87 overall by ESPN HoopGurlz and 72 by 247Sports. Spears is the no. 2 prospect in the state of North Carolina (according to Prep Girls Hoops) who averaged 30.6 points as a junior.  It was uncertain how much playing time Sears might have gotten given the depth at the guard position. Unfortunately, in an interview with Techsideline.com, Coach Duffy revealed that Sears' debut will be delayed as she will be out for the season after suffering a foot injury. This season will be a year of learning: Duffy described the situation as an opportunity for her to be a “continuation of me off the court now, watching film differently, and things will slow down for her a little bit."

FORWARDS

With Rose Micheaux gone, the Hokies will look for other inside scoring options to go along with Carys Baker and Kayl Peterson. Have they addressed the need for depth?

Carys Baker - Junior

Baker is probably Virginia Tech’s best all around player and is poised to take her game, and Virginia Tech, to the next level.  According to Coach Duff, “Carys had a tremendous season last year where she was in that starting lineup, played some pretty heavy minutes, and had a lot of responsibility on both ends of the ball. I thought she had some tremendous statistics throughout the ACC play especially.” For Baker, her sophomore season involved transitioning to a forward position, which was different from the role she was playing her freshman year. At the ACC Tip Off, Baker indicated that the role was definitely uncomfortable and nerve wracking in the beginning of the season, but through work with Coach Hoover and Duffy and last year’s experience, she is more comfortable being in the 4 position going into her junior year. 

As with Wenzel, Baker is really emphasizing her leadership as a veteran. She said,  “Coach Duffy is harping on it a lot since she has been in the program for a while.” Duffy herself pointed out that Baker has a different level of confidence and is working really hard at her leadership skills.”

Cary continues to emphasize shooting. She said her shooting is important to her. Her coaches and teammates are always encouraging her to keep shooting, so having that confidence in her helps.  She is also working on her ball-handling and being able to put the ball on the floor more, being able to come off screens and come off the dribble.  She continues to work in the post more, especially being able to post up smaller defenders. Duffy indicated in discussing Baker that “it is important to remember the things you do well. Carys is the type that she always wants to get better at something. She wants to attack to raise her level even one more notch. I think for us it is keeping her steady in the process. Adding a couple of little things to her game that will help her be even more dangerous on the offensive side and one of the things she has come to us about, she wants to be a little bit better of a 2-way player, meaning she is going to defend the other team’s best player and obviously have to score for us. The preparation to do that night in and night out for our team is something we are excited to see how that unfolds and she is doing all the right things to be in position to do that and help our team be successful.”

Speaking of doing it night in and night out, it is crucial that Carys Baker “avoid a Stanford.”  The Miami game was a key turning point for Baker last season. She scored 23 points by hitting 7-of-12 three pointers where every shot felt like a dagger in Miami’s heart. As if sparked by that performance, she scored double digits in eleven of twelve games and shot 46.6% from three (24-of-55) during that stretch. Virginia Tech went 7-5 (including the Miami win) with three of those losses to top ACC teams Notre Dame, NC State, and UNC. Then came the Stanford game. It felt like Baker (and the game plan?) focused on her posting up and trying to score around the basket. She didn’t take a single 3-pt shot that game; it was not a situation where the Stanford defense chased her off the arc.  Virginia Tech lost by 1 point in OT. Sure, there were previous games where she did not have a great shooting night, but to not attempt one 3-pointer in a one point loss feels like a missed opportunity (note this is not saying Virginia Tech lost because of Baker; it is just that we missed an element of her game).  Baker is only a junior and feels poised to become that well-rounded star in the ACC who can score inside and outside and can reasonably guard nearly every position on the court.

See Baker's season highlights as well as highlights from the 2024-25 Miami game:

Kayl Peterson - Sophomore

Kayl Peterson, a 6’0” sophomore forward from Waupun, Wisconsin, quickly became a fan favorite last year by embodying the grit and fight that characterized last year’s team.  For a team desperately lacking depth in the interior behind Rose Micheaux and Carys Baker, Peterson got thrown into the fire and provided meaningful minutes as an undersized post. She played double-digit minutes in 11 of 18 regular season ACC contests. Even though her three-point shooting percentage settled in at only 25.6%, hitting 2 of 3 and scoring 12 points against a ranked Louisville team, for example, helped seal that win. Peterson also led the team in blocked shots

Going into this season, Duffy describes Peterson as having a different level of confidence now. She is steady and knows the work it takes. She will do whatever is needed of her, including moving into a leadership role when it comes to helping the new freshmen. As a player, Peterson is a jack-of-all-trades (Duffy’s words!). She will get the big offensive rebound. She will knock down a three. For being undersized, she will score on a 6’4” player with her hook shot. She continues to work on the fundamental parts of her game; one area of growth we should expect to see is her putting the ball on the floor a little bit more. Overall, though, Peterson’s experience  from last year and steadiness will allow her to play better and help with team depth.

Kilah Freelon - Senior Transfer from Texas Tech

Kilah Freelon is a 6’1” forward from Denver, Colorado who played three seasons at Texas Tech. She comes to Virginia Tech as a senior transfer. She started 43 games over those three seasons, with seventeen starts coming last year, and is a career 50% shooter from the floor. Despite only averaging 5.01 points and 4.25 rebounds at Texas Tech, she is capable of being a double double player, even posting a single game high of 16 points and 13 rebounds

Against VT in the WNIT, she played 29 minutes, scored 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block.  She shot 60% from the field and made her one FT.  She was particularly effective on offense early, scoring 5 pts in the first quarter that blitzed VT. 

Her career stats at Texas Tech:

Coach Duffy described Freelon as an athletic, bouncy “energizer bunny” who brings great energy and has a strong voice on the court. As a replacement for Micheaux, Freelon will be a more mobile inside-outside player who can run the floor and defend multiple positions. She even shows the ability to defend on the perimeter, as she frequently guarded wings out by the 3-pt line while at Texas Tech. She even served as top defender in Texas Tech’s full-court pressure defense.

Freelon has the ability to catch a bounce pass off a screen and roll and finish in traffic. There are several plays where she screened from the inside, and her guard drove into the lane and made a bounce pass to a rolling Freelon along the lane line.  After one particular screen, roll, and finish against Utah, the game analyst described Freelon as “she isn’t going to play at the next level, but gets the most out of her skills and talents.”

See Freelon's highlights. She is number 2.

Spela Brecelj - Freshman Guard/Forward

Spela Brecelj is a 6’ 2” guard/forward from Adjovscina, Slovenia. She started her Virginia Tech career as a freshman with extensive international experience, including participation in six European Championships and one World Cup with the Slovenian Youth National Team.

Looking at her highlights (Spela has several numbers in these highlights: 25, 11, and 9). Spela is more of a forward along the lines of Kayl Peterson than she is a guard.. Brecelj has several post moves on the block; however, several moves she initiated from the free throw line stand out.  She catches the ball facing away from the basket and then shows a nice reverse pivot/drop and go (see the 2:03 and 2:39 minute marks in her highlights). We have not seen interior players driving from the free throw line at Virginia Tech since Taylor Soule wrecked havoc on defenses during Virginia Tech’s run to the NCAA Semi-Finals in 2023. Brecelj rebounds on the offensive glass and will get fouled attempting to finish against contact.  She will shoot the three-pointer reminiscent of Kayl Peterson, has good vision in finding teammates with nice interior passes, and shows the ability to get defensive rebounds and bring the ball downcourt in transition herself. My main concerns would be size against some of the post-players in the ACC and defensive lateral quickness on the perimeter. This image is a snapshot in time. It seems to show her getting beat on a closeout.  Again, it is unfair to judge without seeing the full-action from start to finish.

Aniya Trent and Amani Jenkins - Freshmen

Aniya Trent is a 6’3” four-star freshman forward from Springsboro, Ohio. She won the Division 1 state championship with her high school team and the Under Armour National Championship with her AAU team.  

Amani Jenkins is another 6’3” four-start freshman forward who hails from Johnston, Iowa. She is the 87th ranked prospect by ESPNGurlz and 69th by 247Sports. As with Aniya Trent, Amani helped lead her high school to a state championship and won a national championship on the AAU Adidas circuit.

Coach Duffy emphasized how both freshmen forwards come from winning programs, have played with very good players, and have experience playing various roles.  Both are physical inside but have different skillsets offensively. Coach Duffy described Aniya Trent as a really good passer and Amani Jenkins as having the ability to score. They are learning what it takes to be great, how hard it is some days in practice.

The question though is how much will they contribute this season? Both bring size and length, and are clear upgrades over the freshmen post players from last year. A goal will be to get them some early minutes helping out and getting them confident on the court, but how quickly will they be ready for ACC play? If Carys Baker, Kayl Peterson, or Kilah Freelon get into foul trouble, at least one or both may get thrown into the fire!

Athleticism, quickness, and effort are going to be the hallmarks for this year's version of the Hokies. Offensively, the team will have a lot of scoring options either from the 3-pt line, getting into the lane, or from post-ups. As with last year, any one player may be capable of having a big night. It will be interesting to see how the transfers, some of whom were more so role players on their previous teams, will break out given potentially bigger roles with Virginia Tech (ala Lani White's growth). However, coming into the 2025-26 season, there were a number of areas where the Hokies needed to improve in order to take the next step.

Don't Be Predictable on Offense

Last year’s offense was at times scoutable. For example, a typical starting action was for the guard to pass into a forward like Micheaux or Baker flashing to elbow at the free throw line. The guard then moved down to set a screen for White or Ekh in the corner who would come up to potentially get a pass or handover. Over the course of the season, we saw the screening guard slip the screen in the corner or fake it for a back door pass. The larger point is that certain teams like Duke, Florida State, Notre Dame, Louisville, and UNC overplayed those passes into the high post and generated steals or made life difficult, so I think it is important that the offense not be predictable and scoutable.

Offensive Spacing

There were times when last year’s team's spacing was not good.. The cardinal rule of team basketball is that when a player drives, a nearby teammate needs to MOVE and take their defender away. If the help defender stays, then the driver can pass to the teammate who, for example, moved from the wing to the corner. The post should move out of the way and take their defender away. In the first example, Micheaux gets the ball at the top of the key and drives left. Look at where Baker and Ekh are. Micheaux actually scored on this drive, but she made it more difficult than it needed to be. She really needed to drive to her right where there is no help defender and if Ekh's defender slides over to get over, she can pass to Ekh. 

In the second image, Ekh drives to her left into the lane. Baker/her defender as well as Lani White/her defender are all very close to each other. Even Nelson is near Ekh. Because of the crowd, Ekh had to stop and pull out. In this situation, Baker needed to be gone. Since she was there, she should drop to the weakside post and force her defender to decide whether to stop Ekh or stay with Baker. Lani White needed to move to her left and take her defender with her. Even some of Wenzel’s missed layups were because teammates didn’t move. Improving spacing and player movement without the ball will help free up lanes for drives or post moves, and lead to fewer turnovers and fewer empty possessions.

 Interior Size

Read the message boards and you see a key question over and over: how will the team deal with not having significant interior size and depth? Last year, it was pretty much Rose Micheaux, Carys Baker, and Kayl Peterson. The two freshmen posts didn’t make an impact and moved on. Guards like Matilda Ekh, Lani White, Carlie Wenzel, and Mackenzie Nelson spent time helping defend in the post, especially on switches. It is not as simple as saying we have to be a team that runs and uses quickness to get position. Players still have to defend and avoid foul trouble.

When asked her mindset about the team not being the biggest, Coach Deffy said her teams “have been historically tough, whether you have a 6’ 3” post player or a 6’2” post player, whether a scrappy guard or a long wing, it is about the mentality you show up with when you are on the court. Aniya Trent, Amani Jenkins, and Kilah Freelon - three very different players in that forward position -  are going to be able to add huge things for us whether that is a big offensive rebound, whether that is blocking a shot, physical play, and when you look at our league, you have to play that chess match with  other teams like the styles that are going to be some of the best teams in the league. How do you counter that? How do you supersede that? I am really happy with where we are with that.”

The team will miss Micheaux’s ability to get a double-double; however, she was also prone to foul trouble at times. Kilah Freelon is a different type of player who may provide more flexibility with her athleticism and ability to switch on screens and guard on the perimeter. The early season schedule will also hopefully provide opportunities for the coaching staff to bring freshmen Amani Jenkins and Aniya Trent along and get experience before ACC play. History shows we should temper our expectations for the two four-star freshmen; however, odds are at least one of the two are going to have to play meaningful minutes in case of foul trouble, injury (knock on wood), etc.

Improved Defense

Coach Duffy and several players mentioned defense as an issue last year. There are several areas that have room for improvement from last year. The first is the occasional tendency to lose track of a shooter at the three point line, especially in transition. This hurt the team in the Stanford, Syracuse, and Boston College losses. The biggest issue last year, though, is that the team struggled with defending screening action. To be fair, most teams do, but we were hurt a lot. Opposing guards often used players at the top of the key as screens to drive the opposite lane line or we often got caught chasing or having to fight through multiple screens, resulting in guards curling free down the lane line because posts didn’t see it coming. In true screen and roll situations, post players were frequently caught in no-man’s land, often frozen between stepping up to help or sagging away to take the new player. 

Post players also need to show more awareness when opposing players drive. See the image from the game against Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament. Georgia Tech’s guard is cutting through the lane with Lani White chasing. Baker needs to see the player coming and drop to take the new player to avoid an easy catch for a layup. Baker does not drop. The guard should score but she doesn’t only because she mishandles the pass and White is able to catch up. Over the course of the season, Virginia Tech’s defense improved by forcing poor throws or rotating a third defender into the lane to help.

Coach Duffy’s priority this off-season was indeed improving on defense and on the boards. When asked if she saw signs of improvement in these areas, she responded, “Yes, I think we have seen a lot of improvement in our defense. I mean, we ripped apart that from last year whether we could look at something statistically, our 1-on-1 defense, combatting numbers, our ability to get in gaps better, our ability to fight through screens better, and there is a physicality to it. There is a mindset about it, and there is experience right? When you have players who have been in these situations, so much of defense is getting your IQ better, knowing I have to be able to guard this type of player one minute and another type of players the second quarter. Throwing that young team into that last year, hopefully our veterans will prove as games start next week, that they are ready for that challenge a little better and getting new players acclimated to how we want to do things. I think the one thing about both sides of the ball, some coaches say our defense is ahead of our offense or offense is ahead of the defense. I don’t really look at that too much. I say we want to equally have them both ready to go. We are still a work in progress as it is still October, I am encouraged by the mindset of having a little more depth from the guard position, from our forward position to move some bodies in and out to help that rebounding and defense as well."

Finishing Close Games 

Last year, the Virginia Tech women were 6-4 in ACC games that were decided ultimately by 1-6 points. I include the Georgia Tech double OT win because the Hokies had to fight tooth and claw through the end of regulation and two OTs.  Three of those losses sting in particular as they were to teams lower in the ACC standings that sting in particular:  1-pt loss to Stanford in OT, 3 pt loss to BC in OT, and a 6-t loss to Syracuse. If just one or two of those games resulted in wins, Virginia Tech would likely have made the NCAA. The key is avoiding mental lapses such as an errant entry pass late in the game or losing track of an opposing shooter. Carleigh Wenzel touched on this in her interview with Kelly Gramlich at the ACC Tip Off event. She said the goal this season is “understanding the role we are in. We have been in big game situations and now just following through with them. I think we had small mental lapses in games that should not have been happening. Now carrying that over and understanding what needs to be done in certain situations. Understand how the game is going. I think there were a lot of times we came in and, obviously you prepare for a certain thing and if certain things are not going that way, being able to adjust and continue keeping the boat pushing. That is the biggest thing. Carrying over. Preparing the same way but being able to not have so many mental lapses.”

Expectations

Virginia Tech loses two double-digit scorers from last year’s team, including Micheaux’s rebounding and Ekh’s three point shooting prowess. I expect experienced players like Wenzel, Baker, and Nelson to improve on their scoring averages and consistency. Daley brings the ability to score in double digits, Swanson will get more looks, and Freelon may be more of a focal point at Virginia Tech than she was at Texas Tech.  Add in season-long contributions from Suffren, Wells, and Peterson, and the Hokies have the potential to be better than last year. They will definitely be more athletic than last year, with the flexibility to mix lineups depending on the matchup.

When asked about her expectations, she said that she has “always been one of those people that puts their blinders on, head down, and I just try to work. There is so much going around college athletics. You can fall in love with all the narratives around you. My goal is always to fall in love with those players, fall in love with the process, fall in love with the grind of watching film and getting in the gym with our players, and getting on the recruiting trail. So, for me, pre-season stuff, expectations: We know we want to win. We know we want to be successful. We want to be at the top echelon of the ACC. I think we are on a really good path to be there, and everything else outside of that is locking into the small details every day.

Prediction for the 2025-25 Season

After finishing 18-9 overall in the regular season, 9-9 in ACC play, and barely missing out on the NCAA tournament in 2024-25, can the Hokies improve their overall record, improve on their 9th place conference finish, and go Dancing in March? ACC media types predict a 10th place finish in the conference.

Virgina Tech's women's basketball upcoming schedule includes twelve out of conference games. The key out of conference challenges will come from Coastal Carolina, JMU, BYU, Florida, and either Oregon State or Vanderbilt. I think that the women can win all of those games but may experience at least one hiccup to complete 11-1 non-conference record, with the Oregon State/Vanderbilt or Florida games being the possible loss.

How well will Virginia Tech perform in the ACC gauntlet? Stanford (6th), UVA (7th), and Miami (8th), are predicted to finish ahead of Virginia Tech - despite finishing worse than the Hokies last year - based on incoming highly ranked freshmen and transfers. Notre Dame and FSU are supposedly vulnerable after losing several important players.  The other usual suspects Duke, NC State, UNC, and Louisville fill out the top five. Last year, the Hokies stole a game by defeating Louisville and almost upset UNC. Can it prove the media prognosticators wrong, move up in the standings, and even take down a team in the upper echelon of the ACC? 

In reviewing Virginia Tech’s schedule, the Hokies have a key stretch starting January 8 that represents an opportunity for wins. The Virginia Tech women will play seven straight games against teams that placed below it in the ACC standings last year: at Syracuse on Jan. 8, vs. Boston College on Jan. 11, at SMU on Jan. 15, vs. Clemson on Jan. 22, vs. Pitt on Jan 29, and vs. UVA on Feb. 1. These teams were a combined 91-127 (.417) and 35-91 (.278) in the ACC last season.  VT went 4-3 against these opponents, with the average margin in those three losses being 5.67 points, including the 3-pt OT loss to Boston College. If the Hokies are going to improve this season, they have to take advantage of this slate of games and turn those contests into wins.

So, will the Hokies improve? I will predict a 10-8 or 11-7 record in the ACC and 21-22 wins overall. 10-11 wins in the ACC would have been good for roughly 7th or 8th place last year. The Hokies are probably a year away, with the development of the freshmen posts, from truly breaking back into the top 5 of the ACC again, but they can be good enough this year to go Dancing!