BLACKSBURG, VA. — Anna Grace Sparks tied a team-leading two blocks in her debut as a Royal in Queen's hard-fought battle against the Virginia Tech Hokies inside the Cassell Coliseum on Friday, Sep. 15. The Hokies took the victory in four sets (25-23, 25-19, 22-25, 25-11).
The Royals (2-8) put up 41 kills in the matchup against the undefeated Hokies — their fourth time tallying 40 or more kills in a match this season.
The win for Virginia Tech places the squad at 10-0, marking their best start in Virginia Tech women's volleyball history.
In the match, Alleigh Johnson slammed a season-high 16 kills and put up her best hitting percentage (.389) in her Division I career thus far. The junior also put up two blocks, matching Sparks.
The Hokies swiped the first two sets of the night against the Royals, but not without a fight. Virginia Tech led 21-14 in the first set before a rally led by a Jordyn Johnson-Kendall Buish connection put the Royals within three (21-18). Despite the spark, the Hokies took the set 25-23.
In the second, the set featured four lead changes as the Hokies and the Royals battled point by point before kill-leader Elayna Duprey finished with a kill to top off the 25-19 win.
In the third, the Royals wasted no time in jumping to a 3-0 lead with the help of a kill from Anna Law, Kayla McDuffie, and a Virginia Tech attack error. The momentum held weight to push into the biggest Royal lead of the night, 18-9. The Hokies attempted a comeback, but a kill from Sparks and an attack error from Virginia Tech's Hanna Borer finalized a 25-22 Royals triumph.
In the fourth and final set, Virginia Tech held the Royals to a -.065 hitting percentage from five kills and 31 attempts. The Hokies put down 14 kills, accounting for a .355. Virginia Tech took the final set by a score of 25-11.
Queens' Buish finished the night with a team-leading 22 assists and 13 digs. Duprey led the Hokies with 18 kills while Borer ended the match with 44 assists. Sydney Petersen stopped four blocks and Iliana Rodriguez dug up 25 for her squad.
Up next, the Royals will face Duquesne in a 1:00 PM start in the Cassell Coliseum on Saturday, Sep. 16 to finish off the Virginia Tech Classic.
Be sure to follow the Queens Women's Volleyball team on Twitter and Instagram to get the latest news and updates. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up with all the Royals in action.
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