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Inside Hokie Sports
Following the end of the 2015 season,
Virginia Tech head women’s volleyball coach
Chris Riley couldn’t help but feel excited when
he looked ahead to the 2016 campaign. He had
some good reasons to feel that way considering
whom he had returning to campus.
Riley lost only two players to graduation and
he returns a number of key pieces with another
year of experience under their belts. Seniors
Lindsey Owens and Amanda McKinzie are
back for their final campaigns in Blacksburg
after finishing first and second on the team,
respectively, in kills last season. Riley also will
see his top setter back in sophomore Rhegan
Mitchell and junior middle blocker Ashley
Battle, who’s coming off a sophomore year
when she hit .330 and totaled 143 blocks.
It’s a battle-tested core that is joined by
seven newcomers. They combine to form a
Hokie volleyball squad that possesses talent,
depth, and the chance to exceed expectations
against a challenging schedule.
“Our team is pretty experienced,” said
Riley, who is entering his 11th season at Tech.
“We know exactly what it takes to accomplish
what we’ve set out to do. We have players who
Hokies’ roster
features a lot
of returning
players
from a team
that won 19
matches a
year ago
by
Peter Long
Special to Inside
Hokie Sports
have been in the battle for a long time and
we feel like we can match up with just about
anybody.”
The 2015 season began with great promise,
as Tech jumped out to a 6-0 start and received
its first votes in the AVCA Top 25 coaches poll
in program history. The Hokies’ best start to a
season since 2009 also featured a 3-1 victory
at No. 19 Michigan State.
The early-season success, though, could not
be sustain. The Hokies split their remaining
six non-conference matches and then went
10-10 in ACC play—a mark bolstered by a
season-ending four-match winning streak.
Tech finished with 19 or more victories for
the third time in five seasons, and heading
in 2016, Riley has placed on emphasis on
sustaining those successes throughout the
course of the season.
“What I’m looking for is how we approach
each match mentally,” Riley said. “They
understand that every match matters and
every point matters. That’s our goal and that’s
how we’re going to train as a group.”
The Hokies will be tested early in the season
with a trip outside of the intercontinental
United States for the Puerto Rico Clásico.
The showcase, held in the city of Bayamon,
will feature Tech in matches against Temple,
Alabama and Texas A&M in front of what
Riley expects to be some raucous crowds. He
hopes that the high level of competition will
prepare his squad for road matches in the
ACC, where the outcomes can either make or
break a season.
Success on the road is even more critical
considering that theHokies hold an impressive
107-39 record at Cassell Coliseum since Riley
took over in 2006. In 2015, Tech posted an
11-5 mark on campus.
“Cassell is just a great environment,” Riley
said. “The fans are fantastic and the place
provides depth that most facilities don’t have.
Other teams come in and they aren’t used to
playing in this big of an arena and it makes it
harder for them to be successful. We practice
in here every day and it gives us a significant
advantage.”
All of the factors—experience, depth,
chances against strong opponents—has set
the stage for the Hokies to do great things in
2016. For Riley, it all starts with consistency.
VOLLEYBALL
2016
VOLLEYBALL
ready to
BUMP
OFF
competition
this fall
AMANDA
M
C
KINZIE
