NEWS VIRGINIA TECH UNVEILS ITS SESQUICENTENNIAL TIME CAPSULE
ANTHONY CUSAT | news writerThe capsule was designed with both Virginia Tech’s 2072 students and physical campus in mind.
On Saturday, Oct. 15, Virginia Tech revealed its Sesquicentennial Time Capsule outside of Burruss Hall. The capsule itself is built out of locally sourced Hokie Stone which will hold the featured items inside its walls.
Chris Kiwus, interim senior vice president and chief business officer at Virginia Tech, explained the intention behind the capsule.
“It celebrates not only the history of Virginia Tech … but it’s going to be for future Hokies 50 years from now to open it up and get a feel for what life (was) like and what was happening at Virginia Tech back 50 years ago,” Kiwus said.
A few of the items in the capsule include digital publications, maps, physical publications, yearbooks and symbols of the sesquicentennial celebration brought together by Virginia Tech Special Collections. A Blu-Ray reader will also be put in the capsule in order to ensure Hokies of
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the future can access the digital records. Some of the physical items are on display in Room 1010 of the Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room in Newman Library until Nov. 11.
Additionally, the unveiling is just one part of the sesquicentennial celebration at Virginia Tech that started in July 2021. Virginia Tech saw celebrations across the state and interna tionally at the Steger Center in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland.
Rosemary Blieszner, interim dean of the College of Architecture, Arts and Design and the chair of the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee, enjoyed seeing the collaboration among the community.
“It’s just been really fun to see everybody come together and work on the sesquicen tennial celebration from whatever their area is,” Blieszner said.
The unveiled time capsule, Oct. 15, 2022.
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The capsule also serves an architectural purpose for Virginia Tech’s campus. Jack Rosenberger, the campus landscape architect at Virginia Tech facilities, said the morphology of the project built itself. The time capsule construction is a counterpart to the Alwood plaza that was dedicated on the west side of Burruss Hall in 2013. Rosenberger said the plaza “set a precedent for this space because this east side of Burruss did not have the counterpart.”
According to Tom Tillar, former vice president
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for alumni relations, the capsule is front and center to show the value of Virginia Tech tradi tions and achievements. A sealing ceremony will take place in December, and the capsule will be opened 50 years from now in the year 2072.
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VIRGINIA TECH CONTINUES TO EXPAND FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Ally hessenius | news writer
The Market at Virginia Tech looks to modify operations to increase its outreach.
Between 2018 and 2019, a survey released to students at Virginia Tech allowed researchers to see how many students on campus were dealing with low food security. The study showed 29% of undergraduate students and 35% of graduate students fell under the low food security umbrella. Since then, Virginia Tech has introduced a number of resources to help these students.
Mehul and Hema Sanghani, who are alumni of Virginia Tech, made a donation of $1.5 million in 2019 which helped fund the first pilot program of The Market.
“The first version was amazing, and the students loved it,” said Kas Church, assistant director for Food Access Initiatives at VT Engage. “It was something like a Blue Apron model where the students would receive a box of prepackaged ingredients and a series of recipe cards that went along with them.”
The second pilot of the program worked with Virginia Tech dining services to provide two bags of pre-packaged groceries to
students. Included in the bags were produce and the students’ choice of protein.
“From there finally came version three in August 2021, when we finally got ourselves a permanent location,” Church said.
The Market is located at 801 University City Blvd next to the Math Emporium.
“We tried to model it to feel like a market front where students can come in; they get to browse the produce options, the non-perish ables and the deli case up front,” Church said. “So it’s really meant to be a market where we don’t use a token system, and we don’t check people’s bags.”
Church estimated The Market has provided 14,000 meals to students and reports around 115 students come into The Market a week to get their meals.
“The last I pulled the numbers, it was 63% of our students are international graduate students,” Church said. “Many of our interna tional students might be coming with a family, or the very least a spouse, so (we’re) trying to
do some work with the Graduate Professional Student Senate, Cranwell (International Center), and the graduate school to really talk about the needs of our graduate students and our international students with regards to food access and basic needs.”
In the coming years, Church hopes The Market can continue to make positive changes within the community, and potentially even double their operations.
“I would love to see us serve double the number of meals, double the number of people,” Church said. The Market is also working on expanding its reach beyond its University City Boulevard location.
“We’re trying to get creative with ways we can serve students. So this fall we’re launching something called Pocket Markets,” Church said. “It’s an opportunity for us to partner with academic departments and student affairs departments to really identify a bookshelf, a file cabinet, an old supply closet, some space, and we’re working with them to stock that
space with non-perishable food items that students can access within those different departments.”
The goal of The Market is to provide students experiencing food insecurity with whole meals and support.
“I would tell students that food insecurity is more common than they may think, and that many college students will experience some level of food insecurity, or any person might experience some level of food insecurity at some point in their life,” Church said. “I would want to know them, (and for) them to know that there is help available.”
The Market accepts private donations and food drive contributions to help keep the store running. More information on The Market and its services can be found on The Market’s webpage or by reaching out to the Dean of Students office.
OPINIONS SOCIALIZING NOW IS CRUCIAL FOR LONGEVITY AND MENTAL HEALTH
Elea Abisamra | opinions columnistBeing social has many lifelong benefits that students should take advantage of.
Coming into college with the excitement of being independent, being social may seem like a given for most people. But the compli cated thing about social lives at college is they get harder to maintain when people move off campus. During the first year of college, students are constantly surrounded by people. When they walk to the bathroom, when they’re doing laundry or when they’re taking the stairs or elevator, there’s always someone passing by. There are so many opportunities to make friends freshman year, especially for those part of Living-Learning Communities.
Many people find a club they’re invested in during their freshman year. For some it’s the sorority and fraternity realm; for others, it may be chess club or intramural sports, or maybe even a cappella. However, there are still a number of juniors and seniors that haven’t found their place yet. These students may feel disconnected from campus and their fellow peers studying at Virginia Tech because they aren’t actively living on campus anymore. The chances to walk into someone you used to know become much slimmer when that’s the case, because half of what it takes to run into your friends requires you actually being
around the same area as them.
Even though it may get harder to maintain friendships throughout college, having these stable connections will give you lifelong benefits. With all the focus on technology and virtual learning, social lives are being over looked. It is imperative that every student makes their social life a priority for the sake of their emotional and health well-being.
Social support has been scientifically proven to improve mental health, and for college students swamped with exams and assignments left and right, it is important to have a support system of good friends.
According to this peer-reviewed metaanalysis supported by the Alborz University of Medical Sciences, “Social support reduces the adverse effects of mental stress in 5 ways: emotional attention, helping, information, assessment of others’ feedback about the quality of performance, and sociability.”
Moreover, renowned psychologist Susan Pinker gave a Ted Talk in 2017 titled, “The secret to living longer may be your social life.” She emphasized that those who live in a busy area and are close to people they care about live a longer life.
continued from page 3
“Face-to-face contact releases a whole cascade of neurotransmitters, and like a vaccine, they protect you now in the present and well into the future,” Pinkner said. “So simply making eye contact with somebody, shaking hands, giving somebody a high-five is enough to release oxytocin, which increases your level of trust and it lowers your cortisol levels. So it lowers your stress. And dopamine is generated, which gives us a little high and it kills pain.”
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that is involved in reward, motivation, and addiction. According to an article written by the Cleveland Clinic, when released in the right amounts, dopamine is the “reward
center” in the brain, and it gives a sense of pleasure and motivation to get things done.
The article furthers this point by stating that with the right amount of dopamine, people feel alert, focused, happy and motivated. These four vital, positive results show why being social is so important: it helps our brains reach optimal health and function.
Based on what Pinkner described, a college town is the perfect social environment for longevity. Campus is constantly filled with students walking to and from classes, so it provides the opportunity for students to be constantly surrounded by people throughout the day. A college campus provides several opportunities to smile at strangers and
run into people students are familiar with. Students should look for opportunities to be social when walking to or from the bus, they should take their eyes off their phones and look around because a boost in mental health is always helpful.
According to Timely MD, “Poor mental health contributes to lack of motivation and problem focusing which can lead to failing grades.”
This absence of motivation could be due to the lack of being present in social environ ments. With this in mind, the best solution would be to be present on campus: smile at strangers, thank drivers while you cross the street and say hello when you see a friend. Doing these simple things would bring dopamine to its optimal level in students’ brains. Being social also gives students a break from their academics and responsibilities. Jade Jones, a freshman majoring in biological sciences, discusses ways she stays socially active while walking around campus.
“I see random people on campus when I head to the Davidson Hall in the mornings,” Jones said. “We tend to walk the same routes, so I’ve grown accustomed to seeing them even if we never talk.”
Even though Jones is a stranger to these people, she states that she has grown comfortable with their presence. This is really important because by being used to seeing the same strangers every day, Jones is subconsciously acknowledging the dopamine released by their presence.
Being aware that college is the perfect opportunity to build one’s social support system and taking advantage of it is one of the
LIFESTYLES
most important things to remember. When reflecting back at college 50 years down the road, no one is going to remember assign ments they had or that one test they failed. They’re going to think of whether or not they were happy, and whether or not they’d do anything differently. The lucky thing for us is that it’s not 50 years down the road yet. There’s still time to join clubs and try some thing new, like befriending a classmate in your sociology class or joining a basketball game at McComas Gym. Opportunities are all around, you just have to look.
“I find myself being social at Tech by involving myself in different communities,” Jones said. “I joined an a cappella group and I participate in my LLC, which helps balance out the intense academics with social activities.”
A social life is important to incorporate into everyone’s lives, but just like all things, it should be balanced with time for oneself and for one’s responsibilities. It does get harder to maintain relationships with friends when people don’t live down the hall like they did during their freshman year. Nevertheless, just because they’re harder to upkeep doesn’t mean people should give up. Understanding the vitalness of one’s social network and the significance of being surrounded by people throughout the day is key to leading a happy and prosperous life.
SAFETY HITS HARD WITH THE HELMET LAB
Alejandra Caballero | lifestyles contributorExplore Virginia Tech’s impact on improving safety conditions in the sports industry.
While the window in Kelly Hall looking out towards the outdoor stairs of Turner Place may look unsuspecting, there is ground-breaking, life saving research that takes place behind it.
The Helmet Lab is an injury biomechanics research lab at Virginia Tech founded by Stefan Duma, Ph.D., and Steve Rosen, Ph.D., in 2007. They started with just 4,000 data points and a small team. Fast-forward to the present, a team of undergraduate and
graduate student engineers led by directors Barry Miller, Ph.D., and Mark Begonia, Ph.D., continue to design interventions to prevent any sort of injury. This includes preventative injury testing in children’s toys, sport helmets, rugby mouthguards and drone impact risk.
Although the lab is most known for helmet testing, it does not design or produce helmets. Instead, helmet manu facturers from around the world send
their helmets to have them rated using the Helmet Lab’s patented five-star rating system. The lab sends the respective companies their results, and from there, the company decides if they want to re-adjust the design or keep the helmet how it is.
“Just because you buy a helmet that does pass the standard safety tests, that does not mean you are not still at great risk for a concussion,” Miller said. “Consumers want to know what helmets barely passed
the standards and which ones passed with flying colors.”
The five-star rating system was created after four years of data collection starting in 2007. The Helmet Lab website details their early stages of the process which included inserting wireless sensors into football helmets to measure any impact on the field. Any intense level of force above a certain threshold would trigger the sensors continued on page 5
continued from page 4 to detect movement and rotation of the head in case of a concussion.
“Before the five-star rating system, consumers had no idea which helmets were more effective just because there was no way to compare, and this was an issue in several sports,” Miller said. “Standard rating systems of helmets on the market are used as the bare minimum pass/fail safety standards for sportswear.”
Before the Helmet Lab became involved, equestrian helmets were just being certified by pass/fail standards. Concussions cases were extremely high; parents and athletes in the sport were in search of safer helmets. Equestrian helmet companies started to send their helmets to the Helmet Lab in search of supplemental safety tests. Since then, several companies have taken those results and started creating safer, better helmets.
“Manufacturers come to us. They want that Virginia Tech five-star rating certifi cation on their helmets because people know our system works,” Miller said.
Miller and Begonia joined the Helmet Lab team four years ago and both have continued to keep up with the constant advancement of sports technology. They both discussed their ventures into new areas of injury-prone testing, from Nerf Guns to drones. It is all for a common purpose; to serve the public as a landgrant research institution, and their visions continue to evolve.
“I have a young daughter,” Begonia said. “I would love to see more testing equipment representation, such as testing mannequins being specialized for youths and females so we may be as accurate as possible.”
If you are interested in learning more about the lab and the research being done, check out their website at https://www. helmet.beam.vt.edu.
MIND MUSIC MACHINE LAB MERGES ARTS AND ENGINEERING
Spencer Davidson | lifestylEs staff writerThe tri-M Lab combines two seemingly opposite disciplines, creating an innovative research field.
Engineering and the arts seem to be the two opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to academics. While Virginia Tech has acclaimed programs for each, the Mind Music Machine (tri-M) Lab aims to bridge the gap between the two disciplines through research. Located in Whittemore Hall and the Corporate Research Center, it is led by Myounghoon “Philart” Jeon, who has a doctorate in engineering psychology and human-computer interaction.
“My lab is doing research on human emotions
and sound,” Jeon said. “The computer is our analogy of the human brain for information processing, but also it’s got a tool we’re using for our research. We are making a playground where different types of artists can do new experiments with technologies.”
Some of the featured research projects at the tri-M lab include Arts in eXtended Reality, Automotive User eXperiences and Assistive Robotics technology. All of these projects relate to the interaction between humans and
machines. Each of these programs have their own dedicated machinery, including motionbased simulators, virtual reality headsets and vital monitoring systems. Many of these have real-world applications that affect the local community as well.
“We’re not just doing artistic work, but also we do educational work,” Jeon said. “A way we engage with the community is through assistive robotics. We worked with blind people and the visually impaired, and also we worked with kids with autism; we created some musical robots.”
The main focus of the lab is how humans interact with technology, based on their reac tions to stimuli that could be triggered by the interaction with the technology. To that end, various experiments are being undertaken to solve these problems through engineering. Examples include Acoustic Situation Awareness and Its Effects on Pedestrian Safety within a Virtual Environment, Dance-based Sonification and Indoor Way Finding for Visually Impaired People.
Students often assist with the research for course credit or volunteer hours. One student who works in the lab is Caitlyn Sanford, a junior majoring in industrial and systems engineering. She provided insight as to why she enjoys
working in the lab.
“I enjoy being in the tri-M lab because I feel like my research has a clear purpose and will be used when developing new technol ogies,” Sanford said. “We have a wide variety of projects, and I think it’s really cool to have so many different areas of research all happening within one lab.”
Volunteers are encouraged to assist at the lab, which is in need of participants for upcoming studies. These are presented through advisors, the tri-M lab website and social media.
“Students in other departments, even though they don’t take research credits, can always reach out to me if they’re interested in my lab or other labs,” Jeon said. “They can reach out to faculty members through email, or visit their office and ask about what kind of research they’re doing. In my lab, the door is always open.”
More information about the tri-M lab can be found on their Mind Music Machine Lab LinkedIn page, @mindmusicmachinelab on Instagram or the Tri-M Lab YouTube channel. Jeon can be reached by email at myoung hoonjeon@vt.edu.
HOW EXTRACURRICULARS CAN ENHANCE AN ENGINEERING STUDENT’S LIFE
Olivia Ferrare | lifestylEs editorEmanda Seifu | assistant lifestylEs editor
Lifestyles writers Olivia Ferrare and Emanda Seifu share some tips for engineering students looking to branch out.
It can be daunting walking into the first lecture class of the semester, where the professor skips the syllabus review and goes straight into explaining advanced equations that “should be a review.” It can be difficult to stay in the library way past bedtime while roommates and friends are out making memories. It can be stressful working on complex problems and projects devoid of creativity that seemingly no one can understand.
Majoring in engineering comes with its challenges, and many students try to join an
extracurricular activity outside of their discipline as a respite from the day-to-day homework and studying struggles. As editors of the life styles section and fellow engineering students, Emanda and Olivia have the Collegiate Times as their creative outlet of expression away from their respective disciplines. Finding the passion outside of your major and exploring it can release stress and create a support network. This will come in handy when it seems like every one of your difficult tests are scheduled for the same week. There are a plethora of organizations
across campus that allow members to be more than just students, but well-rounded people.
Social organizations are an easy way to make new friends regardless of background or major. Many engineering students find a core group of people in these clubs that can bond both socially and professionally. Fraternity and sorority life organizations can open up a network of students across campus, and some are even catered to specific majors or backgrounds. Cultural orga nizations (like Latin Link, Chinese American Society or Black Student Alliance) offer a chance
to meet students of similar backgrounds and promote cultural identities.
The social gathering events like Chocolate Milk Mondays, Chicken and Waffle Fridays and the Squirrel Watching Club are fun and relaxing events to go to when you just want to destress, hang out with friends or simply to grab a quick bite to eat or drink. Some of the clubs also host extra weekly events such as hiking, laser tag, movie nights and more, which are a great way to explore campus and connect with people with
similar interests.
Club sports and other recreational activities can relieve stress physically and keep students happier throughout the semester. There are 30 men’s and women’s club sports teams, with everything from roller hockey to cricket. Having scheduled practice times and home or away competitions connect players of all ages and skill levels and fosters a mentorship between coaches or older players and newer members. Even routinely signing up for group exercise
classes at McComas Gym can be a chance to meet new people and fit exercise into a packed schedule.
Last semester, the College of Engineering hosted a volleyball tournament where each major put forth a team and competed in a brack et-style competition. Students let loose and enjoyed some friendly competition between departments in the Field House. According to the article from the College of Engineering, a second tournament next semester is already in the works.
Community service and volunteer organiza tions offer a unique environment for students centered around service. Relay for Life, The Big Event, Engineers Without Borders and the Red Cross Club have countless opportunities to be a part of different service projects and outreach events. Not only is it a great way to connect with your fellow Hokies, it’s also a perfect way to give back to the community.
There are so many ways to get involved on campus and truly make an impact in the community outside of the College of
SPORTS
Engineering. If you’re not sure where to start, fill out Student Engagement and Campus Life’s Involvement Advising Questionnaire and get connected to an advisor that can point you in the direction of organizations that might fit your interests. For more information on these orga nizations and hundreds of others, check out gobberconnect.vt.edu/organizations.
MIAMI SHUTS DOWN VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL DURING HOMECOMING WEEKEND
SAM MOSTOW | SPORTS STAFF WRITERThe Hokies ultimately lost to the Hurricanes due to their cold offense and poor defense on Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
Miami (2–3, 1–1 ACC) soured Virginia Tech’s (2–5, 1–3 ACC) homecoming, defeating the Hokies 20–14 in a game that was nowhere near that close for the first three quarters.
The Hurricanes dominated most of the game, leading 20–0 up until the fourth quarter, fueled by quarterback Tyler Van Dyke’s 283 passing yards and two touchdowns through the first three quarters. The Hokies’ offense, to contrast, only had 118 yards of total offense at the end of the third quarter. Virginia Tech was in danger of breaking its 27 year and 352 game streak of consecutive games where it scored.
The Hokies began to show some life in the fourth quarter, scoring on a 14 yard Grant Wells pass to Malachi Thomas and a Wells three yard touchdown rush to cut the deficit to 20–14 with 3:20 remaining. However, Miami held onto the ball for the rest of the game, running out the clock.
Wells completed 21 out of 33 pass attempts, almost half of which came in the fourth quarter, as well as a passing touchdown. Wells additionally ran for 35 yards and scored another touchdown.
“It seems like when the quarterback runs the ball well, it opens up a lot (of chances),” said Wells.
Quarterback Wells receives high praise from Pry.
“(Wells) can run and he’s confident,” said Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry. “Obviously, that’s one of the things that he brings to the table.”
Thomas led the Hokies in both rushing and receiving, with 41 rushing and 43 receiving yards. Defensively, Jalen Stroman had 11 total tackles,
contributing to Virginia Tech’s 67 total.
Van Dyke proved to be a major challenge for the Hokies, completing 29 of 36 pass attempts for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Miami sacked Wells six times and forced a fumble.
However, Miami committed 17 penalties, totaling 159 yards, which routinely allowed the Hokies to be more competitive in the game than they should have.
Missed opportunities plagued the Hokies throughout the game, especially in the first half, most notably with wide receiver Da’Wain Lofton’s drop in the open field, which could have led to a 79 yard touchdown in the third quarter. In a game that ended one score apart, that extra spark might have proved crucial.
“(If) we get behind the secondary, you got to take advantage of it,” Pry said. “Yeah, that’s a game changer. I think that there’s things that we do well, but we can’t come out there and play like we did for half a football (game).”
The Hokies seem to have a few missed chances and close-call games.
“We gotta stop stubbing our toe and finding ways to not make (teams) earn it,” Pry said.
Despite the loss and shutout scare, Pry remained optimistic about the Hokies’ future, while acknowledging the work the team needs to do.
“There’s encouragement, despite the loss and the heartbreak,” Pry said. “They played their guts out, they don’t quit. Our culture is moving in the right direction. There’s still a lot that we have to
HAMAD ALHENDI / COLLEGIATE TIMESVirginia Tech Hokies’ running back Malachi Thomas (24) gets the Hokies’ first touchdown in the third quarter, Oct. 15 2022
learn as a team, in being a good team and winning close games.”
Saturday was the last time the Hokies and Hurricanes will play each other until 2025 due to incoming ACC schedule changes. Miami left Blacksburg having won three consecutive games against Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech has an upcoming open week before the team travels to Raleigh, North Carolina, to play No. 15 N.C. State on Thursday, Oct. 27. Pry noted the importance of the open
week to allow players to heal.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys playing through injuries, and we’ve got to get well, we’ve got to heal up,” Pry said.
VIRGINIA TECH VOLLEYBALL FACES ANOTHER LOSS AGAINST NOTRE DAME
MICHAEL PLANEY | SPORTS STAFF WRITERThe Hokies continue their losing streak in a game where neither team could establish a consistent offensive attack.
Following a loss to No. 2 Louisville, coach Marci Byers took her squad to South Bend, Indiana, to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday.
Virginia Tech, in the midst of a four-game skid, looked to snap Notre Dame’s three-game win streak—a streak that launched the 15th place Irish ahead of the Hokies into spot No. 10.
Having become the first unranked team to steal a set from the defending ACC champion Cardinals this season, the Hokies carried with them more momentum than they typically would following a loss. That little bit of momentum, however, was somewhat insignificant compared to the momentum the Irish possessed. Coming into Sunday, not only was Notre Dame on a small winning streak, it was on a tear against Virginia Tech, having won all eight matches between the two dating back to 2016. The last time the Hokies were able to win a set against the Irish was on Oct. 18, 2019.
Set one was streaky. Notre Dame jumped out to a 5–1 lead, then Virginia Tech tied it at seven apiece. The Irish then earned five straight points, the Hokies followed that
up with four. The two traded streaks for the remainder of the set. As soon as it seemed like one side was on a tear, the other fought right back with a run of its own.
Both teams fought neck and neck, and with the set tied at 19, Notre Dame took six of the final eight rallies to win 25–21.
The second set, while less streaky, was equally as competitive. Just prior to the halfway point, the Hokies and Irish were knotted at 11. Notre Dame managed to pull ahead, but Virginia Tech evened the score at 19 and conceded a point. Then, the Hokies put the pedal to the metal, taking set two 25–20.
With the match becoming a three-set contest, set three was a new beginning for both teams. The somewhat lackadaisical play from both sides turned into offensive proficiency. Each team was pressuring the other harder than before, and the set was even until the Irish pulled off a four-point run to win 25–20.
In set four, both teams’ effective offenses continued to entertain. Virginia Tech’s hitting percentage of 0.351 was slightly better than the 0.333 percentage
of Notre Dame; however, their 16 kills weren’t quite enough to win the set. The Hokies fell 25–22 and lost the match 3–1.
What’s fascinating about how this match played out was the way both teams were able to rapidly change their gameplay. Not far into set two, Virginia Tech’s hitting percentage was 0.041 and Notre Dame’s was above 0.200. While the Irish’s hitting percentage at this point in the match was by no means spectacular, it’s still five times the hitting percentage they allowed their opponent to amass. But by the end of the set, this all changed.
Virginia Tech managed to claw its way back to win set two, earning a hitting percentage of 0.147 for the set. Over this same period, the Irish had a hitting percentage of -0.026. By the time set three was tied at four, the Hokies’ hitting percentage was greater than that of the Irish, a lead they never relinquished.
Seeing that the hitting percentage is a metric that determines offensive effec tiveness via total kills and service errors, it can easily be inferred that the Irish committed a large number of errors in set
two.
In set one, Notre Dame committed six attack errors, which, while not ideal, was something it was able to overcome. That number doubled in set two, meaning just under half of the Hokies’ offense was generated from sloppy play on the Irish’s side of the net. Notre Dame was able to bring the number of attack errors down to four in set three and did so again in set four, totaling only three.
Virginia Tech has relied on its opponent to commit errors all season long, and today was a prime example. The Hokies recorded fewer errors than the Irish in sets two and three and more errors in sets one and four. They were able to capitalize on this oppor tunity in set two but were unable to do the same in set three.
Virginia Tech recorded 14 blocks en route to its four-set loss. It’s the most it has recorded this season to date, besting its previous total of 13 blocks on Sept. 2 against Marist.
Its 13 reception errors tell another story entirely. Notre Dame’s 90 service aces coming into Sunday ranked 14th in the ACC, and its 83 service errors ranked eighth.
Not only was Notre Dame’s ability to put up so many service aces against Virginia Tech impressive, the team blanked Virginia Tech in the category, allowing no service aces in any set.
With its ninth consecutive loss to Notre Dame, Virginia Tech falls to 9–10 overall, its first trip below 0.500 since Aug. 27. It now possesses an ACC record of 2–6 and will have the chance to exact revenge against Notre Dame at home on Nov. 25, in its final match of the season.