Scouting Report: VCU vs Virginia Tech
Illustration by Killian Goodale-Porter.
VCU women’s volleyball will face Virginia Tech University at the Siegel Center on Friday, Sep. 6.
The CT Sports staff chose their notable players for this upcoming matchup.
VCU
Marcus Leary, Contributing Writer
Anja Kujundzic– Second-year libero Anja Kujundzic is a defensive advantage for the VCU Rams. In her first season with the Rams, she played in all 30 matches and all 113 sets, according to VCU Athletics. She was selected to the Second Team All Atlantic-10 as well as the All-Rookie Team, according to VCU Athletics. Kujundzic set two freshman records in total digs, with 570, and digs per set, with 5.04, according to VCU Athletics. Kujundzic was a vital part of last season’s win over Fordham University in the A-10 tournament, 3-2, setting an Atlantic-10 tournament record with 39 digs, according to VCU Athletics. The Hokies will have a challenging time scoring if Kujundzic is on the court.
Ethan York, Contributing Writer
Alicja Jaryszek- The third-year outside hitter is set to be an offensive weapon against Virginia Tech. This is her first year with VCU, but at Coastal Carolina University she averaged 1.83 kills per set in 14 matches, according to VCU Athletics. The 6-foot-2 inch hitter helped lead Central Wyoming Junior College to a 25-11 record in 2022 as well, according to VCU Athletics. That same season she racked up 345 kills and averaged 2.06 digs. Jaryszek played for Poland’s Tauron league in 2021 and helped lead her team to a third-place finish at the national tournament. Jaryszek has shown she is ready to set her team up for success.
Virginia Tech
Jenny Allen, Contributing Writer
Leandra Mangual Duran-The 6-foot outside hitter Leandra Mangual Duran is ready to block and tally up points against VCU. Duran is a graduate student who had her debut at Virginia Tech in 2023, playing 84 sets and starting in 24 of them, according to HokieSports. Last season, Duran had a total of 660 total attacks and 219 kills, setting her personal career record with 17 kills against Delaware State, according to HokieSports. With 206 digs, averaging 2.45 per digs per set, VCU will have to sharpen their attack to tally up points against Duran and the Hokies. Duran ranks third on the Hokies team for most service aces, recording 22 last season, according to HokieSports.
Andrew McGhan, Contributing Writer
Hayley Pearce – The second-year right-side hitter looks to build upon her success from last season. During Pearce’s first season she was listed fifth in kills with 122 and third in total blocks with 43, according to HokieSports. The Hokies lost some of their strongest players from last year, including three of their top five leaders in kills and their top two leaders in total blocks, according to HokieSports. With holes in the Hokies’ defense and offense this season, Pearce must be the player to step up if the Hokies want to continue their success from last season. With her stellar freshman season, I believe Pearce is up for the challenge.
