CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia Tech volleyball squad responded after their first loss of the season last night with a 3-1 (25-14, 20-25, 25-20, 25-10) victory over Albany on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gym at the Marriott Cavalier Invitational.

After falling to Virginia on Friday night in its tournament and ACC opener, Tech (10-1, 0-1 ACC) regrouped on Saturday afternoon, hitting .392 in the match. The Hokies recorded 10 blocks in the affair. The Great Danes (4-8, 0-0 America East) could only muster a .172 hitting percentage and two blocks in the contest.

The Hokies came out firing in the first set, racing out to a 4-0 lead, and extended the lead to 12-4 midway through. Two quick timeouts could not stop the Great Dane bleeding and Tech ran away with the set, 25-14.

Albany recovered in the second set, using a 5-0 run to break a 6-6 tie and take the early advantage. The Great Danes pushed out a seven-point lead at 17-10 before Tech began to rally. A 7-2 Hokie run cut the margin to two, and Tech stayed within two until Albany went on a 5-2 run of its own to capture the second frame, 25-20.

The two squads kept even through the much of the third period, as the teams found themselves tied at 13 apiece. A 4-0 run helped Tech gain some breathing room at 17-13, and the Great Danes would never get closer than three points for the rest of the stanza. A freshman Cara Baarendse kill sealed the set for the Hokies, 25-20.

Tech would not let Albany come back again. The Great Danes stayed within striking distance early in the fourth frame, before Tech exploded on a 12-2 run the turn the final period into a runaway. Junior Felicia Willoughby’s 12th kill of the contest won the set, 25-10, and the match, 3-1, for the Hokies.

Redshirt freshman Jennifer Wiker recorded a career-high 17 kills in the showdown, pushing her kill total to 25 in the tournament thus far. The Charlotte, N.C., native is averaging 4.17 kills per set in the Cavalier Invitational. Along with her 12 kills, Willoughby led the Hokies with seven blocks, while senior Taylor Parrish also added 12 kills in the contest. Sophomore Erin Leaser dished out 48 assists, while senior Jill Gergen registered a season-high 21 digs in the match. Junior Amy Wengrenovich earned 10 kills.

Tech will wrap up the Marriott Cavalier Invitational at 4:30 p.m., today with Villanova. Villanova and Albany battled in a five-set thriller on Friday, where the Wildcats prevailed, 3-2. Results will be available at hokiesports.com.