The Shadow
CHARLOTTE, Nc. (VR) – Virginia Tech enters the upcoming women’s basketball season with higher expectations after taking a significant step forward a year ago.
The Hokies finished 23-10 last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, returning six players from that team. Head coach Megan Duffy, entering her third season at Virginia Tech, believes the Hokies have the pieces to take another step.
“We made a big step with our confidence and our ability to lay a great foundation for future years,” Duffy said. “I think this team can be even better.”
Duffy pointed to improved athleticism in the post and a group of experienced guards as strengths heading into the season. Carleigh Wenzel, Samyha Sufferen and Leila Wells give Virginia Tech a veteran presence in the backcourt, while the Hokies have added newcomers to fill key needs. The goal, Duffy said, remains the same — improve every day.
“We try and keep a standard that is hard to reach,” Duffy said. “As soon as they reach it, we want to put it up a little bit more.” That approach has produced consistent results during Duffy’s coaching career, with her teams averaging 22 wins over nine seasons. For Virginia Tech, the biggest challenge now is continuing to improve from the start of the season through March. “Our improvement from now until March is going to be critical to our success,” Duffy said.
Wenzel enters her fourth and final season at Virginia Tech after leading the Hokies in scoring last season. She was named second-team All-ACC and finished among the ACC’s top 25 in 11 statistical categories. Her focus this season is improving her efficiency while continuing to expand her versatility. “Being my best self, and I want to do a little bit more of my game, but my biggest thing is efficiency,” Wenzel said.
Wenzel also wants to help Virginia Tech reach its team goals while preparing for a professional career after college. She said remaining at Virginia Tech for four years has helped her both on and off the court, particularly through relationships with people who have experience in the fields she hopes to enter. “I’ve met some of the greatest people,” Wenzel said. “I’m just surrounded by everybody that has already done what I want to do in everything in life.”
Alyssa Latham, meanwhile, has reached the NCAA Tournament in each season of her career and believes the Hokies have enough depth in the post to continue that streak. Latham will be joined by Aniya Trent and newcomer Jessie Dimaro in the frontcourt.
“If we do what we need to do as leaders, continue to be vocal, lead the group by example and dominate in the paint, I feel like we can keep that going,” Latham said. Duffy expects the newcomers to be an important part of the equation. She said the Hokies worked through the transfer portal and recruiting class to address specific needs.
Virginia Tech also wants to become more balanced offensively while maintaining the defensive identity that helped the Hokies make progress last season. The Hokies led the ACC in free throws made last season, while ranking third in steals and fourth in blocked shots. “We want to play fast. We want to play gritty,” Duffy said. “We also made some steps last year with executing down the stretch.”
That ability to stay composed late in games helped Virginia Tech put together a strong finish last season, and Duffy wants that same toughness to carry over. Competing in the ACC will provide another major test. Duffy called the league the best in the country and pointed to the conference’s depth, with nine teams reaching the NCAA Tournament last season.
“It’s going to take a lot,” Duffy said. “You got to catch a few breaks. You got to make sure you’re peaking at the right time.” Staying connected through the difficult stretches of a season, she said, will be just as important as talent. The Hokies believe they have the personnel to compete at a high level. Now they must put it together over the course of the season. Latham described the team with one word: dominance.
For Wenzel, the word was relentless. Duffy chose motivated. “This has probably been the most motivated group I’ve been around,” Duffy said. “They want to be in the gym. They want to be great. They’re totally bought into the process it takes to be great, so it’s a hungry group of young women.”
