Year 1 of the Megan Duffy era in Blacksburg came up one spot short of making the NCAA Tournament. Virginia Tech's women's basketball team was the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament last year, which was a bitter pill to swallow.
They went to WBIT and fell in the second round to Texas Tech at home. Duffy and her staff went to work right away and got some key retention from the roster last year and added some key players through the Transfer Portal as well as some promising freshmen coming in. After a long offseason of putting everything together, the Hokies will kick off the 2025-26 season on Tuesday night at Cassell Coliseum.
Virginia Tech women's basketball opens season against Towson
Duffy has some key returning players in forward Carys Baker and guard Carleigh Wenzel. Last season, Wenzel, who ran the point, averaged 14 points a game, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a night, while Baker averaged 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists a night. We knew going into the season how good a shooter Baker was, but her inside game improved big time, which allowed her to also score on the inside.
Last season, depth was an issue for Virginia Tech, and it was compounded even more when Samyha Suffren was lost in December with a season-ending injury. Just how much was she missed? In the 10 games she played before getting injured, she averaged eight points in just under 19 minutes a game. Her speed allows her to get out on the open floor and separate from her defender, and she sees the floor well when she has the ball in her hands. Kayl Petersen returns for her sophomore year after getting more playing time as last season went along.
As far as newcomers to the program, Northwestern transfer Mel Daley, Texas Tech transfer Kilah Freelon, and Purdue transfer Sophie Swanson are expected to make a big impact this year. One newcomer who is lost for the year, freshman Katie Sears, will redshirt this year, according to Duffy, after suffering a foot injury. Expectations are high, and a favorable early-season schedule should set the Hokies up for a good start to the season.