Was the loss to No. 3 Iowa on Thursday in Charlotte disappointing? You bet.
A 4-point loss for No. 8 Virginia Tech, who held a lead multiple times throughout the game and kept up with the high-flying Hawkeyes, stings. But looking deeper into the match, a loss of that caliber means a lot more to this Hokies program than meets the eye.
Firstly, Virginia Tech has only three starters returning from its Final Four team of last season in Georgia Amoore, Liz Kitley, and Cayla King. The starting newcomers – Rose Micheaux and Matilda Ekh – are still learning Kenny Brooks’ system, and that takes time.
Both struggled mightily against the Hawkeyes. Micheaux only logged eight minutes, and Ekh had shooting troubles all night – the Michigan State transfer shot 3-of-11 from the floor and an abysmal 1-of-7 from 3-point range.
But Virginia Tech’s bench – which Tech head coach Kenny Brooks lauded as the deepest he’s had in the preseason – came up clutch in place. Transfer Olivia Summiel gobbled up eight rebounds, and redshirt freshman Carleigh Wenzel had 11 points.
While Brooks didn’t reach too far into his bench, and although Ekh and Micheaux had their issues in the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, Iowa and Virginia Tech still swapped the lead 11 times, the game itself came down to the final possession.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t an embarrassment on the national scale. It was a message to the women’s college basketball world that Virginia Tech, even though it still has some issues that need to be ironed out, will be a force to be reckoned with once the Hokies do.
Ekh won’t be shooting 1-of-7 from beyond the arc every night. Micheaux – whether she suffered an injury or not has yet to be disclosed – most likely won’t be playing only seven minutes. And Wenzel continues to prove that she can be utilized off the bench for coach Brooks.
Virginia Tech has four games ahead of them before facing their next-toughest test in No. 1 LSU in Baton Rouge at the end of November. And by that point, the transfers will be settled in, coach Brooks will have a better grasp of what his team will look like, and the Hokies will be hungry to upset a top-5 team after coming oh so close against Iowa.