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The Hokies opened this year surpassing expectations. When you’re picked to finish 14th out of 15 in the ACC, the bar is set low. But Mike Young and the young Virginia Tech squad wasted little time in making their mark on the year. Following an opening night win at Clemson, the Hokies rolled through four straight home games.
On that run, and as you would expect, fan confidence was off to a flying start. Week 4 saw Tech land a 100% confidence rating from voters heading into their trip to Hawaii. So how did their three-game stint in Maui impact fan’s opinions of the program?
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Week 5 - The Highs & Lows of Hawaii
VT pulled off a massive, season defining win, in defeating (then #3) Michigan State. The fact that the Hokies not only won, but controlled the match, saw expectations soaring. The following night, Tech was brought back down to reality coming up against a red-hot, and more experienced Dayton Flyers.
That first loss of the season, coupled with a defeat to BYU to close out the Maui Invitational, certainly halted the Hokies fine start to the year, but in no way diminishes their overall accomplishments thus far. Tech voters responded in kind by giving another 100% confidence vote once again - the third straight week.
And how could you disagree? Virginia Tech is a team that had to be re-assembled in the summer, implementing a new style of play, and without a true center - as it will be some time before John Ojiako can develop into an interior threat. The win over Michigan State showed that when Tech gets hot they can take down top teams. Dayton proved what a struggling Hokies side looks like when going up against a quality big man. It’ll take time, but Mike Young has already built a squad which should be competitive most nights.
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