US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 2. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February. 

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No. 13 Virginia Tech

2018 Record: 14-7 (5-2, ACC)
Coach: John Sung (3rd season)

All-Time Record: 25-15
NCAA Appearances: 1
Final Fours: 0
Championships: 0

The rise to prominence of the Virginia Tech women’s lacrosse team is certainly flashy, but the Hokies are out to prove that their success was not simply a flash in the pan.

Last spring was a monumental time for the Hokies, as they earned their first NCAA tournament bid and first NCAA tournament win, establishing themselves as a threat in the powerhouse ACC. The Hokies want more.

“Last year, we talked about validating what we did the year prior,” said coach John Sung, who was rewarded with an extension that will keep him in Blacksburg through the 2022-23 academic year. “This year, it’s for us not to miss a step and not to go backward.

“We have something to prove every single game. We have to validate every single time we play, every single time we practice.”

Sung’s confidence is high heading into his third season at the helm. Although the team improved under his guise in his first year, last spring he reaped the benefits of implementing his first recruiting class.

With another big recruiting class coming in — headlined by Grace Nelson from Raleigh, N.C. – Sung expects significant growth.

“We’re not sneaking up on anybody,” he said. “I have more pieces, and I think that’s pretty awesome. We now have the pieces to show our true identity.”

Paige Petty set the stage last season for what could be a record-breaking sophomore campaign. She poured in 58 goals to lead the team, three shy of the program record held by Dawn Will. A player that fits Sung’s mold, Petty is even stronger and more athletic than last year after spending this summer on campus working out, Sung said.

Petty will lead what appears to be a young core that includes Morgan Berman, Julia Bolte, Leigh Lingo, Taylor Caskey, Emma Crooks and Sarah Lubnow.

“We really try to hang our hats on just doing the hard work,” he said.

That leads to a gritty, intense 60 minutes against the Hokies. Not every game is a track meet, as the Hokies contest every 50-50 ball, preventing teams from getting out in transition. Sung “put them through the gamut” this fall against talented programs like Maryland, Princeton, Stanford and Towson, and he said the results showed on the field.

The goal, Sung said, is to establish Virginia Tech as a perennial power and one of the pillar programs of the ACC. Another successful season will go a long way toward accomplishing that.

“It’s what we talk about,” Sung said, “building Virginia Tech lacrosse into a program where people want to come to and build it into a flagship program.”

The Case For Virginia Tech

With two consecutive years of improvement, the Hokies enter a critical third year under Sung. Because this is his second recruiting class, Sung said he expects special things. He admitted that his system is complex, but with players specifically recruited to fit that system, the Hokies are on the up. Expect them to wear teams down for 60 minutes and play a scrappy, physical game. Petty provides scoring punch, and Caskey could take on a larger role on offense in her junior season.

The Case Against Virginia Tech

Even with Petty’s return, Sung said his team’s biggest weakness is the diversity of his offense. He’d like to see his offense be more explosive and pose a threat in multiple ways. In previous years, the offense has thrived off players who can dodge and do it all themselves. In this system, he’d like to add more dimensions through passing. If teams can lock off feeders and keep them one dimensional, they can compete with the Hokies. There are holes to be filled on both sides with the losses of Meagh Graham, Marissa Davey, Kelly Glatthorn and Tristan McGinley, among others.

Path to the Playoffs

The ACC is a gauntlet, so the Hokies’ strength of schedule plays in their favor for a second consecutive NCAA tournament berth as an at-large bid. Key games against ACC rivals like North Carolina and Boston College, two Final Four teams from last season, will be good litmus tests for the postseason. Last season, Virginia Tech lost to UNC by just one goal and was the only team to hold Boston College under 10 goals, so those are must-watch games. With a conference this strong, every game has major implications. Last year’s 5-2 record in the ACC is certainly within reach again.

Players To Watch

Paige Petty, M, Soph.
58 G, 65 DC

Petty put in extra work this summer to take her game to the next level after being named a second-team IWLCA All-American, and Sung said he can already see the difference in her athleticism and strength. The first team All-ACC selection could challenge Dawn Will’s single-season program goals record of 61.

Morgan Berman, G, Soph.
31.6 SV%, 9.55 GAA

Berman played roughly 82 minutes last spring, appearing in six games but making no starts as the Hokies rode the consistency of Meagh Graham, a first-team All-ACC goalie who graduated. Sung expects Berman to be “something special,” as he initially recruited her while he still at Winthrop.

Grace Nelson, M, Fr.
N/A

The freshman from Raleigh, North Carolina, led Cardinal Gibbons High School to three state championships, ran cross country and played center back in field hockey. Her athleticism is “unbelievable,” in Sung’s opinion. “People will see her on both sides of the ball,” he said.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐

Draw
⭐⭐⭐

12.48

Goals per game can be deceptive, as a couple big outbursts can inflate a team’s average. But Virginia Tech will be defined by how consistently it can score. Now with his second batch of recruits and veterans in the third year of his system, Sung expects the offense to improve off its average per game.

5-Year Trend
Scoring Offense

Coach Confidential
John Sung

“It’s easy for this group of kids to get up for all the ACC schools. Where we get caught is when we’re playing a team, and we’re not playing to the level we should. When we take our foot off the gas pedal, that’s when we get in trouble.”

Enemy Lines

"Let’s see what they do now that the Cinderella years are over. They graduated serious heart and leadership who took to Coach Sung well. They’ll be young in some areas that they haven’t been in the last two years. I expect them to have the same exact fight, athleticism and grittiness. They believe in their brand and I expect them to stay in the Top 20 for sure."