Since the Commonwealth Clash was inaugurated in 2014, the rivalry between Virginia and Virginia Tech has only grown stronger. The two schools go head-to-head in 22 sports annually, and the games between the Cavaliers and the Hokies always have an extra charge. While the more than century-long feud has made it rare to see a student-athlete transfer between the in-state foes, senior Elayna Duprey took the leap last winter.
“She’s 98 years old, and just the travel aspect of it as well kind of played a big role in there,” Duprey said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily. “I wanted to be closer to home so that my grandmother was able to come to as many games as she can.”
When the time came to apply to universities and find the right fit for Duprey and her volleyball career, Duprey looked to the Hokies. What drew her to Blacksburg was the opportunity to play a new position on the court and to be a part of a competitive conference.
“That place, Virginia Tech … it just didn’t feel like home for me anymore, and a lot of other things in my life had changed,” Duprey said. “My love for Virginia Tech just started to disconnect somewhere, and it just didn’t feel the same as when I first came to the program.”
“When I first came here, I was very nervous, mostly because I came from the rival school … so just kind of coming into that warm, loving environment, just kind of caught me by surprise,” Duprey said.
Duprey will be able to see firsthand how much her work assimilating into the team will pay off with the first tournament for Virginia rapidly approaching Friday in Norfolk, Va. Pushing herself to have a great senior season will almost certainly be worth it, and Cavalier fans can look forward to watching her rise to the top with her ferocious kills.
Coach Shannon Wells with 2024 volleyball recruits.
Virginia did not light up the scoreboard, but a few goals were enough to take down the Nittany Lions.
Hayes Wood and Reese Miller after one of Virginia’s five goals…
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