Marty Gordon
First-year women’s coach Meghan Duffy is ready to start a new era in Virginia Tech women’s basketball.
Wednesday, she addressed the media as part of ACC Days in Charlotte, N.C. Duffy talked about the enthusiasm toward the Virginia Tech program.
“Looking at the fan base from afar, I saw the community and its fans,” Duffy said, “and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Duffy said it has blown her away to see the all the interest in the women’s program.
“I knew it was going to be like this, but the first time I experienced: it was wow,” Duffy said.
The first-year coach and four players spoke to the change in culture and the building of a new effort to continue the program’s success from the past.
Sophomore point guard Carleigh Wenzel was one of five past players that stayed when then-Coach Kenny Brooks left for the University of Kentucky.
She told the media the outstanding support from Hokie nation was definitely a recent to return to Blacksburg.
“We want to go out and perform for them every night,” Wenzel said.
The sophomore guard was joined in Charlotte by Matilda Ekh and Rose Micheaux, both who also decided to remain a Hokie. All of the group have been impressed with Duffy.
Earlier this year, Duffy was named the eighth head women’s basketball coach at Virginia Tech Duffy. Previously, she guided Marquette University to the NCAA tournament in 2024, spent five years in Milwaukee where she accumulated a 110-46 record that included a 64-30 mark in BIG EAST play.
Duffy’s head coaching career spans seven seasons, five at Marquette and two at Miami (Ohio) and features six seasons of 20 or more wins – leading to an impressive career record of 154-66 (.700). Each year she has guided her club to at least a winning percentage of .600 in league play and she has reached the postseason in every year except for 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic).
The coach is excited about what this team will bring to the table, telling reporters it should be a balanced attack with a much faster pace than what Hokie fans have been used to.
The Hokies return six players from last year’s squad that won the ACC regular-season crown and hosted the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament, including guard/forward Ekh, who averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.