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BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech women's basketball team is set to host Elon in the opening round of the 2016 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: March 17, 2016 / 7 p.m.
Opponent: Elon
Site: Blacksburg, Va. (Cassell Coliseum)
Radio: 100.7 FM WNMX / HokiesXtra
Talent: Andrew Allegretta, play-by-play
TV: N/A
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Live Video: HokiesXtra - Free
Game Notes: Virginia Tech | Elon

THE HOKIES (17-13, 5-11 ACC)
Virginia Tech is looking to bounce back after falling to Boston College in the ACC Tournament. Chanette Hicks had 11 points, four rebounds and five steals in the game. Sidney Cook added seven points and six rebounds.

With Tech’s At-Large bid this season, it marks the Hokies fourth trip to the WNIT and their 13th time making postseason since the program’s first trip in 1994. The Hokies became eligible for postseason play with the win over Virginia on Feb. 7. Tech has advanced as far as the semifinals of the WNIT which was during the Hokies 2002 trip to the tournament.

The last time Virginia Tech made postseason was when assistant coach Britney Anderson was a senior on the team. She led the Hokies with a career-high 24 points in a second round 81-73 loss to Auburn. Tech defeated Western Carolina 74-64 in the opening round that season.

Hannah Young and Cook lead the Hokies, averaging 10.3 points per game. Vanessa Panousis is adding 9.0 ppg while Hicks is tallying 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Regan Magarity and Cook lead on the boards with 5.5 rpg.

THE PHOENIX (18-12, 11-7 CAA)
Elon was last on the court in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament, but fell to Delaware 57-50. Shay Burnett led the Phoenix with 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Lenaira Ruffin came off the bench for 11 points and grabbed six boards. Lauren Brown tallied nine points and Jenifer Rhodes chipped in seven points and seven boards.

The Phoenix are making their second consecutive trip to the WNIT this season after competing for the first time last year. Elon fell to Georgia Tech in last season’s tournament. This marks Elon’s fourth post-season appearance at the Division I level. In addition to the two WNIT appearances, the Phoenix have also competed twice in the WBI Tournament.

Burnett leads Elon with 13.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Brown is adding 9.2 ppg and Rhodes is chipping in 9.1 ppg. Malaya Johnson is tallying 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Essence Baucom is dishing out 3.7 assists per game.

THE SERIES
This marks just the third meeting between the two teams with Virginia Tech having won the other two meetings in Blacksburg.

The last time Tech and Elon met was Nov. 18, 2010 when the Hokies claimed a 73-66 win over the Phoenix. Former Tech player Alyssa Fenyn came off the bench for 15 points in that game. Elon was led by Ali Ford with 22 points and Kelsey Evans who grabbed 13 rebounds.

Up Next: The winner advances to play the winner of Marshall/Ohio.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WBBall