Grading The Offseason For Virginia Tech Women's Basketball: How Did Hokies Fill Major Roster Holes?

Here is how the Hokies' offseason has shaped out so far.

Jan 4, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Megan Duffy calls out instructions during the first half agains the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Head coach Megan Duffy delivered the program's best season under her watch in 2025-26. Virginia Tech went 23-10, finished 12-6 in ACC play to land fifth in the conference, and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time under her watch. Then the portal opened, and the work started over.

What followed was painful. Kayl Petersen, Sophie Swanson, Mackenzie Nelson, and Carys Baker all entered the transfer portal. Spela Brecelj followed. Kilah Freelon and Mel Daley graduated. By the time the dust settled, Nelson landed at Clemson, Baker at Louisville and Petersen at Marquette. That is two starters and the team's second-leading scorer out the door in the span of a week.

The losses sting because both Nelson and Baker were foundational pieces. Baker was Tech's second-leading scorer at 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, earned All-ACC Second Team honors and shot 37.9% from three on heavy volume. Nelson ran the point effectively, averaging 8.0 points and 5.7 assists while ranking sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Freelon, who started 32 games and averaged 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, is gone with no replacement of a similar profile already in place.

The foundation that remains is real, though. Carleigh Wenzel, the engine of this offense, is back for her redshirt senior year. She averaged 15.1 points per game, earned All-ACC Second Team recognition and WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honors, and was the best player on the floor in most games down the stretch. Samyha Suffren, Leila Wells and the young frontcourt pieces in Aniya Trent and Amani Jenkins also return. Graduate transfer Alyssa Latham arrives from Tennessee as a frontcourt replacement, Lauren Hurst adds a 6-foot-3 developmental option with three years of eligibility, and Division II transfer Natalee Goff, who averaged 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds at Emmanuel University in Georgia, is a wild card worth watching.

Offseason grade: C+. The offseason math is hard to ignore. Losing a second-leading scorer and a starting point guard in the same week leaves real holes that one portal cycle cannot fully close. But context matters here. Duffy has earned the benefit of the doubt. In two seasons in Blacksburg, she has gone from inheriting a program in transition to a 23-win NCAA Tournament team. She has shown she can develop players, retain a locker room and reload through the portal when she needs to. The same instincts that made Wenzel an All-American candidate and Baker an All-ACC piece did not disappear this spring. If the additions grow into their roles and Duffy finds one more difference-maker before November, this grade looks conservative in hindsight.