On Thursday, Wake Forest's Olivia Summiel announced her commitment to Virginia Tech. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
https://twitter.com/oliviasummiel/status/1649167931186507778
A 6-2 forward from Dayville, Conn., Summiel spent four seasons in Winston-Salem, starting 60 of the 104 games in which she played. As a senior in 2022-23, she averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. She totaled 523 points and 521 rebounds with the Demon Deacons.
Summiel is the second transfer portal pickup for the Hokies and Kenny Brooks in a week, joining Minnesota's Alanna Micheaux. And while Micheaux is more of a like-for-like replacement of Taylor Soule, Summiel is very similar to D'asia Gregg. She's a big who is comfortable inside and plays good defense — she was fifth in the ACC in blocks this year (46) — but can also step out and shoot the three. For her career, she's 34% from behind the arc (70-of-208).
In four games against Virginia Tech in her career, she played 65 minutes, scoring 10 points and corralling 18 rebounds. In Blacksburg in January, the Hokies held her scoreless.
Wake Forest lacked size this season — Summiel (6-2) and Demeara Hinds (6-2) were their two frontcourt starters — so she played more of a power forward role. But she has the ability to stretch the floor with her 3-point shot, and she's a weapon in the pick-and-pop game.
With Tech, she'll likely play a similar role to Gregg, the unsung hero on the Final Four squad who averaged 4.8 points and 6.0 rebounds this season. Summiel is versatile and should give the team some different schematic options, much like Soule and Gregg did. On occasion, the Hokies put Soule and Gregg on the floor with Kitley, causing havoc for opposing defenses. And the tandem was solid against Virginia in January when Kitley was held out due to injury, combining for 28 points and 20 rebounds.
Summiel earned ACC All-Academic Team honors this spring. She's scheduled to graduate Wake Forest in May with a degree in Business & Enterprise Management. Moreover, she was a finalist for the Coach Wooden Collegiate Citizenship Cup in December, which is awarded to student-athletes across the country who "best display character, teamwork and citizenship."
With the addition of Summiel, Virginia Tech has 10 scholarship players for 2023-24, leaving five scholarships open. Here's a full breakdown:
