Hokie ClubATLANTA, GA. – The Virginia Tech volleyball squad dropped three close sets and fell to Georgia Tech 3-0 (26-24, 26-24, 25-19) on Friday night at O’Keefe Gym in Atlanta, Ga.
In set one, the Hokies (17-6, 8-4 ACC) and Yellow Jackets (16-6, 8-4) tussled early, until Virginia Tech gained a 12-9 advantage. A kill, and then two blocks by Georgia Tech evened the gap, with the two teams remaining even for much of the stanza. The Yellow Jackets jumped ahead 23-20, but freshman Kirsty Blue brought the Hokies back with three straight kills to tie the set at 23. Georgia Tech grabbed the lead at 24-23, but freshman Justine Record ripped a kill to tie the score again for Tech, until the two big middle hitters for the Yellow Jackets, seniors Talisa Kellogg and Callie Miller put the Hokies away with back-to-back kills, taking the opening frame 26-24.
The Yellow Jackets carried the momentum into the second set, leaping out to a 5-1 lead early. The Hokies stayed within striking distance, and then made their move down 9-14 with a 4-0 run to cut the lead to one. Following a Georgia Tech timeout, the Yellow Jackets reeled off three straight points to establish the lead once again. Down 18-21, the Hokies won four straight points to take their first lead in the set, but Georgia Tech regrouped. Tied at 24, the Yellow Jackets’ Chrissy DeMichelis connected on two straight attacks to seal the set for Georgia Tech, 26-24 for the second consecutive stanza.
The Hokies extended out to an early lead, pulling ahead 11-7, in set three, but could not fend off the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech went on a 6-2 run to tie the score at 13 apiece. The Yellow Jackets eventually snatched the lead at 16-15, and won three of the next four points to gain some breathing room. The Hokies would never catch up, falling 25-19 in the final set, and in the match 3-0.
Freshman Erin Leaser registered her fourth double-double of the season, tallying 30 assists and 12 digs, while sophomore Felicia Willoughby led the Hokies with nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage, while junior Taylor Parrish also recorded nine kills in the match. Virginia Tech struck at a .191 clip on the night, while Georgia Tech hit .327, the highest hitting percentage by an opponent against the Hokies this year.
The loss drops Virginia Tech into a tie for second place in the ACC, with Clemson leading the conference by one match. The Hokies will battle the Tigers tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Clemson, S.C. Results will be posted on hokiesports.com following the match.