Hokie Club
BLACKSBURG – Despite three double-double performances by its players, the Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to the hands of Duke 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.
The Hokies (13-9, 4-6 ACC), were paced by outside hitters Kaity Smith (17 kills, 15 digs) and Ester Talamazzi (14 kills, 17 digs) and setter Rhegan Mitchell (38 assists, 14 digs), marking the first time in the Jill Wilson era that three players each had a double-double in the same match. The Blue Devils (11-8, 5-5 ACC) were led by setter/outside hitter Andie Shelton, who posted a team-high 17 kills and team-best 27 assists.
The match began knotted at 8-8 before Tech gained a slight advantage of 15-13 heading into the media timeout. The Blue Devils would come back after the media break and cut it to a one-point set at 19-18, forcing a Tech timeout. The Hokies would find their groove, though, and finish on a 6-2 run behind two kills from Talamazzi to win it, 25-20.
Starting the second set tied, just like the opener, at 8-all, Tech once again earned the two-point lead going into the media timeout at 15-13. Out the break, it kept its momentum and would score five of the next seven points, causing a Blue Devil timeout. Shelton would put down two kills to trim the deficit, but Talamazzi had the final say by earning the last kill to claim it, 25-19.
The third set saw Smith have a day, racking up eight kills alone in the frame. With it tied at 15-15, Duke rattled off a 5-1 run but Smith tallied four of the next five points – all on kills – to cut it to a one-point deficit at 21-20. The Blue Devils would gain the crucial next four points, though, winning it 25-23.
Similar to the third set, the fourth stanza ended with a 25-23 Duke victory, too. Tolbert earned a kill to make it 11-all and the frame would seesaw all the way up to 22-22. Duke would gain three of the next four points to win by the same score.
The final stanza saw seven ties in a nail-biting affair. The Hokies owned the one-point advantage at 8-7 before the two teams would switch sides. Shelton got a kill to make it 13-13 and then teamed up with Leah Meyer on the final play of the match to earn the combination block, making Duke claim the fifth set, 16-14.
(10/21/2018) 2018 VOLLEYBALL vs. DUKE
NOTES
- Junior Carol Raffety shined was again, scooping up 20 digs for the second consecutive match. The libero also had four assists and a match-high three service aces. The three aces were her most of the season and her most since Oct. 22, 2017, against Duke, ironically, when she had three as well.
- Talamazzi picked up her fourth double-double of the season and her first since Oct. 5 versus Georgia Tech. The Italy native tallied two aces and an assist, and her 14 kills were her second most of the season.
- Tolbert topped her previous season high for kills (16 vs. UTSA on Sept. 16), with her 19 being the third most of her career. The senior also had four blocks, extending her streak of one or more in a match to 11 straight.
- Smith came up with tying her career high for digs (15), which she set on Aug. 25 against Presbyterian, and tied her second-most kills of the season (17). She also chipped in a block and an assist on her way to her seventh double-double of the season.
- Mitchell recorded her first double-double of the fall and first since Nov. 17, 2017, versus Florida State. Fellow setter Talyn Jackson put up nine assists for the third straight match (Notre Dame, Oct. 14; Wake Forest, Oct. 19) and owned one block and a kill.
- Freshman Angel Robinson gardened her second consecutive start and turned in arguably her best performance to date, registering a career-high five kills on a career-best .571 hitting percentage with a personal-best six blocks.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
On the team's performance to grit out another five-setter:
"I thought we did a really nice job in the first two sets and then slowed down a little bit," Tech coach Jill Wilson said. "Duke did a good job of hitting some really tough balls to defend. I thought we kind of lost a little bit of our edge, but I thought we got it back. We played really hard and forced them to make plays and they did. I was proud of our effort."
On different Hokies standing out with their performances:
"I thought Carol [Raffety] did a really nice job again and it was a good weekend for her overall," Wilson said. "Rhegan [Mitchell] was really fighting for her team and is exactly what you want for a senior captain because she leads with her words and leads by example."
On what the team will take away from this weekend and focus on during the week leading up to Florida road trip:
"I just told them after the match that we really need to get through this tonight in our minds and in our hearts," Wilson said. "We need to get through it quickly because we can't let it linger. We have to do a better job of making sure we have a full, consistent week of practice before we go on two tough road trips. I just asked them to make sure when they wake up tomorrow morning that they will focus on the next task."
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will hit the road for the third time in October, traveling to Miami (Fla.) for a tilt on Friday at 7 p.m. ET and to Florida State on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.