DURHAM, N.C. – Looking to maintain its momentum from its first ranked win in four years, the Virginia Tech volleyball team couldn't quite keep it in its next match, as Duke won 3-1 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday night.
The Hokies (8-14, 1-8 ACC), who have never won in Durham (0-21), were bested by the Blue Devils (10-13, 3-7) behind Gracie Johnson's double-double of 14 kills and 16 digs. Tech also had a player with a double-double, with junior Kaity Smith posting her fifth of the season with 14 kills and 14 digs.
Tech had both of its setters break in the lineup, with sophomore Talyn Jackson owning 22 assists and fellow sophomore Sarah Jane Lynch having an ACC-high 15 assists.
THE MATCH
Getting down in a hole early at 11-5, Tech called a timeout and regrouped, cutting the Duke's lead to four points at 12-8 after kills from Smith and freshman Anabel Zier. But the Blue Devils got hot and stormed off on a 13-4 run to win 25-12.
Trailing by a wide margin once again, the Hokies started chipping away at their 7-2 deficit, getting a kill by junior Kai Young and was followed up by a combo block from Zier and Lynch to give Tech a spark to tie it up at 11-all after its 9-4 run. Things would seesaw from there until the Hokies broke away and took a three-point lead at 19-13, forcing a Blue Devil timeout, and would hold onto their lead to win it 25-23 in the second set.
Knotted at 9-9 to begin the third frame after a block by junior Marisa Cerchio and Jackson, Duke scored seven of the next 10 points to cause a Hokie timeout at 16-12. But the pause in momentum would be short lived, as the Blue Devils stayed in rhythm and went on to win 25-18.
Another slow start by Tech get it behind the eight ball early, with Duke taking a six-point lead at 12-6, forcing a Tech timeout. Things would get worse before they got better, as the Blue Devils took a 17-7 advantage, making the Hokies burn another timeout. However, Tech would respond out of the break with scoring five straight points to cut it to 17-12, but Duke rattled off eight more points to claim it 25-17.
NOTES
- With Smith's fifth double-double of the year, it now brings her total to 19 in her storied career. The Kentucky native has gotten a double-double in five of her last seven matches and is averaging 3.04 kills and 3.33 digs per set during that seven-match stretch.
- Junior Kylie Thomas filled up the stat sheet, collecting 12 digs, one assist and an ace. After going five matches without a double-digit dig outing, Thomas earned her first since her big night in Raleigh on Oct. 4, when she tallied 22 digs versus NC State.
- Cerchio joined Smith in the double-digit kill category, owning 10 on the night for her 15th match of 10 or more kills. The middle blocker also had three blocks, marking her most since Sept. 20 against Arkansas State.
- Jackson had three blocks of her own, tying her season high that she set versus Elon on Sept. 6.
UP NEXT
Tech will continue its ACC road swing by taking on Wake Forest (11-9, 1-8) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.Gallery: (10/25/2019) 2019 VOLLEYBALL AT DUKE
