Nov. 8, 2008
DURHAM, N.C. – Chrissy DeMichelis and Talisa Kellogg combined for 35 kills, but it wasn’t enough to rally the Yellow Jackets from an 0-2 deficit as Georgia Tech (18-7, 10-5 ACC) fell to Duke (19-8, 11-4 ACC), 3-2 (25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 15-9), Saturday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Jackets dropped the first two sets for the second-straight night, but couldn’t post the comeback victory after winning the next two frames, as the Blue Devils connected on 10 of 19 attack attempts in the fifth set to power Duke to the five-set win. The Blue Devils scored four unanswered points early in the set and wouldn’t allow the Jackets back in the match, winning by a six-point margin.
“We came out flat tonight, but we played our hearts out,” said Georgia Tech head coach Bond Shymansky. “I was impressed with the tenacity that our team showed to take it to the fifth game.
“We are, of course, disappointed that we lost, but if we continue to give that kind of effort, we will find ourselves back in the hunt for the ACC title and prepared to compete in the NCAA Tournament.”
Duke’s Rachael Moss led all players with 21 kills in the match. She also notched 15 digs against the Yellow Jackets and was one of two Blue Devils to post a double-double on the night.
DeMichelis led the Yellow Jacket offense with 18 kills, while Talisa Kellogg added 17 kills and 11 digs for her second double-double of the season. Callie Miller hit a team-best .400 while recording 14 kills and four total blocks in the match.
Joining Kellogg with a double-double against the Blue Devils was sophomore setter Mary Ashley Tippins, who tallied 47 assists, 12 digs and a Tech-best five total blocks against Duke. Michelle Kandell led all players with 25 digs on the night.
Duke jumped on the Yellow Jackets early, winning six of the match’s first eight points before cruising to a 25-18 victory in the opening set. Moss led the Blue Devils with four kills on 11 swings while posting three digs in the frame, and Aana Wherry added five digs for Duke.
The Blue Devils used a 7-1 run early in the second set to take a 9-5 lead and held on for the four-point win to give Duke a 2-0 edge in the match. Moss again powered Duke’s offense, leading the squad with four kills while posting her second service ace of the match. Chrissy DeMichelis tried to keep the Jackets in the set, recording four kills during a 5-1 run that narrowed the Blue Devils’ lead to 22-21, but Duke finished off the set with back-to-back kills from Moss and Becci Burling after a Tech service error to win, 25-21.
With Duke leading 20-19 in the third set, Tech went on a 4-1 run to take a two-point lead at 23-21, and Bailey Hunter and Brittany Roderick closed out the set with a pair of kills to help Tech to a 25-23 win. Tech tied the set at 20-20 with a kill by Callie Miller and then went ahead when setter Mary Ashley Tippins won a jostle at the net. Sophia Duckworth would tie the match at 21-21 with a kill from the outside, but Tech received back-to-back kills from DeMichelis and Roderick to go ahead 23-21 and held on for the win.
Georgia Tech used a 7-1 run to climb back into the fourth set after falling behind, 8-12. The two teams battled back and forth, with Moss eventually tying the frame at 19-19, but Tech finished off the set on a 6-0 run, which included a pair of kills from both DeMichelis and Hunter and a key block by Hunter and Roderick, to win 25-19.
The Yellow Jackets make their final road trip of the season next weekend when they travel south to meet Florida State and Miami. Tech will then return to Atlanta for its final three matches of the regular season, culminating with a Nov. 28 match against Clemson, the reigning ACC champion and preseason pick to win the league.
