Virginia Tech Rallies to Upset No. 21 Duke in Five

Sunday, November 2

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Sklar Named 2015 Senior CLASS Award Candidate

Virginia Tech Rallies to Upset No. 21 Duke in Five

11/2/2014 3:52:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Junior outside hitter Emily Sklar registered her 1,000^th career kill, but No. 21 Duke could not hold off Virginia Tech, falling 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 20-25, 10-15) Sunday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum.

Duke (17-5, 9-2 ACC) led 2-1 overall and 10-8 in the fourth set before Virginia Tech (11-13, 3-7 ACC) seized momentum with a 9-2 run. The Hokies knocked down 26 kills over the final two frames compared to 14 for the Blue Devils.

Virginia Tech's defense limited the Blue Devils to a .193 hitting percentage, marking the third time this season, and first time in ACC play, that Duke has hit under .200.

Sklar entered the match with 998 career kills and finished with a game-high 19 to lead the Blue Devils. The San Jose, Calif., native is the 23^rd player in Duke history to reach 1,000 career kills, joining teammate Jeme Obeime who reached the mark earlier this season. Obeime also added 11 kills today against Virginia Tech.

Four Hokies totaled 10-plus kills, led by Lindsey Owens' 12. Katharyn Caine and LaTasha Samson-Akpan chipped in with 11 each, while Ashley Battle contributed 10.

Six different Blue Devils had two or more kills in Duke's 25-18 opening set victory. A 4-1 spurt transformed a 7-6 Duke lead in to an 11-7 margin. Eleven points later, Obeime and Jordan Tucker completed a 5-0 spurt with back-to-back kills, extending Duke's advantage to a comfortable 19-10. A pair of kills, one each from Sklar and Kelsey Williams, finished off the frame.

Tucker ended the match with eight kills and three blocks, while Williams earned her sixth double-double of the 2014 campaign with 42 assists and 13 digs.

Despite a nine-kill effort from Sklar, Virginia Tech held on for the 26-24 second set victory. After the Hokies sprinted out 5-1, the Blue Devils fought back to tie the score on several occasions, finally eking ahead 24-23 on a Williams' kill, one of four for the Duke setter. Virginia Tech countered with a pair of kills and completed the rally with a set-clinching ace.

Duke regained control with an 18-10 start to set three. A resilient Hokie squad refused to back down and rattled off six straight points, including two aces, to make it a two-point game. A Virginia Tech attack error ended the rally. Tucker put down a kill to give Duke a 22-19 margin, which the Blue Devils followed with back-to-back blocks. A final Hokie error sealed the set, 25-19.

Up 10-8 in the fourth set, the Blue Devils were unable to close out Virginia Tech. The Hokies jumped ahead 17-12 following a 9-2 run, which featured seven Tech kills. Duke whittled the lead down to 19-18 after Tucker and Williams teamed up on a block, but the Hokies countered with a block of their own. Virginia Tech captured four of the final five points and won the set, 25-20.

The Hokies' momentum carried over to the fifth frame, which Virginia Tech led 11-3. Five-straight Duke points trimmed the deficit to three points. The Blue Devils could not overcome the lead in the end, falling 15-10. The Hokies put down eight kills in the final frame and forced six Duke attack errors.

Libero Sasha Karelov contributed 21 digs, her 10^th match with 20 or more digs this season.

The Blue Devils return to Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday, Nov. 7 to take on Pitt at 6:30 p.m.

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