Duke Rally Falls Short, No. 18 FSU Escapes in Five

Friday, October 9

Durham, N.C.

6:30 PM

Duke University

Florida State

Duke Rally Falls Short, No. 18 FSU Escapes in Five

10/9/2015 10:16:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke dropped the first two sets before mounting a furious rally, but the Blue Devils came up just short in a 3-2 (22-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 12-15) setback against No. 18 Florida State Friday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

FSU's Nicole Walch carried the offensive load for the Seminoles, amassing a career-high 31 kills on 64 attempts. Walch was the only Florida State player to reach double-digit kills.

Duke's Jordan Tucker also had a career night, pacing the Blue Devils with a career-best 24 kills. Tucker had at least three kills in every frame, including seven in the third set to help spark the Duke rally.

Setter Maggie Deichmeister dished out a career-high 68 assists and picked up 15 digs for her second double-double of the season. Deichmeister eclipsed the 60-assist plateau for the third time in her career and second time this season. Outside hitter Emily Sklar also contributed a double-double, her sixth of the season. Sklar totaled 18 kills, 10 digs, four blocks and an ace on the night.

The Blue Devils' outdug the Seminoles 108-97 behind a match-high 31 digs from libero Sasha Karelov. Outside hitter Cadie Bates contributed a career-best 22 digs, while defense specialist Nicole Elattrache had 16.

“I'm really proud of what I saw out there tonight with our effort, focus and defense,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “I thought we executed so many different areas of our game really well. This is a heartbreaker for sure. I want our team to feel down but at the same time I hope they can see the good things we did to allow us to be in set five against a very, very good team.”

Florida State (12-4, 5-0 ACC) won the first two sets by matching 25-22 scores. Walch totaled 11 kills in the opening frame and eight in the second to set the tone for FSU.

Duke (7-8, 2-3 ACC) tallied 21 kills in the third to start the momentum swing. After leading 9-5, Duke saw it margin evaporate down the stretch, resulting in an 18-17 FSU lead. Tucker put down the kill to tie the score and totaled three more kills down the stretch to spark the victory.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the fourth, a 25-21 Duke decision. Sklar registered seven kills in the frame to lead all players, including two crucial tallies late. A Tucker kill followed by an FSU error ultimately clinched the frame.

Duke appeared to be in control in the fifth, leading 8-4 at the midway point. The Blue Devils' lead slowly eroded as Walch found a groove. The Seminoles scored the final six points of the match on three Walch kills, one Karlie Hauer tally and two Duke attack errors.

The Blue Devils play host to Miami Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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