Duke falls to 5th in ACC after pair of losses

Duke women's volleyball team went into this weekend looking to improve upon its 4-1 conference record and distance itself from the numerous teams clogged in the middle of the ACC standings. After dropping both of its matches, however, the Blue Devils find themselves right in the middle of the pack-tied for fifth place in conference.

Duke (10-5, 4-3 in the ACC) fell to Virginia Tech, 3-2, Sunday after losing to Virginia, 3-1, Friday.

Despite 22 kills from sophomore Carrie DeMange and a career-high 17 kills from senior Samantha Fisher, the Blue Devils fell to the Hokies 27-30, 30-25, 19-30, 30-24,15-12. Virginia Tech (9-7, 4-3) secured the victory by rallying to win six of the last seven points of the match's fifth and deciding game.

"In a 15-point rally match, it's so quick that the difference isn't very great between winning and coming up short," Nagel said. "Toward the end of the final game, they were able to go back to what was working for them throughout the match."

Sophomore Ali Hausfeld once again directed Duke's offense, registering 64 assists, but the team could not overcome the 43 combined kills from Hokies' blockers Katie Esbrook and Sarah Munoz.

Although the Blue Devils could not come away with a victory, Nagel said the team played much better against the Hokies than they did in their sloppy loss to Virginia.

Against the Cavaliers (10-6, 5-2), the Blue Devils struggled in all facets of the game. Duke managed only a 22 attack percentage, while Virginia converted 33 percent of their attacks. The team also fell two assists and four digs short of their per game average. DeMange, who had 15 kills and 12 digs in the match, cited a lack of communication as the reason for the Blue Devils' struggles.

"It was a long trip, and I think the travel takes its toll," Nagel said. "We happen to have to travel a lot during the early part of the season, we just have to hang tough in this stretch."