In a matchup between two of the best defensive teams in the ACC, the Blue Devils looked to continue momentum from their 3-0 shutout of Clemson Friday with a win against Georgia Tech.
But for the first time in October, the Duke defense could not come through when necessary.
Georgia Tech ended the Blue Devils' six-game winning streak with a 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 25-20, 26-24) win Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium to climb into a tie with Duke for third in the ACC standings halfway through conference play. Four Yellow Jackets notched double-doubles led by Teegan Van Gunst's 18-kill, 10-dig effort, and Georgia Tech's .236 hitting percentage was the highest the Blue Devils have allowed in more than a month.
"We definitely need to do some things a little better to be able to get a match like this today," Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. "One thing would be serving a little bit tougher to get them out of system. Another would be staying pressed a little bit more on the block so we could block some more balls.”
Although five Blue Devils had at least 10 kills Sunday, Duke (14-6, 8-2 in the ACC) was unable to take advantage of a 20-16 lead and a set point in the fourth frame to extend the match to a decisive fifth set. After senior Jordan Tucker notched three straight kills to put the Blue Devils up 24-23 in the set, freshman Jamie Stivers committed the first of three straight Duke errors that sent the team to its second loss in its last 10 games.
The Blue Devils committed at least five errors in each set, and let the Yellow Jackets (17-5, 8-2) win the block battle 12-8 to put Duke two games behind No. 8 North Carolina in the league standings.
"This was a learning experience, that there are better teams in the ACC than some," said freshman Samantha Amos, who led the Blue Devils with 12 kills. "We need to learn how to fight back when we come against those challenges."
Led by Van Gunst, Georgia Tech took control from the outset, leading throughout the opening frame to take a decisive 24-19 lead and generate five set points. Duke saved the first three before Van Gunst punctuated the set with a kill to give the road team momentum.
But the Blue Devils showed why they are among the ACC's best teams, jumping out to a quick lead in the second frame to cruise to a 10-point set win. Eight Yellow Jacket errors led to a .000 hitting percentage, and Stivers and Jessi Bartholomew combined for eight of their 21 kills to get the Duke offense on track.
Freshman setter Cindy Marina had another standout performance for the Blue Devils, pouring in 44 assists to go along with 13 digs for her 13th double-double of the season—the most in the ACC.
“The momentum shift in the second set was huge because we came back and fought,” Amos said. “After the first set, we realized ‘Okay, this is a good team. We need to learn how to fight back.’”
But after Duke fought back, the Yellow Jackets responded with their best offensive set of the day.
Georgia Tech poured on 18 kills against just one error to capture the third frame. The Yellow Jackets got their own standout performance from their setter, as Rebecca Martin posted 45 assists and 12 digs to facilitate Georgia Tech's seventh straight win.
With the Yellow Jackets up 2-1, Georgia Tech prevailed in the back-and-forth fourth set and closed out the victory, one of the few times a Duke opponent has been able to best the Blue Devil defense during a match's crucial moments.
Tucker posted four blocks to go along with her 11 kills, but Duke's inconsistency caught up to the Blue Devils, who entered the week with the No. 67 RPI in the nation as they fight for an NCAA tournament berth.
The Blue Devils will look to get back on track on the road against Boston College and Syracuse next week.
"I hope what we do is respond to this by being stronger and to really know that things aren’t easy and they’re not going to get any easier," Nagel said. "We have to step up to the plate.”
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