Volleyball's losing streak extends to 4

After starting out the ACC season with two losses, the volleyball team looked to get back on track as they welcomed Florida State and Miami to the O'Keefe Gymnasium last weekend.

Unfortunately, it did not go as scripted for the Jackets. The team dropped both matches ,and fell to 0-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play for the first time since 1990. It is also only the fourth time in school history that Tech has lost four consecutive ACC matches.

Tech opened their home slate against the Seminoles, who came into Atlanta unbeaten in conference play. Florida State out hit the Jackets .286 to .226 and took the first game of the match, 30-23.

In the second game, Tech was out hit by 108 percentage points, .390 to .282, but kept the game close. The Jackets were in prime position to tie the match down the stretch, but the Seminoles used a 5-1 run to close out the game and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

Tech fought back in game three, using an 8-1 run to help build an 11 point lead as they coasted to a 30-15 victory. Florida State hit -.111 in the game, as they registered more errors than they did kills. Ulrike Stegemann added seven kills in the fourth game to help the Jackets tie the match at 2-2 with a 30-27 win.

In the fifth game, Florida State hit a stellar .526 and put the Jackets away, 15-9, to win the match, three games to two. Stegemann led Tech with 18 kills, sophomore Talisa Kellogg added 15 kills and freshman Chrissy DeMichelis had 11 kills on the night.

"We will talk about this game for about 20 minutes, then we will forget about it, get a good nights rest, get up in the morning, get breakfast and get mentally prepared for Miami," said sophomore defensive specialist Michelle Kandell.

Tech tried to bounce back against Miami on Saturday night, and were off to a good start in the first game after an early 12-2 run. The team held off a late Miami comeback to win the game 30-27. Sophomore Callie Miller had six blocks in the game, and led a Tech defense which held the Hurricanes to a .061 hit percentage in the opening game.

Miami answered in game two, jumping out to an early 11-3 lead and cruised to a 30-21 win as they hit .361 in the second game. The momentum continued for the Hurricanes into game three as they won 30-27.

Down the stretch of game four, Tech held a 28-26 advantage, butMiami got four straight points to win the game and match, 30-28.

"Just staying tight knowing that you give your all, you have nothing to lose. Whether there is a block up or not, you have nothing to lose. This is our gym, we own this gym," said Kandell.