The volleyball team started last week with a lot of uncertainty. With two matches remaining, Duke could have finished anywhere from third to eighth in the ACC and knew its postseason prospects hung in the balance.
The Blue Devils (19-9, 10-6 in the ACC) blanked Virginia Tech (13-14, 7-8) Friday after topping Wake Forest Tuesday. Duke secured the third seed in the ACC Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Charlottesville, Va., and put itself in position to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“It was a must-win for us,” head coach Jolene Nagel said of the Virginia Tech game. “We knew that if we could finish off that week with a couple of wins, we could get the highest seed possible.”
The Blue Devils wasted no time jumping in front of the Hokies during their regular-season finale. Duke’s 4-0 lead at the start of the first was indicative of its play throughout—the team opened an 11-4 margin in the second and 9-4 advantage in the final game.
Strong serving and service return helped the Blue Devils build early leads and take a loud Hokies crowd of more than 600 fans out of the game.
“We did talk about that we wanted to jump out to a quick start,” Nagel said. “We did a good job controlling the match and a big part was our serve and serve receiving. We served tough, which took them out of what they wanted to do.”
Aggressive play became the catalyst for Duke as it closed out each game, Nagel said. Freshman Carrie DeMange was nearly flawless on the front line, making just one hitting error in 23 attempts.
DeMange’s 13 kills opened the floor up for the Blue Devils’ other weapons. Junior Tiffany Perry nailed four of her seven kills during the middle game, which Duke won 30-18. The Hokies, who were plagued by errors throughout the contest, committed 14 in the second game alone.
Critical late-game miscues once again cost Virginia Tech at the end of the third. After the Hokies closed the early gap, three mistakes with the Blue Devils leading by two set up Duke’s decisive victory.
“I felt like whenever we started to slip, we knew what we needed to do to pull it back together,” Nagel said. “Everything has really come together in our last few matches—that’s a great feeling to have heading into the ACC Tournament.”
Even with the added pressure, Duke played two of its best matches of the season, Nagel noted.
More will be at stake in Charlottesville this weekend. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Nagel believes her team can secure an at-large berth with a solid run.
“If we can continue to play like we have the past two to three weeks, there is still a better level for us to see,” Nagel said.
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