The Duke women's volleyball team needed only three sets to defeat its opening opponent Virginia in this weekend's ACC Tournament. But even with a 2-0 lead over Maryland Saturday, the Blue Devils could not hold on for the victory, falling to the Terrapins 3-2 in the semifinals.
"We were up 2-0 but we couldn't finish," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "We didn't have a lot of errors, and they pulled it out when it counted."
Third-seeded Duke (20-10) was the highest remaining seed when it matched up against Maryland (15-14) in Charlottesville, Va. No. 1 seeded Georgia Tech and No. 2 seed Miami lost their first games in the tournament.
With Maryland and Duke tied at eight midway through Game 5, the Blue Devils surged ahead to lead 10-8. Maryland, however, did not fold, going on a 5-1 run. Nagel then called a pair of timeouts, but the Terps still took the last two points to win 15-11 in Game 5 and complete an improbable comeback.
The Maryland push started in the third game, when the refocused team returned to the court and gained the momentum. Duke's stingy defense, led by senior Stephanie Istvan and freshman Jenny Shull, brought the Blue Devils back from the brink of defeat in the third to close within two points of the ACC Tournament finals. The Terrapins continued to roll, however, and closed out the game 30-25.
The Blue Devils' attack was slightly off in the critical third game. The team misplayed nine balls for errors, the most of any game in the match.
The fourth game featured more back-and-forth action as the teams battled to 12 ties. Maryland came out hard again, attacking Duke early for a 13-8 lead. The Blue Devils did not back down and took the lead at 17-16. Sophomore Tealle Hunkus knocked down six kills to keep Duke in the Game, but the Terrapins won Game 4, 30-25 on a 5-2 run, forcing a fifth game.
The first two games were as tight as the final three, and the first included 14 ties and six lead changes. A strong defensive performance, characterized by Duke out-blocking Maryland 7-2 and multiple errors by the Terrapins, ultimately gave the Blue Devils the win in the opening game.
Game 2 was similar in tone to the first, as the teams traded the lead often. With the Blue Devils up 24-21, Maryland regrouped with a timeout and tied the game at 25. Duke struck back with its own run to end the game 30-27. Freshman Carrie DeMange recorded 10 kills to drive Duke to victory.
"It was a great team effort," said Nagel, noting Duke's 23 kills in the second game. "We couldn't have hit that well if we didn't receive well and play defense well also."
Duke swept Virginia in its first match of the ACC Tournament Friday. Playing in front of a large opposing crowd cheering on the home-team Cavaliers, the Blue Devils controlled the match. Hunkus aced Virginia six times while Istvan tallied 28 digs.
"We came out in front of their crowd and didn't give them a chance," Nagel said. "We were the only team that had to play [home team] Virginia and we completely dominated them."
The Blue Devils learn about their NCAA Tournament future next Sunday. By winning the ACC Tournament with a 3-0 victory over North Carolina Sunday, Maryland received an automatic bid.
"We played well in the end stretch [of the season]," Nagel said. "This tournament will be in our favor. Maryland won the tournament in three sets, but they only beat us in five. If we got through that, we'd be celebrating the championship."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.