Rachael Moss has a serve that few can emulate and even more fear.
Standing several feet behind the baseline, the junior outside hitter unleashes a deadly jump serve that zips through the air at more than 60 miles per hour, over the net and straight onto the opponent's side of the court. Although the California native is among the Blue Devils' leaders in passing and hitting, the gem in her arsenal is undoubtedly her serve.
"It's pretty much been my secret weapon and my identity for volleyball. It's who I am," Moss said. "It evolved over time, especially when I started lifting weights for club, and it definitely got more powerful."
And while a key component to her serve is strength, the bigger factor to its effectiveness may be the spin she developed from another sport-tennis.
Moss' first passion was on the grass, as she competed for 12 years before giving up the sport her sophomore year of high school. Borrowing a technique from her tennis serve, Moss created a volleyball anomaly by incorporating the topspin that causes the ball to drop directly in front of the net, something practically unheard of.
"It was completely different from the other girls my age because everyone else was float serving. But I played tennis and I had the whole routine, only substituted with a volleyball," Moss said. "So I would bounce like a tennis serve, and I'd take the volleyball behind my head and snap it. It would make this crazy spin, and it would drop in and we were like, 'Whoa, it's insane.'"
Much like a perfect pitch or a free throw, it's all about routine with a volleyball serve. And for Moss, making one small error, like a low toss or shorter step, can send the ball flying into the net instead of over it. After bouncing the ball a few times at her feet, she spins it with her hands as she focuses on her target area.
And then there's the slap.
After being instructed to utilize the slap as a developmental tool to create better contact on the ball, Moss incorporated it into her routine. And Duke fans have taken note, clapping along with each serve.
"I really like it," Moss said. "I try not to smile. Usually I just try to maintain the game face, but I really love it. It gives off this vibe of solidarity with fans against the other team."
The tennis influence is still evident in some aspects of her serve, specifically her toss. Rather than toss and hit with her right hand, she uses her left. But the differences from typical jump servers haven't hindered the junior's dominance from behind the line. After leading the team in aces last season, Moss is well on her way to repeating that feat, having already totaled 26 this year.
Of course, the aces come at a cost. Although there are obvious benefits to the dominant serve, there's a reason few players primarily use a jump serve. With great power from the jump serve comes a greater risk for making a mistake, something that Moss knows all too well.
"There was actually a big issue last year with serving errors," Moss said. "It turned out I had to keep the serve in more, which put a lot of pressure on my serve. I had to deal with being confident. So for a while I would stay down and have people come up to me after and ask, 'Where's your serve? Why aren't you jump serving?'
"This year I'm more confident. I'll go after it every time unless the score is tight."
But Moss's serve isn't so secret anymore. Opponents have become more aware of the junior's power as teams scout her specifically. Not that it matters to Moss.
"The coaches have warned me about scouting," Moss said. "I'll be smart with shots, but I'll take whatever comes to me. And no matter what happens, I'll just bring it again."
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