The annual Duke Invitational pitted the College of Charleston, Loyola, Duke and last year’s NCAA champions, No. 1 Penn State. The Blue Devils came into the tournament unbeaten at the Invitational since 1999, posting 29 consecutive victories over the past decade.
Duke’s winning streak, though, ended at the hands of one of the best opponents to visit Cameron Indoor Stadium in years.
The Blue Devils’ toughest game of the weekend, against the reigning champions, came Saturday night in front of an enormous crowd which came to support the Blue Devils (8-2) in their battle against the Nittany Lions (9-0). Penn State senior outside hitter Megan Hodge, a Durham native, received a standing ovation from the crowd before the game as many of Hodge’s friends and family were in attendance.
With a strong performance from Hodge—and Penn State’s tall front line which included four players over 6-foot-3—the Blue Devils fell in three consecutive sets.
Although Duke was swept, 25-21, 25-17 and 25-15, the Blue Devils showed that they could compete with one of the best teams in the nation. Although the team fell behind early in the third set, Duke was competitive with the Nittany Lions in the first two sets until the end. Hodge’s efficient attacking, however, kept the Blue Devils at bay and proved to be too much for them to handle.
Hodge hit .655 in the match with 19 kills on 29 attacks and she was named MVP of the tournament with 44 kills and only four errors in her return to her homtowon.
“We learned that we can play with the best, and that is going to be huge for the rest of the season,” sophomore setter Kellie Catanach said. “There are definitely some things that we need to work on, but I think that this weekend was a great experience and something that we will be able to grow from.”
Duke’s major weakness in the match against the nation’s top ranked team was commiting unforced serving errors. The Blue Devils had eight service errors, which just handed the already skilled Penn State squad easy points.
“We were trying to serve strategically and also a lot tougher,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “A lot of the teams we play have really great passers and if we don’t serve tough, it is going to be tough to be competitive.”
Before going down against the Nittany Lions, Duke started the weekend matches out strong, topping the College of Charleston (2-7) Friday night. Despite falling in the first set 25-18, the Blue Devils’ Catanach gave an impressive performance with 50 assists, helping lead the Blue Devils to a 3-1 victory.
“Kellie is doing a great job of running the offense for our team,” Nagel said. “She is working really hard and I think she is a modest player. She does things in a quiet way while still efficiently running our team.
“It is not just about her, but at the same time it is all about her.”
Saturday proved a tougher challenge for Duke, beginning with a matchup with Loyola (4-8). The Blue Devils swept Loyola 25-11, 25-18 and 25-20, while posting a hitting percentage of .368 in the game, with 41 kills and only six errors.
The Blue Devils’ next match is Sept. 18 at the Wake Forest Black and Gold Challenge. Duke will meet its first conference opponent, the Demon Deacons, Friday at 7 p.m., before facing off against Liberty and Appalachian State the following day.
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