The Blue Devils remain in the hunt for a second straight ACC championship after emerging victorious from a road trip over the weekend that tested their resilience and mental toughness.
Duke (19-4, 9-2 in the ACC) fell behind 2-1 in consecutive games against Clemson and Georgia Tech, only to rally in the fourth set twice and defeat each opponent 3-2. What makes the pair of victories even more impressive is the fact that the Blue Devils had to travel from Clemson, S.C. to Atlanta, Ga. in such a short time.
“We had to go play back-to-back nights,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We had a great crowd at Clemson—Clemson is always very competitive and strong—and you pair that with Georgia Tech and it makes a very tough road trip for distance, but also for the opponents we see and the environments we play in.”
Indeed, Nagel said that the fans in Clemson’s 2,000-seat Jervey Gymnasium were practically right on top of the Blue Devils, making for a hostile venue. The Tigers (16-7, 6-5) took the first and third sets from Duke Friday and looked to put the match away in the crucial fourth frame. But the Blue Devils turned the tide with solid defensive efforts from junior middle blocker Becci Burling, who played a part in all five Duke blocks blocks in the set. Burling finished the contest with 14 kills and 10 blocks, her first double-double of the season.
With the match tied 2-2, the Blue Devils completed the come-from-behind win by taking the final set 15-11, only comitting one attack error in the process.
“I was very proud of our team,” Nagel said. “It was a real mental win Friday night [against Clemson] because it could have been very easy to get discouraged when things didn’t go our way. But I felt like we hung pretty tough.”
Just one day later, Duke had to battle back from the brink of defeat yet again. The Blue Devils found themselves trailing Georgia Tech 18-12 in what could have been the game-deciding fourth set had the Yellow Jackets held on to their lead. But Duke would not bow out and went on an 11-5 run, tying the match at 23. Two errors from Georgia Tech (14-7, 8-3) then allowed the Blue Devils to capture the frame.
In the decisive fifth set, senior Rachael Moss smashed four of her season-high 23 kills without committing any attacking errors, leading Duke to another 15-11 win and the overall match victory.
As a result of their dominating performances in the fifth set against both the Tigers and Yellow Jackets, the Blue Devils now trail conference-leader Florida State by a single game in the standings.
“Our team is doing a pretty good job of taking advantage of game five, and we were able to really control the momentum in game five against Clemson and Georgia Tech,” Nagel said. “When you go on the road against these two teams, sometimes you’re excited to come away with just one win, and we got two.”
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