Coming off a busy and productive weekend at the Blue Raider Bash, the Blue Devils didn’t let up last night, shutting out UNC-Charlotte 3-0 in an easy win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“I am really pleased with the way the team executed tonight,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “Our serve and serve-receive was very consistent which allowed us to do more on offense.”
Duke (5-1), which entered the match on a five-game winning streak, came out in the first set aggressive on the serve as well as on defense. As a result, junior Sophia Dunworth established control of the game from the net, finishing the first set with five kills and leading the Blue Devils to a 25-13 win.
In the second set, Dunworth, senior Becci Burling and junior Amanda Robertson demonstrated their strength at the net again with 11 kills combined. The veterans on the team allowed Duke to control the tempo of the entire set.
Charlotte (4-3) came out ready to play in the third set, keeping pace with the Blue Devils for the first half of play. The Blue Devils, however, proved too strong for Charlotte and pulled away to win 25-15. Robertson, who was a sizable part of the offense with 10 kills on the match, contributed four more kills in the final set.
“Tonight was a great night, we had a lot of fun and the chemistry was there,” Robertson said. “We were all playing for each other—the team plays best when we do that.”
The Blue Devils dictated the pace of the entire match in part because of their freshman libero, Ali McCurdy, who played solid defense, finishing with seventeen digs. McCurdy’s youth, once again, did not affect her game on the court.
McCurdy, along with the rest of the team, exhibited good chemistry during the match, Nagel said, even when reserve players constantly substituted in against the overmatched 49ers.
“We played a lot of people tonight,” Nagel said. “But the tempo did not slow down with people coming in off the bench.”
Last night marked the beginning of a five-match homestand for Duke, a welcome respite for the team after spending much of the early season on the road. This weekend, the Blue Devils host the Duke Invitational Tournament and will play Delaware Friday, N.C. Central Saturday morning and No. 12 Minnesota Saturday night.
The Blue Devils expect Minnesota, especially, to be among the toughest competition they face this season.
“The tournament this weekend is going to be great,” McCurdy said. “We are really looking forward to the Minnesota game.”
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