No. 12 Duke 3, Ohio 2 - FINAL (25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 15-10)
And Duke seals the deal with a victory! The team advances to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 in University Park, Pen. Friday, where they will face the winner of Northwestern and Missouri. Look for complete game coverage in Monday's issue of The Chronicle!
Of note: This is the fourth time Duke advances to the Sweet Sixteen since 1984 (a loss to UCLA in 1984, win over Kentucky in 1993, loss to UCLA in 2003). The Blue Devils have gone to the Elite Eight once--in 1993--where they lost to Texas in three. Though the team has made an appearance in the third round of the tournament three times before, only one of the times (1993) marked two consecutive victories, as the Round of 64 was not played from 1984 to 1994.
No. 12 Duke 2, Ohio 2 - Mid-set (Blue Devils 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 12-10)
The Blue Devils are three points away from a victory and have managed to turn the tables on the Bobcats and now have a slight two-point lead. Aggressive play from Duke's side is contributing to the home team's lead, but Ohio will not go down without a fight, and its players look energized and ready to overcome the point deficit. About half of the fans are standing right now, nervous for the ensuing series of points.
No. 12 Duke 2, Ohio 2 - Mid-set (Blue Devils 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 6-8)
Ohio just went on a five-point run that was stopped by a timeout and the two teams switching sides. With the fifth set only going to 15 points for the winner (win by two), both teams are incredibly energetic and pressured, though Duke appears to feel it more being at home and losing to Ohio on the road last year. Hopefully the change of scenery will prove advantageous for Duke.
No. 12 Duke 2, Ohio 2 - Mid-set (Blue Devils 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 6-3)
A timeout is called following an explosive start for Duke and huge fist pumps all around. It remains to be seen whether or not the Blue Devils can carry this momentum with them the entire set, but with the way the home team is playing, there remains no doubt as to how much Duke (and its standing/cheering fans) wants this win.
No. 12 Duke 2, Ohio 2 - End of fourth set (Blue Devils 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 17-25)
A poor conclusion for the Blue Devils this set, as they see their kills getting blocked one after the other and converted into easy points for the Bobcats. Their hitting is suffering overall, as they had 11 errors this set (similar to the second set's 12) to Ohio's mere 3. While the Bobcats are eliminating their number of errors (10, 7, 6, 3), the Blue Devils are going up-and-down, and the number of errors they make are incredibly indicative of the likelihood that they will win the set. Duke posted a negative 2.9% clip while Ohio held on with an impressive 40% hitting, a drastic change from what the home team usually holds its opponents to (below 20% for the season). The Blue Devils really need to pick up its communication and not look fatigued on the court of they want to come away with a win, one that will be tough with the enthusiasm and aggressiveness shown by Ohio thus far.
Instrumental player of the game: Christiana Gray. Though she does have a relatively large amount of errors (seven so far), she makes big plays when it matters, aiding the Blue Devils when they are down and breaking Ohio's massive point streaks to help Duke to several more points following her careful, soft tips.
No. 12 Duke 2, Ohio 1 - Mid-set (Blue Devils 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 11-15)
Continued strong kills from Ohio are proving detrimental for the Blue Devils chances of winning this set. Duke has definitely forgotten what it did in the third set and is hitting straight into the arms of the opponent's middle blockers again. Down by four, a timeout is called with Blue Devil head coach Jolene Nagel talking with her team and making aggressive squatting and hand motions. We can only hope that those examples are translatable on the court.
Play of the set - A great dig from McCurdy in the middle of the court followed by a light touch from Gray led to a great Blue Devil point and an explosive response from Duke fans who led a chant of, "Let's go Duke!"
No. 12 Duke 2, Ohio 1 - Mid-set (Blue Devils 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 8-9)
And it's a great start for the Blue Devils, as senior captain Becci Burling breaks away with a great attack into open Bobcat territory in the front court. But the Bobcats are never ones to fall back by much, quickly making up for its lack of defense by picking up speed and bringing the score back to even at 5-5. They manage to continue riding on that momentum for two more points with great shots into an empty back court, but Burling breaks the streak with her own explosive kill. Duke is beginning to fall into its second set habits and giving up easy points to the Bobcats.
No. 12 Duke 2, Ohio 1 - End of third set (Blue Devils 25-15, 17-25, 25-18)
This set was definitely characterized by a combination of long rallies and explosive hits on both sides, but Duke managed to come out on top. This set's victory was a much-needed one for the Blue Devils, who tend to fall into a downward slump following two consecutive set losses and are rarely able to come back. Duke came out incredibly strong and looked pumped for the next set. As for a quick rundown of numbers, the Blue Devils ended with a 28.6 hitting percentage to Ohio's 15.2% and managed a higher attack percentage, as well, though they are still down in the blocks category (7 to 15). Duke's increased amount of communication has been instrumental to the Blue Devils' success this past set, and the team needs to continue that--and its smart offensive attack and alert defensive attack--if it wants to defeat the scrappy and experienced Bobcats this next set.
No. 12 Duke 1, Ohio 1 - Mid-set (Blue Devils: 25-15, 17-25, 15-12)
There is an incredibly high level of energy here at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and it is definitely affecting the play on the court. Duke is converting a lot more opportunities into empty holes in Ohio's defense, and the Bobcats quickly answer with strong kills of their own. While Ohio may have the more explosive kills, the Blue Devils are the more crafty ones, going more for aim than strength (for the most part), and giving up impressive-looking shots for more solid ones that bypass the hands of the tall middle blockers.
No. 12 Duke 1, Ohio 1 - Mid-set (Blue Devils: 25-15, 17-25, 8-8)
Strong start for Duke rivaled by equally great play from Ohio sees the score going back-and-forth. Two calls from the officials for the Bobcats (to angry cries of outrage by Blue Devil fans) give Ohio a two-point lead, though Duke is quick to retaliate with its own run. The home team's front court has definitely proved stronger with much more effective hitting to open areas, as well as its back court, which is significantly more alert and active and closing in on explosive Bobcat kills. Ohio is slacking a little, leaving spaces open in the front court but making up for it with strong attacks.
No. 12 Duke 1, Ohio 1 - End of second set (Blue Devils: 25-15, 17-25)
Plagued by an abundance of errors in the second set (12 to Ohio's 7), the Blue Devils have been lacking significantly on the offense, though they still are leading the Bobcats in defense 24-19. Duke held a -8.1% hitting percentage, while Ohio ended the set with a positive 13.9%, a huge turnaround between the first and second set. The biggest problem for the Blue Devils seems to be locating the best placement for its kills, as many of the shots hit by Dunworth and Claire Smalzer hit the hands of the Bobcats defenders (Ohio has 12 team blocks to the Blue Devils's 6), and Duke is unable to retrieve the low shot. Also a problem is the large spots of void in the Blue Devil backcourt, allowing the Bobcats easy opportunities to gain points. While the attack percentage on both sides is relatively low (Ohio 5.8%, Duke 1.6%), of significance is the high percentage of made serves (Bobcats 95%, Blue Devils 100%) and receives (Ohio 95.2%, Duke 97.4%).
Duke has this happen to them relatively often--start off with explosive wins then fall either mid-set or between sets, and the Blue Devils sometimes have a hard time getting out of that miscommunication and downward slump. If the team hopes to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, it must be sure to increase communication to avoid having huge empty spaces in the back court and find a way to effectively combat Ohio's strong, tall frontal defense (all of the Bobcats' outside hitters and middle blockers on the court are at least 6-foot-1). On Duke's side, however, is a great fan base (though not many are in attendance) to rally behind the team. As the team re-enters the court, Blue Devil fans can only hope that the locker room talk inspires a strong performance from the Duke team.
No. 12 Duke 17, Ohio 21 - Mid-set Update (2nd set)
A combination of leaving the court open in the back, giving Ohio easy shots and unsuccessful attacks that go straight into the hands of the Bobcats' middle blockers are hurting the Blue Devils.
Of note: Ohio leads the nation in blocks per set, averaging 3.09.
No. 12 Duke 1 , Ohio 0 - End of first set (25-15)
No. 12 Duke comes away with an explosive first set win in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament hosted by the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In a short 20-minute set, we have seen relatively consistent offensive play from both sides (and errors, however, as the box score shows that Duke is hitting 14.8% and Ohio -3%), as well as strong defense (11 digs for the Blue Devils, 8 for the Bobcats). The first set has seen great performances from middle blockers and outside hitters Becci Burling--a senior--Christiana Gray, Sophia Dunworth, and Claire Smalzer, as well as setter Kellie Catanach. But the backcourt has been just as relentless, tallying up four digs for freshman Ali McCurdy in her second NCAA match appearance.
Both sides have proved scrappy, pulling off incredible plays and not giving up easy points. However, Ohio has had 10 errors for the first set to Duke's 6.
Play of the set - Sophia Dunworth goes in for a great kill from the front left side of the Blue Devil territory into the front right court on the Bobcats' side, but the shot is retrieved by a great dig from Bobcat defenders. An extremely low shot that almost hits the floor is retrieved by two consecutive digs on Duke's part, and the high shot results in a kill from Ohio's side, but Duke's front court effectively blocks it for an explosive point that gives the Blue Devils one of their final points in the set.
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