Plagued by service errors in their loss to Michigan Friday, the Blue Devils needed a total team effort to rally back for a victory against a ranked opponent less than 24 hours later.
No. 19 Duke struggled in the first two sets but fought back to upset No. 14 Michigan State 3-2 in East Lansing, Mich., Saturday. The Blue Devils were not able to settle into a rhythm early on, as the memory of their inability to seal the match against the Wolverines was still on their minds.
“It was a quick turnaround from an emotional loss the night before with the fact that we had played really good volleyball but kind of hurt ourselves with errors at Michigan,” head coach Jolene Nagel said.
Friday, Duke (5-1) committed 24 errors on 167 attacks—a season low. Even more costly, the Blue Devils doubled the Wolverines' service errors, committing 20 throughout five sets and another five in the final frame.
Capitalizing on Duke’s mistakes, Michigan (3-2) took the fifth set 15-10 and the match 3-2.
Following their first loss of the season, the squad was not able to rebound emotionally before taking the court against the Spartans (4-2) Saturday. The Blue Devils quickly gave up the first set 25-12 and lost six of the first seven points of the second set.
“We had given it our all [against Michigan], so we started the match flat and a little bit tight,” Nagel said. “I don’t know if we got up emotionally to where we needed to be to get going.”
Showing confidence in her underclassmen, Nagel and her coaching staff made adjustments to the lineup and gave younger players a chance to take the court under pressure.
Leading the charge in the second set with two service aces and six straight points, freshman Nicole Elattrache brought Duke back into the game. The Michigan State squad was unnerved and committed four errors in seven points, giving the Blue Devils the second set 25-22.
Fellow freshmen Cadie Bates and Anna Kropf also made needed contributions to Duke’s second-set comeback en route to collegiate career bests of seven and five kills, respectively.
“They went in there and did a great job and made some tremendous plays for us,” Nagel said. “That allowed us to relax as a team and get into a better rhythm. It was a great team effort, and I think our team grew as a result.”
Knocking down 12 kills, outside hitter Jeme Obeime continued to pace the Blue Devils on offense. The senior recorded a career-high 21 kills the night before at Michigan and kept her team in the game despite its troubles on the service line. Obeime was again a steady presence through all five sets Saturday.
“Jeme is playing like a senior should play: consistent night-in and night-out,” Nagel said. “[Against Michigan] she was fabulous. [Against Michigan State] her numbers might not have been as great, but throughout the entire match, if it was something she was going to be able to work with, she was able to get a good swing at it.”
Spartan libero Kori Moster challenged Duke’s offense, amassing a match-high 24 digs. Leading Michigan State’s offense, Allyssah Fitterer knocked down a match-high 14 kills, giving the Blue Devils trouble in the fourth set.
Unable to set up effective blocks, Duke fell behind 14-8 and was forced to take a timeout. Returning to the court, the Spartans faltered, giving up three points on errors. The Blue Devils rallied back to within two, sending libero Sasha Karelov to the service line down 23-21. In the final four points of the frame, sophomore Alyse Whitaker overcame Duke’s struggles at the net, blocking three of Michigan State’s attacks, two from Fitterer.
“The good serving was a key at that time,” Nagel said. “And by slowing the ball down with our blocks, we were able to get our hands on it defensively and transition. That made all the difference in the world to catch up.”
With the match tied 2-2, the Blue Devils carried their momentum through the fifth set. Duke hit .312 while Michigan State hit .083 and committed six errors. Drilling down the final kill, sophomore Jordan Tucker sealed the final frame 15-10 and the match 3-2.
The come-from-behind victory is sure to boost the squad’s confidence as it will be on the road for its next three more games. The Blue Devils will have a week to review tape from the two matches and work on service accuracy and blocking. They must continue to build team chemistry, as this weekend proved that it will be key if Duke hopes to have any success against Stanford, Santa Clara and Pennsylvania next weekend in California.
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