After spending two weeks on the road, the Blue Devils welcomed the opportunity to be back at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where they received a warm welcome from 1,311 fans.
No. 21 Duke made sure to give its supporters something to cheer about, as it swept Virginia 3-0 for its eighth sweep of the season. The victory pushes its winning streak to 10 games and maintains its undefeated record at home.
“It felt really nice playing at Cameron again," outside hitter Emily Sklar said. "We have so many more fans out here and it makes it much easier to play well.”
The Blue Devils (15-3, 7-0 in the ACC) found a rhythm early in the first set. earning as many as six-straight points before taking a decisive 25-14 win for the set. That dominance continued, as Duke took the next set 25-18. Sklar, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, contributed to what became a thrilling 25-23 winning set, as the Blue Devils fought back to take the lead and end the match after trailing late in the set.
Duke seemed to find trouble in the beginning of each set, as the Cavaliers (11-9, 4-3) jumped out to 2-0 lead for both the first and second set. But the Blue Devils were able to rely on solid serving and defense throughout the evening, and fought their way back into both sets. Duke would finish the contest with 8.5 team blocks, 70 digs and 46 kills.
“Our serving was good today and our blocks got a little bit better," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "We adjusted to them and withstood their resilience after having spent some time on the road.”
Virginia entered Friday's matchup fresh off a comeback victory against rival Virginia Tech, but was unable to attack enough to put pressure on Duke. With just 35 kills on 129 attempts, the Cavaliers fell behind early in the game and were unable to claw their way back.
“We prepared just the same as we always prepare, and they did some changes on us, but we needed to be ready for that,” Nagel said. “It was definitely helpful to be back at Cameron.”
Despite a late rally by Virginia in the final set, the Blue Devils’ teamwork and communication earned them the victory. Senior setter Kelsey Williams earned her fourth double-double of the season, garnering 38 assists and 12 digs, and middle blocker Alyse Whitaker added eight kills and a team-high four blocks. Sklar—just as she has been all season—was the key to Duke’s offense. The junior outside hitter posted 19 kills and a .302 hitting percentage.
“I have to give a lot of credit to our centers,” Sklar said. “There were some balls that they really went for and I had some great sets out there. It’s pretty easy to get 19 kills with centers like that.”
Remaining undefeated at home was one of the three main goals that Nagel set at the beginning of the season, and the win against Virginia furthered Duke's toward reaching that goal. Having entered the match without losing a single set in consecutive contests, Nagel and the team made sure to not enter the game with their heads held too high.
“I was really concerned about the team being overconfident going into today’s match, but I think they played Virginia for what they were,” Nagel said. “They prepared just the same as they always prepare.”
With another 12 contests still ahead, Duke cannot afford to drop conference games, as teams like No. 4 Florida State also remain undefeated in the ACC. The next focus for the Blue Devils will be on No. 11 North Carolina this Sunday. Facing its first ranked opponent since losing 3-1 to the then-No. 1 Stanford more than a month ago, Duke will look to continue with a clean slate at home.
“I hope that we can get our energy and our rest in order to play at the top of our game come Sunday,” Nagel said. “It’s a quick turnaround and an emotional thing, so we have to show up ready.”
With just a single day of rest, the Blue Devils will return to Cameron in hopes of handing the rival Tar Heels only their third loss of the season. North Carolina will be the first ranked team to travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium this season, and the Blue Devils will try to, once again, give what is sure to be a stadium loaded with fans something to cheer about.
“We have all of these great wins going, we’re excited, and now we can focus all of this excitement on the next game,” Sklar said. “UNC has some really good blockers, and that is something we need to be prepared for in order to win.”
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