Playing North Carolina is always a battle, and Sunday's setback against the Tar Heels was especially tough, as it ended the Blue Devils' 10-game winning streak.
Although the end result was not as they had hoped, the Blue Devils will look to continue to build on the progress they have made in the last couple of weeks—they are still 10-1 in their last 11 games. They hope to utilize the valuable experience they gained in Sunday’s contest when they take on Clemson Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6:30 p.m..
“Hopefully we’ll be able to see that progress that we made,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We played a strong opponent this weekend, we knew they’d be strong, but it also forces us to look at some things and I hope we can see that progress as we play Clemson this weekend.”
Although No. 21 Duke (15-4, 7-1 in the ACC) posted a strong offensive front in Sunday’s competition, racking up 48 kills in the three sets, the Tar Heels readily protected the net, recording 11.5 blocks to Duke’s three.
“We’re trying to do a couple things to open up our offense and as always, continue to try to work on our blocks,” Nagel said. “We need to work on being patient whether it’s our block, or being patient on our defense.”
Errors were a factor in the loss, as the Blue Devils struggled to keep the ball within the lines, tallying a total of 21 errors to North Carolina’s nine.
The attacking error total was significantly higher than what Duke posted in its three-set win against Virginia just two days earlier, in which the Blue Devils only committed 12 errors. If the team hopes to get back to its winning ways, it will have to limit its mistakes and play with more consistency.
According to Nagel, making these minor adjustments and not focusing on the ACC standings and winning streaks is what will lead the team to success.
“The outcome could have been different but, we have to really make sure we understand what we need to do to finish stronger and understand that sometimes, the difference isn’t really big and that those little things make all the difference,” Nagel said.
Patience will be an important factor for Duke in maintaining a tight defense against the Tigers. Offensively, the Blue Devils will look to junior outside hitter Emily Sklar and senior outside hitter Jeme Obeime, who lead the team in kills with 245 and 229 on the season, respectively.
After a close four-set loss to Pittsburgh Sunday, Clemson (14-6, 3-4) hopes to redeem itself Friday. Although they’ve struggled against ACC opponents this season, falling to Virginia, Miami and North Carolina, the Tigers are not a team to take lightly.
Clemson presents a solid defense, as it racked up 19 blocks in Sunday’s game, eight of which came in the fourth set. The Tiger offense is headlined by senior Kristin Faust and sophomore Leah Perri, who lead the team in kills with 249 and 220, respectively.
“Our biggest challenge right now is making sure we are familiar with [Clemson] because we haven’t seen them at all,” Nagel said.
Although its opponent poses its primary challenge, Duke will still continue to focus on what is in its control and recognizing its own strengths as the Blue Devils head into Friday’s contest.
“It’s not always about the opponent, sometimes its about us and I want us to make sure that we’re feeling good about where we are going into it,” Nagel said.
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