It took an epic set full of lead changes for the Blue Devils to complete their sweep of the Cardinals, as they moved to 13-3 in ACC play.
No. 21 Duke swept Louisville 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 34-32) at Cardinal Arena Friday to extend its win streak to four games. The Blue Devils totaled 61 kills, and posted a .355 hitting percentage in their rout of the Cardinals.
“We’re excited to get an ACC road win in a tough volleyball environment,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “[Our players] did a good job of moving the ball around and being aggressive. We also did a good job of setting and timing the block today. That helped us dig balls then get on target in transition and allow our offense to be effective.”
Duke’s play could not be matched by the Cardinals (15-15, 7-10 in the ACC) in the first set, as the Blue Devils secured a 25-15 decision. Duke (21-6, 13-3) boasted 19 kills, and opened the frame with a 11-3 run. With the Blue Devils up 19-8, senior outside hitter Jeme Obeime nailed three-straight kills to provide a cushion. Duke then won the set with four of its last five points coming off of kills. Senior setter Kelsey Williams clinched the 1-0 set lead for the Blue Devils with a kill of her own.
Duke was dominant again in the second set and registered a hitting percentage of .400. The Blue Devils’ 17 kills in the second set separated them from a Cardinal team that only totaled 40 kills in the entire match. Louisville managed to tie the score at 6-6, but Duke responded with an 11-0 run, and eight kills, four of which were delivered by Obeime. Fellow outside hitter Emily Sklar tallied an ace, recording her fifth consecutive double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs.
“Those first two sets were unbelievable,” Nagel said. “To hit over .400 in [those sets] was really a great team effort. I think our serving was a big part of getting great starts in those first two sets because we were able to keep the pressure on.”
The third set, however, was much more tumultuous for the Blue Devils. Duke shook off an early 3-1 Cardinal lead to tie the set at 5-5, but Louisville won the next five points on a series of sloppy plays by the Blue Devils.
Down 17-12, Duke was able to claim the next three points to pull within two, and eventually evened the set at 19. Obeime led the way for the Blue Devils with four kills in five points. Louisville, however, was able to inch ahead for a 22-20 lead, and put Duke in jeopardy of dropping the set.
Sophomore middle blocker Jordan Tucker had a kill and sophomore defensive specialist Sasha Karelov served an ace to tie the game at 22. The Blue Devils and Cardinals went back and forth throughout the next 22 points, until Duke was eventually able to win two consecutive points, and take the set 34-32. Sklar and Tucker provided the final blows with back-to-back kills to finish off the Cardinals.
“We didn’t do ourselves any favors and made too many errors early in that third set to give Louisville opportunities,” Nagel said, “That was a tight third set, which I thought was good for our team. We were able to hang in there and come out with it.”
Duke will finish off the 2014 regular season with a pair of road matches next week against its Research Triangle rivals. The Blue Devils will play No. 7 North Carolina Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 2 p.m., and North Carolina State Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m., as they look to improve their seeding in the 32-team NCAA Championship bracket.
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Jacob Weiss is a Trinity senior. His column, "not jumping to any conclusions," runs on alternate Fridays.