Being swept once hurts. Being swept twice in the same weekend means the Blue Devils need to find some answers if they want to turn things around.
Michigan State took down Duke in three sets (25-17, 25-22, 25-15) Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a day after No. 20 Michigan did the same. Senior outside hitter Emily Sklar slammed down a match-high 15 kills, but Spartan middle blocker Brooke Kranda registered 14, leading the way for a high-powered Michigan State offense that overwhelmed the Blue Devils with a .364 hitting percentage.
"We are certainly disappointed with the outcomes of the matches this weekend," Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. "I believe in my heart that we will be a much better team because of [these losses]...as we move into the ACC schedule."
One of the largest contributing factors to the Spartans' win was the height of their front line. Michigan State (8-3) had four players on the court Saturday that stood 6-foot-4 or taller—including the 6-foot-6 Kranda—compared to just one for Duke (5-5).
That height advantage came in handy all night, as the Spartans registered eight blocks compared to four by the Blue Devils and put down 49 kills. Sklar was the only Duke player to finish with double-digit kills, but needed 37 attempts to do so.
"[Michigan State has] a big block," Nagel said. "There's a lot of adjustments to make...I would have liked to see us have more blocks."
The first set saw the Spartans start with a strong lead of 7-2. However, the Blue Devils kept fighting, and with the help of two back-to-back errors by Michigan State, Duke cut the deficit to 13-9. But after a timeout, the Spartans came back swinging with a pressing offense and relentless defense. The combination proved overwhelming, and Michigan State claimed the first set 25-17.
The second and third sets for the Blue Devils were plagued by miscues—eight errors in each stanza helped lead to the night's total of 20. The Spartans were not perfect, but only committed nine total errors and minimized mistakes.
"We need to get more disciplined," Nagel said. "We can't cut corners and get away with it. We have to be solid. That's something we can take away from these matches."
The second set began with both sides putting up an even fight, with the score tied through the first six points. Soon after that though the Spartans found their stride again—putting together two separate 3-0 runs. But every time Michigan State seemed to be on the verge of pulling away, Sklar found an angle and put down a kill to keep Duke within striking distance.
"We need her to [step up]," Nagel said. "[Sklar] did a good job of that tonight. We want to make sure we have others doing that as well, and develop that."
After a Michigan State timeout, the Blue Devils drew to within two points at 19-17 with some aggressive defense, including a block. The set stayed close until the Spartans had game point at 24-22, and Michigan State’s Allyssah Fitterer landed a hard kill to give her squad a 2-0 lead.
On top of Sklar's near double-double—the San Jose, Calif. native also recorded seven digs—Duke also got seven kills from sophomore Cadie Bates.
"Cadie brings a lot of energy to the court," Nagel said. "She goes after it, and that was great for us tonight. We tend to be a little bit quiet out there on the court sometimes so I think it's really wonderful that she can come in and bring us that energy. That's what she does for us."
As in the previous set, the third stanza started off close, with the teams deadlocked at 9-9 in the early going. During that stretch, Duke showed sparks of the fluidity and teamwork it had displayed earlier in the season. The tenacious play of the Blue Devils seemed to be accentuated with a stretching kick dig by Kelly Kalinoski that helped lead to Duke's fifth point of the set.
After the stalemate of the first 18 points, Michigan State surged ahead on another 3-0 run. The Blue Devils countered, bringing the score back to 13-12. But from there, the Spartans found a second wind and started to separate from the Blue Devils, taking the third and final set 25-15.
The Blue Devils will begin their ACC schedule against Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
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