With another victory—their fifth in seven tries—the Blue Devils finished a tough weekend trip and continued to keep the momentum going.
Duke defeated Clemson 3-0 (25-23, 25-12, 25-22) Sunday afternoon at Jervey Gym in Clemson, S.C., capping off a four-game road stretch. The Blue Devils—who could not win the close sets in Friday night’s loss to Georgia Tech—won both tight frames against the Tigers and won another by 13 points.
“We wanted to play with more of a sense of urgency,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “I don’t think we were the aggressor on Friday night…and I thought we did a better job of that today when it was a close score there at the end of the set.”
The first set was not the Blue Devils’ best, and they trailed 20-19 after a Maggie Deichmeister error. But Deichmeister responded on the next point, setting up freshman Leah Meyer for the kill to tie the game.
The teams traded blows for the next four points, and with the score even at 22, senior rightside hitter Christina Vucich recorded her first kill of the match. Vucich, sophomore Cadie Bates and junior middle blocker Jordan Tucker then blocked Kailey Harvell, and two points later, Tucker finished the set with her fourth kill.
“It was huge for us to get that,” Nagel said. “We were communicating a lot better and were tougher, a little bit more disciplined in order to finish those points and get that point when it counted.”
Vucich’s play came not only in the clutch, but in relief. Junior outside hitter Alyse Whitaker had been battling an injury all week and played sparingly against Georgia Tech before not playing at all Sunday. That opened the door for Vucich, who has played in just 17 of the team’s 87 sets this season.
The left-handed hitter from Morrisville, N.C., had a positive impact when on the floor Friday night in Atlanta, setting her up for more playing time Sunday. And again, Vucich delivered, finishing the match with a season-high five kills at a .417 rate.
“She does a good job playing defense and in her position, but she moves the ball around well on offense and she’s a smart player,” Nagel said. “Our setters did a good job of getting her the ball today, which we needed because I think that opened up our other players as well.”
The Tigers (5-21, 0-14 in the ACC) were not fazed after the first set and stayed with the Blue Devils (13-11, 8-6) at the beginning of the second frame. But leading 8-6, Duke went on a 7-0 run, followed by an 8-2 streak to close out a 25-22 set.
In the stanza, the Blue Devils relied on a strong serve-receive effort that was absent from Friday’s loss. Freshman Kelli Kalinoski powered the 7-0 stretch with consistent serves, senior Emily Sklar and sophomore Nicole Elattrache each tallied an ace and the team committed only one service error during the frame.
Although Duke jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the third set, Clemson responded with its own run to take a 20-18 advantage. But Sklar stepped up again with two consecutive kills and, thanks to a Tiger service error, the Blue Devlis led 21-20.
The match stayed tight down the stretch, but Deichmester’s serving prowess gave the Blue Devils momentum. Leading 22-21, Meyer laid down a kill for the team’s second straight point, and leading 24-22, freshman Jessi Bartholomew sealed the match with a kill.
“Today, after that first set, we were able to get more points when we had the ball, and that really helps you finish,” Nagel said. “[We] didn’t have many errors in the second and third sets after having a lot in the first.”
Duke heads home to take on Syracuse Friday at 11 a.m. before a date with Boston College Sunday at 1 p.m.
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