Although the Blue Devils got a record-setting performance from senior defensive specialist Sasha Karelov, they had their four-game winning streak come to an end Friday before bouncing back for their third ACC win Sunday afternoon.
Duke dropped a four-set tilt at Notre Dame Friday night (25-23, 31-29, 24-26, 25-17) at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind., before sweeping Louisville 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-21) Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. The Blue Devils got standout performances from star middle blockers Jordan Tucker and Leah Meyer in both games, but were unable to find the offensive consistency needed to win Friday.
Head coach Jolene Nagel's squad cleaned up its errors against the Cardinals, though, with Tucker, Meyer and freshman Jamie Stivers recording double-digit kills to get Duke back in the win column.
“Our defense did a good job of getting the ball up so we could run our offense,” Nagel told GoDuke.com after Sunday's game. “Our line diggers were doing a great job of bringing some balls up. That helped us get the ball to [Meyer and Tucker]. Those two are also doing a great job of making themselves available.”
The Blue Devils (9-5, 3-1 in the ACC) and the Fighting Irish both entered Friday's game undefeated in conference play, and the first three sets reflected the teams' early success. With Tucker and Meyer leading the Duke offense as usual with a combined 31 kills and Karelov keeping the ball alive with a program-record 44 digs, the Blue Devils looked poised to keep their winning streak alive.
But Notre Dame's blockers stymied Duke's offense during the key moments of the first two sets, finishing with a 19.5-9.5 advantage in blocks. Sam Fry led the way for the Fighting Irish (12-3, 3-0) at the net, finishing with 11 blocks.
Notre Dame overcame a strong effort from Karelov and company—five Blue Devils finished with at least 15 of the team's season-high 123 digs, and Duke was unable to capitalize on its chances. Twenty-nine attack errors prevented the Blue Devils from posting a hitting percentage better than .300 in any set.
“[Notre Dame’s] blocking was a big difference,” Nagel told GoDuke.com after Friday's game. “We need to do a better job of moving the ball around to avoid those errors. There were some critical times where we needed to make a play at the end of the close sets. We had opportunities to make some plays we didn’t make.”
The first set was back-and-forth affair, with the Fighting Irish jumping out to a quick lead before Duke knotted the frame at 21. But a timely kill from Notre Dame outside hitter Sidney Kuhn and untimely errors gave the home team the first set.
The second set followed an almost identical pattern, with the Blue Devils saving six set points before Rebecca Nunge and Kuhn delivered kills to give the Fighting Irish a 2-0 lead.
Duke finally came through late in the third set to get on the board, but Notre Dame used a 7-3 run in the fourth frame to seal the win.
"Our team showed a lot of fight with the adjustments we’ve had to make, but we’re capable of eliminating more errors," Nagel said. "That’s what we need to do to win these close sets.”
One way to avoid dropping tight sets is by winning them decisively, which is exactly what the Blue Devils did Sunday against the Cardinals (5-9, 0-4). Duke won the block battle 9-3, and Tucker, Meyer and Stivers combined for 32 kills to lead the Blue Devil offense, which finished with 15 errors.
Freshman setter Cindy Marina also had another standout performance, pouring in 38 assists to set up her teammates as the Louisville offense floundered, posting just a .069 hitting percentage for the match. After taking some time to get adjusted to her teammates, Marina's improved play has been a big factor in Duke's recent 5-1 stretch.
For a team that opened the season just 4-4 and struggled in their first road trip for the LBSU/LMU Baden Invitational, the Blue Devils' effort this weekend was an encouraging sign for the team going forward. Behind the leadership of Tucker and Karelov, Duke has started to gel as a unit and continued improvement from underclassmen such as Marina and Stivers could make the team even better going forward.
“We’re really thrilled to get a win on the road in the ACC,” Nagel said. “We’ve had our challenges along the way with injuries, but they’re working together in their preparation and communication. This team continues to take steps to get better.”
With their three-game road trip behind them, the Blue Devils will return home to take on Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech next weekend.
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