After coaching the Blue Devils to an undefeated weekend at the Fight in the Fort tournament and picking up her 600th career win, head coach Jolene Nagel saw her team continue its winning streak Friday night.
Duke swept Coastal Carolina 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) at Cameron Indoor Stadium, enjoying comfortable margins of victory in two of the three sets. Sophomores Natalie Schilling and Samantha Amos both hit better than .500, finishing with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Senior setter Emma Paradiso played a major role in the Blue Devil hitters' success, leading the team with 25 assists.
“We came out prepared and ready to go tonight, which made everything easier," Nagel said. "I was very happy with the focus they came out with in order to execute this win.”
Coming off a successful weekend in Texas, Paradiso said that those matches gave the team a confidence boost, showing the players they can compete consistently. Nagel praised Paradiso for her energy and decision-making, which she said helped the hitters have an efficient night.
It appeared as though both teams were evenly matched to start the first set. The Blue Devils (8-2) and the Chanticleers—who played in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament—went back and forth until Duke went on a 5-2 run, forcing Coastal Carolina head coach Jozsef Forman to call a timeout. But his players could not regroup, as the Blue Devils continued to hold a commanding lead and won the first set 25-18. Schilling obtained nearly half of her kills in the first set alone.
“We noticed that in the past our team has been up and down in practices and we’ve noticed that’s how we played in matches," Schilling said. "This week, we were all just really focused, and I think that's what carried everyone’s performance during the game.”
To start the second set, Duke took a little more control from the start, holding a solid two- to three- point lead for most of the set until the Chanticleers (3-5) had a run of their own, tying the set up at 19. However, thanks to a pair of key kills by Schilling, the Blue Devils were able to hold on to win 25-23.
Duke finally showed its true dominance in the final set, going on a 13-5 run early and never looking back. Everything clicked for the Blue Devils both offensively and defensively, as Duke held the Chanticleers to just 15 points.
“We served pretty well, controlled the ball and got a chance to touch it, which gave us some second opportunities," Nagel said. "Hopefully, we can figure out a way to continue to replicate that for upcoming games.”
The Blue Devils will play one more home nonconference game Saturday evening against Loyola Marymount before diving into the ACC gauntlet.
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