Duke’s road trip took it to every corner of the Research Triangle but returned with little to show for it.
The Blue Devils lost a pair of in-state, straight-set matchups over the weekend, falling at North Carolina (25-21, 25-13, 25-19) Friday evening before dropping Sunday’s game on the road to N.C. State (26-24, 25-20, 26-24). After failing to capitalize on match points in the first and third sets against the Wolfpack, head coach Jolene Nagel’s squad has now dropped three straight contests and five of six.
“There were definitely some good things happening. Did we need to do more of those good things? Absolutely,” Nagel noted Monday evening. “And did we need to take advantage of their weaknesses better? Yes, I think we did.”
Sunday’s contest in Raleigh, N.C., seemed as if it would stretch at least one set longer with the Blue Devils serving to extend the match with a 24-21 lead in the third. The Wolfpack, however, had other ideas, as the home side rattled off five straight points to wrap things up. Graduate student Melissa Evans tallied a remarkable eight kills in the final set to fuel N.C. State’s late run and send the Blue Devils back to Durham empty-handed.
It was a fitting end to the match, then, for a Blue Devils team that also saw the first set slip from within its grasp. After Duke burst out to a 20-16 lead thanks to a pair of aces from libero Mackenzie Cole, the Wolfpack clawed their way back into the set, but still found themselves on the wrong side of set point, 24-23. Redshirt junior Taylor Rowland’s three consecutive kills, however, put N.C. State over the top in overtime.
“Where I think we needed to do better was when we got to 20 at N.C. State in the first set and the third set,” Nagel commented. “Being able to finish strong and not have some unforced errors during that time.”
N.C. State was remarkably efficient in the first set, compiling 16 kills—the most of either team in any set—with a .378 hitting percentage. Wolfpack senior Jade Parchment set the tone for the home side early on and throughout the match with six kills in the first and a game-high 12 overall. Those six early kills by Parchment came on nineteen attempts, however, putting the team-leader in kills at a comparably inefficient—although still impressive—.263 hitting percentage in the first set.
“I think there were some things happening early on there that we got taken advantage of,” said Nagel. “But we did a good job of responding to what they were trying to do. So I felt good about that.”
Duke did, to its credit, make a few late adjustments that helped turn the tide in its favor, for a time. Following a forgettable second set in which the Blue Devils trailed for the majority, Nagel elected to insert freshman outside hitter Rachel Richardson and junior setter Camille Nazor into the lineup, both of whom performed well in what was arguably the team’s best set of the day.
Much of Duke’s offensive success over the weekend was due to Duke’s trio of offensive leaders in Ade Owokoniran, Gracie Johnson, and Georgia Stavrinides. Stavrinides stood out in particular across the road trip. Her defense—she led both teams with six blocks Sunday—was particularly good in addition to her usual collection of kills.
“It's exciting to see [Stavrinides] be able to be productive offensively like she's being. And she's working hard at it. And she's making herself available to our setters,” Nagel said. “So she was able to have that success on Friday night like you said, and [on Sunday], and that’s really important for our team.”
Looking to get back in the win column, the Blue Devils face a pair of tough opponents next weekend against Notre Dame and No. 2 Louisville. Both matches are at home, however, as Duke plays at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time in nearly three weeks Friday night.
“To be able to be home is really wonderful and welcoming for us,” Nagel shared. “And we want to be able to take advantage of that, getting these tough opponents in this weekend.”
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Jonathan Levitan is a Trinity senior and was previously sports editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.