As the lights dimmed in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the atmosphere crackled with excitement. Duke lined up in front of its bench, ready to make its entrance. One by one, each starting player was announced, launching signed mini volleyballs into the stands — a token of appreciation for fans both young and old.
The Blue Devils defeated Clemson 3-1 Sunday afternoon. After a competitive start, Duke managed to find its groove and take control, showcasing its strength throughout the four sets. The ACC continually proves to be a difficult conference for the Blue Devils, who lost their last three matchups. Sunday, however, they turned things around.
“I feel like our team has continually been developing and have shown growth, so I'm sure they're really excited,” head coach Jolene Nagel said.
Approximately two hours from the start of the match, Duke’s Avery Hamlin took her final serve of the game. The volleyball rallied back and forth, back and forth — the crowd was silent in anticipation. Duke (9-14, 5-7 in the ACC) lost the point. Clemson’s Devan Taylor then took over, delivering a powerful serve that found its mark with Nikki Underwood on the receiving end. From there, Ngozi Iloh executed a powerful kill, sealing the deal for the Blue Devils, who clinched the final set 25-11.
The Blue Devils faced a rocky start as the Tigers (8-15, 0-12 in the ACC) struck first, taking an early lead. But Duke quickly regrouped, tying the match with a determined push. The first set turned into a fierce back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading points as the Blue Devils struggled to find their rhythm. Duke relied on small, quick and meticulously planned points, attempting to gain control while trailing closely behind Clemson.
After losing their lead to trail 13-9 to Clemson, the Blue Devils called their first timeout. Coming out of the break, Duke refocused and fired back. The home team took back control, reeling off four consecutive points to seize control from the Tigers. Following a critical missed serve from Clemson, the Blue Devils rallied, scoring two more to push the visitors into their first timeout. The timeout, however, did not do much for the Tigers, as Duke netted three straight points and left Clemson scrambling. With the Tigers out of timeouts for the set, the Cameron crowd erupted in celebration.
“That's exactly what the timeouts are for, to stop that momentum,” Nagel said. “It's something we talk a lot about, getting that first point when they get back out there after time out, to kind of get ourselves started again.”
Immediately after the timeout, Duke did just that. The ball was served, and Clemson’s Addi Rains took a nosedive for it. Crashing into Duke chairs in a bid to keep the rally alive, the ricochet began. With the pressure mounting on Clemson, a mishandled return sealed the deal for the Blue Devils, who clinched the first set.
As the second set progressed, Duke steadily increased its lead, capitalizing on a series of Clemson errors. With a 9-5 advantage, Duke forced the Tigers into another early timeout, but the momentum remained firmly in the Blue Devils’ favor. Following the break, defensive mobility and dominance continued, as blocks by Iloh, Millie Muir and Rachel Richardson prohibited Clemson from any offensive movement. The Tigers took yet another time out, with the score at 11-18. It did not help — Duke took care of business, closing out the set decisively at 25-16.
In the third set, momentum changed. Duke started off strong, but after falling behind in the previous sets, the Tigers were determined to turn the match around. Tied for the first time since the first set, the score read 12-12. Then 13-12. Then 14-12. Duke attempted to close the gap, but Clemson quickly established a strong lead, executing precise plays and capitalizing on Duke errors. The Blue Devils ultimately fell 24-21 in the third set.
Eager to regain its momentum after dropping the third set, Duke came out strong. Freshman Taylor Williams opened the scoring with a powerful kill, setting the precedent for the rest of the set. Clemson, however, was not ready to back down. The Tigers quickly responded, matching Duke's energy with aggressive attacks and solid defense. Attack errors by Williams and Richardson forced the Blue Devils to work even harder, but ultimately that final serve was swung, and Duke had won the match with a fourth set win.
Before the conference competition commenced, Duke students clad in blue vests handed out “boom sticks” to fire up the crowd. Posters soon followed, bearing messages like “I Heart Women’s Sports” and “Kitties Belong in the Kennel.” Duke’s “Blue Crew” prepared spirit gear, hoping to incentivize and draw attention to Duke women’s sports.
Thanks to the Blue Crew, attendance at Cameron Indoor is growing. So is this team.
“I love that we continue to grow,” Nagel said after the match. The Blue Devils will look to keep growing in the following weeks as they battle tough ACC competition.
“We also know it's a tough league, and we now hit the road for the next two weeks,” Nagel said. “I think now it's about taking care of ourselves, getting some rest, and then trying to get prepared to go to SMU and Pitt this weekend.”
Duke will play its next four matches on the road, starting with SMU Friday night.
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