SPORTS | VOLLEYBALL
Stock Watch: Duke women's sports on the rise after strong weekend
By Alex Sanfilippo | September 20, 2016Duke women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball were all unbeaten last week.
Duke women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball were all unbeaten last week.
After a slow start in their final nonconference game of the season, the Blue Devils showed how far they have come in just 10 games.
Although the Blue Devils have lost four of their last five games, they have a chance this weekend to finish nonconference play on a high note.
The weekend started slow with Duke volleyball and football losing Saturday, but field hockey and women's soccer closed the week on a high note with Sunday victories.
Although five Blue Devils call California home, their trip west for a nonconference tournament was anything but a pleasant homecoming.
After a pair of losses to North Carolina and TCU, head coach Jolene Nagel's team will look to rediscover its form in the LBSU/CSF Baden Invitational.
The Blue Devils were inches away from a sweep of TCU when they had a match point in the third set Friday night, but could not put the match away.
Following a first-set victory against the No. 12 Tar Heels Thursday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils lost senior middle blocker Alyse Whitaker in the second set before falling 3-1 to their rival.
Duke will aim to extend its season-opening home winning streak when it hosts the No. 12 Tar Heels Thursday and TCU Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The improved chemistry is starting to pay dividends on the court with no clear go-to offensive weapon.
The Blue Devils wrapped up the Duke Invitationalwith a 25-17, 25-16, 25-19 sweep of LSU at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with freshman Jamie Stivers, senior captain Jordan Tucker and junior Anna Kropf leading the team with 11 kills apiece.
The Blue Devils will take on the Spartans Friday at 5 p.m. before 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. dates with the Colonels and Tigers Saturday as they look to get back to the NCAA tournament after missing it last season for the first time in three seasons.
The Blue Devil victory derailed North Carolina's hopes of sharing the ACC championship with Florida State and killed the Tar Heels' 12-match winning streak.
The Blue Devils took advantage of frequent Wolfpack service errors to outlast the visitors in three hard-fought frames Wednesday afternoon, each time staving off an N.C. State rally.
The Blue Devils will hope to give their seniors a memorable send-off with two victories this week in their last homestand of the season. Duke will host in-state foes N.C. State Wednesday at 1 p.m. and No. 22 North Carolina Saturday at 1 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke won the first set 25-19 but dropped the ensuing three to come up short in Tallahassee, 3-1 (19-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-17). The match was the Seminoles' second come-from-behind win against Duke this year.
Duke began its weekend road trip with a sweep of Miami at the Knights Sports Complex in Coral Gables, Fla., tallying 22 blocks and 62 digs in a dominant defensive performance.
A trip to the Sunshine State will be more than just fun and games for the Blue Devils. It will be as tough an ACC road trip as there is, with Duke hoping to avenge two bitter five-set losses from earlier in the season.
After a sleepy start Friday morning against Syracuse, the Blue Devils came to Cameron Indoor Stadium ready to play Sunday. Duke scored the first five points of the match against Boston College en route to a 25-16, 19-25, 25-21, 25-15 win.
During an unusual early morning matchup, the Blue Devils played like they woke up on the wrong side of bed. Duke fell to Syracuse 25-14, 25-22, 18-25, 25-20 Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.