The Chronicle's countdown of the top 10 sports stories from 2018 begins with volleyball sneaking into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014.
Duke volleyball fell to Loyola Marymount on Friday, spoiling their first NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons.
The Blue Devils have not made the NCAA tournament since 2014.
There was no sign of a tryptophan-induced slump for Duke in its post-Thanksgiving contest Friday.
Despite taking an early lead, Duke gave up the last two sets to give North Carolina the win.
10th-ranked Pittsburgh took down the Blue Devils with ease, refusing to let another upset happen again.
The Blue Devils came into the matchup riding a three-game winning streak, though an upset over the Panthers still appeared to be a near-impossible dream.
The Blue Devils posted one of their strongest defensive performances of the season in a five-set battle against the Hokies.
Although the Blue Devils took down Clemson with ease, Georgia Tech exposed glaring inconsistencies with the young Duke squad.
The Blue Devils saw standout performances last weekend from graduate student Andie Shelton and Sophomore Payton Schwantz.
Although the Blue Devils started strong, Duke could not hold off the Orange and fell in four sets.
The Blue Devils showed a marked improvement over their opening ACC weekend, improving efficiency on both sides of the ball.
In dire need of experience in a predominantly young roster, the Blue Devils turned to graduate transfer Andie Shelton to fill in the gaps.
After taking almost two weeks off game action due to Hurricane Florence, Duke volleyball was swept in its opening pair of ACC matches.
After an almost two week break, the Blue Devils will kick off their ACC slate with a Florida campaign against Florida State and Miami.
The Blue Devils have looked strong after a concerning start to the season.
Duke finished with a season-high .325 hitting percentage.
Despite some close calls, the Blue Devils swept the Tiger Classic hosted by LSU.
After playing two tough back-to-back last weekend, Duke’s stamina and consistency will be challenged again in its first road sting.
Duke struggled to hold off a surging Brigham Young offense, notching just one set against the Cougars.
