The Blue Devils will certainly take the two victories they garnered this weekend, but a five-set heartbreaker Saturday will feel all the more painful considering they had nearly wrapped up a perfect road trip.
Playing in the LBSU/CSUF Baden Invitational in California, No. 25 Duke defeated Saint Mary’s 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-23) and Cal State Fullerton 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-17) Friday to start its season. But the Blue Devils let a 2-1 advantage slip away as Long Beach State roared back to claim a 3-2 victory.
“We were a little bit more tentative [Saturday] than I see every day in practice,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We just need to have trust in each other more…a team early in the season is always trying to find itself.”
Long Beach State (2-1) proved to be Duke’s toughest challenge of the weekend, and junior outside hitter Nele Barber was a big reason why, putting down a game-high 19 kills.
Still, Duke (2-1) fought star power with depth, as 15-of-16 Blue Devils played, and setters Maggie Deichmeister and Emma Paradiso countered Jenelle Hudson’s 41 assists by combining for 46 of their own.
“It’s been a while since I’ve really felt that strongly about the level we’re all on,” Nagel said. “I feel like all of [our players] could get out there and do a good job.”
The 49ers won the first set, thanks in large part to their kill percentage of .333 compared to Duke’s .146. Trailing 16-12 in the second set, though, the Blue Devils sprang back to life, as sophomore Cadie Bates made two diving digs to help win a long rally.
Duke continued to claw back, and after facing one set point, the team won three straight points to steal the set, 26-24.
The momentum seemed to carry over to the beginning of the third set, as the 49ers failed to return a Blue Devil serve over the net six straight times. Seizing the opportunity, Duke won the set 25-17, and the visitors would go up 14-9 in the fourth set, too.
But suddenly, Long Beach State clicked into gear with the Blue Devils threatening to close out the match. The 49ers went on a 9-1 run and ultimately won the fourth set, opened the fifth set with a steadily increasing lead and defeated Duke 15-11.
The Blue Devils had struggled earlier in the weekend with service errors, committing 13 against Saint Mary’s and eight against Cal State Fullerton. The woes came back to haunt Duke again Saturday night, as it made 16 errors on serve compared to just five by the 49ers.
In its season opener Friday, the Blue Devils jumped out of the gates to win 11 of the first 16 points in a 3-0 win against Saint Mary’s (2-1). Seniors Breanna Atkinson and Emily Sklar combined for 24 kills, allowing Duke to dominate the second set with a .533 hitting percentage compared to the Gaels’ .069 clip.
In the Blue Devils’ second match of the day, Duke swept all three sets from the Titans (0-3) with 11 aces and a 9-for-11 kill rate by Murrieta, Calif., native Alyse Whitaker.
Freshman middle blocker Leah Meyer made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut, playing in all 11 sets, recording four aces and putting down 22 kills.
“I think her impact is huge,” Nagel said. “Leah is playing a big role offensively for us.”
The Blue Devils will play their second double-header in as many weeks Friday, traveling to the Kansas Invitational to take on University of Missouri-Kansas City and Kansas before facing Western Illinois Saturday.
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