Everyone needs a break every now and then.
After a long early season stretch against top-notch opponents, the volleyball team got a welcome reprieve in the schedule Wednesday night as they faced an overmatched UNC-Greensboro squad in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils used an advantage in size and hitting prowess to sweep the Spartans 15-9, 15-5, 15-6.
It was the first time since 1982 that the two intra-state rivals had played.
Duke registered a season-high .300 hitting percentage for the match, including a .625 clip in the second game. Freshman Sarah Peifer's five-for-10 kill performance was the most accurate and junior Maureen Reindl paced the team with a total of 12 kills. Reindl also racked up 18 digs on the night.
The Blue Devils controlled the net defensively as well, registering 11 blocks, led by freshman Jami Ediger's 3.5.
Duke's dominance in the match also allowed coach Linda Grensing to experiment with her lineup and try several untested players.
"I think we played well," assistant coach Karen Weatherington said. "We were able to get a lot of people in and see a lot of different faces out there. Jenny Stadler did well for us and Jordan Schultz played solid also."
Stadler, who is a senior but who is in her first year with the team, saw her first extensive action of the season playing in two games and registering three kills. Stadler took full advantage of her time on the floor as she managed to get eight swings in, along with three digs and helped fire her teammates up with her spirited play.
Stadler's enthusiasm on the court and after the game mirrored the general attitude of the Blue Devils.
In addition to picking up a notch in the win column and moving closer to .500, Duke (4-5) also had an opportunity to work out some of the kinks they encountered in last weekend's Atlantic Coast Conference matches.
"This game gave us the opportunity to execute certain things we've been working on in practice, and to focus on our basics and fundamentals," Weatherington said. "For instance, we worked on our blocking, which is something we have been making adjustments on."
The Blue Devils also made marked improvements in some basic aspects of the game.
"Taking control of the ball on serve receive and free ball plays-I think we have really capitalized on that," Weatherington said. "That was something we worked on in practice and that was something we saw in the game today."
Duke's first sweep victory of the season may appear to have come easily, but they were certainly not overconfident heading into the match.
"There is no such thing as a team that you should beat, because volleyball is such and unpredictable game," Weatherington said. "The nature of volleyball is that every point is scored on an error-sometimes those are unforced and sometimes not. So, on any give night, anyone can win."
The Blue Devils return to conference play this Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are an unknown commodity, as this is the first year the program has existed.
Saturday, Duke faces a tough non-conference foe in Houston. The match will be the last in a series of eight consecutive home matches for the Blue Devils.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.