For two-and-a-half of the four games in Tuesday night1s 3-1 victory at Riverside High School in Durham, the volleyball team outscored UNC-Charlotte 40-7.
But in the latter half of the second game, which Duke eventually won 15-11, and in its 15-5 third-game loss, the Blue Devils (2-2) didn1t look much like the team predicted to capture an Atlantic Coast Conference crown.
3We just mentally thought we were winning it, and we let up,2 said Duke coach Linda Grensing, of her players1 struggles after building a 10-1 second-game lead. 3UNC-Charlotte thought they had nothing to lose.... We just didn1t step it up when they did.2
The coach, however, was pleased with the Blue Devils1 turnaround in the fourth game, when they jumped ahead 9-0 and cruised to a 15-1 victory to clinch the match.
3The way they responded in the fourth game, correcting the things they were having trouble with, was exciting for me,2 she said.
With Cameron Indoor Stadium1s floor being replaced, Duke has had to relocate to Riverside for its first two home matches. Last night the Blue Devils played in the high school gym for the first time, under stifling conditions. A school employee was supposed to turn on the air conditioning in the gym before going home for the night, but forgot. Despite the heat and humidity, Grensing and the Duke players were pleasantly surprised by the facility.
3They had a nice crowd for us,2 said outside hitter Maureen Reindl. 3That was a surprise. It was like playing an away match at a neutral site. But it wasn1t as bad as we thought it would be.2
At the start of the match, the Blue Devils looked out of sync in their home away from home, as the 49ers (2-1) went ahead 3-1. But Duke scored the next 10 points to take an 11-3 lead and rolled to a 15-5 win. The Blue Devils seemed in control early in the second game, grabbing a 7-0 advantage. Even luck seemed to be on their side: one errant Duke dig ricocheted off the backboard of the basketball hoop back toward the Blue Devils, who kept the ball alive to eventually capture the point.
Trailing 10-1 later in the game, UNC-Charlotte mounted a comeback, outscoring Duke 10-4 to pull within three points before the Blue Devils finally put the game away. The 49ers carried the momentum into the third game, scoring the first seven points en route to a 15-5 victory. Just as quickly as the momentum had shifted to the 49ers, however, it switched right back to Duke, which captured the fourth and decisive game in convincing fashion.
Grensing credited her experienced players for providing leadership after their third-game difficulties.
3I had to remind people, and myself, that making a bad pass is not the end of the world,2 said Reindl, a senior. 3We just need more consistency. We can play really well, better than a top-10 team, then suddenly we can1t get points against a team not in the top 50.2
Megan Irvine led the Blue Devils in kills with 16, while Jenny Stadler added 14. Sarah Peifer, the 1996 ACC rookie of the year, who is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, still has yet to see as much action as she did last year. But Grensing said that has more to do with the play of former walk-on Stadler than with Peifer1s health.
Duke will take part in the Furama Hotel Volleyball Classic in Los Angeles on this weekend, facing No. 15 Loyola-Marymount on Friday and ninth-ranked UC-Santa Barbara and Massachusetts on Saturday. The Blue Devils will then return 3home2 to take on defending national champion Stanford at Riverside on Sept. 10.
With three ranked opponents on tap for the next eight days, Grensing hopes the ability to deal with adversity her team showed last night will once again shine through.
3I want them to respond to the competition,2 she said, 3to step up in the heat of battle.2
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