RALEIGH - The Duke volleyball team entered the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Raleigh this weekend with revenge on its mind. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Clemson was thinking three-peat over Duke.
In the end, the Tigers defeated the Blue Devils for the third time this year, 15-10, 16-14, 15-10. The first round loss ended the season for Duke (15-16 overall, 9-7 in ACC) and the collegiate careers of seniors Kristen Campbell, Maureen Reindl, Julie Van Oort, Sarah Corder and Jenny Stadler.
The Duke team that played against Clemson on Friday, though, was much different than the team that lost three matches in lackluster fashion the previous weekend.
"Clemson did a nice job and they are a solid team," coach Linda Grensing said. "We did a good job fighting them point for point, but we just didn't have enough to make a difference in the long run."
Duke did not fall behind early to Clemson, which had been a problem in its losses all season. Instead, each game was closely contested until the final point.
In each of the first two games, the Blue Devils held an 11-10 lead. In the first, Clemson rallied with five straight points to end the game.
In the second and pivotal game of the match, sophomore Jami Ediger started the Blue Devils early with a solo block on the first point, but the Tigers continued to pound away at the net. Grensing used a number of different combinations in the second game with the bench making a strong contribution.
Duke had two match points at 14-13, but was unable to convert, losing its one chance to gain momentum. Instead, Clemson took advantage of its serve to win the next three points and the game.
Although they were down two games to none, the Blue Devils did not collapse in the third game. Grensing went to a wild card, inserting six-foot freshman Janee Hayes into the match, hoping Hayes' height could slow down the Clemson hitters.
Unaffected by the line-up change, the Tigers opened up an early lead in the decisive game before Duke closed to within 11-8. That was as close as Duke would get, however, as Clemson won five out of the next seven points to win the third game and the match.
"I think we struggled at first with passing, and I think that hurt us quite a bit," Grensing said. "But I think that the positive of the match was the fact that we stepped up other areas to compensate for that."
The Tigers had a much taller team than Duke, which was apparent throughout the match. Clemson, led by Alison Coday's 17 kills and Jill Heavey's 11, often slammed the ball over the Duke block attempts. When the Tigers were in trouble, they went to their clutch player Cindy Stern who had the knack to spike the ball straight down at times.
Despite losing, the Blue Devils showed a much different attitude than what they had one week before. Sarah Peifer, who was named first-team All-ACC, led Duke with 17 kills.
Maureen Reindl added 15 kills and 19 digs. Kristen Campbell finished the match with 57 assists, giving her 5,082 for her career, good for fourth all-time in the ACC.
"Any time that you're battling for something, and one team wins in that battle, it's a momentum game. It certainly adds to their momentum and takes away from yours," Grensing said.
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