The volleyball team did its best to prevent Wake Forest from getting its school-record 20th victory of the season but the Demon Deacons would not be denied.
Wake Forest (20-6, 7-4 in the ACC) outlasted the Blue Devils last night in Cameron Indoor Stadium for a 3-2 victory. The outcome of the match was up in the air until the Demon Deacons finally won the fifth game, 19-17.
Duke (9-12, 3-8) entered game four of the match with its back against the wall, as the Demon Deacons had taken a 2-1 advantage by pounding the Blue Devils 15-5 in game three.
The Blue Devils came out firing in game four, though, opening a 5-0 lead. Due in large part to clutch kills by senior Dominique Philipp and big blocks by freshman Jill Sonne, Duke extended its lead to 12-2. The Blue Devils finished off the game in impressive fashion, forcing a fifth game with a 15-6 win.
"We need to learn how to play more steadily, that's for sure," coach Jolene Nagel said. "We can play well at times, where it looks like we can play with anyone, and then just not play consistently and do it throughout the entire match."
Wake Forest quickly regained momentum at the start of the fifth game, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. The two teams exchanged several points, but Duke was never quite able to catch its opponent.
With her team down 8-5, Philipp came to life. The senior outside hitter slammed two kills in a 5-0 run, giving Duke a 10-8 lead. After the Demon Deacons retook the lead at 11-10, the Blue Devils responded with a 3-0 run that culminated in a block by junior Ashley Harris and Philipp.
The Blue Devils had one match point at 15-14, but Philipp's serve landed just wide of the line, evening the score at 15.
Unfortunately for Duke, it could no longer hold off the Wake Forest attack. After earning their third match point, the Demon Deacons finally put down a kill to take the game and the contest, 19-17.
"We have to be able to finish things better than we are doing it right now," Nagel said. "We have to be mentally tough and put people away when we have the opportunity."
The Blue Devils opened the match strong, winning nine of the first 11 points before taking the first game 15-8. Wake Forest responded in game two, opening a 12-5 lead before going on to even the match score with a 15-11 win.
"When we are at a high level, we play at a very high level," Nagel said. "But then we just let someone back in the game."
In game three, the Demon Deacons jumped out to a 10-1 advantage and took the game 15-5, setting the stage for the dramatics of the final two games.
The Blue Devils were led by Philipp and sophomore Dorrette Burwell, who recorded 24 and 17 kills, respectively.
Freshman Josie Weymann added some solid defensive help by notching 19 digs. The Duke defense was its greatest ally all game, as the team outblocked Wake 18-11. But that was not enough.
Nagel pointed once again to the fact that her team needed to play at a high level for every point of every game.
"Playing steadily is something we have control over," she said. "A lot of that is discipline and maturity and mental toughness. We're doing better at all these things, but we're not at the point that we need to be to win the close matches like this."
Note: Sonne was named the ACC rookie of the week after averaging 3.42 kills and 2.71 digs per game and compiling a .500 hitting percentage against Maryland and Virginia.
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