When volleyball coach Jolene Nagel said last week that she thought her team could beat anyone in the ACC, she wasn't kidding.
In two stunning bouts this weekend at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke (12-12, 6-8 in the ACC) knocked out two Tobacco Road foes. Duke defeated N.C. State 3-1 Friday night and went on to defeat No. 22 North Carolina Sunday afternoon, 3-2.
In the final, sudden death game Sunday, the two rivals were tied 15-15. Duke freshman Josie Weymann came in to serve the ball. Carolina (21-5, 11-2 in the ACC) returned it, only to see an aggressive Duke defense register a kill.
With a one-point edge, the Blue Devils closed out the match with one final kill. From the start, the win over the ACC-leading Tar Heels was a grueling showdown.
"We definitely came together as a team and showed them what we're made of," Weymann said. "We were trying to do this all season, trying to pick up our intensity and our togetherness, and it finally came together tonight."
Duke wasn't aggressive enough in the first game, losing 15-6. The fast-paced loss was reminiscent of Duke's first bout with North Carolina in October,
Perhaps it was that demon that propelled Duke in the second game, where it took an eight-point lead over UNC before taking the game 15-12. Duke repeated in the third game, taking a 2-1 lead in games.
Carolina rallied and refocused in the fourth game, stepping up its defense and keeping pace with the Blue Devils. Tied 8-8, the Tar Heels began to pull away and successfully completed the fourth game 15-8.
"I felt like this team has the capability to play like they did today and play with the best teams in the league and beat the best teams in the league," Nagel said. "It was wonderful to actually see them execute out there like they need to, come together as a team, and believe that they could do it."
In Friday night's four-game match, the Blue Devils showed their mettle in a third-game comeback.
After taking a three-point lead, Duke allowed N.C. State to catch up and take control of the game. The Wolfpack led 14-10 at game point, until Duke regained its momentum and won the game 16-14.
"In game three, we definitely came on there at the end," Nagel said. "It definitely did not look that way [earlier]. So I'm really proud of the way they played hard and finished strong."
Duke took the offensive against the Wolfpack in the first game Friday night, never lost its lead and played consistent defense. While the Blue Devils struggled in the next game, losing 16-14, they refocused and won the final two.
"We weren't afraid to make mistakes; everybody swung hard and played good defense," senior middle blocker Jami Ediger said.
The two wins against Duke's local foes show just how far the Blue Devils have come since their last meetings, when they lost to both opponents.
"We've been trying to work on [aggressiveness] a lot," Nagel said. "Sometimes, we tend to get a little bit tentative in close situations or when we have a little bit of lead. So I was really pleased that we were more aggressive when we needed to be tonight and even throughout the match."
The Blue Devils hope to ride their winning streak to victories against Georgia Tech and Clemson next week, their last regular season opponents before the ACC tournament opens Nov. 18 in Orlando, Fla.
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