The misleading 21-12 record hardly does the volleyball team justice. Ranked only fifth in the ACC, Duke upset both Florida State and Georgia Tech to advance to the finals, a feat the Blue Devils have not accomplished since 1994. Their winning streak was abruptly halted yesterday, however, by the second-ranked Tar Heels. Although Duke claimed the first set, the Blue Devils could not break North Carolina's eight-year streak as ACC champion.
Still reveling in the glory of a tight 3-2 victory over top-seeded Georgia Tech the previous night, Duke came out strong yesterday against Carolina, grabbing the first set 15-10. The Devils could not sustain, however, and dropped the next three sets 15-6, 15-10 and 15-7.
The Tar Heels, seemingly shocked by the loss of the first set, utilized their depth to respond to Duke's threat. Nicole Reis and Casey Simpson accumulated 18 kills each while six different Carolina players, including Reis and Simpson, tallied staggering dig totals.
Duke, though unable to pull out another victory, remained solid throughout the four-game match, registering 55 kills, 76 digs and 12 blocks. Sophomore right-side hitter Jill Sonne, who was recently awarded second-team All-ACC honors, tallied eight digs with a .225 hitting percentage. Junior setter Pam Gottfred fired the Duke offense with 37 assists.
"It was a great championship match," coach Jolene Nagel said. "UNC really picked up their game defensively after the first set. Although everyone is disappointed with the loss, we really played good, tough, competitive volleyball."
Although disappointed, Duke can certainly celebrate two strong upsets over both Georgia Tech and Florida State. Duke commenced the tournament Friday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over the Seminoles, who were seeded fourth. The Devils claimed the first two sets 16-14 and 15-10, dropped the third 15-4 and sealed their victory in the fourth set 15-10.
The climax of the tournament, however, was Saturday's matchup with powerhouse Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils, taking the first set 15-9, were immediately matched by Tech, who won the second 15-5. Both teams continued to rally as Duke and Tech each claimed another set, respectively. In a heated fifth set, Duke displayed some of its best volleyball this season, coming out on top 15-8 to win the match.
Unfortunately, the high of the Tech win could not carry Duke through yesterday's match. However, the Blue Devils made quite an impression and moved closer to proving that they will be a force in the ACC next year.
"We really came together as a team this weekend," Nagel said. "We performed at a high level throughout. The team has progressed so much this season and should feel very good about what it has accomplished."
Although a victory yesterday would have secured a bid for the NCAA tournament, Nagel is still optimistic. Depending upon various results from this weekend, the Blue Devils may not have to retire their knee pads quite yet. Duke should hear about an impending NCAA tournament bid by the end of this week.
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