The Duke volleyball team (10-0, 2-0 in the ACC) won yet another match Sunday, disposing of the Clemson Tigers (4-6, 0-3) in three hard-fought games.
Sophomore Krista Dill knew the Blue Devils were going to have a challenge before play started in South Carolina, especially after watching Clemson earlier in the season.
"Clemson is a good team, like every team in the conference," Dill said. "We watched them on tape three or four times before we played."
Duke opened the first game with a 30-25 win, but it had many unforced errors that helped its opponent keep the game close. Coach Jolene Nagel knew the team did not play its best game, but was still satisfied with the win.
"I feel that we were ready to play today," Nagel said. "Not everyone had as great a game as they did against Georgia Tech though."
The second game of the match featured many of the same aspects as the first; inconsistent passing but solid defense, which was the decisive factor in the Duke's victory.
"Defense was a key, we talked about that before the match started," Nagel said. "Our passing wasn't that great but when we passed well we ran our offense."
After a 30-27 win in game two the Blue Devils knew they needed to keep their playing level extremely high. Outside hitter Ashley Harris, who had a team-high 18 kills, talked about the passing errors.
"When we started attacking them we eliminated our errors," Harris said. "It had a lot to do with the passing."
In game three, the Blue Devils finished off the Tigers 30-24, playing tough defense against a strong hitting Clemson team. Harris, as well as her teammates, scouted the Tigers strong hitters and tried to neutralize them during the match Sunday.
"They had a lot of strong girls, big girls who put the ball away," Harris said "Defense helped us stay ahead in the game today."
Dill, a middle-blocker who had 10 kills, talked about shutting down the Tigers offensive attack at the net and in the back row.
"I think it was very key to stop their go-to-girl who was on the rightside," Dill said. "We shut down their middles and we dug a lot of balls on defense."
Jill Sonne, who led the team in digs with 14, anchored the defense and was matched up in the backrow against the Tigers strongest hitter, Jodi Steffes. Nagel knew Sonne's contribution to the team was crucial on a day where defense reigned supreme.
Despite the three close games, Dill was never worried about her team's control in the game. This confidence is one of the main reasons that Duke has excelled to its second best start in school history.
"We were always ahead, we had a head's up on them," Dill said. "It was close because we had a lot of errors."
With two ACC road wins under their belt the Blue Devils can come back to Durham with a smile on their faces.
"We know we can win at home but it's special to win two games on the road," Dill said. "We are really happy with the last week."
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