The volleyball team closed out its regular season home schedule with victories Friday and Saturday nights, guaranteeing it at least a second-place finish in the ACC.
The Blue Devils (20-3, 12-3 in the ACC) capped off the weekend when they easily dominated Maryland (10-12, 6-8) 30-23, 30-19, 30-22. The previous night, they defeated a tough Florida State team (12-10, 8-5) by scores of 30-27, 30-28, 20-30, 30-28.
"Both were really important matches ,and our main goal was to remain focused," coach Jolene Nagel said. "We were not about to let anything slip by."
Duke, avenging its Oct. 5 loss to the Terps, was quick to show that it was tough Saturday night, as it easily came out with the victory. The team's four seniors, Dorrette Burwell, Bryn Gallagher, Ashley Harris and Sarah Stephens, who were honored at Senior Night, led the team with outstanding play.
"The seniors were tremendous, and I am so proud of them. As a group, our team's passing and blocking were both very strong tonight, and we were much more aggressive. We played much more smoothly than we have in a while," Nagel said.
Stephens, recovering from a shin injury, had her first start of the season. The middle blocker had a career-high 10 kills with a team-high .625 hitting percentage for the match.
"We had a great time out there, which is why we played our best," Stephens said. "My goal was just to get the girls pumped up and have fun. We also knew what Maryland was going to do, so they never really had a chance."
Maryland had strong blocking to start off the game, but the Blue Devils' hitting proved to be much better. The team was successful in limiting Maryland's outside hitter Carey Brennan to a .195 hitting percentage. Duke's blocking also picked up, especially in the second game, causing the Terps to miss many of their shots. Outside hitter Harris closed out the match with one of her 13 kills. The senior had a .250 hitting percentage.
Outside hitter Burwell finished the game with 11 kills and a .364 hitting percentage, while Gallagher had 9 kills and a .421 hitting percentage.
"It was our senior night, so we really worked on being focused. We all felt extremely comfortable out there, and I could feel that things were running smoothly," Burwell said. "We communicated much better than Friday night."
The seniors were responsible for 43 of Duke's 55 total kills. The team outhit Maryland .361 to .165 and committed only 12 errors to Maryland's 20.
The Blue Devils had a tougher match Friday versus Florida State. Although FSU outhit Duke by a percentage of .285-.242, the Seminoles' 11 service errors made a huge difference. Harris led the team Friday with 17 kills, 11 digs and a .389 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Jill Sonne also had a strong game with 16 kills, 15 digs, 5 block assists and a .387 hitting percentage. Florida State's tough middle hitter Norisha Campbell had a match-high 19 kills and a .333 hitting percentage.
"We prepared for each game similarly, as if we were playing any other team," said freshman Cassidy Crum, who has seen more playing time the second half of the season. "That's why we stayed so mentally focused."
The Blue Devils, currently ranked first in the ACC, close out their season next Saturday at Wake Forest.
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