When Atlanta hosts this year's ACC volleyball championships this upcoming week, the volleyball team hopes that the city will hold a better fortune than the city did this past weekend.
After pulling out a win on what was a long night against Clemson (17-4, 8-8 in the ACC), Duke fell 3-1 in a bitter rematch against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (28-5, 13-3 ACC).
The Blue Devils end their regular season with a 23-8 overall record and go into ACC tournament play 11-5 in the conference.
"We need to serve tougher and block better to be successful," said Duke head coach Jolene Nagel. "We'll need to work on those two things in practices this week."
Tired from the Clemson game and the trip down to Atlanta, the Blue Devils quickly lost steam in the rematch against the Yellow Jackets. After winning the first game 30-23, Duke dropped the next three games to Georgia Tech as their service and attack defense began to wane.
Senior Rachel Vander Griend and junior Krista Dill led Duke with 14 kills each, while three more Blue Devils tallied 10-plus kills. Vander Griend also had a .429 hitting percentage and six block assists.
"Georgia Tech was anyone's game, and it shows we are a strong team in the face of great adversity," senior Josie Weymann said. "[The ACC championship] is going to be a tough weekend. It's really up for grabs, but I think we can take it."
Friday night's win against Clemson was a tight contest, but Duke was able to pull out a win.
Five Duke players recorded double-doubles including Katie Gilman, her 12th of the year. Freshman Sarah Salem also stepped up with 18 kills against the Tigers.
The older players of the team were relieved to see their team left in good hands at the end of the regular season.
"The team has a really strong future ahead of it," senior Jill Sonne said. "Our freshmen have contributed to every game and practice."
Despite ending the regular season with a loss, the team is looking ahead with confidence to the ACC tournament which kicks off Thursday night.
Having beaten Georgia Tech earlier in the season, the loss has served primarily as a guidance for practice this week for the team.
"We had a young team and we've gained a lot of experience throughout the season," Vander Griend said.
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