Despite a 20-10 record and a trip to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, the Duke volleyball team did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the 64-team field was announced Sunday.
“I really felt very positive that this team had a great shot at getting an opportunity, and I also felt this team was very deserving of having an opportunity,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “This team has certainly set themselves apart to me as one of the most deserving teams we’ve ever had. I feel very badly for them.”
Duke played well in the latter part of the season, earning the third seed in the ACC Championships. The Blue Devils defeated Virginia in three straight games, but in the semifinals, Maryland, the eventual conference champions, won a close five-game contest. It turned out to be the final match for seniors Stephanie Istvan, Erin Noble and Tassy Rufai, although the Nagel thought it would be enough to propel Duke to an NCAA berth.
“I’m disappointed, for our seniors and for our team,” Nagel said. “I really thought that if we could get to the semifinals that we’d be putting ourselves in a good position, but you just never know what the committee might be thinking.”
Georgia Tech and Maryland were the only ACC teams that received bids to the tournament. Seven schools from the Big Ten received invites.
Nebraska, Penn State, Hawaii and Minnesota are the top four seeds, respectively, for the tournament, which begins Dec. 2.
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