After dropping a close match to North Carolina Friday, the volleyball team rebounded to sweep N.C. State Saturday.
The Blue Devils (16-8, 7-5 in the ACC) fell to the Tar Heels (14-11, 7-4) in three games in a non-conference match 31-29, 30-28 and 30-26.
“We played very aggressive and executed really well,” head coach Jolene Nagel said of a match that featured 36 ties and 15 lead changes. “I think if we could’ve served a little better we could have pulled it out. I think a few calls that could have gone either way hurt us, and we had a few too many service errors.”
The first game was tied at 29 with Duke serving, but a pair of costly errors gave the Tar Heels two straight points. Outside hitter Molly Pyles finished off the game for the Tar Heels with a kill.
The pattern would repeat itself as the Blue Devils had late chances to win all three games. When Duke could not convert, Pyles took advantage and ended games two and three with powerful kills.
North Carolina took a late lead in the second game and held on, even though the Tar Heels could not extend their lead beyond three points.
The third game was also closely contested, but the Tar Heels broke a 26-26 tie and won the last four points to defeat the Blue Devils. Duke held the lead for the majority of the game, but North Carolina capitalized on Blue Devil mistakes to get back into the game after being down 16-12.
Duke had more kills, assists and digs than the Tar Heels but committed eight service errors to only three for North Carolina throughout the match. Seniors Erin Noble and Stephanie Istvan led the Blue Devils’ offense and defense, respectively. Noble tied a career-high with 10 kills and Istvan notched 29 digs.
Duke bounced back and dominated N.C. State (10-16, 0-12), snapping its three-game losing streak Saturday in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils never gave the Wolfpack a chance, winning 30-15, 30-19, 30-14.
“We brought the same kind of effort, aggressiveness and focus we gave Friday night,” Nagel said. “The scores were indicative of how well we played.”
Junior Sarah Salem led the Blue Devils with 15 kills, and sophomore Tealle Hunkus and freshman Carrie DeMange each had 14. Duke dominated the attack, with 58 kills to the Wolfpack’s 28 and brought numerous reserves into the game when it jumped out to a comfortable lead.
Duke cruised through the first, using a 12-4 run to snap a 7-7 tie. N.C. State threatened in the second, tying the game at 15. Duke pulled away as Istvan served for 10 straight points, effectively killing the Wolfpack’s momentum.
The Blue Devils dominated the third game by opening with a 14-3 run.
The conference win keeps Duke in a tie for fourth place with Virginia. Four ACC games remain for the Blue Devils, who could still finish anywhere from second to ninth with teams bunched together in the middle of the conference standings.
“We’re still in the hunt,” Nagel said. “I think if we can continue to give the effort we gave this weekend, then we’ll be in good shape.”
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