Up 15-14 and just one point away from a season sweep of the Tar Heels, Duke (16-7, 10-5 in the ACC) allowed three quick North Carolina points and lost the decisive fifth game, 17-15.
"We were really disappointed and everything," Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. "We were just there at the very end. We were playing well but they got us twice to earn 16 and 17."
Despite slipping in the final moments, Duke had been making a habit of coming back all game against UNC (18-7, 13-2). The Blue Devils began their Friday night in Chapel Hill by outscoring the Tar Heels 10-4, down the stretch to take game one after having trailed, 23-20.
Duke unraveled after that, losing the next two games by 16 and 10 points, respectively. The Blue Devils fought back in the fourth game, scoring nine of the final 15 points to win, 30-28, after being tied at 21.
"I was very pleased that we came back so strong after that type of breakdown," Nagel said. "This team did it without, you know, really focusing on it and talking about it. They just did it."
Duke was trailing 10-7 before it rallied back to reach game point at 15-14 in Game 5. The team, despite its efforts, was upset about the loss. They had played uncharacteristically out of sorts, Nagel said.
"That was pretty hard because we feel like we should have won that game, definitely," freshman middle blocker Jourdan Norman said. "UNC, at some points-I don't know-got lucky. I felt like it went that way for them sometimes. It came down to the last two points and they just happened to get it."
The team was able to bounce back from its defeat and down N.C. State (7-17, 1-15) in a three-game sweep Sunday afternoon. The match was never in doubt as Duke won each game by an average of more than eight points.
"[It was] a great team effort all the way around," Nagel said. "I really credit this team with being a team right now. It could be off the court, it could be on the court, but they really support each other and challenge each other, and I think that's going to help us get better over time."
Norman, who registered her second and third career double-doubles, had a breakout weekend. She collected a career-high 16 digs against UNC and a match-high 14 kills against N.C. State.
"Jordan doesn't really say a whole lot," Nagel said. "But she certainly says a lot with her play."
Sophomores Carrie DeMange and Ali Hausfeld continued to show why they were selected preseason All-ACC. DeMange recorded her 17th double-double of the year against North Carolina, collecting a team-high 15 kills to go along with her career-high 18 digs. Hausfeld tallied 77 assists over the weekend, moving her within almost 200 of her 2004 season total of 1,399, which was good for fifth all-time in Duke history.
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