It takes a lot of determination to turn a team's season around, but Duke head coach Jolene Nagel and the volleyball team did just that.
In the second half of the season, the Blue Devils, who had been picked to finish first in the ACC during the preseason, transformed their record from a modest 15-7 to an impressive 23-7 mark.
Duke finished on an eight-game winning streak, moved up to third place in the ACC and earned its first bid to the NCAA tournament since 2002.
"I'm not only pleased, I'm proud of our strong finish," Nagel said. "We stuck together and challenged each other, one match at a time. The ACC is a tough conference, and we hit the rough patch early. I'm proud that we stayed focused."
The Blue Devils will square off against American University (25-9) in the first round tonight at 6 p.m in Lincoln, Neb. The winner will meet the victor between top-seed Nebraska and Alabama A&M Saturday.
Since losing to North Carolina, 3-2, Nov. 4, Duke has dropped just six games over its last eight matches, including a 3-0 sweep over then No. 24 Maryland-its first win over a ranked opponent since 2002.
"We gained a lot of confidence when we started winning consistently beginning in the middle of the season," sophomore Ali Hausfeld said. "That confidence will hopefully carry over into the NCAA tournament as well."
American, which won its fifth straight Patriot League Championship this season, enters the tournament with an 0-7 record in NCAA Championship play. Still, the Eagles defeated the Blue Devils, 3-2, in the two teams' most recent meeting in September 2002.
"American is a good team and they've won a lot," Nagel said. "Their greatest strength is that they get the most out of every player. They're a tough team mentally, and they will capitalize on any and all of our weaknesses. They also have some international players who have different styles of play, which tends to throw people off."
Although three ACC squads earned berths in the 64-team field for only the second time in the past five years, none of the league's teams are currently ranked-a sign of how good the rest of the competition will be in the NCAA tournament.
Sophomore middle blocker Carrie DeMange said she expects Duke's opponents to exhibit better ball control, to be taller and to take advantage of their athleticism more than some of the team's the Blue Devils faced earlier this season.
"We're going to be facing tougher competition and we're going to have tougher matches," DeMange said.
And with only four players who have NCAA tournament experience, Nagel is focused on keeping her team relaxed.
"This is still a volleyball court," Nagel said. "The net is the same height, and the ball is the same size."
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