Fighting against the odds, the Blue Devils came within an arm's reach of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in program history. As the final buzzer sounded, however, No. 14 Duke was left empty-handed having dropped the match 3-2.
After losing consecutive games against fourth-ranked Southern California, the resurgent Blue Devils battled back to force a fifth game during their second match of the USC Classic. After tying the game at 17, the Trojans scored the final two points and escaped with a 19-17 win.
"It's bittersweet," senior Jenny Shull said. "We should have beat the No. 4 team in the nation, but there weren't too many tears because it was an amazing match with great fans, and we went out and scared them to death."
Although they were frustrated by the ultimate outcome of the game, the Blue Devils' ability to compete with one of the top programs in the country also motivates them.
"This game was a snapshot of what's left to come," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "We all know this isn't the last shot we have. It was disappointing, but it definitely wasn't devastating."
Duke began the tournament Friday afternoon with a dominating 3-0 performance against Mercer, with only one game decided by less than 15 points. The Blue Devils were given little time to rest as they played Southern California only hours later.
The grueling schedule, however, proved to have little effect on Duke the next day. The Blue Devils rebounded from the late-night loss to defeat California State Northridge Saturday in three straight games.
"You definitely have to find it in yourself to keep going and push through the exhaustion," Shull said. "We just came off a huge match, but once it was over, we needed to refocus and start from the beginning, going back to match one."
The leadership of seniors Carrie DeMange, Ali Hausfeld and Jenny Shull once again made the difference for the Blue Devils' overall success over the weekend. DeMange matched her former career best of 32 kills in the game against USC and was named to the all-tournament team, along with Hausfeld and Rachael Moss.
Duke will continue to face the best competition as the Blue Devils travel to Lincoln Sept. 7 to take on No. 1 Nebraska in the Nebraska Players Challenge. After coming up just short against the Trojans, Duke is looking forward to getting another chance at the nation's top teams.
"We just need to rest a little bit and get our mental state back before we take on Nebraska," Nagel said. "Our team is ready to show what Duke Volleyball is all about."
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