Two matches and two sets into the weekend, Duke had yet to surrender a game and seemed well on its way to the Hilton Invitational championship. And then No. 13 Middle Tennessee came alive and stole the tournament from the Blue Devils' grasp.
Duke (6-3) went 2-1 at the Hilton Invitational in Texas Friday and Saturday, handily defeating tournament host Texas-Arlington and South Carolina State before dropping its biggest test of the tournament, 3-2 to Middle Tennessee Saturday night.
After pulling ahead and winning the first two sets, the Blue Devils were on the verge of sweeping the tournament when the Blue Raiders (9-0) went on a run to force a fifth set and eventually won the deciding game.
But despite the close loss to end the tournament, the Blue Devils were far from disheartened on their return trip to Durham. The final match demonstrated that Duke can compete with top-ranked teams, in addition to exposing areas in which the team can grow.
"Both teams played really well and it was a great volleyball match, very competitive," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "We played a very good team, and we almost had them. But because of what they went after, we are going to become better."
Junior Rachael Moss and senior Jourdan Norman were both named to the all-tournament team. Moss led Duke with 32 kills over the course of the weekend, while Norman added a team-high 14 blocks. With 522 career blocks, Norman is just 32 shy of becoming Duke's all-time leader.
The performances from Duke's freshmen also impressed Nagel. The newcomers combined for 16 kills, seven blocks and a .571 hitting percentage in the three wins.
"We have a young team, and a hungry team," Nagel said. "And that is very encouraging."
The Blue Devils opened the first round of the tournament Friday night by rolling past host UT-Arlington 3-0. During the match, the Blue Devils set a school record by holding the Mavericks (3-6) to just 40 points, the lowest combined score from a Duke opponent since the NCAA adopted rally scoring in 2001. The Blue Devils hit a season-high .468 as a team, with 52 kills and just eight errors.
On Saturday afternoon, the Blue Devils found their stride once again, defeating South Carolina State 3-0 in the second round of the tournament and breaking the previous day's record by holding S.C. State (1-9) to just 39 combined points.
Duke looks to bring its momentum and experience to the court when it faces off against College of Charleston at the Charleston Invitational next Friday at 7 p.m.
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