With two weeks left in the regular season, Duke needed a strong showing in Cameron Indoor Stadium to stay atop the ACC standings. And much like the rest of the season, the friendly confines of home were key to the Blue Devils' victorious showings.
Duke narrowly defeated Georgia Tech in five sets to maintain a three-way tie for first place in the ACC. The Blue Devils (20-7, 11-4 in the ACC) moved into the top spot Friday when they beat Clemson in four sets. After losing its first home match against Miami earlier in the year, Duke has remained unbeaten at home.
"We were absolutely not going to lose in Cameron," said junior outside hitter Rachael Moss, who led the team with her second double-double of the weekend, posting 21 kills with only three errors and 15 digs.
Duke began the evening strong by winning the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-21. Playing flawlessly in the opening periods, the Blue Devils appeared to be too tough for the Yellow Jackets to handle, and the match seemed fated for an early end.
"I thought they came out really well tonight and executed," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "The girls were crisp and communicating, and it was really fun to watch."
After the break between the second and third set, however, Georgia Tech (18-7, 10-5) came out hungry to prove itself as one of the best teams in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets, who now sit in fourth place, were able to take the third set, beating the Blue Devils 25-23 by making several effective changes on defense and with the help of several questionable calls against Duke down the stretch.
The Yellow Jackets stuck to their defensive game plan in the fourth game, winning 25-19. The Blue Devils looked out of rhythm and tentative offensively, passing to the same player on consecutive plays, which allowed Georgia Tech to effectively block several kill attempts and tie the match at two games.
"Our passing started to break down in game four," Nagel said. "We were too predictable and couldn't run the things we wanted to run and weren't passing well enough to do anything else."
The Blue Devils' solid two-set lead had dwindled and they were forced to play a final set for the win.
"I didn't even look at the score and just focused on the court," Moss said of the fifth-set pressure. "There was no negativity on the court, and we keyed on specific players from Georgia Tech to stop. Our energy and consistency paid off in the end."
Duke came out prepared in the fifth set and caught Georgia Tech completely off-guard with a trick play from freshman setter Kellie Catanach. After receiving a pass, Catanach tapped the ball over the net instead of setting it for an outside hitter, forcing the Yellow Jackets to comically dive in futility. The Blue Devils fed off Catanach's play and dominated Georgia Tech 15-9, with a gaudy hitting percentage of .368 and 10 kills.
Moss led the attack for Duke with four of her 21 kills and three of her 15 digs coming in the fifth set.
"The difference between my double-doubles this weekend is that the whole team has really been coming together," Moss said. "Before, I think that a lot of time, certain players would be off and others would be on, and we would just kind of alternate and never come together as a whole team."
The Blue Devils preceded Saturday night's close victory with a four-set win over Clemson (19-7, 11-4). Moss led the team with her first double-double of the weekend, posting 18 kills and 20 digs. The game was a defensive battle in which each team held its opponent well below its season hitting percentage.
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