Duke upset in Chapel Hill

A nearly unblemished conference record and a history of recent success against its archrival weren’t enough to get Duke a win in Chapel Hill Friday.

The Blue Devils played at North Carolina Friday and at N.C. State Saturday, and Duke (17-4, 7-2 in the ACC) suffered a devastating 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Tar Heels (9-9, 5-2) in the first match of the weekend.

“None of us expected this to happen,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “I feel like we were not quite in sync on Friday night. UNC was more aggressive and tenacious than us and we didn’t match them. It is a problem if you don’t match the aggressiveness and tenacity of your rival…or any team in the ACC for that matter. It results in a lower offensive production.”

Duke did not have its best outing of the year. After falling in the first set 25-22, the Blue Devils rallied in the second set, winning 25-20 and tying the match at one. But the momentum in the Dean Dome shifted in North Carolina’s favor as the Tar Heels jumped out to a 15-6 lead after the break. Duke was never able to recover, falling 25-16 in the third and 25-21 in the final set.

Despite not playing to their full potential, the Blue Devils were statistically competitive with the Tar Heels. Duke posted only one less kill, one more block and one more assist. The Blue Devil offensive attack was led by junior middle blocker Becci Burling and sophomore outside hitter Sophia Dunworth. Dunworth posted 13 kills and Burling added 12, and the two combined for three blocks. Junior libero Claire Smalzer led the Blue Devil defense, digging an impressive 25 balls.

“They went all-out on defense,” Burling said. “They were digging our best shots and relentlessly pursuing our balls and it got frustrating not being able to get our kills. Plus we were playing in front of 16,000 people which definitely didn’t work to our advantage.”

The Blue Devils rebounded Saturday night against NC State (7-16, 0-8), sweeping the Wolfpack 3-0. Duke was again led by Burling, who posted 13 kills with a hitting percentage of .400. Sophomore Kellie Catanach helped spread the ball around and lead the offense by adding 29 assists in the victory.

“Everyone on the team was upset that we lost to UNC. It was a team we shouldn’t have lost to,” Burling said. “We took the upsetting loss and used it as fuel for the fire against NC State. I think we made a statement winning that game in three.”