To open this season’s ACC slate, the Blue Devils took on Virginia Friday in front of more than 1,500 fans and recorded a straight-set victory against the Cavilers, 25-19, 25-18, 25-17. Duke has now won six straight matches.
“I was pleased that we came out and we executed and we were able to put some pressure on early and be successful and win,” Nagel said.
Duke (10-2, 1-0 ACC) welcomed 17 former volleyball players back to the gym Friday, ranging from the graduating class of 1988 all the way to the class of 2013.
“We’re really excited to have all the alumni here,” Nagel said. “It’s so neat that they’ve all stayed connected and it’s just a really great opportunity for the team to me them and spend some time with them.”
In Friday night's victory, the numbers spoke for themselves, with the Blue Devils hitting for an average .286 and crucial kills coming from junior Jeme Obemie and sophomore Emily Sklar.
Obemie led the squad with 16 kills on the night, including two decisive hits that forced a Virginia (7-6, 0-1) timeout in the first, before a kill by Sklar sealed the set 25-19 for the Blue Devils.
“The key was really mixing things and using a lot of our offense,” Obemie said. “We couldn’t just stick with one thing because we knew that they were going to make adjustments.”
Despite Duke’s overall success on offense, Nagel maintains that more communication would allow the team to loosen up a bit more on the court. But defensively, there was little critique. The Blue Devils held Virginia to under .200 hitting percentage in all there sets, leaving the Cavilers with few offensive opportunities.
Aiding in the Blue Devils’ defensive success was senior libero Ali McCurdy who finished the match with 14 digs, followed by sophomore Elizabeth Campbell who posted 11 digs, and junior Maggie Deichmeister, who secured her fifth double-double of the season with 11 digs and 32 assists.
Freshman Jordan Tucker made a big impact on both offense and defense, recording four blocks, as well as a match-high .538 hitting percentage.
“We had a really good feeling overall,” Tucker said. “It was really calm out there and we just had so much fun. We’re a really close team so I think that helps us on the court and off.”
The second set started slowly for the Blue Devils, giving Virginia an 8-4 lead early on. But after a Duke run, crucial kills came from Sklar as well as a service ace by McCurdy, giving Duke the momentum it needed to cap the second stanza 25-18.
Duke carried that momentum into the third set and with the energy from the fans, the Blue Devils gathered an early lead, forcing a Virginia timeout at 20-15 and concluded the match on a Virginia service error.
“I was really pleased that we were able to come out here, play against a good, young Virginia team and be able to win it in three,” Nagel said. “They have some great athletes so this was huge for our team.”
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