Blue Devil head coach Jolene Nagel is not renowned for her fiery nature, but when that side came out Friday, her team took notice.
Duke opened its ACC schedule against Georgia Tech Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and recorded its first ACC win of the season, topping the Yellow Jackets 3-1. But things were much closer than the final score would indicate in the early going.
Both teams came out strong in the first set, trading point back and forth, until crucial kills by senior outside hitter Jeme Obemie and junior outside hitter Emily Sklar allowed Duke to take the largest lead of the set 13-9, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout. The Yellow Jackets, however, answered with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 14, ultimately securing the first game 25-21 with a service ace.
“After the first set, I was mad. And I don’t get mad very often,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We weren’t serving like we wanted to and we weren’t communicating that well and we were a little tight. We weren’t getting into a rhythm at all.”
After a wake-up call from Coach Nagel, the team opened the second set with a 5-0 run, four points of which were secured by kills from Sklar. The Blue Devils held their opponent to only 15 points in the set, a result of a strong defensive effort and improved communication. Sophomore outside hitter Jordan Tucker put away four crucial balls in set two which helped Duke secure its early lead and ultimately the set, 25-15.
“Between the first and second set, I think we played a lot better defense,” Sklar said. “We got a lot more digs and saves which really helps morale. It gets us really excited.”
With the set scored tied at 1-1, both the Blue Devils and the Yellow Jackets went into the third set with an edge, knowing it could swing the outcome of the match. Duke was fired up and looking to compete more as a unit and, following a key solo block by Tucker to give the Blue Devils a 12-11 lead, the energy in Cameron Indoor Stadium erupted.
The score remained close, but kills by Obemie, Sklar and junior outside hitter Breanna Atkinson, supplemented by an impressive 10 digs by sophomore defensive specialist Sasha Karelov, gave the Blue Devils the momentum they needed to capture the set 25-20.
Tucker attributes the team’s offense success to what she thought was a tremendous effort on the part of the defense.
“I was very trusting of my defense tonight,” Tucker said. “I knew that if I wasn’t closing a block or if I wasn’t getting there, that they were going to get that ball up which just made me work harder to get the next kill.”
The fourth set proved to be a downhill battle for the Blue Devils, now leading the match 2-1. Another early 5-0 run and a powerful kill by Obemie secured an 8-2 lead for Duke, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout. The team continued to put pressure on the Yellow Jackets, and did not let up despite its 11-point lead at 20-9. From there, the Blue Devils would go on to take the set 25-12, and the match.
“Through our preseason I think we’ve learned a couple lessons,” Nagel said, “and one of them is play until the finish. I thought the team did a great job of that tonight.”
According to Sklar, one of the team’s season goals is to remain undefeated at home. Both players and coaches alike agree that team communication and focusing on the task at hand is what will be the difference between a win and a loss on Sunday and every day after that.
“We just need to keep the momentum going,” Sklar said. “This was a great match for us and if we can play like this again, then I think we’ll do great things on Sunday.”
Duke will face off against Miami, Sunday at 1 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Last season, the Blue Devils won both matches against the Hurricanes, but are still looking forward to a challenge this weekend.
“This was a great way to start the ACC,” Nagel said. “We need to exhale, relax a little bit, because Miami is an excellent team. It’ll be a bit of a challenge here on Sunday but we’re excited about it.”
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