After a tough loss to Georgia Tech last week broke its longest winning streak of the season, Duke went on the road looking to start another one.
With two solid wins in hand, the Blue Devils will head back home hoping to continue their new one.
Duke defeated Syracuse 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21) Sunday, two days after knocking off Boston College 3-1 (24-26, 25-8, 25-23, 25-15) to build momentum heading into the final month of the regular season. Middle blockers Leah Meyer and Jordan Tucker led the way for the Blue Devils during the weekend, combining for 64 kills in the two games and sealing sets with clutch kills to build momentum on the road.
“We’re really excited to get two road wins this weekend,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel told GoDuke.com Sunday. “Our team persevered to get this one today against a good opponent. We served well with five aces and one service error. Our defense really worked hard to get touches on the block and we dug a good number of balls."
At Boston College (6-16, 1-11 in the ACC), the Blue Devil defense stepped up, holding the Eagles to a .125 hitting percentage on the strength of 80 digs, 30 of which came from senior defensive specialist Sasha Karelov. Behind Karelov's strong performance, Duke finished with 80 or more digs for the second time in eight games.
Offensively, the Blue Devils turned to middle blockers Tucker and Meyer, who each posted hitting percentages better than .420. Tucker's 21 kills were a season high, and the contest marked the 10th time this season she has recorded a hitting percentage above .300.
The Blue Devils (16-6, 10-2) looked poised to win the opening set after building a 22-15 advantage, but Boston College rallied in front of its home crowd behind an 11-2 run to win the frame. Following the close first set, Duke jumped ahead in the second set and didn’t look back, cruising to a 25-8 advantage.
In the third set, Tucker proved to be the hero, closing out the set with a kill and block on the final two points to seal another tight frame. The Blue Devils then opened the fourth set on a 9-2 run to cruise toward the finish line.
Several of Duke’s freshmen also had standout games Friday, as Cindy Marina, Samantha Amos and Natalie Schilling each came up with impressive performances. Marina had 40 assists, and Amos and Schilling posted career highs in blocks and kills, respectively.
“Sasha [Karelov] had a great match and she controlled the ball really well,” Nagel said. “Samie [Amos] has been really productive for us as well. Our game plan helped us blocking. That blocking helps our defense so we can dig a lot of balls.”
Against Syracuse Sunday, Duke’s defense came up big again, limiting the Orange to a .178 hitting percentage.
Karelov notched her 12th 20-dig effort of the season, and the Blue Devil middle blockers continued dominating. Meyer had a match to remember, setting a career high in kills with 19 and tallying eight or more blocks for the second straight game.
“We did a great job getting the ball to our middles,” Nagel said. “Leah [Meyer] and Jordan [Tucker] were getting available and working hard on the defensive end blocking. Leah had a great day. She stayed pressed on the block and hustled to get the ball when she could. She was really efficient with her attempts.”
The Blue Devils took the first set after back-to-back kills by Meyer on assists from Marina, who had another strong performance with 52 assists along with six kills and nine digs. Marina has recorded at least 40 assists in Duke’s last six games.
After taking the first set, the Blue Devils couldn’t close out the second, pulling within one at 23-24 before Jalissa Trotter put the set away with one of her eight kills for the Orange (6-16, 5-7). In the third set, Syracuse took a late 20-17 lead, but Duke went on an 8-1 run punctuated by another Meyer kill to close out the frame. In the fourth, the Orange cut a late seven-point Duke advantage to three before Tucker punctuated the win with her 11th kill of the day.
“Our middles were very successful when we got them the ball,” said Nagel. “We need them to take on this kind of role and it’s exciting to see that they’re taking that challenge and rolling with it. They just didn’t stop.”
The Blue Devils return to Durham for a home series this weekend with contests against Louisville Friday at 3 p.m. and Notre Dame Sunday at noon.
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