November 4, 2013

sportswrap november 4, 2013

LIGHTNING ROD-NEY MEN’S SOCCER: SHUTS OUT PITTSBURGH • VOLLEYBALL: MCCURDY SETS DIGS RECORD

JACK WHITE/THE CHRONICLE

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2 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

men’s soccer

Shutout gives Duke control of its postseason destiny

by Lucas Hubbard the chronicle

With its back against the wall in the Acc standings and only two games remaining to earn points, Duke’s task was simple Saturday night: beat a winless, mathematically-eliminated Pittsburgh squad.

And despite settling for ties often this season, the Blue Devils made no mistake against the conference doormat, scoring early DUKE 3 and often in the PITT 0 first half to bury the Panthers 3-0 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

“We took it into our own hands,” head coach John Kerr said. “We needed to win for us, for our placement in the Acc standings and our placement for an atlarge bid for the ncAAs. Anything can happen—soccer’s a funny game, so we were definitely on our toes and took it to them right from the beginning.” the Blue Devils (7-4-6, 2-3-5 in the Acc) started the evening in 10th place in the conference, only ahead of Virginia tech and winless Pittsburgh (0-10-4, 0-82). With the win and Boston college’s 3-1 victory against Virginia tech Sunday, Duke crept up to eighth place. As a result, the Blue Devils control their destiny and can earn one of eight Acc tournament berths with a win in their final matchup Friday at clemson.

Duke seized control of Saturday’s

daYou Zhuo/ChroniCle file photo

Midfielder Sean Davis got Duke on the board as the Blue Devils scored three first-half goals and knocked off Pittsburgh. game from the get-go. Just three minutes in, nick Palodichuk’s corner found senior defender Sebastian ibeagha, whose header clanged against the post and bounded away from the net.

Despite surviving Duke’s initial barrage of four shots and three corner kicks in the first 10 minutes, Pittsburgh’s luck did not last. in the 17th minute, the Blue Devils

earned a penalty off a Pittsburgh handball. captain Sean Davis stepped up and coolly deposited the ball for his sixth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead, and with that, Duke wouldn’t look back.

Six minutes later, Palodichuk took center stage, sliding the ball to the near post past Pittsburgh keeper Dan lynd to double Duke’s advantage. “the first 15 minutes we pounded

them,” Kerr said. “We were knocking on the door, and it was nice to get the first goal and really nice then to get that second goal.” in the 29th minute, tyler McDaniel joined the offensive barrage, taking the feed on the wing from Palodichuk and blasting his shot into the top corner past the keeper for a 3-0 lead. the goal was McDaniel’s first of the season. “tyler’s had a couple chances early on in our season, and it was nice for him to get a goal to solidify all the good work he’s done over the course of the last four or five weeks,” Kerr said.

During its dominant first half, Duke outshot Pitt 12-1, earned eight corners and a slew of compliments from the team’s head coach. “i’m just pleased with the performance and the attitude and the approach,” Kerr said. “it’s nice to convert our chances.

We’ve played very well early on in the season and just haven’t converted, so it’s nice to get a couple goals early and make sure the result went our way.”

Goalkeepers Alex long and Alex Merrill combined to make four saves on seven shots. the shutout was Duke’s seventh of the season.

Playing with a commanding early lead, Kerr was able to go deep into his bench and rest many of his key starters, See M. soccer, page 8

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 | 3

women’s soccer

Blue Devils fall to FSU in ACC quarterfinals

by Ryan Hoerger the chronicle

Down the stretch run, Duke used timely scoring and a favorable schedule to claw its way into the ACC tournament field as the regular season drew to a close. Facing the thirdranked team in the country Sunday in the tournament quarterfinals, the Blue Devils could not find the back of the net.

No. 3 Florida State scored two goals in less than two minutes early in the second half and DUKE 0 held on to defeat FSU 2 the Blue Devils 2-0 Sunday afternoon at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Fla. Duke (8-8-4, 5-6-3 in the ACC) entered the match fresh off a 6-3 win against Pittsburgh in which the Blue Devils attempted 31 shots, but was able to muster just six against a stingy Seminole defense. With the win, Florida State has now gone 31 matches without a loss at home.

“It’s a tough place to go play,” Duke head coach Robbie Church said. “I thought we were a little bit tentative at the beginning. We were defending well but giving the ball away too much on offense, trying to be direct when we could have settled.”

Early in the second half, the Blue

Devils had their best scoring opportunity of the day, when freshman Toni Payne found sophomore Kara Wilson with a pass, setting her up with a 1-on1 opportunity against Seminole goalie Kelsey Wys. Wys was able to make a save, a play Church characterized as a game-changer.

Following the big save, Florida State (16-1-3, 10-1-2) was quick to strike after being held scoreless in the opening period, even though its leading goal-scorers were held in check all afternoon.

In the 51st minute, a Seminole attacker fell to the ground attacking along the left side of the penalty box, and Florida State was awarded a penalty kick. Sophomore Isabella Schmid stepped up and snuck a shot past Duke goalie Meghan Thomas for her first goal of the season, giving the Seminoles a 1-0 lead. “[At that point] I think we dropped our heads a little and lost some focus,” Church said.

Seconds later, another Duke defensive miscue opened the door for another Seminole opportunity. This time, junior midfielder Kristin Grubka fired a shot past Thomas after the Blue Devils had failed to clear a corner kick, netting her second goal of the season to pad the Florida State lead. The play developed after a

Seminole shot hit the crossbar and deflected off the leg of Duke forward Kelly Cobb, redirecting the ball right to Grubka.

In the first meeting between the teams this season, Florida State broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the 87th minute, leaving Duke next to no time to mount a comeback. Sunday, the Blue Devils had nearly an entire half to answer, but were unable to do so.

Church said the Blue Devils made some substitutions after the second goal and reconfigured their formation, which resulted in some better offensive looks.

“We had some opportunities, but they were not as good as they could have been,” Church said.”

The Blue Devils will now play the waiting game. The NCAA tournament field will be announced Nov. 11, and while Church expects Duke to be among the 64 teams whose ticket to the tournament will be punched, he has no idea where his team will end up.

“It’s crazy to guess,” Church said.

“One of the things will be to get away from the ACC schools. All we’ve done is play top team after top team.”

Unlike in college basketball, only the top four teams in each regional receive numbered seeds. Duke last entered the tournament as an unseeded team in 2010, when the Blue Devils

jon bedell/Chronicle file photo

advanced to within one victory of the national quarterfinals.

By no means does a loss in the ACC quarterfinals wrap up Duke’s season.

Last year, the Blue Devils suffered a 1-0 loss in overtime to Wake Forest in the quarterfinals, but went on to advance all the way to the national quarterfinals See w. soccer, page 8

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4 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

men’s basketball

81

65

Duke overcomes slow start to upend D-II national champs

by Jay Sullivan the chronicle

An exhibition does not always mean an easy win.

Duke learned this lesson against Division II national champion Drury Saturday in a highly-contested 81-65 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Although the Blue Devils played a subpar first half against smaller competition in the Panthers, the second half told a much different story.

“They weren’t scoring because we weren’t working hard,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They were scoring because we weren’t working hard together. Second half we worked hard together.”

The Blue Devils came out determined after trailing at the break 38-34, and forced a turnover that earned Rodney Hood an easy layup in the opening seconds. Hood led the Blue Devils with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out four assists to lead his team’s comeback effort.

“I got to set a tone being strong, always having each other’s back, and talking,” Hood said. “Just come out with a sense of urgency, not worry about the score or what people are going to say after the game. We’re staying the moment and just winning the game.”

Duke’s defensive intensity improved as the second half progressed. The Blue Devils began to box out better on rebounds and put pressure on the ball.

Success on the defensive end translated to better play on offense.

“You could tell a difference in the second half with their defensive intensity,” Drury head coach Steve Hesser said.

xirui liu/The Chronicle

Senior captain Tyler Thornton got the start Saturday instead of sophomore Rasheed Sulaimon, who was battling illness.

Sophomore Amile Jefferson scored 13 points and pulled from a halftime deficit to beat Drury.

xirui liu/The Chronicle

Duke trailed by four points at halftime, but was able to clamp down on the defensive end in the second half to defeat Drury in its second exhibition contest.

“Second half, it was harder for us to move the basketball because they were really getting up and pressuring.”

Duke took a 46-44 lead on a Josh Hairston follow-up layup with 14:25 left in the second half and did not look back. By the nine-minute mark, the Blue Devils had extended their lead to 11 points. Despite efforts to comeback, Drury failed to convert enough of the its offensive opportunities to erase the Duke lead.

“The second half I thought we talked better, communicated better, and played a lot better,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “But we didn’t play poorly in the first half because we just didn’t care. We played poorly just because they played really well. They’re good, they’re extremely well coached, and they play as one. And we’re trying to learn to play that way.”

In the first half, the Blue Devils had not been able to capitalize on their advantages as Drury’s disciplined play resulted in a 38-34 lead at the half.

Despite a severe height discrepancy between the two team—Drury’s tallest player is 6-foot-6 and Duke’s is 7-foot— both teams managed 21 rebounds at the end of the half. The Blue Devils failed to box out and contend for defensive rebounds, allowing the Panthers multiple attempts per possession.

Drury played a more polished game in the first half than Duke. Their national championship pedigree was present as the Panthers would not back down to any adversity on the court, whether it was a resounding Duke slam dunk that excited the fans in attendance or a miscue while the Panthers were on offense.

“I think they beat us in the first half, and that’s what we need to stop from happening,” freshman forward Jabari Parker said. “I know that they did a real good job coming in, preparing, throwing up 10 assists, and it played out well for them.”

Duke failed to convert the majority of its 3-point shots, shooting a meager 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. On the offensive end, the Blue Devils relied on 1-on1 matchups to procure scoring as the team’s ball movement slowed. After dishing out 21 assists as a team in its first exhibition victory against Bowie State, Duke managed just 13 helpers against Drury.

Duke played the entire bench except for Rasheed Sulaimon—who was reported to be battling illness—Todd Zafirovski and Nick Pagliuca in the first half alone, as head coach Mike Krzyzewski searched for the lineup combination that might spark a Blue Devil run. Duke kept attacking the basket on the offensive end, despite shooting a paltry 53.8 percent from the free throw line in the half.

Besides Hood, Duke received key contributions from Parker and junior guard Quinn Cook, who each scored in double figures, and Amile Jefferson who grabbed 16 rebounds and notched 13 points.

After the contest, Krzyzewski said there was a stark difference between Hood’s performance and the rest of the his team.

With the regular season just around the corner, college basketball’s winningest head coach indicated the Blue Devils are still a work in progress.

“When we come in here, and we’re talking about what we did instead of what an individual did, then we’ve gotten it there,” Krzyzewski said.

8 OREB Amile Jefferson pulled down eight of his 16 rebounds on the offensive glass for the Blue Devils.

53.7% The Blue Devils managed to hit just 15 of their 28 free throw attempts on the afternoon against Drury.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 | 5

women’s basketball

102

50

Blue Devils open with 32-4 spurt and run away to defeat Coker College

by Aaron Kupin the chronicle

xirui liu/The Chronicle

d down 16 rebounds as the Blue Devils came back

10 steals

No mercy was shown as the Blue Devils set out to dominate their last exhibition in every aspect of the game.

Coming off the announcement that it was ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll for the first time in eight years, Duke capped off its exhibition schedule with a 102-50 blowout of Division II opponent Coker College Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“Good stuff all the way around,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “And we can score a lot more points than that if we really have all cylinders working.”

With Coker only boasting one 6-footer in its starting lineup compared to Duke’s three, the Blue Devils dominated the post, grabbing 53 rebounds and scoring 74 of their points in the paint.

Haley Peters, Elizabeth Williams and Oderah Chidom all used their size advantage down low to control the block.

Showcasing their speed on both ends of the floor, the Blue Devils compiled 24 forced turnovers and scored 36 fast-break points, which was an integral part of their success.

“Easy buckets are always important.

Paint scores are always important,” McCallie said. “It’s fun to control the tempo and be aggressive. I think we’re faster foul line to foul line than we have been in the past, and we’re still trying to get faster.”

Center Elizabeth Williams’ emphatic block in the first three minutes was a sign of things to come as Duke recorded 12

blocks and Coker couldn’t even muster one. The Cobras only managed to shoot 20.7 percent from the floor in the first half of play. “[We had] better ball pressure and more anticipation. The way [Elizabeth] played above the rim was very inspiring,” McCallie said. “I know I felt that and the team did as well.”

After building up a 32-4 lead in the first 10 minutes of the contest, Duke continued to apply full-court pressure in the first half and refused to give the Cobras even an inch of space.

The gritty Coker squad refused to quit, going on a 7-0 run and capping the first half with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Even though Duke built up a 28-point cushion to start the game, the Blue Devils only outscored the Cobras by four points in the final nine minutes of the half.

“It’s a lot of nerves, a lot of ‘Oh my goodness, this is Cameron Indoor Stadium,’” Coker College head coach Jenny Finora said. “Once we settled down, the last 10 minutes were pretty even. If we could just negate the first 10 minutes, maybe it’s a different ball game coming out.”

In the closing minutes of the half, senior Richa Jackson drove towards the basket but was knocked hard on her back.

She continued to play for the next possession but was clearly grimacing in pain, forcing her to leave the game. She did not return.

“Just from a safety measure, I kept her out. [She’s] just sore in her back a little

Duke recorded 10 steals against Drury, a feat the team only accomplished five times all of last season.

jack white/The Chronicle

Freshman Oderah Chidom scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds off the bench as Duke cruised to a 102-50 victory.

Jack white/The Chronicle

Controlling the inside, Duke scored 74 of its 102 points in the paint. bit,” McCallie said. “There was no need to push it, so I was pretty conservative.

Williams scored a game-high 29 points and finished 14-of-15 from the field, adding 10 rebounds for Duke. Senior guard Chelsea Gray posted double-digit assist numbers for the Blue Devils’ second straight exhibition tilt, leading the team with 12 helpers.

Freshmen Kendall McCravey-Cooper and Chidom provided energy off the bench and demonstrated their acclimation to the speed of the college game.

Chidom finished with 17 points and five rebounds, and McCravey-Cooper finished with seven rebounds and four blocks, showing off her athleticism when she stuffed a Cobra offender and then sprinted down the court to finish off the fast break with a layup.

“I loved Oderah and Kendall off the bench. I thought they looked more like sophomores today, the other game they looked like freshmen,” McCallie said.

“They looked a little bit older, a little more mature.”

Despite coming away with a 52-point win, Duke will go back to the drawing board to make improvements before its season opener Nov. 10 on the road against No. 9 California. The Blue Devils committed 27 fouls against Coker, with three players finishing the game one whistle away from fouling out. Additionally, Duke shot just 53.4 percent from the free throw line, compared to just 74.1 percent on the 2012-13 season.

“I think we’re a pretty good team, and I think we want to become a great team,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “And the only way you become a great team is to get after it.”

6 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

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cross country

field hockey

Bottorff wins ACC title No. 1 Maryland spoils Duke men place 6th, women place Duke’s Senior Day 5th at ACC Championships Opening championship competition, Duke took home an individual title and had runners on both sides place near the top of the conference at the ACC Championship meet.

Graduate student Juliet Bottorff was crowned ACC champion Friday in Kernersville, N.C., leading the Blue Devils to a fifth-place finish on the women’s side.

Junior Shaun Thompson broke away from the pack to finish fourth overall on the way to Duke’s men’s team earning sixth.

Thompson’s 24:07.7 run earned Duke’s highest finish in men’s cross country since Sean Kelly won the race in 2000.

“We had an outstanding race from Shaun,” men’s head coach Norm Ogilvie said. “Sometimes when you’re bold, you’re rewarded with great results, and today

that’s what happened. He had the courage to do it.”

Instead of pushing and shoving in a tight pack for the majority of the race, Thompson decided to break in front to give himself more room to run at the 3,000-meter mark.

“It’s not how I usually race, so I know my teammates were kind of freaking out that this is not going to end up well,” Thompson said. “But I took a gamble and it paid off. I felt really good through the 8K. I felt like I was reeling in the guys in second and third in the last 2K.” On the women’s side, Bottorff waited until the back half of the race to make her move. Eight runners passed the 4,000-meter mark within a second of each other, but Botorff opened up an eight-second lead See cross country, page 8

special to The Chronicle

Juliet Bottorff (right) won the ACC Championship Friday in Kernervsille, N.C., and teammate Carolyn Baskir (left) finished 17th to earn all-ACC honors.

by Brian Mazur the chronicle

Lightning did not strike twice for the Blue Devils as they sought their second win of the season against a team ranked No. 1 in the nation.

No. 1 Maryland trounced No. 7 Duke 5-1 on SaturMD 5 day afternoon at DUKE 1 Jack Katz Stadium.

The Blue Devils’ six seniors and two graduate students were honored for the team’s annual Senior Day recognition, but it was the Terrapins who gave the group a bitter ending to what could be their last home contest.

“They are a special group,” head coach Pam Bustin said. “They are a group that will be so important and so special to this program forever—for helping and committing to making the change to putting Duke back in the top 10 and back in to championship contention.”

The Blue Devils (13-5, 3-3 in the ACC) quickly fell behind in the first half 3-0, with Terrapin midfielder Anna Dessoye scoring two first half goals and assisting on another. Maryland (18-1, 6-0) converted three out of their seven penalty corner opportunities into goals, which gave them the early advantage.

Duke maintained a persistent attack throughout the game, but could not score against Terrapin goalkeeper Natalie Hunter, who came into the game having only given up nine goals all season.

“They were strong defensively and we had to work very hard for those shots and opportunities in the circle and they were

good chances, some of them off corners,” senior forward Emmie Le Marchand said. “It is frustrating to be that close in for shots and to not execute.”

The Blue Devils were awarded eight penalty corners and attempted 17 shots, but Hunter and the Maryland defense stood strong and kept the ball out of the cage.

The Terrapin’s stout defense created momentum for the offense, which added two second half goals by forwards Alyssa Parker and Mieke Hayn. At one point Duke faced its largest deficit of the season, as Maryland built a 5-0 lead. “[Maryland’s penalty corners] were executed really well,” Bustin said. “You have to give Maryland credit on the execution. They were sharp. They were deceptive.”

Le Marchand cut into the Terrapin lead in the 64th minute, when she scored her team-high 11th goal of the season off a penalty stroke against goalkeeper Brooke Cabrera, who had come in to relieve Hunter.

Cabrera denied the last ditch efforts to put the ball in the goal, tallying three saves in the final 6:39.

Duke’s loss to Maryland is their fifth to a ranked opponent this season and puts them at .500 in conference play going into this week’s ACC tournament in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“We have beaten top teams. We are used to playing them,” said Le Marchand. “We just need to take advantage of the chances that we do get. At this level, the smallest difference gets the win. We are going to continue work on that in See field hockey, page 8

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 | 7

Volleyball

McCurdy breaks ACC digs record

Duke knocks off Boston College to win 16th of last 17 matches

by Grant Costa the chronicle

SIMPLY THE BEST!

Boston college came to cameron indoor Stadium still searching for its first conference win of the season. Despite a scare in the third set, Duke would not be the eagles’ first victim. it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the no. 18 Blue Devils, but Duke was able to come away with BC 1 a 3-1 victory SatDUKE 3 urday night. With 26 digs on the evening, senior libero Ali Mccurdy became the Acc’s all-time leader in digs, passing clemson’s Didem ege’s previous record of 2,303. “i think that’s just phenomenal.

She’s such a coachable player. She has gotten better every year because she is so coachable,” Duke head coach Jolene nagel said. “She has continued to work on the things that we wanted her to work on but then also has become a great digger too.” in the first set Duke (20-3, 11-1 in the Acc) breezed by the eagles (8-16, 0-12), winning 25-12. the Blue Devils posted 16 kills in the set and controlled the defensive end with four blocks.

Mccurdy notched two digs on the

jon bedell/the ChroniCle

With 26 digs in Saturday’s win against Boston College, Duke senior Ali McCurdy moved into first place on the ACC’s all-time digs list. same point late in the second set to tie and break ege’s Acc record. Duke went on to win the point and take the second set 25-17, and the home crowd at cameron indoor Stadium gave Mccurdy a standing ovation.

“A great accomplishment,” Mc-

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curdy said. “it’s awesome it happened here and we were able to get a big win over Boston college. hard work has paid off, a great season so far. So continue working hard and get to where we want to be.”

After her 26-kill performance, Mc-

curdy now sits 13 kills ahead of ege for most all-time in the Acc. thanks to three straight seasons with more than 600 digs to start her career, Mccurdy will have time to add to her margin as the Blue Devils enter the back half of conference play.

Playing from two sets down, Boston college jumped out to a 7-2 lead to start the third set and took the stanza 25-22.

Dukes committed nine errors in the third set, compared to the seven errors the Blue Devils committed in the other three sets combined. “i think sometimes we have to make sure we’re thinking about the right things out there on the court and simplify things a little bit in our brain rather than get caught up in extraneous things necessarily,” nagel said. “i also felt like they really had to be the aggressor out there and find strength in each other out there.”

Adjustments were the key for the Blue Devils to rebound in the fourth set. “they did a great job of digging balls in the third game,” sophomore outside hitter emily Sklar said. “We just decided to switch up our offense a little bit and run some different plays. i think See VolleyBAll, page 8

m. soccer

from page 2

including striker Brody Huitema and versatile center back Zach Mathers. Twenty-four Blue Devils saw the pitch Saturday.

“We got some goals early and rested some guys, and we gave some opportunities to some players who haven’t played as much,” Kerr said. “It was a really good night for us all around.”

It was the seventh straight game in which the Panthers failed to score a goal.

The 3-0 defeat was Pittsburgh’s biggest home loss of the season.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Duke maintains its unbeaten streak that stretches back to Oct. 1. The Blue Devils’ first half output matches their first half total from the previous 16 matches combined.

With the victory firmly in hand, the eyes of the Duke faithful now turn to the regular season finale, where one more victory will ensure the season continues.

“We’ve got it all to play for,” Kerr said.

“It’s not going to be easy.”

cross country from page 6 over second-place finisher Colleen Quigley of Florida State to finish in 20:05.9, making her Duke’s first ACC champion since Shannon Rowbury in 2005. “[Winning] was definitely a goal going in,” Bottorff said. “It feels very good and satisfying to know that I was able to pull it off.”

Bottorff’s five years of experience have paid off mentally and physically, women’s head coach Kevin Jermyn said.

“She’s honestly at that point where she doesn’t really need much coaching at all,” he said. “She’s showing me how things can be done when you prepare really hard physically and mentally. It was really fun to watch. I’m thrilled for her.”

Junior Carolyn Baskir crossed the finish line next for the Blue Devils in 17th in a time of 20:59.2, earning All-ACC honors.

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8 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

w. soccer

from page 3

field hockey

from page 6

volleyball

from page 7

before losing to Penn State. Duke has hosted its first-round tournament game in the past two seasons.

Just by evaluating Duke’s win-loss record, the Blue Devils might appear to be a bubble team, but Church believes his team’s results against one of the nation’s toughest schedules give the Blue Devils a strong tournament-ready resume. Duke has strong wins that include road triumphs at Notre Dame and Texas A&M, as well as quality ties against Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Five of Duke’s eight losses on the year have come against teams that have spent time ranked in the top five.

“If you look at our body of work, it’s really only the elite teams that have given us a hard time,” Church said.

“It’ll be good if we can get a couple wins against schools we haven’t seen before, and build some momentum [within the tournament].”

practice this week.”

But as the final seconds ticked off of the clock, the focus went from suffering a blowout loss to Maryland to honoring the program’s seniors.

Despite her family—which resides in England—not being able to make the game, Le Marchand was quick to note that she was surrounded by the members of her other family.

“It has been a pretty amazing thing to be a part of. I don’t think I could ask for a better group of people to do it with,” the two-time All-ACC selection said.

“Four years on this team in this program has been amazing.”

Fellow senior and two-time All-American Paula Heimbach brushed off the loss to celebrate the team’s accomplishments over the last four years.

“It is really bittersweet. It has been a great four years,” said Heimbach. “I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else, and I am really proud to be Blue Devil.”

that was really helpful. We also went back to the third and fourth game and talked about having stronger mental focus.”

Duke turned the tide in the fourth stanza and racked up a match-high 17 kills with only three errors. Sklar ended the game with 13 kills, which makes 15 matches in a row where she has reached double digits. Duke outside hitter Jeme Obeime led the team with 14 kills.

The Blue Devils head out on the road next weekend looking to expand their winning streak at Maryland and Pittsburgh for two more ACC matchups. Although Duke has won 16 out of their last 17, they have also lost a set in two consecutive games to unranked opponents at home.

“I think overall we could have played harder, worked a little bit harder and gotten out of some situations quicker,” McCurdy said. “[We have a] big road weekend ahead. So with that coming up we have to continue to improve as the second part of the ACC season comes ahead.”

The freshman Meier sisters followed, with Haley finishing 27th and Hannah crossing the line in 33rd in just their second ever 6,000-meter race.

Juniors Colleen Schmidt and Kelsey Lakowske and senior Ashley Berry rounded out Duke’s top-seven runners, finishing 55nd, 58th and 82nd, respectively.

The women’s team tallied 130 points on the way to a fifth-place conference finish. This is the best race Duke has had since the Adidas Challenge in September, Jermyn said.

“This was certainly a step in the right direction,” he said. “Looking at the results, it still felt like third was in our reach and that would have been a lot of wins for nationals, but this shows that we’re close to being a good team—a top 20, top 15 caliber team, nationally.”

The men’s team scored 137 points on the way to their sixth-place finish. Third-

through eighth-place teams were separated by only 50 points, and Ogilvie was satisfied with the team’s finish in a tight field.

“We figured it was going to be a crazy battle,” he said. “If you run the race again, you might have slightly different results.”

The Blue Devils’ score suffered when sophomore William Rooney was unable to finish the race. Taking a risk and starting the race aggressively, Rooney drained his energy too early.

Senior Clint McKelvey stepped up to fill the shoes of Duke’s fifth scoring man, running a time of 25:24.4 to finish 59th.

This was only McKelvey’s second race of the year, substituting in for junior Nate McClafferty as the Blue Devils’ last man on the roster.

“He really saved us with a great performance,” Ogilvie said. “That was pretty clutch.”

Senior Brian Atkinson joined Thomp-

son in earning All-ACC honors with his 20th-place finish in 24:36.4. Graduate student Mike Moverman crossed the finish line five seconds behind Atkinson, finishing 22nd.

Crossing the line in 38th with a time of 24:57.7, senior Christian Britto passed three runners in the second half of the race to solidify Duke’s team position.

The Blue Devils will continue championship competition Nov. 15 at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, which will determine whether both the men’s and women’s teams will earn a spot among the 31 teams at the NCAA Championships.

“Between now and regionals, we want to focus on getting rested,” Ogilvie said.

“We are going to get ready to be our absolute best. We have to have it all together as a team for us to keep our string of going to nationals.”

THE

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