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Duke Volleyball Season In Review
12/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
The Duke volleyball team continued its tradition of excellence in 2007 and wrapped up the season with its third straight trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils emerged as one of the top offensive units in the country, posting the fourth-best assists and kills averages among all Division I teams. Duke, led by head coach Jolene Nagel, set school records for the most kills (2,139) and assists (1,997) while tying the single-season kill per game average (17.53).
For the fourth straight season, Duke topped 20 victories with a 25-7 overall record, including a 19-3 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils swept nine of their 11 conference opponents and won 61 of 83 games in ACC play. Duke also carried out a 38-match home win streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a run that began during the senior class' freshman campaign in 2004. Duke posted a 14-2 home record on the season, losing only to NCAA Tournament qualifiers Clemson and No. 7 Cal.
For the second straight season and the sixth time in program history, a Blue Devil was named the ACC Player of the Year. Senior Carrie DeMange received the honor after putting together undoubtedly the best season in school history in which she set the school's single-season and career kills records and finished as the ACC leader in kills and points per game and among the top-20 in the nation in kills per game. DeMange, a 6-2 middle blocker, knocked down a school-record 606 kills to bring her career total to 1,976, setting Duke and the ACC's all-time record. With a team-leading 24 double-doubles on the season, including a string of 15 straight, DeMange was also one of Duke's best defensive players and rounded out the season with 415 digs and 97 blocks for the second-most on the team. The Dayton, Ohio, native picked up her third consecutive first team All-ACC honor while also earning a spot on the AVCA All-East Region first team.
Senior Ali Hausfeld and sophomore Rachael Moss joined DeMange on the All-ACC squad, with Hausfeld claiming her fourth consecutive first-team honor and Moss earning her second second-team selection. Both Blue Devils appeared on the All-East Region team, as did senior libero Jenny Shull, who claimed a spot on the honorable mention squad. This season marked the eighth consecutive year in which Duke placed at least two players on the All-East Region teams.
Hausfeld, a 6-0 setter from Springboro, Ohio, rounded out her four-year career as the only Duke player in school history to pick up four All-America citations the third Blue Devil to receive four first team All-ACC awards. One of the most talented setters to come through the ACC, Hausfeld etched her name throughout the school record books, setting Duke records for the most assists in a career and in a season. Hausfeld obliterated Duke's previous all-time assists record, concluding her four-year tenure with 6,183 assists, over 1,000 more than the previous mark of 5,082. Hausfeld also surpassed her own single-season assist record in 2007, finishing with 1,714 for the fourth-best average in the country at 14.17. She was just 130 shy of surpassing Duke's all-time team assist total of 1,844. Hausfeld now owns the first, second and fourth-best single-season assist totals in school history
Shull, a 5-5 libero, entered the season as one of the top liberos in school history and concluded her career by solidifying her reputation as the best defensive player to ever come through Duke's program. Shull came to Duke from Downey, Calif., and made an immediate impact as a freshman. After being handed the libero jersey as a sophomore, she came within three digs of settings the school's all-time digs record and followed up with her second-straight 600-dig season as a junior. Her tremendous sophomore and junior campaigns were blown away, however, following a record-breaking senior season in which she not only became Duke's all-time and single season digs leader, but tied the ACC's all-time digs record as well. With a school-record 644 digs in 2007, Shull brought her career total to 2,200, becoming only the 12th player in NCAA Division I history to surpass 2,100 digs. She finishes her career with the 12th-most digs in NCAA history. A proven team leader, her talents as the team's libero are outshined only by her determination and all-out effort on the court.
Sophomore Rachael Moss picked up where she left off as a freshman and claimed All-Region and All-ACC honors after she topped 400 kills and digs in 2007. One of the most versatile players on the Blue Devil squad, Moss averaged 4.09 kills and 3.38 digs per game, while also leading the Blue Devils with 45 service aces and appearing among the ACC's top-10 in kills, aces and total points. A 5-10 outside hitter, Moss picked up 21 double-doubles on the season, including two 20-20 outings and seven performances with 20 or more kills. She was nearly unstoppable in leading Duke to a 3-2 win over American in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, finishing with 20 kills on 39 attacks, three service aces and 15 digs with only two of her attacks resulting in errors.
Junior Jourdan Norman enjoyed a breakout season as well, finishing the regular season with the third-best hitting percentage in the conference at .400 and among the top-five in the ACC with 1.35 blocks per game. A 5-11 middle blocker, Norman earned career highs in kills (312), attacks (614), hitting percentage (.393) and total points (403.5) while posting the second-highest block total in school history with 164. In only her third season, Norman moved to fourth on Duke's all-time blocks list after posting more than 130 for the third consecutive year and contributing three or more in all but two matches on the season. She put back five or more in 19 matches, including a season-high 11 in a 3-1 win over Wake Forest and nine in a 3-2 win over American in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Sue Carls proved to be one of Duke's most efficient hitters as well, finishing second on the team and among the ACC's top-10 with a .314 hitting percentage. Carls was one of the most consistent performers on the team, adding at least eight kills in all but five matches, including 15 outings in double figures. A 6-1 outside hitter with a career .305 hitting percentage, Carls topped 300 kills for the first time and collected career highs in attacks (714) and digs (45) and posted more blocks (75) than her previous two seasons combined.
Junior Aana Wherry had her most productive season to date after stepping in to fill a number of roles throughout the season. A 5-11 outside hitter, Wherry proved to be a valuable defensive asset in the middle of the season and a consistent hitter during the final stretch. Wherry earned career highs in every statistical category, including kills (67), attacks (196), digs (151), assists (39) and service aces (16). In 12 matches from Sept. 30 through Nov. 3, Wherry averaged 2.08 digs per game and turned in six outings with 10 or more digs. She took on an offensive role during the final six matches of the season and collected 40 kills and six aces during that span, including 10 kills and a .304 hitting percentage against American in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Duke also received significant contributions from a pair of freshmen in Becci Burling and Claire Smalzer. Smalzer, a 5-11 defensive specialist and outside hitter, emerged as one of Duke's most reliable defenders, posting 1.76 digs per game and a .954 reception percentage. Smalzer committed just 12 reception errors in 263 chances and had just one over Duke's final seven matches, a span of 101 opportunities. A native of Palos Heights, Ill., Smalzer was also one of Duke's most effective servers and ranked second on the team with a .958 serve percentage, committing just 21 errors in 501 attempts. Burling, a 6-2 middle blocker, showed signs of a productive career after turning in 114 kills in her inaugural season. The Monument, Colo., native came on strong in a 3-2 win at rival North Carolina, hammering a season-high 14 kills on 36 attacks against the Tar Heels.
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