Nearly two months after Boston College Volleyball secured a thrilling five-set win over Duke on Sept. 25, the Eagles visited Durham on Friday. But the Blue Devils flipped the script and took their turn at a five-set win.
The Eagles (17–12, 5–10 Atlantic Coast) found themselves playing from behind against Duke (15–11, 6–9), but showcased grit and took the Blue Devils to five sets. BC couldn’t top Duke in the fifth set though, and fell to the Blue Devils 3–2 by scores of 18–25, 25–21, 13–25, 25–22, and 15–17.
After dropping the first set, BC survived a 9–0 Duke run to take the second set 25–21. During a crucial third set, BC continued to find itself with its back against the wall and dropped the set 13–25.
Silvia Ianeselli and Katrina Jensen led the Eagles’ attack on Friday. Ianeselli tallied 12 kills, eight digs, and two block assists while Jensen recorded 13 kills and two block assists. Their composed play kept BC in the game even after going down 2–1.
They were no match for Duke’s Gracie Johnson, however, who ran the Blue Devils’ offense with a combination of finesse plays and power, leading the team with 24 kills.
BC dominated the fourth set early and led by as many as eight points. The Blue Devils came close to a comeback, but BC middle blocker Julia Haggerty’s strong defensive presence kept BC alive, winning the set 25–22.
Set five came down to the wire, with BC up 15–14 with the game on the line. But then, BC’s Jenna Pollock made an attack error that allowed Duke to tie things up. From there, Duke had the momentum and scored two straight points to win the set 17–15.
Though the Eagles’ couldn’t develop a consistent enough rhythm to earn the win, BC showed mental fortitude and persistence, which could come in handy as it moves on to face its final three ACC opponents of the season to close out the year.
