The volleyball team has lost two games in a row just once this season-during a weekend trip to face Virginia and Virginia Tech Oct. 7 and 9.
This weekend Duke will have the chance to avenge those two losses when it welcomes the two schools to Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils will face the Hokies tonight at 7 p.m. and the Cavaliers Saturday at noon.
Duke (19-7, 13-5 in the ACC) is 12-0 and has lost a mere seven games on its home court.
"We have been really focused," senior Samantha Fisher said about playing at home. "Being at home, everything is very comfortable. We have a routine that we go through. There are no distractions."
In Saturday's noon showdown with Virginia (18-9, 13-5), possession of third place in the ACC-and potentially an NCAA berth-could be on the line. Duke is currently tied for third with the Cavaliers in the conference. The ACC earned just two bids to the NCAA Tournament last year.
Head coach Jolene Nagel, however, refused to speculate on her team's chances are of making the Tournament.
"We've got to do what we can control," Nagel said. "We've got to take care of our own business first. After Virginia Tech, we will concentrate on Virginia."
In the teams' previous battle in Charlottesville, Va. Oct. 7, the Cavaliers defeated Duke 3-1. But that early-season loss was at the start of a difficult road stretch for the Blue Devils, and Nagel said her team has drastically improved since that trip.
"A lot of teams in the ACC face a difficult schedule of traveling a lot in a short period of time," Nagel said. "We have improved our serving and in a lot of different areas, but since we went through that, we are better off today."
Though the Virginia match will have a greater impact on the ACC standings, the Blue Devils cannot afford to overlook Virginia Tech (11-16, 6-12). The Hokies edged Duke, 3-2, in Blacksburg, though Duke took two of the first three games.
"We have to concentrate on the next match at hand," Nagel said. "What I try to do, and what I tell my team is to focus on Virginia Tech."
Friday night is also Senior Night at Duke when the Blue Devils will honor their four seniors, Fisher, Sarah Salem, Ann Geddie and Tiffany Perry. And while their final home games in Cameron will be emotional, the seniors are focused on extending their season into the NCAA Tournament.
"It will mean a lot because we have gotten screwed out of going a couple years in a row," Salem said of a potential berth. "Now I feel we could actually do really well if we made it."
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