The only thing harder than beating the same team twice is beating two teams for the second time in the span of two days.
Duke (22-3, 15-1 in the ACC) confronts this task when it begins a four-game road stretch against Maryland (11-14, 4-12) tonight at 7 p.m., followed by a match at Boston College (9-16, 7-9) Sunday at 12 p.m.
"Since we're at the top of the ACC, we're a really big target," freshman Rachel Moss said. "We have everything to lose, and every team we play is going to play as hard as they can."
The main obstacle Duke faces is the venue of both games-all three of the Blue Devils' losses this season have come on the road. Duke's sole ACC loss came at Georgia Tech Oct. 27 after having defeated the Yellow Jackets earlier this year at home.
The Blue Devils, however, are not intimidated by the prospect of entering two hostile environments.
"This team has had experience dealing with crowds," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "They thrive on difficult environments and rise to the occasion."
Duke hopes to utilize its experience to improve upon last year's showing at Maryland, when the Terrapins swept the Blue Devils.
Boston College, meanwhile, has won two of its last three games-all on the road. After losing their last two home games, the Eagles sport a 3-4 home record.
Since volleyball does not have a conference tournament, the champion is determined by regular-season records. Duke currently holds a three-game lead in the ACC standings but needs to stay sharp this weekend to maintain their lead.
With only six games left before postseason play, the games this weekend are important not only for putting two more wins in the victory column but also for preparing for the NCAA tournament.
"We have to come out to play," junior Carrie DeMange said. "We can't just play well one weekend; we have to be at our best all the time. It gets us ready for the NCAA tournament."
Although there is a lot of pressure in playing four of their last six games of the regular season on the road-particularly with so much at stake-the Blue Devils are confident in their ability to perform.
"I love crowds," DeMange said. "We turn it into a fun environment. We know to come together and laugh off what the crowd says. Above it all, we're in it together."
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