The Blue Devils walk into Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight trying to do something they haven't done since 2004-rebound from an ACC home loss.
After suffering its first conference loss of the season, No. 17 Duke (14-4, 9-1 in the ACC) will look to successfully finish its four-game homestand with matches against Virginia Tech and Virginia.
Following a strenuous schedule that saw the Blue Devils playing five games over a 10-day span, rejuvenation is the team's top priority.
"Getting rest was very significant for us this week," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "After playing in two tough matches, we needed to deal with not only the physical demands, but the emotional ones as well."
Duke takes on Virginia Tech tonight at 7 p.m. in what might prove to be a battle of the defenses. While the Hokies have held opponents to a .152 hitting percentage, their biggest strength on the defensive side may be blocking. ACC blocks leader Felicia Willoughby is averaging 1.57 per game, which ranks her among the top-15 blockers in the country.
To match up with the imposing Virginia Tech defense, libero Jenny Shull's consistency will be key for the Blue Devils' success. After a productive weekend in which the senior recorded over 34 digs each match, she is within 100 digs of taking over the ACC's all-time digs record. Junior Jourdan Norman will also be crucial at the net, as she averages a team-high 1.33 blocks per game.
On Saturday, Duke will have to switch gears and prepare for a powerful Virginia offense. The Cavaliers are lead by three-time all-conference hitter Sarah Kirkwood, who is second in the ACC, averaging 3.17 blocks per game. The senior has recorded over 300 kills this season, matched only by the Blue Devils' middle hitter Carrie DeMange.
After coming up short against an impressive blocking team in Clemson, Duke focused on changing things up offensively, getting more creative on its attacks. The Blue Devils need their senior tandem of DeMange and Ali Hausfeld to step up once again and dominate the defense. Hausfeld continues to set the pace for setters around the nation, averaging 14.25 assists a game. DeMange leads the conference recording 5.13 kills per game, good enough to break top-10 in the nation.
The Blue Devils hope to avoid falling into the habit of getting behind early in matches, with their last two games resulting in 0-2 starts. Nagel reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the momentum early rather than letting their opponents set the tempo.
"Losing the first two games is never in the game plan for us," Nagel said. "Our team is mature enough to understand that we can't continue to do that and bail ourselves out. We need to get a great start this weekend. Every match is critical, but we're going to focus on the first point of the first match."
Following the weekend at home, Duke heads back out on the road, traveling north to face Boston College Oct. 26 and Maryland Oct. 28.
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