Although the No. 22 Duke celebrated their Senior Night nearly two weeks ago, the heralded class has one more chance to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
With a second-place finish in the ACC, the Blue Devils were unsure where the selection committee would place them. But thanks to a strong finish, in which the team defeated its final four opponents in four games or less, the team was chosen to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament.
"We played our senior-night game and thought it was our last time playing at home," senior Ali Hausfeld said. "We were holding out hope that we would be hosting the tournament, and now we're hoping to take advantage of it. Cameron is such a great environment because it's so historic, and you just get inspired looking at all of the banners."
Duke (24-6) kicks off the tournament tonight at 7 p.m. when it takes on Patriot League champion American (26-7). This marks the third straight season that the Blue Devils have played in the postseason.
Duke must contend with the tallest team they have faced all year, as the Eagles' lineup features 6-foot-8 twins Ann and Claire Recht. American also boasts eight players over six feet.
"They're a very tall team," Hausfeld said. "It's going to be important for us to keep our offense pretty fast to allude their block. We just have to focus on trying to move them around and exploit their speed,"
To contend with the vertically-inclined Eagles, the Blue Devils will need leadership from the players who have proven consistent all season long---: the seniors. The heralded tandem of ACC Player of the Year Carrie DeMange and first-team All-ACC Hausfeld lead the impressive Duke offense, which currently ranks third in the nation in both assists and kills per game. After breaking the records for kills and assists earlier in the season, the teammates have continued racking up the accolades, as Hausfeld ranks third in the nation in assists and DeMange leads the conference in kills and points per game.
With the two seniors taking care of setting and middle hitting, outside hitters Sue Carls and Rachael Moss continue to dominate on the wings. Moss, a second-team All-ACC selection, finished the season fourth in the conference in kills and recorded 20 double-doubles. Carls compiled a hitting clip of .319 and had 12 double-doubles.
Defensively, the Blue Devils lead the league in digs, thanks in large part to libero Jenny Shull. Her steady play will be crucial for Duke, as she has yet to commit an error in her last 32 serve receives. The senior also ranked second in the ACC in digs with 5.2 per game.
To contend with the team's height disadvantage, middle blocker Jourdan Norman will need to continue to dominate at the net. The junior leads the team with 1.35 blocks per game and boasts an average of 2.58 kills per game.
If Duke earns the win tonight, it will face the winner of today's earlier matchup between No. 7 Cal and Liberty Saturday at 5 p.m. As the team prepares to step on the familiar court for the last time this year, the seniors prepare to say goodbye to the place where they have lost just five games in four years while tallying a 90.9 winning percentage.
"I don't look at it as their last opportunity," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "These seniors have been wonderful to work with, They've had wonderful accomplishments, set records and worked so hard. As a coach, I haven't allowed myself to think about when that last time will be. I'm hoping it goes on forever."
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