With less than a week remaining until the ACC tournament, the No. 8 Blue Devils have just one final test before they reach the postseason. In its last regular season game, Duke (9-5) heads to Nashville, Tenn. to take on No. 14 Vanderbilt Sunday at 2 p.m.
Although the Blue Devils and the Commodores (11-4) are meeting out of conference, the two teams are hardly strangers. They have faced each other in the regular season every year of their program's existence. Duke has dominated the series, claiming an 11-2 edge.
After a four-game skid two weeks ago, the Blue Devils have had a late-season resurgence, handily winning their last two games by at least seven goals. Much of their success can be attributed to their high-scoring attack, as they average over 14 goals per game.
With a team-leading 52 points this season, junior Carolyn Davis has emerged as Duke's top offensive threat. The Tewaaraton Trophy nominee has had to adjust to an unfamiliar situation, as the attacker has never been the focal point of the Blue Devil offense in her three-year career-until now.
"Before Carolyn would only see other teams' fourth- or fifth-best matchup," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "Now with Caroline [Cryer] out, she's become the target of the team."
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, hardly struggles offensively, with the team averaging more than 12 goals per game this year. Senior Margie Curran anchors the Commodores' attack with 63 points and a .721 shots-on-goal percentage.
A win Sunday can push Duke back on track to make a run in the postseason. Although the Blue Devils have had to make substantial adjustments due to inexperience and the loss of key contributors, Kimel is not letting the difficult circumstances excuse Duke's performance earlier in the season.
"I'm not satisfied so far," Kimel said. "Even when we had [Cryer], I thought we would still take some lumps. We didn't handle the four-game stretch [in late March and early April] well."
With the mantra of only focusing on themselves throughout the season, the Blue Devils still have a chance to perform up to the expectations of the program. But it all begins, and to some extent, ends, with Vanderbilt.
"We just have to be thinking of the next game," Kimel said. "Everyone is a challenge, and there really is no safe bet. But we have to focus on controlling our destiny and where we end up [in the NCAA tournament]."
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