No. 7 Duke secured its best road win of the season Monday when it went to Knoxville, Tenn. and left Thompson-Boling Arena still undefeated against the Lady Volunteers in their own gym.
Virginia Tech is certainly not Tennessee, and Cameron Indoor Stadium is certainly not Thompson-Boling, but head coach Joanne P. McCallie expects the same type of effort from the Blue Devils Thursday against the Hokies at 7 p.m. in Cameron.
Virginia Tech (11-15, 1-10 in the ACC) currently occupies the league's cellar, while Duke (21-3, 8-2) is tied for second place in the conference, just one game behind Florida State.
And while the setting and characters will be different, McCallie wants the plot's ending to feel similar.
"Often, times will be better at home in almost all statistical categories," McCallie said. "The significance for us is to be on the road and getting that done. That's pretty key for us."
Duke has experience against the Hokies after season-defining wins this year, too.
The Blue Devils traveled to Blacksburg, Va. Jan. 16, just four days after topping ACC rival Maryland by three points at home. Duke struggled at times against the Hokies in its 57-52 win, but the visitors were playing without starting guard Abby Waner, who was out due to an illness.
The game against the Hokies is the second-to-last home contest of the season. And with only four conference clashes remaining-including matchups with Maryland and North Carolina-the Blue Devils still have time to make a move to win the ACC title, even if the window is becoming slimmer with every game.
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