After two back-to-back wins against High Point and Ohio this past weekend, No. 12 Duke travels to University Park, Pa., to face Missouri tonight in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Volleyball Championship.
The Blue Devils (26-6) are looking to top the Tigers (22-10) at 5 p.m. at Penn State’s Rec Hall and make the school’s second-ever run to the Elite Eight. This is the third time in Duke history that the volleyball team has reached the Round of 16.
“I’m predicting a tough match, but anyone that’s gotten this far in the tournament is going to be good,” said junior Sophia Dunworth, who had a team-high 23 kills over Duke’s first two Tournament matches. “It’s definitely going to be a battle, but we’re excited to have made it this far and to continue playing. It’ll be a good match.”
To reach the Sweet 16, Missouri topped No. 5 Northern Iowa 3-2 in what was the biggest first-round upset in tournament history. The Tigers then won in four sets against Northwestern Saturday.
“They’re a very good team with very good size, and they have won some tough matches to get to this point,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “They’re playing very well right now and have good ball control and present great size at the net, so I think they’re going to be a very formidable opponent.”
Missouri boasts strong defense in senior libero Caitlyn Vann—who leads all players in the Tournament with 59 digs through the first two matches—as well as one of the nation’s top offensive teams that ranks 22nd in kills per set and 21st in assists per set.
“[Vann’s] good. She comes from one of the best clubs in the country that develops ball control on defense,” Nagel said. “She’s an important piece of what they do since she kind of controls things for them in serving and in defense as well.”
However, Duke has its own talented lineup featuring ACC Player of the Year Kellie Catanach and All-ACC selections Becci Burling, Amanda Robertson, Christiana Gray and Ali McCurdy. Under setter Catanach’s leadership, the Blue Devils average 14.17 kills per set, with four hitters who average over two kills per set.
But Duke boasts even stronger defense, allowing only six teams to hit over .300 during its last 74 matches. The Blue Devils rank 36th nationally with 16.92 digs per set with the help of freshman libero McCurdy, who averages 4.89 digs per set.
Even though the Tigers will be looking to knock off yet another seeded team, the Blue Devils are confident in their ability on both sides of the ball.
“We have great defense on our team,” Dunworth said. “We just try and come out firing every time, and that’s what we’re going to do, just keep firing at them no matter what.”
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