The Blue Devils will make the short 20-minute commute to Cary, N.C., this weekend to participate in the ACC tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the field, Duke received a first-round bye and will play its first match against N.C. State Friday at 9 a.m. The Blue Devils (21-3, 10-1 in the ACC) easily defeated the Wolfpack (15-7, 5-6) 6-1 in the regular season.
The Blue Devils have every right to be confident about their ACC tournament prospects this weekend. After all, they did seem to steamroll over conference opponents this year, only dropping one ACC matchup against Florida State to close the regular season. Duke’s résumé included marquee road wins over then-No. 3 North Carolina and then-No. 5 Miami.
“We’re playing to win [the tournament]. All of our preparations this week have been to be victorious,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “We put ourselves in a really good position, getting a bye.... Our goal is to win it. We’re as battle-tested as anybody.”
Ashworth also explained that Duke is well-equipped to handle high-pressure situations that characterize tournaments. Four of the squad’s eight members are seniors, and three have seen this tournament in years past. Reka Zsilinszka, Ellah Nze and Elizabeth Plotkin were also present when the Blue Devils took home the conference and the national title two years ago.
“We have a confident group of girls who believe in themselves. I think if it were a young group, things might be different,” Ashworth said. “But we have four seniors, and I think they understand what we need to do this week to get things done.”
Given this experience and success in the regular season, the Blue Devils are the heavy favorites to win the tournament. The path will not be easy, however. The ACC is widely considered to be the best conference in the country, now boasting seven teams in the top-25. This number even reached double-digits at one point in the season.
Even Ashworth was quick to note the potential for his squad to stumble early.
“It used to be the case if you were the No. 1 seed and you played the No. 8 seed, it was an easy match,” Ashworth said. “But honestly, there are no easy matches. There are five or six teams in the tournament that pose a serious threat to us.”
Looking forward, perhaps this tournament provides an opportunity beyond bragging rights in the ACC. Playing against such a talented field will not only give Duke confidence, but also reveal any weaknesses to improve upon before competing for a national title. After all, if the Blue Devils can compete against anybody in the ACC, they will likely also be able to stand their ground against anybody in the country.
“Look at the past couple of years at the NCAA Tournament, we always had to get by ACC teams,” Ashworth said. “There are going to be ACC teams in the tournament, and to keep getting wins of that caliber is a perfect way to spring into the tournament. It can do a lot for our team.”
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