Despite being only three matches into the young season, today marks the beginning of Duke’s toughest road stretch of the year. Playing three games in three days, including a contest against perennial powerhouse Stanford, the No. 18 Blue Devils (3-0) will have their work cut out for them in their first trip to California since 2008.
Duke will take on Pacific (2-0) on Thursday, St. Mary’s (1-2) on Friday and the No. 6 Cardinal (2-0) on Saturday. Stanford projects to be the highest-ranked team the Blue Devils will face all season.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity to represent Duke on the West Coast,” senior Kellie Catanach said. “We’re not really a name over there. [We’re] excited to go out there and establish Duke as an up and coming program.”
Considered by many to be one of the meccas of the sport, California represents a familiar destination for many of the Blue Devils, despite the fact the team has not visited in several years. Senior Sophia Dunworth and freshman Kelsey Williams both hail from Pleasanton, Calif., less than an hour away from Palo Alto.
After a great start to the season, the trip will also serve as a measuring stick for the team. Playing their first matches away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium, these early road games will test their mettle before heading into ACC play.
“We’ve got to go out there and play some people to see where we are,” head coach Jolene Nagel said.
The trip will also help Duke in its search to replace key leadership lost after the graduation of seniors Claire Smalzer and Becci Burling. Both had been crucial starters and integral members of the Blue Devil block.
Fortunately for Duke, the team has early season experience that has not been seen in years past. Unlike previous squads, all of the Blue Devils attended the second session of summer school to gain some early practice time. The payoff has shown in the early results, opening with three consecutive wins—against Furman, Charleston Southern and Wisconsin— for the first time since 2007.
“They’ve been playing together and training together,” Nagel said. “[And it’s] put us ahead as we start off the season.”
Duke will be favored against both the Tigers and the Gaels behind veterans like Catanach, Dunworth, and senior middle-blocker Amanda Robertson. Stanford, a young team that lost three of their All-Americans from a season ago, is still a tough matchup—especially at home. While only two seniors remain on the Cardinal roster, the team makes up for a lack of experience with sheer talent. Freshman Kyle Gilbert has already shown her potential to be an impact player, recording eight digs and two assists in their season opening win over Delaware.
“Everywhere we go we have a huge target on our back,” junior defensive specialist Nailah Waterfield said. “We’re expected to win and it’s a lot of pressure [so] we’re going to thrive on the opportunity to go out there and…play without any huge expectations of us.”
Duke, a squad with a lot of upperclassmen, will surely relish the prospect of playing the underdog role for once. Yet while the prospect of a top-10 opponent looms, Pacific and St. Mary’s are still solid teams that the Blue Devils cannot afford to look past.
“We’re ready to go out there and compete” Nagal said. “But it’s not all about our third day of competition. I think our team’s pretty mature and I expect them to…think about it one opponent at a time.”
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