Winning one game takes focus, but winning after multiple losses requires a whole new level of mental toughness.
After losing to then-No. 19 San Diego in Cameron Indoor Stadium last week, No. 23 Duke (4-3) prepares to face Campbell (4-7) tonight at 7 p.m. in its final home match before ACC play. The Blue Devils’ loss to the Toreros was the squad’s third consecutive defeat, marking the team’s longest losing streak in eight years. But Duke is not worried about those numbers.
“As a team, we don’t look at [our season] like that,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We don’t know what our win streak is, and I rarely know what our record is. We’re just looking to get better each and every day that we come to practice, and each and every day that we compete.”
The Blue Devils will face a tough opponent in the Fighting Camels. Although Campbell is unranked and has amassed a losing record this season, it possesses a standout offensive threat in junior outside hitter Jordan Reaves. With 100 kills and 93 digs tallied this season, Reaves has already recorded four double-doubles and received all-tournament accolades at the Charlotte University and RTP/NCCU tournaments.
In response to the Fighting Camels’ offensive potential as well as some mistakes in last week’s match, Duke has focused on making small tweaks in practice this week.
“Since last Thursday’s game, we’ve had some great practices and I’ve been very pleased with our effort,” Nagel said. “I think what I’m looking for as we go into this is [if] we are going to be able to see some of the things we’ve been working on improved. I know our team is capable of doing a more disciplined job, especially on the defensive end of things, so I know I’ll be watching for that.”
As they approach conference play, the Blue Devils will continue to rely on individual contributors, especially dominant freshman Jeme Obeime and senior Sophia Dunworth. The pair leads Duke’s offense with 74 and 70 kills respectively, and while the squad will undoubtedly look to them for leadership in tonight’s match, Nagel hopes to better spread the offensive duties.
“We’re definitely trying to get our offense a little bit more broad so that there are more people getting [set] during a contest,” Nagel said. “We don’t want [our strategy] to focus on just a few [players]—we want to get more hitters involved.”
The matchup against Campbell will be the Blue Devils’ final chance to make any last-minute adjustments before Friday’s ACC opener against Wake Forest.
“The tough [out-of-conference] schedule was to get us ready for ACC conference play and to get us some representation all over the country,” Nagel said. “We’re excited to be home and to get back at it.”
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