With one of the nation’s toughest nonconference schedules now in the rearview mirror, tough tests continue to pile up for the Blue Devils as they enter conference play.
Duke begins its ACC schedule this weekend, hosting matches against Virginia and Virginia Tech and riding a wave of confidence. The Blue Devils will square off with the Cavaliers Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium before hosting the Hokies Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
After spending its first six games on the road, Duke will cap off a seven-game homestand with its first two conference tilts.
“To be able to get home was really nice, after two tough weekends—not just the high quality of the competition but the locations and travel distances,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “When we sat down and did goal-setting early in the season, the players said they wanted to capture stuff in Cameron. They want to win at home.”
The Blue Devils have won five consecutive matches, most recently against then-No. 16 Illinois, the team’s first win against a ranked opponent since 2011.
Due to conference expansion, Nagel didn’t receive the ACC schedule until after she had scheduled nonconference opponents for her Blue Devils (9-2). Duke ultimately received a tough draw—in the first year without two matchups against every conference foe, the Blue Devils will still play twice each of the four ACC teams that advance to the NCAA tournament last season: Florida State, Miami, N.C. State and North Carolina.
“It was a little daunting when I looked at [the full schedule],” Nagel said. “What I’m so excited about is the opportunity it’s given our players to grow.”
After losing the final match of the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis, the Blue Devils returned to Durham with a 4-2 record. They haven’t lost since, and Nagel is hoping that lessons learned from defeats at then-No. 9 Florida and then-No. 4 Minnesota will carry over into ACC play.
“I think [the games against Florida and Minnesota] are what helped them get through last weekend [against Indiana and Illinois],” Nagel said. “They had already seen the best teams out there. They had already seen the speed and the strength of it, so there was no intimidation factor there.”
The current five-game streak has been keyed by reductions in unforced errors. Against Illinois, the Blue Devils tallied five service aces and just six service errors, a marked improvement from the match against Minnesota, when Duke managed just two aces while committing seven service errors.
“Our serving has become a lot better, and our aces-to-error ratio has really improved,” Nagel said. “Our hitting errors have gotten better, but they can still improve. If we can control both of those things, I think we’ll always have a chance.”
Hitting errors made the difference in Saturday’s win against Illinois. The Blue Devils dropped the first set after committing 12 errors, but regrouped to win the next three sets, committing a total of just 14 errors.
Elizabeth Campbell led the offensive attack all weekend for Duke, earning ACC co-Player of the Week honors. After tallying 13 kills and three blocks against Indiana, the sophomore turned in an even better performance in the Blue Devils' win against the Fighting Illini, notching 23 kills, 11 digs and three blocks.
Minimizing errors will once again be paramount if Duke hopes to get off to a strong start in the ACC. Both Virginia and Virginia Tech have been impressive in nonconference play.
The Cavaliers (7-5) enter Friday night’s tilt riding a three-game winning streak of their own. Junior Tori Janowski and freshman Haley Kole lead the way on offense for the Cavaliers with 194 and 172 kills, respectively.
“Virginia is a relatively young team, but at the same time they have some nice ball control, and some explosive kids that can do a great job,” Nagel said. “They’re playing some freshmen that we’ve never seen before, so they’re a whole different look to us than they were last year.”
The Blue Devils will then go up against an offensively balanced Virginia Tech lineup Saturday evening. The Hokies (12-2) have four players with more than 100 kills on the season. Freshman outside hitter Lindsey Owens ranks second on the team with 147 kills and has accounted for 28 of the team’s 74 service aces.
“Virginia Tech is big and tall, they have strong middle blockers and a good right side, and we’re going to be have to contain that,” Nagel said. “Their outsides are really strong as well. Defensively they do a good job, but their strength is really in their offense.”
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