After a grueling road trip, there truly will be no place like home for the Blue Devils.
Back home from the Midwest after notching a pair of pivotal road victories against then-No. 8 Illinois and Northwestern, No. 6 Duke will put its undefeated record on the line three times this weekend with home matches against Tennessee, Michigan and N.C. Central.
In what was their most challenging weekend of the season so far, the Blue Devils rose to the occasion, recording a 4-3 road victory against the Fighting Illini followed by a 5-2 win in Chicago against the Wildcats. The weekend’s outcomes advanced Duke to 6-0 on the season and an impressive 3-0 on the road.
Head coach Ramsey Smith attributes the team’s success in large part to demanding but character-building competition early in the season.
“We challenged ourselves early with Michigan State and then Kentucky on the road,” Smith said. “I felt like that Kentucky match was definitely a turning point—we faced adversity and we were down, but we were able to come back and win a tough match on the road.”
Now home and riding the momentum of a successful road trip, the Blue Devils will look to defend their home court this weekend three times in three days. The first match will take place Friday at 6 p.m. against No. 20 Tennessee. The Volunteers won their first four matches of the season but then dropped their next two—4-3 against Columbia and then 4-1 against Oklahoma State—bringing them to 4-2 on the season.
For the Blue Devils, Friday’s match against Tennessee is about more than just adding another tally to the win column—it’s about revenge.
“They beat us twice last year and ended our season in the second round of the NCAAs,” Smith said. “They have the same top two guys they had last year and they have a lot of good new guys this year. They’re a tough team and we need to be ready to go.”
Two days after the match against Tennessee, Duke is slated to play a doubleheader—the team plays first against Michigan at noon and again against N.C. Central at 5 p.m. The Wolverines won their season opener 6-1 against Western Michigan but then dropped their next three matches, bringing them to 1-3 overall entering Sunday’s match. In their only game of the season so far, The Eagles lost 7-0 against N.C. State.
One of the biggest stories recently for the Blue Devils has been the exceptional play by junior Josh Levine. This season, the Syosset, N.Y., native is 5-0 in singles match play and 3-1 in doubles play with his partner Jason Tahir. Last week, Levine was selected as the ACC Player of the Week for his two come-from-behind, three-set singles victories in Duke’s two dual matches. His performance as the sixth seed should be instrumental in helping the Blue Devils to maintain momentum throughout the weekend.
“We challenged him early—Josh didn’t play against Wake Forest and then Bruno [Semenzato] got hurt so he got in there and took advantage of the opportunity,” Smith said. “He’s an amazing competitor and handles tough situations very well. It’s not always pretty with him, but he finds a way and he’s getting more and more confident with every win.”
Heading into the weekend, Smith emphasized the importance of remaining healthy and mentally disciplined should the Blue Devils hope to come out with their perfect intact.
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