After mixed results on the road, the Blue Devils are ready to return to Cameron Indoor Stadium and start a six-game homestand this weekend against stiff competition.
Duke will face off against No. 3 Stanford Friday at 6:30 p.m. in its home opener and against UNC Wilmington Saturday at 3 p.m. If the Blue Devils are to improve their record this weekend and pull off an upset against the Cardinal, they will need to make some important adjustments.
“We’re just looking forward to the opportunity to be home for the first time this year,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We’re learning from what we’ve experienced so far this year and also preparing for our two opponents this weekend.... We have been working on our rotations and will continue to do that this week to make sure we are confident in our options.”
For the past two weekends, Duke (4-2) has been on the road, participating in the LBSU/CSF Baden Invitational in California and most recently the Kansas Invitational. In both events, the Blue Devils showed signs of good things to come, including strong play from junior libero Sasha Karelov. At the same time, they exhibited gaps in their game that need attention if Duke wants to win consistently, especially as the ACC schedule is set to begin in less than two weeks.
In the fist two matches of the season, the Blue Devils cruised to a pair of wins against Saint Mary’s and California State–Fullerton in straight sets, and only allowed one set in which the opposing team broke 20 points.
After a hard-fought, five-set loss to Long Beach State and another straight-set win against the University of Missouri–Kansas City, Duke hit its first major bump in what turned out to be a 3-0 loss at the hands of No. 22 Kansas. The Jayhawks’ defense was stifling, with 7.5 total blocks compared to the Blue Devils’ two. Duke was also held to a season-low hitting percentage of .170 in the defeat.
“[Kansas] did a tremendous job blocking,” Nagel said. “We need to continue to make sure that we have answers to that…. We needed to cover a little bit better so we could do more things on offense ourselves.”
After the lopsided loss to the Jayhawks, Duke rebounded quickly against Western Illinois. The Blue Devils took the game in straight sets and held the Leathernecks to fewer than 16 points in all three sets. Duke also seemed to do a better job blocking, increasing their total to 11. Clarence, N.Y., native Leah Meyer led the team with 12 kills and an impressive hitting percentage of .391, earning ACC Freshman of the Week honors for her efforts in the tournament.
“[Leah] is a talented player,” Nagel said. “She grew a lot between the first weekend and the second weekend. I just look to her to continue to do that as she gains more confidence and feels more comfortable with her teammates…. I just think she’s going to get better and better.”
Duke’s first test will come against the Cardinal (3-1). Stanford has played well this season, holding opponents to a hitting percentage of .205. Freshman Hayley Hodson and senior Brittany Howard have been leading the offense, with 48 and 45 kills, respectively.
“[Stanford] is a great team,” Nagel said. “They have great athletes—we’re not surprised by that.”
After squaring off against Stanford, the next step for the Blue Devils is to play the Seahawks (5-1). In its last game, UNC Wilmington held Norfolk State to a low .042 hitting percentage and committed 14 fewer errors than the Spartans.
In order for Duke to make the most of this next crop of matches, consistency will be key after an up-and-down first two weekends. This is also the first time the Blue Devils have been able to play at home all season, and that advantage could be just what the team needs.
If Duke can learn from their previous mistakes and find a way to overcome good blocking while maintaining their offensive prowess, they might have the firepower to pull off an upset against the Cardinal, a victory that would likely put the Blue Devils back into the top 25.
“We’re still a work in progress, trying to get better each time, each practice,” Nagel said. “We have the right attitude to get better all the time.”
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