The ACC can be a grueling storm at times, and the Blue Devils will have to continue their trek through the heart of it with two tough matchups this weekend.
Duke faces Pittsburgh Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Virginia Tech Sunday at noon at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Although the Blue Devils have kept contests close with the best of the conference, they have won every game against teams with worse ACC records than them and lost every game against teams with better ACC records than them.
“Every match in the ACC is a really tough match, so we have another tough weekend ahead of us,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We’ve been right there—I think we just have to get over the hump a little bit and string some great points together to finish.”
Pittsburgh (16-4, 6-2 in the ACC) is looking to eclipse its impressive season last year, when it finished 25-6 overall and 13-5 in conference play despite missing out on the NCAA tournament. This year, the Panthers—in their third ACC season—have won all nine games at home but are just 3-4 on the road.
Third-year head coach Dan Fisher’s squad relies heavily on graduate student Kadi Kullerkann, who has put down a team-leading 253 kills, 83 more than the second-most prolific Panther, Mariah Bell. Senior Amanda Orchard has been effective as a two-way player, contributing 162 blocks and a .434 hitting percentage that ranks ninth in the nation.
Both teams have had the same results in three of the four matches they have played against mutual opponents, but Duke (8-10, 3-5) and Pittsburgh are built quite differently.
The Panthers rely heavily on a set number of players, but the Blue Devils have been forced to tap into their depth in the face of injuries.
“Because of all of our injuries, our team has grown in depth actually, because more people have had to have an opportunity to get playing time out there,” Nagel said.
Duke’s array of weapons at the net may provide an advantage, although Orchard and the Panthers sit 28th in the nation in blocks per set. Five Blue Devils have posted at least 100 kills this season, led by senior Emily Sklar's 194. Junior middle blocker Jordan Tucker has had the hot hand of late for Nagel's squad, posting 10 or more kills in five of her last seven matches.
Pittsburgh is ranked 11th in kills per set and sixth in assists per frame, but Duke will counter with junior libero Sasha Karelov, who is ranked 37th in the country with 4.92 digs per set and has stayed healthy, playing all 65 sets so far this season.
“We need to know our opponent, but we also need to play our game and eliminate the errors on our side of the court,” Nagel said. “We’ve got to make sure that we make our opponent play the ball, and not end up playing ourselves.”
Duke finishes the weekend with a home match against Virginia Tech (13-7, 4-4), which, like the Blue Devils, has struggled in five-set matches, losing all three of them so far. The Hokies are seeking an eighth straight winning season, and juniors Lindsey Owens and Amanda McKinzie have helped the cause. Owens has registered 253 kills and McKinzie has chipped in 242, which has helped make up for losing middle blocker Kathryn Caine to graduation.
Although Virginia Tech defeated then-No. 19 Michigan State—a team that swept Duke in September—early in the season, the Hokies and Blue Devils have shared the same results against ACC foes North Carolina, N.C. State and Virginia.
The injury bug has plagued Duke at times this season. Sklar—an honorable mention All-America selection in 2014—has only played 48 of 65 sets due to a leg injury she suffered against Long Beach State during the first weekend of the season. Senior Breanna Atkinson has also missed significant playing time.
“I definitely think we have a couple people who are day-to-day,” Nagel said. “I’m anticipating we’ll be able to be healthy [Friday]…. It’s not for sure, but we’ll see.”
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