After an up-and-down weekend, the Blue Devils will try to push their record back above .500 as they face a pair of challenging ACC teams from the Sunshine State.
Duke will host No. 18 Florida State Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium before taking on Miami Sunday at 1 p.m. After losing in straight sets to North Carolina, and taking N.C. State to the full five sets to win the match last weekend on the road, the Blue Devils will search for the consistent play they have been looking for all season.
“A team is always developing,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “We hope to get better every time we step on the court, at practice and also in matches.”
The Blue Devils (7-7, 2-2 in the ACC) were ineffective on the attack against the Tar Heels. Duke posted a hitting percentage of .214 compared to the Tar Heels’ .386. North Carolina’s defense was suffocating, totaling 11.5 blocks in the three-set sweep. The Blue Devils did not do themselves any favors, committing more than twice as many errors as their Triangle opponents. All of this culminated in another loss that exposed some of the issues that have plagued Duke all season.
But the match against N.C. State was a completely different story. Although there were concerns about how Duke would fare against the Wolfpack without its offensive anchor—senior outside hitter Emily Sklar—the Blue Devils stepped up to avoid a third straight loss. The trio of Leah Meyer, Jordan Tucker and Cadie Bates released an offensive flurry as they collected 14, 13 and 13 kills, respectively. Additionally, the Blue Devils played very aggressive defense, tallying 14 total blocks.
“[The team was] in a good state of mind,” Nagel said. “That’s the kind of state of mind we need to have when we go out to compete every time.”
Despite the victory, Duke’s test against N.C. State was not without its flaws that must be addressed if the Blue Devils hope to live up to their No. 25 preseason ranking. In the first set, which Duke won 25-12, the Blue Devils committed no errors. In the following two sets, both of which went to the Wolfpack, they committed a total of 11. Duke must find a way to limit the mental mistakes if they want to jump back into the race for the ACC crown.
“Volleyball is very much a game of momentum,” Nagel said. “It’s also a game of errors and a team has to work very hard in order to not let that discourage them mentally and let that turn into a bunch more points.”
Duke will have to limit those lapses against the Seminoles, the only ACC team currently ranked in the top 25. Florida State (11-4, 4-0) has taken eight games in straight sets, with sweeps in each of their last three wins. The Seminoles’ main offensive threat is outside hitter Nicole Walch. The senior from Stuart, Fla., leads her team with 3.7 kills per set and has racked up almost 200 kills already this season.
The Seminoles are a defensive wall because of their height. Sarah Burrington, the team’s leader in total blocks, stands 6-foot-5—taller than anyone on the Duke team. Burrington and fellow blocker Melanie Keil are each near 70 blocks for the season. As a team, Florida State averages 2.9 blocks per set—the Blue Devils only average 1.8.
“They have played a tough schedule and they have a very large team,” Nagel said. “We need to be able to control the ball…so that we can do what we want to do offensively.”
Although the task is daunting, Duke is up for the test. Last year, Florida State came to Durham ranked No. 3 in the country and the Blue Devils were able to pull off the upset in four sets. If the Blue Devils want to have a repeat of last year, they cannot concede easy points. This mainly comes from errors, whether they be attacking, setting or blocking.
The second leg of Duke’s weekend is against the Hurricanes (9-5, 2-2). Miami is also coming off a strong weekend, dropping only one set against Georgia Tech and sweeping Clemson. The Hurricanes are led offensively by Greek product Olga Strantzali, who is averaging 3.4 kills per set. Duke will need to key in on her and do its best to limit the sophomore outside hitter’s productivity.
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