Just when the season seemed to be getting away from them, the Blue Devils righted the ship with four straight wins. With a pair of victories this weekend, Duke may move itself back into the postseason conversation.
The Blue Devils will play road matches at Georgia Tech Friday at 7 p.m. at O’Keefe Gym in Atlanta and against Clemson Sunday at 1 p.m. at Jervey Gym in Clemson, S.C. During the four-game streak, co-captains Emily Sklar and Jordan Tucker have risen to the occasion to keep Duke's hopes alive of advancing to the NCAA tournament for the third straight season.
“They’re both doing great, and we need them to continue to do that,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “Not only are they doing what they need to be doing for our team, but they’re also making other people around them better, which is really exciting.”
Tucker—the ACC Player of the Week a week ago—has recently been on a tear, compiling 61 kills in her last four games at a .493 rate. Sklar has racked up three double-doubles in that same span, adding helpful defense to her dangerous attack game.
The San Jose, Calif., native has collected two 20-dig performances in the past two weeks. After suffering a leg injury Aug. 29 against Long Beach State in Duke's first tournament of the season, the senior outside hitter is rounding back into form.
“What Emily has been doing for us lately has been incredible,” Nagel said. “Now that she’s feeling a little bit better, she’s been very consistent and confident in her serve-receive out there, she has been solid on defense these last few matches, really picking up a lot of balls as a six-rotation player.”
Tucker and Sklar have reinforcements on the attack in freshman Leah Meyer and junior Alyse Whitaker, who hit .367 last weekend against Wake Forest and Virginia. Junior Sasha Karelov has once again been the backbone of the Duke defense, setting up opportunities for her teammates. Duke ranks 11th in the country in kills per set.
The Yellow Jackets (15-9, 6-6 in the ACC) will be a tough road test for the Blue Devils (12-10, 7-5), with the two teams siting right next to each other in the middle of the conference standings. Duke has not played in Atlanta in two years, meaning both freshmen and sophomores will deal with Georgia Tech's challenging road environment for their first time.
Junior outside hitter Teegan Van Gunst leads the Yellow Jackets with 361 kills and ranks second in the ACC in kills per set. Her twin sister, Annika, is second on the team with 222 kills, and sophomore Sydney Wilson provides a third option with 213.
Wilson is also the cornerstone of a strong defense with a team-high 101 blocks. As a team, the Yellow Jackets have held their opponents to a .185 hitting percentage and have outblocked their opponents 206.5 to 169.5. The stingy play at the net may pose problems for the Blue Devils, who have been outblocked by their opponents 177.0 to 160.0
“They go after it, they play really hard,” Nagel said. “It’s going to be a very challenging match for us because they get good crowds down there.”
The four-game road trip will end in Clemson, when Duke plays the Tigers (5-19, 0-12). Clemson is the most inexperienced team in the ACC with eight freshmen and just one senior and one graduate student. Head coach Hugh Hernesman and his four assistants are all in their first years with the team, and the results have been indicative of a squad in the midst of a transition.
Duke cannot underestimate any ACC opponent, but Nagel's squad is in a much-improved position heading into the stretch run. Last week’s sweep against Virginia was a sign of the improvement the Blue Devils have made since they lost to the Cavaliers 3-1 at home Sept. 25.
“I credit our team with their belief in each other, their belief in themselves and their persistence to work to get better, for where we are right now,” Nagel said.
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