Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of Oct. 3-Oct. 9.
Football
In the blink of an eye, Duke turned what might have been only a disappointing loss at Georgia Tech into a heartbreaker, scoring the last 14 points of regulation before ultimately falling 23-20 in overtime. The Blue Devils (4-2, 1-1 in the ACC), led by sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard (20-of-41, 136 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception) showed fight late, but it was not enough to overcome a slow start in a game in which an unusually high number of Duke players went down with injuries on either side of the ball. Next up for head coach Mike Elko’s squad is a battle for the Victory Bell against North Carolina, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium. -Jonathan Levitan
Women's soccer
The seventh-ranked Blue Devils needed a bounceback week after a heartbreaking loss to No. 2 Virginia, and they got it. Duke dismantled a good Wake Forest team 2-1 Thursday, then comfortably handled No. 13 Pittsburgh Sunday. Freshman striker Kat Rader recorded her first-ever brace Thursday, giving her seven goals this year, while Sunday Olivia Migli notched her first goal and Emily Royson her first assist of the season. The win against the Panthers moves the Blue Devils back into a tie for first in the ACC, making the winner of Thursday’s matchup in Tallahassee, Fla., the favorite for the regular-season championship. -Em Adler
Men's soccer
Another week, another match unbeaten for the second-ranked Blue Devils. Duke (8-0-3, 3-0-2) traveled to Virginia Friday evening for an important bout with the 21st-ranked Cavaliers, settling for a 0-0 draw. The result keeps the Blue Devils on an 11-match undefeated streak and brings head coach John Kerr’s team a second-consecutive clean sheet and seventh of the season. Up next is a Friday contest against Notre Dame, the team that denied Duke an ACC tournament triumph in 2021. -Andrew Long
Volleyball
The Blue Devils were swept in the Sunshine State this weekend, falling Friday to Florida State (23-25, 22-25, 11-25) and to Miami (17-25, 22-25, 11-25) Sunday. Duke (10-7, 1-5) was led at the net by freshman outside hitter Taylor Atkinson, who tallied 21 kills throughout the two matches, and junior Georgia Stavrinides, who added six blocks for the team. Its meeting against Miami marked the first match all season in which Duke did not earn an ace. The Blue Devil squad will be back in Cameron next weekend, battling No. 10 Georgia Tech Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Clemson Sunday at 1 p.m. -Leah Boyd
Field hockey
It was overall a successful weekend for the 25th-ranked Blue Devils, who narrowly dropped their Friday matchup to No. 6 Virginia 3-2 at home before going on the road Sunday and bursting for an 8-1 victory against Richmond. The forward duo of senior Hannah Miller and sophomore Issy Carey shined for Duke (5-8, 0-4), with the younger of the two pacing Sunday’s win with a quick natural hat trick. The Blue Devils stay on the road in Kentucky this upcoming week, knocking down two birds with one stone with a Friday matchup against Louisville and a Sunday meeting at Bellarmine. -Levitan
Women's golf
In the Windy City Collegiate Classic, the Blue Devils finished in a tie for fourth with Arizona State at +27, 24 strokes back of first-place USC. After rounds of 77 and 72, junior Anne Chen concluded her week with a final-day 69, vaulting into a tie for fourth alongside Purdue’s Momo Sugiyama and Michigan’s Hailey Borja—a three-time All-Big Ten honoree. Chen, Erica Shepherd, Phoebe Brinker, Rylie Heflin and Andie Smith suited up for Duke, while Megan Furtney competed as an individual. Next up for the program is the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Juno Beach, Fla., which begins Monday. -Max Rego
Women's tennis
The Blue Devils were in action in nearby Cary, N.C., this past week at the ITA All-American Championships, in which Duke as a whole exited the event fairly early. Four Blue Devils competed in the main draw, with each of Georgia Drummy, Chloe Beck, Emma Jackson and Cameron Morra wrapping up their respective runs with singes losses Thursday and the duo of Beck and Morra falling in the Round of 16 that same day. Now, it will be a quick turnaround for Duke, which returns to play Thursday at ITA Fall Regionals in Winston-Salem, N.C. -Levitan
Men's tennis
Duke continued its strong play at the ITA All-American Championships. In singles, both freshman Pedro Rodenas and junior Garrett Johns made the main draw. While Rodenas was unable to secure a win in the main draw, Johns advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before losing in three sets to Eliot Spizzirri of Texas. The two athletes also competed together in doubles, reaching the final round of qualifying. Duke will not have to travel far for its next tournament, as the team will take part in the ITA Carolina Regionals in Cary from Oct. 21-Oct 24. -Robert Miron
Cross country did not compete this past week and will return Friday at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis. Softball competed in two fall ball matches Saturday and Sunday at Tennessee and Carson-Newman, respectively.
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