Home sweet home.
At least the volleyball team hopes it is. Duke will face Georgia in a second-round NCAA tournament matchup at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Although the Blue Devils will be making their fourth straight tournament appearance, this year things will be a little different.
For the second time ever -- and the first time since 1984 -- Duke will host a game in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"We're really excited about it, especially the seniors," senior Briar Blach said. "It's our last game at home, and it's an NCAA tournament game."
The Blue Devils are hoping that a large partisan crowd will show up to cheer them on. This type of turnout could give Duke an extra boost in its match.
Head coach Jon Wilson hopes that more than 1,000 fans will fill the seats of Cameron to cheer on his team.
"We're very pleased to be at home," Wilson said. "We're not in fear of going on the road, but everyone plays better at home."
One player who is doing her share to attract fans is senior Tami Peterson. Peterson, who is originally from Greensboro, is looking forward to playing in front of her family and friends from the North Carolina area.
"My whole family is coming," Peterson said. "I've been trying to talk it up to my friends."
History suggests that Duke has a reason to be excited about hosting a tournament match. In Duke's only other home tournament match, it defeated South Carolina, 3-1. In addition, over the past nine seasons, Duke is 102-27 when playing in the friendly confines of Cameron.
But history is not all on Duke's side. Georgia has a 10-3 record against Duke, including a 3-0 win last year in Athens, Ga.
Georgia has also had a strong season. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 18 in the nation, and they boast a 26-8 record. But the Blue Devils think that this could work to their advantage.
"We play better when we respect the team we're playing," Peterson said. "We all know that Georgia is a great team."
Georgia's strengths are its ability to pass well and to set up its talented outside hitters. Duke will need to concentrate on its defense in order to overcome the Bulldogs.
"They are a really good team with great outside hitters," Blach said. "But if we block well and serve them right, we'll do good."
The Blue Devils also want to avoid looking ahead. That will be a difficult task because last year's team advanced to the Sweet 16, and the Blue Devils would like to do at least that much this year. If Duke can knock off Georgia, it would earn a trip to Gainesville, Fla., where first-seeded UCLA would most likely be waiting. Although the Blue Devils have dreams of advancing far in this tournament, they know Georgia is not a team to be taken lightly.
"One of the strengths of this team is being able to focus on one thing at a time," Wilson said. "If they are tying to beat Georgia and UCLA at the same time, they're in trouble."
For Duke to beat Georgia, it will need to play solid defense and have a smooth running offense.
But one thing is certain for the Blue Devils. When they walk out of the locker room before the game on Saturday, they will be walking out onto their own court.
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