While most students will return home for fall break this weekend, the volleyball team will continue a crucial stretch of Atlantic Coast Conference matches, hosting Clemson and Georgia Tech in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils, coming off a pair of disappointing ACC losses last weekend, will try to rebound against two of the top three teams in the conference. Clemson (13-8 overall, 3-1 in the ACC) and Georgia Tech (21-3, 5-2) both pose a stiff challenge for Duke coach Linda Grensing's young squad, which fell to Maryland and Virginia in its last two matches.
Although Grensing was pleased with the Blue Devils' five-set battle against the Terrapins-who at 8-0 remain unbeaten in the ACC-she was not as happy with the level of play against the Cavaliers. She pointed to the upcoming matches this weekend as a chance for Duke to get back on track against quality opposition.
"[Clemson and Tech] are two excellent teams," Grensing said. "They test our weakness as a young team."
The Tigers and Yellow Jackets currently stand second and third in the ACC, respectively. Both teams are coming off of victories against Florida State, North Carolina and N.C. State-all in the same week.
Tech won its first 16 games of the season, and became the only ACC team to earn a national ranking thus far this season. But the Yellow Jackets have since dropped a pair of road games in the ACC, and Grensing's Blue Devils (6-8, 3-3) will try to continue Tech's road woes when the Yellow Jackets visit Durham Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
But before Duke hosts the Yellow Jackets, it must focus on Friday's matchup with Clemson. The Tigers are lead by senior outside hitter Julie Rodriguez, who continues to tear up the conference. Rodriguez was named the ACC's Player of the Week last week, averaging 5.5 kills and 4.8 digs per game. She also moved into 10th place on the all-time ACC list for both categories.
Duke will counter with freshman Sarah Peifer, who continues to thrive in Duke's high-powered attack. Peifer leads the Blue Devils with 202 kills and is second to junior Maureen Reindl with 207 digs. Peifer racked up 54 kills last weekend-including a career-high 30 against Virginia-and currently ranks fourth in the ACC with 3.96 per game. Thanks to Peifer's performance, the losses to Virginia and Maryland were, at the least, encouraging from an offensive standpoint.
"That's the type of match [Peifer] needs to have every time she steps on the court," Grensing said.
Grensing pointed to junior setter Kristen Campbell as the key to establishing the offensive pace for Peifer and the other Blue Devils. Campbell's hard work has pushed her to third place in the ACC in assists per game, and she continues to improve.
"She's been spending extra time developing the offense, and it shows," Grensing said.
Campbell's leadership has been invaluable for a squad that includes seven freshmen and sophomores. The Blue Devils, who are in the midst of a building process, hope to gain some momentum from this weekend's matches.
"Because we are a young team, we have to keep things in perspective," Grensing said. "We have to keep focusing on our main goal, which is to finish in the top two [in the ACC] and place well in the Tournament. For us, it's not just about individual [match] results, but also the building process... for the end of the season and next year."
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