Not that a Duke team ever needs any extra motivation going into a contest against North Carolina.
But in addition to the usual incentives of school pride and improving its record, the Blue Devil volleyball team enters tonight's match in Chapel Hill looking to avenge a heart-breaking five-set loss to the Tar Heels earlier this season.
Duke is currently on a roll, having won its last three Atlantic Coast Conference matches and five of six overall, to raise its record to 11-9 and 8-4 in the ACC. The Blue Devils defeated Florida State 3-1 on Sunday. UNC is 15-10, 5-6 in the ACC, and coming off a 3-0 victory over North Carolina State on Thursday.
On Sept. 20, in the teams' first meeting of the season, the Tar Heels took the fifth and decisive game 19-17, as Duke fought off three match points before finally falling.
"The way that match was, you could win and it would help you out emotionally," freshman Sarah Peifer said. "Whenever you play UNC, it's a battle."
UNC brings in a well-balanced team that has four players averaging over three kills and two digs per game. Duke coach Linda Grensing said the Blue Devils will have to serve well and keep the Tar Heel attack off-balance. In particular, she said they want to prevent UNC's setter, Erin Berg, from running a fast offense in order to set up strong defense and blocking.
"We need to come out strong," Peifer said. "We came out really bad [in the first match]."
Duke fell behind 7-2 in game one of its earlier meeting with the Tar Heels, although it eventually came from behind to win it. The Blue Devils also fell behind in the first game of their match with FSU on Sunday. Grensing agreed that one of the keys this time around against UNC will be how Duke starts off.
"What we have to do is just maintain composure and play the match," Grensing said. "I think they've learned a lot since that match. We've grown a great deal as a team. I think we have to be real steady... More than skill, the ability to adjust in combat will be the critical part of the match."
As the ACC tournament approaches, Grensing said, every game becomes critical. Before last Thursday's match versus Wake Forest, the coach posted a sign in her offense reading "Seven Steps to 16-9." Duke is already two steps toward that goal, with five contests remaining, against UNC, non-conference foe William & Mary and ACC rivals N.C. State, Georgia Tech and Clemson, all three of which the Blue Devils have already beaten.
But first Duke must step up and deal with the Tar Heels. Peifer doesn't see any large areas for improvement in order for the Blue Devils to beat UNC this time around.
"We just need to do the little things right," she said.
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