After two years of 'paying their dues' and 'learning the ropes' and doing all the other cliched things that teams are supposed do in order to 'build a winner', the volleyball team appears poised to reclaim its Atlantic Coast Conference crown in 1997.
The Blue Devils return five starters from last year's third-place team, in addition to a handful of other veteran players and a pair of highly qualified freshmen. Duke's combination of returning talent and a successful past (a string of four straight ACC titles that ended in 1994) has earned the Blue Devils the status of preseason favorites in the conference.
While the acclaim mirrors Duke's goals for the season, it is not something third-year coach Linda Grensing or her players care to take for granted, or at least let go to their heads.
"With the preseason that we have, there's really not enough time for them to get too full of themselves," Grensing said. "And I think they all realize that there are some real challenges ahead of them."
But despite not listening to their press, the Blue Devils recognize the added pressure that comes with being No. 1 in the eyes of others and with aiming for the top.
"This year when you set your sights on the top of the ACC, obviously there's pressure, but that's what you like about being competitive," Grensing said. "There's a balance between what you want to achieve as a competitor and what you set your goal on. The pressure is really the same, the goal is just different."
Leading the way for Duke on the floor will be a pair of battle-tested seniors who were integral parts of the Blue Devils' last ACC title squad their freshman year-outside hitter Maureen Reindl and setter Kristen Campbell. Reindl led the ACC and the NCAA in digs last year, averaging just under five per game. 'Mo' also racked up 3.2 kills per game, good for second on the team.
Campbell earned All-ACC second-team honors as well as moving into first place on Duke's career assists list late in the season.
Having tasted the title already, the senior duo draws lessons by contrasting this year and the 1994 campaign.
"There aren't many similarities to when we were freshmen," Reindl said. "Our work ethic as a team then wasn't what it is now. We weren't in good shape and we didn't play our best, but we still kept winning. It seemed really easy. Now we know what it takes to earn it all."
In addition to the hard lessons, they also recall the emotional satisfaction of attaining that goal.
"I think we can also look back on that and remember how it feels to win," Campbell said. "Even though it may have been easier, it's still winning. I think we can really draw on that feeling as a motivating factor."
Joining Campbell and Reindl as experienced seniors are middle blocker Jill Van Oort and utility player Sarah Corder. Van Oort came on strong at the end of last year as a blocker and a hitter and is one of three middle blockers that Grensing will rely on this year-along with sophomore Jami Ediger (51 total blocks and 2.4 kills per game last year) and junior Megan Irvine.
Irvine was named to the All-ACC second team last year and led the Blue Devils with 60.5 total blocks to go along with 2.9 kills per game. The 6-foot Irvine appears to have stepped her game up a notch higher this year, as she already claimed all-tournament team honors at the Goff/MSU Classic this weekend.
"Megan is doing some incredible things physically in terms of work in the weight room and hitting the ball hard," Grensing said. "She has made huge strides in blocking as well. She's so solid that you sometimes don't notice her on the floor simply because she's not as flashy."
Corder doubles as an outside hitter and a backup setter and has challenged her teammates for floor time during the preseason.
Duke will also feature a fifth senior with less experience-outside hitter Jenny Stadler. Stadler walked on to the team last year and saw action in just four matches, but was asked by Grensing to return for a fifth year at Duke. Things have worked out well for Stadler, who saw extensive action this weekend and led the Blue Devils in kills, with 17, against No. 6 Michigan State.
"Jenny has really blossomed as a player," Grensing said. "She is on the court now because of her ability, not because of someone else's inability."
One weapon that Duke does not have fully loaded is sophomore outside hitter Sarah Peifer. The 1996 ACC Rookie of the Year, Peifer was on the floor to start the year for the Blue Devils, but has yet to fully recover from off-season shoulder surgery. The hard-hitting Peifer led Duke in kills last year with over four per game and finished second in the ACC in digs with 4.2 a game.
While her recovery is not yet 100 percent, she is relatively close and is mostly trying to regain her confidence in her shoulder. As often happens with athletes, the injury has also had some positive side effects on Peifer's game.
"The injury has led me to work on passing and defense, and I really think I'm better at both those things now than I was last year," Peifer said. "It's also made me want to play more. It's made me want to learn more to improve myself. I'm sure the blocking stuff we're learning isn't exactly new, but it's new to me."
Playing the right side for Duke will be another trio of equally-skilled hitters. Redshirt sophomore Chrissie Lukasiewicz returns after missing all of '96 with an injured shoulder. Lukasiewicz totaled 55 blocks her freshman year and is expected to start.
Sophomore Dominique Philipp started a number of matches last year and finished fifth on the team in kills per game with 1.9.
Freshman Janee' Hayes is currently injured but is also expected to contend for extensive playing time once she recovers.
Setter Nina Rybak rounds out the class of 2001. While Rybak will likely not challenge Campbell for the starting job, according to Grensing her presence in practice is invaluable, giving the second team a true setter and fully challenging the first team.
With all the pieces in place, the Blue Devils will face a much more formidable conference than the one it dominated in the early 90's.
"Georgia Tech will be good and Maryland should be solid, but I think North Carolina could be pretty phenomenal," Grensing said. "And I think that the team that will surprise people the most is Florida State."
In addition to its ACC schedule, Duke will repeat last year's strategy of facing top-notch non-conference teams. Having already faced off against top-15 opponents USC and Michigan St. this weekend, the Blue Devils will also take on 1996 NCAA champs Stanford on Sept. 10.
"It's important to play this kind of schedule because it's challenging and it sets the bar right away about where we have to be to be a top 20 team," Grensing said. "I would rather play those teams in September and learn and build confidence and head into the ACC solid and prepared. And then win the ACC and then face those teams again in NCAAs and know that we've made a lot of progress and are ready to face them again."
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