Starting tonight, the volleyball team gets a rare opportunity-the chance to start over again.
With the start of the Atlantic Conference schedule, the Blue Devils can show that they are the team that was favored to win the ACC, not the one that has been playing disappointingly the past few weeks.
The Blue Devils hope that with a few timely wins this weekend, they can start living up to their pre-season billing, as they were predicted by Atlantic Coast Conference coaches to finish first overall in the conference.
This weekend, they head on the road to face Georgia Tech and Clemson in their first two ACC tests of the year.
They open by facing the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (7-8), who were predicted in the pre-season ACC polls to finish 2nd. However, Tech has faced early season woes brought about by a difficult early season schedule.
As of late, they have been able to improve their play, especially due to the emergence of junior middle blocker, Carla Gartner, who leads the team in kills (152), and is second on the team in blocks (43), service aces (17) and digs (98). They are currently riding a three-game winning streak and hope to avenge an early season three-set loss to Duke at the Chicago Mizuno Challenge.
Clemson should also prove to be a formidable opponent for the Blue Devils. The Tigers (10-0) have already won three tournaments this year, the Auburn Tournament, the Big Orange Bash Tournament and the SMU Tournament. The Blue Devils are well aware of Clemson's solid blocking.
Sophomore middle blocker Cindy Stern is one of the Tigers standout players. She was recently named co-ACC player of the week and is the ACC's leader in blocks, averaging 1.72 blocks per game.
Although Duke will be facing stiff competition this weekend, they have shown that they have the ability to perform-they just need to do it on a more consistent basis.
Duke's outside attack has received a boost, especially now that sophomore outside hitter Sarah Peifer's shoulder is starting to heal after off-season surgery. She racked up 17 kills against Michigan last weekend and had 19 more kills against Purdue.
With a solid performance this weekend, the Blue Devils will hopefully be able to chart a new direction for their season.
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