The bad news for the women's volleyball team is that it is mired in a six-match slump and near the bottom of the ACC standings. The good news is that it has been playing well and has a chance to break that streak today when cellar-dwelling N.C. State comes to town.
Duke (6-11, 1-6 in the ACC) faces a pair of opponents this weekend who, like the Blue Devils, have started off the season in somewhat disappointing fashion. Today, Duke takes on N.C. State (10-8, 0-6), who is itself struggling with a six-match losing streak. Tomorrow it will face a non-conference test against Notre Dame (6-8).
N.C. State is led by outside hitter Laura Kimbrell, who is tops in the league in kills per game this year. The senior anchors a relatively young cast of players, which features only one other senior and one junior.
"The good thing about Laura is that there is only one of her, there's not four of her," Duke coach Linda Grensing said. "That allows us to focus more on her as a primary attacker and in her front row rotations, which makes it a little easier for the block."
Notre Dame could be a more difficult contest for the Blue Devils. The Fighting Irish were ranked 16th in a preseason poll, but have not managed to live up to those high expectations. They have lost three of their last four matches coming into tomorrow night's contest. The two teams have played one common opponent, Georgia. While Duke lost to the Bulldogs in three games, Notre Dame won in five.
Duke's record may be somewhat deceiving, as the Blue Devils have been competitive in nearly all of their matches. In fact, five of their losses went to a fifth game. But they have won only one five-game match this year. This inconsistency may be the result of the rally scoring format which takes place in the fifth game.
"You could say that in the fifth game we have been ineffective, but you could also say that we are in a fifth game because we are a young team and we are managing to get there," Grensing said. "We look at it more in the positive perspective."
This weekend's games could be the key to turning the team's fortunes around as it enters the second half of the season.
"We've actually been playing pretty well," Grensing said. "We lost in five games at Georgia Tech and Clemson and went four with the No. 1 team in the conference. So things aren't in despair. I think we will pull it together, and you will start to see a different look in terms of wins and losses."
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