After taking the last week off after two losses last weekend, the volleyball team faces off against three ACC rivals over the break. Today, the Blue Devils take on a strong Clemson squad in South Carolina, followed by a match at Georgia Tech tomorrow and a matchup against UNC on Tuesday in Cameron. Duke, losers of its past three and the last six out of seven matches, will be looking to improve on a 1-3 conference record.
The coaching staff pointed to the Clemson match as the weekend's most important one. The Blue Devils will be looking to regain a little momentum against a team certainly within striking distance in the conference standings. Duke managed a split with the Tigers last year in two hotly contested matches.
"Going against Clemson in their gym will be a very tough task," coach Linda Grensing said. "They beat us in five sets last year, so a lot of the girls will have that on their minds and will want to redeem themselves."
The Clemson attack is led by Cindy Stern, who is among the conference leaders in hitting percentage, kills per game and blocks per game. The team, as a whole, has been at or near the top of the ACC in hitting percentage and blocks per game, but in the middle or near the bottom of the pack in all other categories.
Like with all other ACC games, Duke has to be prepared for a tough fight and a boisterous crowd against Georgia Tech.
"I think for all of the ACC games you have to prepare yourself mentally for lots of noise and tough competition," Grensing said.
The Yellow Jackets are currently 12-7 with a 3-2 record in ACC play. Their first ACC win came against then nationally-ranked Florida State. Georgia Tech played a tough early season schedule, including a tough field at the Pacific-Nike Tournament. Having played more games against better competition, the Yellow Jackets hold the edge in experience over the Blue Devils.
The game against UNC will be the team's only one at home over the weekend. The Tar Heels are undefeated in ACC play thus far this year and have an impressive 15-3 overall record. Senior striker Erin Berg has arguably been the conference's best player through the first few weeks of play.
While the Blue Devils may have a tough time upsetting the squad from Chapel Hill, the game carries importance for both teams.
"Clearly the UNC game is a big rivalry," Grensing said. "It speaks for itself here at Duke. They lead the conference right now and are a very strong squad."
With a tough weekend of competition, Duke will be looking to return to the early season form that led it to a 5-2 start. In order for the Blue Devils to break out of their mid-season slump, the coaching staff focused on the need to reduce unforced errors and improve blocking statistics.
"We need to stay intense and eliminate inconsistencies," said Grensing.
Duke will rely on the continued sparkling play of outside hitter Sarah Peifer. The junior earned All-ACC honors last year, while leading the team in kills, digs and aces. So far this season, Peifer is again the team leader in all three categories.
The team's lone senior, Megan Irvine, who was first on the team in blocks last year, provides much-needed experience for the young squad. Freshmen Ashley Harris and Pam Gottfred have both stepped in and contributed immensely this season at outside hitter and setter, respectively. Sophomore Nina Rybak has played consistently and is leading the team in assists thus far.
The Blue Devils started the season predicted to finish fifth in the conference, but an early upset of Maryland, last year's regular season ACC champions, boosted their expectations. Their performance since then, however, has been a disappointment. Duke enters the weekend looking for a breakout victory that could turn its season around.
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