During the regular season, there were only three teams in the ACC that the volleyball team did not defeat. Unfortunately for Duke, one of those teams is Virginia, Duke's first-round opponent in the conference tournament this weekend.
The Blue Devils, who are the fifth seed, take the court at the Disney World Sports Complex in Orlando Friday at 2 p.m. in an effort to win their first tournament game in three years. But that will be no easy task against the fourth-seeded Wahoos.
Virginia (17-10, 9-7 in the ACC) won both matches against Duke (13-13, 7-9) this season by 3-0 scores, but that is no indication of the competitiveness of each contest. The Blue Devils reached double figures in points in all but one game, twice forcing games beyond 15 points.
Having come so close to overtaking the Cavs before will likely provide some serious motivation heading into Friday, and the Blue Devils now have what it takes to get over the hump.
"We definitely didn't play up to our potential both times against Virginia," freshman Josie Weymann said. "But I think we've matured a lot during the year, and we know we can beat them."
There are two keys heading into the game for Duke: to slow down outside hitter Deanna Zwarich and stay focused on service returns.
Zwarich notched a total of 29 kills in her two matches versus the Blue Devils this season and leads her team in that category.
In the second match between the two teams, Virginia was able to ignite tremendous rallies by capitalizing on service aces and inconsistent passing by Duke.
The Cavs were able to overcome a 14-7 Blue Devil lead to win one game, and during one stretch scored 17 of 18 total points. But the Duke team they will face on Friday is much different from the one they faced Oct. 24.
Duke comes into the tournament having won four of its last five matches, with the only loss coming at the hands of No. 13 Clemson.
Senior Dominique Philipp, who has registered at least 20 kills in two of the last three games, leads the Duke attack.
Unlike earlier in the season, the Blue Devils have been able to jump on opponents from the start, something Weymann says will be of utmost importance this weekend.
"We have been working on coming out really strong," she said. "We plan to use that mentality and hit Virginia with bursts of energy from the start."
The Blue Devils have also improved at remaining consistent and putting an opponent away when the opportunity presents itself. In a battle to decide fifth place in the conference, they destroyed Georgia Tech in the final game 15-1.
"We have been working all season on not letting teams run away with games early and keeping steady," Weymann said. "We were able to do that against North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
"And I think that is the reason we will have a lot of confidence going into the Virginia game."
It is this ability to slam the door on an opponent that has led to Duke's impressive second-half run in the ACC. So, despite falling to the Wahoos twice this season, things may be a little different come Friday.
If all goes well for the Blue Devils, the Cavaliers will be spending the long weekend exploring the Magic Kingdom.
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