Duke prepares for Fall Preview

Expectations were high the last time the women's golf team challenged the talent-laden teams from the West coast. In late May, without having played head-to-head against Pacific-10 foes like Arizona, Southern California and Stanford since early in the season, it was only mere statistics and paper comparisons that led the nation's then-No. 2 team to believe that it could stand its ground at the NCAA Championships.

Four months since those predictions proved out to be worth little more than the paper they were written on when Duke finished a disappointing 14th at the Championships, the Blue Devils have a chance to preview the rest of the nation once again. Far removed from the high stakes of last May, the women's golf team left town yesterday for the annual NCAA Fall Preview which will begin tomorrow in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

Once again, with Arizona State and USC both in attendance, the chance to match up against the Pacific-10 teams on the golf course instead of on paper has presented itself. And, once again, expectations are high for the Blue Devils, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in two collegiate golf polls.

But right now, rankings and expectations will take a back seat to scoping out the seldom-seen West coast schools.

"We're really excited for the season to begin," Kalen Anderson, the nation's 12th-ranked player, said last week. "Anytime you get to play against teams from the Pac-10, it's a great opportunity to see where you are as a team."

Tomorrow will be the inaugural collegiate competition for the much-hyped duo of Virada Nirapathpongporn and Leigh Anne Hardin. Hardin was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation's individual standings, while one poll tabbed Nirapathpongporn the preseason No. 2 player in the country.