When the volleyball team makes its trip down to Atlanta today, it hopes it can disprove the old maxim that it is impossible to beat a team three times in one season.
Duke (23-8, 11-5 in the ACC), which finished its regular season last weekend, is ready to take on just such a challenge as it prepares to play Maryland (18-13, 7-9 ) Friday night in the ACC Tournament at O'Keefe Gymnasium.
The Blue Devils have defeated the Terrapins twice, both wins coming in five-game, heated matches. However, head coach Jolene Nagel said her team is not particularly worried about this game, even in a tournament environment.
"I think we have quite a bit of confidence being able to go in there and to play Maryland," she said. "Personnel-wise, we feel like we know them pretty well. We feel like we match up pretty well against them. We weren't at full strength the last time that we played them because of some injuries, and so we're optimistic that we have to go ahead and play against them because we have been able to to play well and win against them, not necessarily when we're playing our best."
Duke, seeded third going into the tournament, is coming off a 3-1 loss to No. 2 Georgia Tech last Saturday night. UNC received the No. 1 seed.
The Blue Devils have focused this week on analyzing videotape of their game, as well as studying tape of Maryland and Georgia Tech. One of the team's primary emphasis has been on keeping two feet on the ground and not looking too far ahead, Nagel said.
"I think that we're being realistic in how we approach this, and that's going to be our focus for the rest of the week until we play [Maryland]," she said. "A lot of videotape and a lot of rest, because I want them to be fresh, to have fresh legs and be ready to go this weekend."
The team's roster sports three seniors this season, including defensive specialist Josie Weymann, who was named to the All-ACC second team yesterday and the first team the year before. A number of younger players have also played well in games: junior Krista Dill, who is sixth in the ACC and leads Duke in hitting percentage with .311, and junior Katie Gilman, who has posted double-digit kills in the last 16 matches, and 19 over the course of the season. Both of these players were also named to the All-ACC second team.
Nagel said that the individual stars have helped her team as a whole to grow in a myriad of ways between the beginning of the season and now, as it prepares for the tournament. This growth has also given the team a sense of self-confidence and unity that is bound to result in good play this weekend.
"I think we've continued to make progress throughout the season," she said. "We've come together as a team. I think the team is a group of people that really work well together and are all working very hard to improve their own individual game. I couldn't ask for anything more going into the ACC tournament."
This effort has become readily apparent in the Blue Devils' statistics, which includes first place in the conference in digs. The team has developed a better offense, as well as communication on the court and game sense, which Nagel said led to Duke's solid digging.
The players will need to bring all of their acquired skills to Georgia with them as they face a number of formidable ACC opponents. Nagel is somewhat worried that the team could get into a rut and fall behind during a game, making it difficult to regain the confidence necessary to pull out a win. However, if Duke can overcome this obstacle, Nagel thinks the team will perform well during the weekend.
"I think we have to play steady and we have to play consistent," Nagel said. "We have to minimize our errors and be aggressive, and not let the other team get a big run on us. I think we have a really good shot at winning the championship."
With such lofty goals, the Blue Devils are focused on avoiding another fatal flaw--overconfidence. But Nagel said she does not think that problem will ever become an issue with her team.
"We have confidence in our abilities, but at the same time we're not necessarily cocky or anything," Nagel said. "That's what is going to keep us working harder and continuing to get better.... It'll be challenging every step of the way."
If Duke wins against Maryland, it will play the winner of the Georgia Tech-Wake Forest game Saturday. The conference championship will take place Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.