After dropping two races in the ACC/Big 10 Double Dual last weekend, the women's crew team will narrow its focus to the conference tomorrow at the ACC Championship on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C.
"I think it was good racing for us, but each race that we go to is different," head coach Robin Horner said.
The biggest competition for the No. 20 Blue Devils will be No. 6 Virginia. When the two teams met in early March at Lake Michie in Bahama, N.C., the Cavaliers came out on top across the board.
"Virginia is still going to be the fastest," Horner said. "We have a good mentality, having had to push ourselves the last couple weekends."
At the Double Dual, the Cavaliers defeated both Michigan and Ohio State, the only two Big 10 teams Duke lost to last weekend.
"We've had a few injuries since that point [when we raced against UVa]," Horner said.
Kim Bailey and Amber Straight, both varsity eight rowers, are not competing in the ACC Championship. Bailey is out with a back injury, and Straight is battling mono.
"It makes the team a little bit weaker," Horner said. "We're trying to use the team to fill in the gaps."
While the hardest competition will be Virginia, Duke is also facing a tough North Carolina squad. The two teams have matched up twice this season, with Duke earning the edge in both regattas.
When the teams faced off in September, the Blue Devils earned the top two positions in the varsity eight race and the top three positions in varsity four. In the second matchup between UNC and Duke, the Blue Devils won seven of 12 races; it was the closest competition between the two in the last three years.
"You never know how much progress people have made," Horner said about the Tar Heels.
Horner is confident about her team facing UNC and Clemson, noting Virginia is Duke's primary concern.
"Basically we just want to close any margins we can on Virginia," Horner said. "The focus is trying to get as close to them as we possibly can and make the margins as small as possible."
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