The Blue Devils begin a four-game home stand Sunday which will feature two teams from last season's Final Four. But before Duke takes on the nation's best, it will have to get past a feisty and rejuvenated Vanderbilt squad looking to build on recent success.
So far this season, No. 2 Duke (8-0) has seemed unstoppable against the nation's top squads. It has defeated four top-10 teams, including a 10-8 road victory over then-No. 3 North Carolina March 8. The Blue Devils' upcoming schedule will not lighten up as they face consecutive home games against No. 1 Northwestern, No. 10 Notre Dame, and No. 7 Virginia, who defeated Duke in last season's NCAA semifinals.
After dropping three straight early in the season, No. 19 Vanderbilt (4-4) won three of its last four matches. Attackers Kate Hickman and Margie Curran have led the Commodores' recent upsurge and combined for 47 of their team's 91 goals this season.
Duke defenders Danielle Freedman and Aiyana Newton will be in charge of stopping the duo and limiting Vanderbilt's offensive attack. Head coach Kim Kantrell said her team will work on figuring out a way to slow down Vanderbilt's attackers in the practices before the game.
"Their personnel has some really great attackers," Cantrell said. "So, we're going to work on how to try to stop them. We need to take a look at what they're doing and how they're scoring."
In their 22-6 victory over Virginia Tech Mar. 22, Duke showed few signs of relenting against weaker opponents. After building a 14-2 lead behind two goals and two assists by attacker Kristen Waagbo, the Blue Devils rolled over the Hokies.
Kantrell said her team will use its practices leading up to Vanderbilt to stay focused for Saturday's game and recuperate before beginning a tough home stretch.
"We want to try to find a balance between giving the girls good rest and getting ready for the game," Kantrell said.
Last season, the Blue Devils had no trouble dismantling a less-talented Vanderbilt squad. Senior Katie Chrest and Waagbo each scored three goals as the Blue Devils dominated Vanderbilt 13-4. Duke hopes to see similar performances Saturday and continue its perfect season.
"One of the things our girls do well is take one game at a time, one day at a time," Kimel said. "Vanderbilt always plays us tough, and they've had a tough start to their season, so they're gonna come out hard against us. They're a good team, and we're going to have to work hard."
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