Coming off their impressive victory over then-No. 13 Purdue on Aug. 25, the Blue Devils will have to put their celebration on hold this weekend as they head out to California.
No. 14 Duke will face its toughest competition of the season in the USC Classic against fourth-ranked Southern California. The Blue Devils will also go up against Mercer and California State Northridge in the event.
Although Duke (3-0) will face the host Trojans on the first night of the tournament, head coach Jolene Nagel was quick to stress the importance of the team maintaining its focus on today's earlier match against Mercer at 3 p.m.
"We have to take it one step at a time, so we don't want to look ahead," Nagel said. "Our main concern is focusing on becoming a better team by constantly working on our blocking and serving. We're trying to become more consistent and eventually become the best offensive team we can."
Duke will have its hands full trying to contain the powerhouse Trojans, who feature the third-best freshman class in the country, including U.S. Junior National Team members Zoe Garrett and Kimmee Roleder. The Blue Devils will also need to contain senior Asia Kaczor, who earned All-America second-team honors last season.
After handily defeating their first three opponents in the Duke Invitational last weekend, the Blue Devils want to ride their wave of momentum into the unfriendly confines of the Galen Center.
All-tournament teammates Carrie DeMange, Ali Hausfeld and Jenny Shull will be responsible for leading Duke during the strenuous tournament. In each of the first three games the seniors have taken hold of the reins, leading the team in almost every category.
In addition to DeMange, Hausfeld and Shull, 2006 ACC Freshman of the Year Rachel Moss and juniors Sue Carls and Jourdan Norman will appear in the starting lineup for the Blue Devils.
As Duke prepares for another tournament, the team remains wary of the dangers of overworking itself at the beginning of the season.
"It's been a crazy week with classes just starting," Nagel said. "But once we get through these first three weeks, the team will have a bit of a breather. We just don't want the team to overdo it and overextend themselves physically."
Despite its difficult schedule, Duke is happy to have the opportunity to compete against the strongest programs in the country. With the impressive nonconference foes, Nagel hopes the team can use the experience to fuel the rest of the season.
"I think the schedule is going to give our team confidence," Nagel said. "It's going to be very challenging, but we have to continue to get better and improve with each game."
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