Riding a six-game winning streak, the No. 14 Blue Devils head into their toughest conference road trip with one thing on their minds-vengeance.
Duke (20-4, 15-1 in the ACC) will get the chance to avenge its only ACC loss when it competes against Clemson (22-3, 15-1) Friday, but first, the Blue Devils will take on third-place Georgia Tech (17-9, 11-5) tonight in Atlanta at 7 p.m.
When Duke faced the Yellow Jackets earlier in the season, the Blue Devils narrowly earned a 3-2 victory thanks to the hitting prowess of senior Carrie DeMange. In that contest, Duke rallied from an 0-2 hole to capture the win.
To avoid a potential conference loss, the senior leadership of DeMange, Ali Hausfeld and Jenny Shull will once again be key for Duke. DeMange continues to dominate defenses with a conference-best 5.05 kills per game. Hausfeld, the conference leader in assists, has become an offensive threat, with 24 kills and only one error in four matches. On the defensive side, Shull is ranked second in the ACC in digs with 5.4 per game.
Outside of the senior class, the Blue Devils have had a number of contributions from junior Jourdan Norman and sophomore Rachael Moss. Norman has become the defensive specialist on the team, averaging 1.39 blocks per game. The junior is no slouch on the offensive side, either, as she leads the conference with a .405 hitting percentage.
Duke's defense will have its hands full with Georgia Tech's outside hitter, Talisa Kellogg. The junior currently leads the Yellow Jackets in kills with 3.92 a game, good enough for seventh in the ACC.
After the Blue Devils go down to Georgia, the team will head out to battle the Tigers for the top spot in the conference. Clemson is the only ACC team to beat Duke this season, knocking off the Blue Devils 3-2 in Cameron Indoor Stadium Oct. 18.
Duke had rallied back from down two games in that match as well, only to drop the deciding fifth game 15-10. The loss ended the Blue Devils' 18-game conference winning streak and their 38 straight wins in home matches.
Despite the loss, Duke is still tied with Clemson for first in the ACC. This weekend, however, will go a long way toward determining how the conference standings shape up before the final two weeks of the regular season.
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