Fresh off convincing victories over N.C. State and North Carolina last weekend, the Blue Devils find themselves in the middle of the ACC pack.
This weekend, they have a chance to change that.
Duke (12-5, 3-2 in the ACC) hits the road for its first out-of-state ACC series of the year. It faces Georgia Tech (11-4, 3-2) Friday, then travels to Clemson (11-5, 3-2) Saturday.
And although it's early in the year, the Blue Devils know how significant these games are.
"The ACC is very evenly matched," senior Sue Carls said. "There's not one dominant team this year, so every win is going to be important."
Currently, Duke is in a dead heat with the Yellow Jackets and Tigers in the conference standings. The three teams were picked by many polls to be at the top of the league in the preseason, so the Blue Devils need to make a statement over the next two games or they risk losing the momentum gained from the victories over the Wolfpack and Tar Heels.
The team leaders are all coming off a strong weekend against the in-state rivals. Junior Rachael Moss had 23 kills in the two games, while Jourdan Norman came through with 18, as well as the all-time Duke blocks record. Carls continued her strong play with five attacks against N.C. State, and sophomore Becci Burling emerged as an all-around standout, tallying nine kills, three blocks, and a career-best four service aces.
The Blue Devils look to continue this strong play as they head south, facing packed and unfriendly arenas.
"On the one hand, it sounds like a tough road trip, which it is, but on the other hand, it's a very fun road trip," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "It's going to be very competitive."
And it'll be important. With two victories this weekend, Duke could be near the top of the league standings.
Nagel, though, insists that her team keeps a level head.
"We're taking it one game at a time," Nagel said. "We're still trying to work on little parts of the game. With both matches, how we serve and pass will be huge indicators of how we do."
Serving and passing-two of the most fundamental aspects of the game, yet two that, if done right, may have the Blue Devils in excellent shape in the ultra-competitive ACC.
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