Since its remarkable win over then-No. 3 Southern California, No. 14 Duke is on a torrid streak, winning 10 of 11 matches and solidifying its second-place position in the ACC standings.
This weekend, the Blue Devils travel to Florida and look to continue their impressive run Friday at 3 p.m. against Miami (9-10, 3-6 in the ACC) and Florida State (13-6, 6-3) Sunday at 1 p.m. in their regular season finale.
“We’re in a great place now, and it really started when we beat USC. It proved to our guys we could compete at the highest level,” head coach Ramsey Smith said. “Everyone is contributing to the wins right now.”
Coming off an exhilarating 4-3 victory over No. 19 North Carolina which featured several gritty, come-from-behind victories, Duke (15-6, 8-1) will rely on its toughness and no-quit attitude to finish its ACC season on a six-match win streak. In the last month, the Blue Devils are 4-1 in meets decided by one point.
“I think this year we’ve shown a lot more toughness than we have the last few years,” Smith said. “Our guys are fighting really hard and are coming through in the clutch.”
Despite the emotional win over its archrival, Duke still has a lot to play for in these final two matches of the regular season. A pair of victories would impact the Blue Devils beyond seeding in next weekend’s ACC tournament and would help them achieve their goal of hosting an NCAA regional on May 15 and 16.
The coaching staff continues to emphasize the importance of every match, especially given what’s at stake for Duke.
“I think it’s important to just take it one match at a time. [We] know we’re near the end of the season and we need to be 100 percent prepared for each match,” Smith said. “There are only a few matches left, so we look to finish [the season] strong.”
Early in matches, Duke will rely on the pairing of freshman Henrique Cunha and sophomore Reid Carleton, who recently earned the No. 1 doubles ranking in the country. In their first match after ascending to No. 1, however, the tandem lost 9-7 to North Carolina’s Clay Donato and Stefan Hardy.
Despite their small lapse, Smith continues to have complete confidence in his top doubles team and believes they still are the top duo in the country.
“They deserve it with how many matches they’ve won and the teams they’ve beat. You know rankings are nice, but I think both of them are a lot more focused on helping the team get wins,” Smith said.
The tremendous play of Cunha and Carleton seems to have rubbed off on their teammates, as the Blue Devils seem poised to leave Florida victorious and make a run in the ACC tournament.
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