Coming off some of its most impressive performances of the year against rivals N.C. State and North Carolina last week, Duke has proven that it is the class of the ACC.
The Blue Devils (21-4, 13-2 in the ACC) will now take their talents north to play conference opponents Boston College and Maryland on the road this weekend. The Eagles (8-20, 0-15) have not had the season they would have liked but did win a set at Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this season in a match that Duke won 3-1. Head coach Jolene Nagel, however, likes to take each game one at a time.
“On any given night, anyone can win,” Nagel said. “I like our team going into a game confident, but not to look past an upcoming opponent. The second you don’t respect an opponent can prove to be devastating.”
Boston College outside hitter Tsvetelina Dureva is one of the best in the country at her position and one of only six players in the ACC to post over 300 kills this season. But Dureva will need to have an excellent game when the Eagles take on Duke tonight at 7 p.m., because the Blue Devils boast a stellar middle blocking corps.
Maryland (17-10, 8-7) should prove to be a tougher test when it hosts Duke Sunday at 2 p.m., as the Terrapins are no stranger to going into games as underdogs. Upset-minded Maryland lost in five sets to the Blue Devils 3-2 earlier this season but defeated top-tier ACC teams Florida State and Georgia Tech.
“Maryland is a wild card,” junior setter Kellie Catanach said. “Sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, so it’s important not to take this team lightly.”
Both teams will have to fight off Catanach, the reigning ACC Player of the Week, whose all-around play has been an integral part of Duke’s success this season. Freshman Ali McCurdy and sophomore Amanda Robertson have also been honored by the conference in recent weeks, but according to Catanach, each individual award speaks to the quality of the team’s overall play.
“We had a great weekend and winning this award was icing on the cake,” she said. “But it really is a team award.”
Nagel agreed with her standout setter, stressing that the team is talented across the board this year.
“We have a number of players that could have been awarded weekly awards all season,” Nagel said. “But the mentality is if one person wins an award, it is considered a team accomplishment.”
With only five games remaining in the regular season, Catanach stressed that the team cannot take anything for granted.
“Each day we work harder then the day before,” Catanach said. “Our overall goal is to finish the season in the top 10 of the RPI and to make a statement.”
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