When the Blue Devils take the court on Friday for their ACC opener, last season’s gut-wrenching loss to the Demon Deacons will likely be on their minds.
After clinching the 2010 conference championship, Duke traveled down the road to take on Wake Forest in its last game before entering the postseason. The Blue Devils were swept in three straight sets, a memory that has lingered throughout the offseason.
Head coach Jolene Nagel is confident, however, that her team is now excited to travel and face the Demon Deacons (2-5) Friday night at 7 p.m. in the first game of the Black and Gold Challenge. Duke will take on either Charlotte or High Point in its second game of the Challenge, Saturday at 2 p.m.
“The team has been working hard for so long,” Nagel said. “They have really made a commitment to be the best team we can be.”
The No. 23 Blue Devils (5-3) prepared for the tough ACC season with early nonconference matchups against then-No. 6 Stanford and then No. 19 San Diego. Having encountered talented competition early on, Nagel is confident her team is extremely well equipped for what competition lies ahead.
“By playing these strong opponents,” Nagel said, “we learned a lot about ourselves and about what we need to do better.”
Nagel also pointed out her team’s outstanding defensive effort in their win against Campbell on Tuesday night, a dominating performance that the coaching staff was looking for before conference play begins. She was proud that her team showed tenacity on the floor, recording 66 digs compared to the Fighting Camels’ 44. She was also excited about holding Campbell to only 20 kills, while her team knocked down 50. Nagel maintains that her team will continue to build off of the defensive prowess it showed on Tuesday, even though the competition is about to get much more challenging.
Ali McCurdy, who leads the ACC in digs, will look to spearhead the Duke defense throughout the weekend. Fellow defensive specialist Nailah Waterfield will complement her on the back line.
Duke cannot overlook Wake Forest, though the Demon Deacons are still adjusting to their new lineup after losing four starters to graduation. Senior Kadija Fornah leads Wake Forest in kills with 63, closely followed by classmate Carlin Salmon’s 57. Dani Thompson leads the squad with 73 digs.
Friday night’s game will be a challenge for the Blue Devils not only because of a tough Wake opponent, but also because they will have to rise above what Nagel called a “nice volleyball environment... [that is] not necessarily nice for the opponent.”
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