The Blue Devils did not lose three games in a row all of last season, but after dropping two matches last weekend—with a top-20 opponent coming to Durham—they have their work cut out for them to keep the streak alive.
No. 21 Duke (4-2) will take on No. 19 San Diego (6-0) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
The Toreros have been on fire so far this season. Not only have they not lost a match, but, more impressively, they have won five out of their six games this season in straight sets. A large part of San Diego’s success can be credited to their offensive dominance. Led by sophomore middle hitter Chloe Ferrari with 68 kills, the team has three players who have at least 60 kills on the season, the other two being the outside hitter duo of juniors Amber Tatsch and Carrie Baird with 66 and 62 kills, respectively.
The Blue Devils, in comparison, have only two players with over 60 kills. Senior Sophia Dunworth leads the team with 67, though freshman Jeme Obeime is just one behind.
“Obeime is doing a tremendous job for us coming out as freshman,” Nagel said. “It’s always exciting to see the new players get out on the court. But more so than her individual play, I think the freshmen as a whole are making us better because we are getting some really good competition in practice.”
The matchup between San Diego’s powerful offense and Duke’s strong defense will determine Thursday night’s winner. Sophomore Ali McCurdy, who was named first team All-ACC as a libero last year and All-Tournament at the Stanford Invitational, continues to have a commanding presence defensively on the court. She leads the ACC with 133 digs, including 31 in the team’s last match against Stanford.
“She continues to get better and it’s amazing to watch,” Nagel said.
After starting the season 4-0, Duke has come up short in its previous two contests, both of which were held last weekend at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
The Blue Devils will do their best on Thursday to turn their play around and avoid a three-game losing streak. The team is helped significantly by its return to the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium, where the Blue Devils are undefeated this season and 132-22 since 2000.
“We always appreciate when the fans come out to our matches because it helps us a ton,” Nagel said. “Having fans there is a crucial part of getting us through matches and we will need this continued support in order to be successful.”
But the victory will not come easy for the Blue Devils.
“The defense as a whole is going to be important tomorrow because San Diego is a big team,” Nagel said. “They have played some good competition this year but if we play at the level I know we are capable of, we should be able to get our job done on the court.”
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