After tallying two key wins against conference opponents Virginia and Virginia Tech last weekend, Duke returns to the floor Thursday at 7 p.m. as they take on another ACC foe, Miami at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Hurricanes (21-3, 12-3 in the ACC) are also coming off a successful weekend at home, recording wins against N.C. State and North Carolina. When the Blue Devils (17-7, 11-4) made their trip to Coral Gables earlier this season, they were swept in three sets. But Miami head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch knows that this contest will be more competitive than the last time the teams met.
“First of all, I know [the Blue Devils are] playing a lot better than [they] were at that point and I see that not only from [their] results, but also on tape,” Welch said. “They have changed some things with the lineup and have had a lot of success since then.”
The Hurricanes are currently second in the ACC, a spot ahead of the Blue Devils, who are tied for third with North Carolina and immediately behind Florida State, who will bring a sterling 15-0 conference record to Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday.
In many areas, the Blue Devils appear to be very evenly matched with Miami. Duke’s average of 17.4 digs per game ranks second in the ACC only to the Hurricanes’ 18.9. On the individual side, Blue Devil star setter Kellie Catanach’s 11.0 assists per game follow closely at the heels of Miami’s Katie Gallagher, who leads the conference with an average of 11.4 per game. The Hurricanes also boast the ACC leader in hitting percentage—Ali Becker at 39.8 percent—but the runner-up is Duke junior middle blocker Christiana Gray.
Becker leads a Miami attack that paces the conference with a hitting percentage of 27.1, but Welch nonetheless respects the Blue Devils’ offensive game.
“We know that Duke has a potent offense and their system is very hard to stop,” Welch said. “In terms of attacking their defense, we look to run a variety of offenses to keep them off balance.”
The Blue Devils have another advantage this time around—they are 12-1 at home.
“We also know they play great in Cameron,” Welch said. “Even though we won in three down in Coral Gables, they were all close games. I’m expecting a huge battle and back-and-forth and a lot of great plays on both sides of the net.”
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