Duke ended last weekend’s Campus USA Credit Union Invitational with a straight-set loss to the host school, then-No. 9 Florida. This time around, the Blue Devils are looking for a different ending.
Duke will travel to Minneapolis this weekend to compete in the Diet Coke Classic, hosted by Minnesota. Just as they did in Gainesville, Fla., last weekend, the Blue Devils will play three matches in two days, taking on Western Illinois Friday at 6 p.m. before a day-night doubleheader Saturday against Ball State at noon and No. 4 Minnesota at 8:30 p.m.
"Against Florida I thought we didn't play relaxed enough," Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. "When you're playing really good competition like we are again this weekend, you have to play relaxed and you can't have unforced errors."
Frequent mistakes were Duke's downfall against the Gators, as the Blue Devils (2-1) committed 34 unforced errors, including 20 attacking errors and seven service errors. Nagel said playing a nationally ranked team in front of a big road crowd was a good learning experience. Duke will have another crack at upsetting a top-10 team on its home floor during the Diet Coke Classic.
Duke's first opponent, the Leathernecks (2-2) compete in the Summit League and are led on offense by junior Ann Miller, a 6-foot outside hitter. At the Bradley Tournament last weekend, Miller struck often, amassing 57 kills and hitting at a .415 clip.
Although Western Illinois has not had a winning season since 2005, the Leathernecks did win their only match against Duke when they defeated the Blue Devils in four sets back in 1987.
Saturday’s early match pits the Blue Devils against Ball State (3-1) of the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals traveled to South Florida for a tournament last weekend, emerging with two wins in straight sets and a narrow five-set defeat at the hands of the Bulls. Alex Fuelling, in her first season of eligibility after transferring from Morehead State, has made an instant impact for Ball State, totaling 43 kills at the weekend tournament. Middle blocker Haylee Benson and outside hitter Kylee Baker have also been steady targets for the Cardinals' setters so far this season—each had 32 kills apiece at the USF Tournament.
Nagel said she expects Ball State to play a scrappy, defensive-oriented game, praising the Cardinals' volleyball tradition and the high volleyball IQ.
If Duke can navigate the weekend's early matches, it will enter the final game of the tournament looking to wrest the tournament title away from the host school, Minnesota. But hanging with the Golden Gophers (4-0) will not be easy.
Minnesota has yet to drop a single set in 2013. Middle blocker Tori Dixon, a second-team All -American in 2012, was named Big Ten Player of the Week for her efforts last weekend at the UAB/Samford Challenge. The senior recorded 49 kills and 11 blocks to lead the team, and notched two double-doubles, with 17 kills and 12 digs against Jacksonville State and 15 kills and 12 digs against UAB.
The Gophers are a young team, with just three seniors and two juniors on the roster, but that youth is highly touted. Freshmen middle hitters Hannah and Paige Tapp are two of the top recruits in the nation, and together Minnesota's six freshmen comprise one of the nation's top-ranked recruiting classes. Sarah Wilhite recorded 22 kills in three matches last weekend, and sophomore Daly Santana added 43.
Despite the departure of first team All-American right-side hitter Katherine Harms, Minnesota has had no problems getting the ball down. The Gophers have 173 kills on the season—good for 14.4 per set—compared to 112 for their opponents.
For the Blue Devils to pull off the upset, Nagel said the unforced errors will have to be held to a minimum, and the team cannot show the anxiousness that was on display against Florida.
"They're going to be tough, and they're going to be very physical," Nagel said of the Gophers. "They don't have many weaknesses, but hopefully we'll be able to find some holes in their defense and score some points."
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