Duke volleyball returns home to face pair of defensive powerhouses

<p>Cadie Bates leads the Blue Devils with 269 kills this season.</p>

Cadie Bates leads the Blue Devils with 269 kills this season.

Riding a four-game winning streak after two consecutive weekends on the road, the Blue Devils return home to face two of the strongest defenses in the ACC.  

Duke will take on Notre Dame Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium before hosting Louisville (16-6, 10-2 ACC) at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Fighting Irish lead the ACC in all major defensive categories, and the Cardinals are tied for first overall in the conference—both teams pose a significant challenge to a Blue Devil team that relies heavily on offensive success. 

“Notre Dame is a really good blocking team, and they’re also one of the best serving teams,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “Louisville is another tough team to play because they have talent and they have had success. To really do well, we need to be able to control the first touch on the offensive side.” 

Although the Fighting Irish (16-7, 6-6 in the ACC) are only eighth in the ACC, they are deadly on all sides of the ball. They lead the ACC in digs per set, blocks per set and service aces per set. 

Defensively, Notre Dame is led by junior Ryann DeJarld, who averages 6.0 digs per set, currently the sixth-highest average nationally. DeJarld and teammate Natalie Johnson both have more than 1,000 career digs.

Senior Sam Fry is another weapon for the Fighting Irish, one of the only players in program history to surpass both the 1,000-kill and the 400-block marks on her career. Additionally, Fry posted a .462 hitting clip Sunday during Notre Dame's loss to Pittsburgh. 

“Notre Dame is a very disciplined team,” Nagel said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes, so we have to make sure to execute.” 

The Cardinals, moving into share of first place in the conference after a win against Pittsburgh last weekend, pose a different threat for the Blue Devils. Louisville is far improved from last year's squad that tallied a measly seven ACC wins—it now has a new head coach at the helm along with a new setter. 

Dani Busboom Kelly, a former assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha, has made immediate waves in the Cardinal program during her first season. Louisville has won 10 out of its last 11 games and has captured 16 wins against a strong schedule. Penn State transfer Wilma Rivera has also made a major impact with the Cardinals, adding 53 assists in Louisville’s latest matchup with the Panthers. 

“Louisville has a transfer setter playing for them who’s pretty darn good. They have moved some kids around from where we have seen them in the past, and they’re playing very well,” Nagel said. “They also have solid middles and they have a new coach. They’re playing with a lot of excitement and energy that often happens when a program sees a big change like that.” 

In these two matches, Duke will look to maintain the momentum that allowed it to jump from 10th to six place in the ACC in the last two weeks. The Blue Devils will depend heavily on the success of senior Cadie Bates and junior Jessi Bartholomew, two key players up front.

Bates currently leads the Blue Devils with 269 kills, and Bartholomew has tallied double-digit kills in five straight matches. Bartholomew also hit a blistering .588 last Sunday at Clemson. 

“We’re going to have to look at this one match at a time right now. Both of these opponents are really good, and we’re fortunate enough to get to play them at home,” Nagel said. “But we’re going to have to prepare diligently for each one.” 

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