Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of Feb. 20-26.
Men’s basketball
Duke had its best week in recent memory, winning both of its home matchups handily. The Blue Devils (21-8, 12-6 in the ACC) started off strong in a 79-62 triumph against Louisville Monday night, recovering from an early nine-point deficit to take the lead for good just more than nine minutes in. Saturday night against Virginia Tech, Duke learned from those early mistakes, jumping out to a 19-5 lead and never taking its foot off the gas in an 81-65 win. All five of the Blue Devils’ starters reached double digits in both games, a far cry from the one-man heroics present in their early-season games, and junior captain Jeremy Roach tallied a career-high 11 assists against the Hokies for his first-ever double-double. -Rachael Kaplan
Women’s basketball
It was a roller-coaster week for the 11th-ranked Blue Devils. Duke (24-5, 14-4) started with a dominant 77-62 win against N.C. State Thursday, but could not keep it together for its second game of the week, a 45-41 loss to North Carolina at home. Sunday's game was one filled with turnovers and sloppy play, as the two teams combined for 46 giveaways. Now at the end of the regular season, Duke prepares to enter the postseason on a double-bye. The second-seeded Blue Devils will play one of Clemson, Pittsburgh or North Carolina Friday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. -Martin Heintzelman
Softball
The Blue Devils had an epic week, taking all six of their games against Charleston Southern Wednesday and at the Campbell Invitational over the weekend. No. 9 Duke (13-3) emphatically outscored its opponents 46-1, extending its win streak to 10. Highlights include Lillie Walker and Jala Wright tossing a combined no-hitter midweek and infielder Aminah Vega extending her hit streak to seven games. After another doubleheader Wednesday against N.C. Central in Durham, Duke opens its ACC slate Friday against Notre Dame. -Molly Honecker
Baseball
It was an overall impressive showing on the diamond for the Blue Devils this week. After suffering a close loss Tuesday to Liberty, Duke (5-2) bounced back big-time in its weekend series. The Blue Devils swept the three-game home series against Baylor, placing their record at 5-2 so far this season. Duke’s offense was utterly unstoppable over the weekend, putting up 52 total runs and 42 in the first two contests, the first time it has scored 20-plus runs in consecutive Division I matchups in program history. The Blue Devils return to action Tuesday against East Carolina. -Caleb Dudley
Track and field
A dropped baton made all the difference for Duke. Just three points away from clinching the ACC title, a quartet of Blue Devils stepped up to the block to compete in the women’s 4x400 relay race, and though their time was gold, it didn’t count. Duke’s women settled for second in the conference, while the men sat back in 13th. The weekend still had its highlights, though — notably in the women’s distance medley, which won gold and reset the ACC record. Now, as qualification for the NCAA Indoor Championships hangs in the balance, the team looks ahead to a busy outdoor season, where it will fight to earn the title it was so close to taking home this weekend. -Sophie Levenson
Men’s tennis
It was a successful week for the Blue Devils, winning two matches in 7-0 sweeps. Duke (8-4, 1-0) opened ACC play with a victory against Boston College Friday, as all six singles players were victorious. Juniors Faris Khan and Niroop Vallabhaneni were the clinching doubles team for the Blue Devils, and Vallabhaneni won his singles match 6-0, 6-0. Senior Garrett Johns sat out in the singles rounds, and freshman Pedro Rodenas took his spot at the No. 1 position. One day later, Duke welcomed Charlotte and finished with a similar result. The Blue Devils continue league play Friday with a trip to Louisville, Ky. -Ranjan Jindal
Women’s tennis
The Blue Devils began ACC play by splitting two close matches in Virginia, taking down Virginia Tech 4-3 before falling to No. 20 Virginia by the same score. The ever-important doubles point meant all the difference, as the Blue Devils (11-2, 1-1) clinched it against the Hokies but found themselves in a hole against the Cavaliers. On the singles side, second-ranked senior Chloe Beck continued her dominant season by winning both of her matches on court one, even after dropping her first dual match set of 2023 against Dariya Radulova of Virginia Tech. Graduate student Brianna Shvets also won both of her matches, making it 10-straight and continuing her undefeated record in dual-match play. Duke will host Notre Dame and Louisville next weekend as it looks to improve its standing in the ACC. -Dom Fenoglio
Fencing
The Blue Devils traveled to Chestnut Hill, Mass., for the ACC championships this weekend, and their performances did not disappoint. The No. 12 women’s contingent came out the most successful, earning second overall as a team after falling to Notre Dame in the championship. It added two individual medalists to its tally, with juniors Chloe Beittel and Christina Ferrari taking home silver medals in the epee and foil, respectively. Meanwhile, the ninth-ranked men tied for second with Boston College and North Carolina, with Notre Dame taking home the title outright. Seniors Terence Lee and Finn Hossfeld led the way for Duke, where the pair took home a silver in saber and a bronze in foil. Ferrari, Lee and Beittel were named All-ACC honorees as well. The Blue Devils will be back in action in two weeks as they prepare for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional in Haverford, Pa. -Mackenzie Sheehy
Women’s lacrosse
Not all good things last forever, and not all win streaks go unbroken. The Blue Devils learned this the hard way as they traveled north to face off against No. 4 Boston College to open ACC play. The cold outside only foreshadowed the ice in the Eagles’ veins as they handed Duke (3-1) a 17-8 loss, sending the Blue Devils packing with a blemished record after Boston College avenged its 16-15 loss in Durham nearly a year earlier. Duke will look to get back to its winning ways as it returns home Tuesday to face off against Liberty at 4 p.m. -Sheehy
Men’s lacrosse
No. 10 Duke upset No. 8 Penn on the road in an exciting, physical 14-12 contest. After going down 2-0 and seemingly on the back foot, the Blue Devils (4-1) received a massive boost from midfielder Andrew McAdorey. The sophomore, who finished with three goals and one assist, dodged and split the double-team, gunning home a quick shot just before taking a lick from a sliding third defender. McAdorey’s individual effort sparked eight unanswered goals, giving Duke a lead it would hold until the very end thanks to excellent defense. Captain Wilson Stephenson played physically and effectively limited Penn’s Sam Handley, Lacrosse Magazine’s Division I Men’s Preseason Player of the Year, to one goal and two assists. The Blue Devils travel to Syracuse next Sunday to begin ACC play. -Luke Jovanovic
Men’s golf
The Blue Devils are one day into their spring season, and it was a good day. Sunday marked the opening round of the three-day Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico, where Duke — led by junior Ian Siebers' second-place 66 — stands in third place behind UNC-Greensboro and Cincinnati at 8-under. Meanwhile, John Peters impressed alongside Daniel Uranga at the Raleigh Individual Invitational, finishing joint-ninth at 2-over to begin his spring. Duke's pursuit of a season-opening win in Puerto Rico continues through Monday and Tuesday. -Jonathan Levitan
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