Duke Volleyball Team: ACC Preseason Favorites Square Off This Weekend
October 21, 2010
DURHAM, N.C. – In a showdown between the two teams picked to win the ACC in the 2010 ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, first-place Duke will take on No. 24 Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., on Sunday, Oct. 24, as part of a weekend road trip that also pits the Blue Devils against Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., on Friday.
The bout between Duke (16-3, 8-1 ACC) and Florida State (14-5, 6-3 ACC) is the only matchup this season between the two preseason favorites who tied for the ACC’s top preseason spot. The Sunday showdown in Tallahassee, Fla., also features the past two ACC Champions as Florida State won the 2009 ACC crown and Duke claimed a co-championship in 2008.
The Blue Devils currently hold a one-game lead over North Carolina for first place in the ACC. The road trip to the Sunshine State will be a difficult task for the Blue Devils, however, as North Carolina and Georgia Tech are the only ACC teams to pull out wins over both Florida State and Miami in the same weekend. Duke has not defeated both teams in the same weekend since 2007, but went 2-0 against both squads that same year.
Duke is 34-10 all-time against Florida State and 9-3 against Miami, though the Blue Devils have split the last four matches with both teams. Duke put together a 12-match win streak against the Seminoles from 2002-08 before Florida State swept Duke in a pair five-set matches in 2009. Miami, meanwhile, broke a seven-match Duke win streak by sweeping the Blue Devils in 2008 before Duke got back on track and posted two 3-0 wins in 2009.
Led by one of the most dominant defenses in the ACC, Duke has held the opposition to an ACC-low .150 hitting percentage. Florida State and Miami are two of the best offensive teams in the conference, however, as Miami leads the ACC and kills and assists per set while Florida State ranks fourth with a .254 team hitting percentage. Duke has shut down a number of offenses this season though, including ACC hitting percentage leader Georgia Tech, while holding 14 of 19 opponents under .200 hitting.
Duke senior middle blocker Becci Burling could reach a personal milestone this weekend as the 6-foot-1 native of Monument, Colo., enters Friday’s match with 986 career kills. Burling, who ranks fourth in the ACC with 3.94 points per set, is on the verge of becoming the 19th Duke player in school history to reach the 1,000-kill mark.
Burling leads Duke with 220 kills and makes up one-third of the best offensive middle-blocking trio in the ACC. All three of Duke’s starting middles – Burling, junior Amanda Robertson and sophomore Christiana Gray – are hitting .310 or better with Gray leading the group and ranking 27th nationally with a .387 clip. Robertson, meanwhile, has been one of Duke’s most consistent producers and averages 2.55 kills in the midst of a breakout season.
Scouting The Hurricanes
Miami enters the weekend on a three-match win streak that includes 3-1 wins over Clemson and Maryland and a 3-0 sweep over Boston College. The Hurricanes had previously dropped three straight to North Carolina, NC State and Georgia Tech, but are still tied for fifth in the ACC.
Miami boasts the ACC’s top setter in redshirt-junior Katie Gallagher who leads the ACC with 11.13 assists per set. Under Gallagher’s direction, the Hurricanes rank first in the conference in kills (14.45) and assists (13.58) per set. Gallagher’s favorite target has been two-time All-ACC selection Lane Carico who has connected on 259 of 799 attacks in her junior season. Carico also doubles as one of the best floor defenders in the conference and is the only non-libero to rank among the ACC’s top 10 in digs per set (3.68).
Scouting The Seminoles
Florida State, which won the ACC and earned the No. 3 national seed as part of the best season in program history in 2009, owns an experienced squad with a combined eight juniors and seniors. Despite losing 2009 ACC Player of the Year Brianna Barry, Florida State is still one of the most dangerous blocking teams in the ACC.
The Seminoles’ roster includes seven players listed at 6-foot-2 or taller, including 6-foot-4 middle blockers Marija Milosavljevic and Sareea Freeman and 6-foot-3 outside hitter Stephanie Neville. Also in the mix is team blocks leader Lauren Young, a 6-2 senior who ranks second in the ACC with 1.23 blocks per set.
Up Next For Duke
Following the road trip to Florida, Duke returns for a weekend homestand against Clemson and Georgia Tech on Oct. 29-30 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils will then hit the road again the following weekend to face NC State and North Carolina on Nov. 5-6.
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