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Seniors Hold Final Homestand In Cameron Indoor
11/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. -- Four seniors will hold their last homestand in Cameron Indoor Stadium this weekend as the 24th-ranked Duke volleyball team hosts a pair of in-state rivals, beginning with a 7 p.m. bout against North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 16 and concluding with another 7 p.m. meeting with N.C. State on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Saturday's match will feature a “Senior Night” ceremony prior to the opening serve, which will recognize Blue Devil seniors Shelley Capito, Carrie DeMange, Ali Hausfeld and Jenny Shull for their contributions to Duke volleyball over the past four seasons. The group came to Duke after the Blue Devils posted a 10-19 record in 2003 and sparked an immediate turnaround for Blue Devil volleyball. Following a 20-10 record during their freshman campaign, the quartet helped lead Duke to four consecutive 20-win seasons, including a 29-4 mark in 2006 when the team took home the ACC championship after notching a conference-record 21 ACC victories.
The class lays claim to a pair of school record holders in Hausfeld, who owns the single-season assists and career assists records, and Shull, who recently became Duke's all-time digs leader. DeMange is also on the verge of eclipsing the school's all-time kills record, needing less than 50 kills to surpass the 13-year-old mark of 1,915 held by Ashley Wacholder since 1994. DeMange, Hausfeld and Shull have each received national recognition during their careers as AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selections, while all four seniors have found the same success in the classroom. Hausfeld became Duke volleyball's first Academic All-America honoree, while all four have earned at least one citation on the ACC Academic Honor Roll, with Capito, Hausfeld and Shull each receiving multiple awards.
Among the group's other accomplishments are a combined 47-4 four-year record in Cameron Indoor Stadium that was highlighted by a 38-match win streak that ran from Oct. 17, 2004 to Oct. 12, 2007. The group has also compiled a 63-15 mark in ACC play and made back-to-back trips to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2006.
Following in the footsteps of Duke's talented senior class, a number of underclassmen have also come on strong for Duke in 2007. Juniors Jourdan Norman and Sue Carls have each made significant contributions, as have junior Aana Wherry and sophomore Rachael Moss. Both Norman and Carls rank among the top-10 in the conference in hitting percentage, while Norman ranks fifth in blocks per game. Moss recently became only the fifth player in the ACC to reach 400 kills this season and is second on the team with 18 double-doubles, five of which have come in each of Duke's last five matches. Wherry has assumed a defensive role for the Blue Devils and recently surpassed her season-high of 110 digs with 122 in 2007.
North Carolina (14-13, 10-8 ACC) brings a six-match winning streak into Friday's contest and will look to rebound after a narrow 3-2 (29-31, 30-23, 30-18, 24-30, 15-10) loss at the hands of the Blue Devils earlier in the season. Both DeMange and Moss topped 20 kills for Duke in the victory, while four Tar Heels reached double figures, with Lauren Prussing's 12 kills leading the way. Prussing leads North Carolina with 286 kills, while a pair of sophomore middle blockers have also provided significant contributions for the Tar Heels on both sides of the ball. Both Heather Brooks and Christine Vaughen have racked up over 175 kills and 100 blocks on the season, while both rank among the top-10 in the ACC in hitting percentage. North Carolina also owns one of the most talented liberos in the ACC in junior Brianna Eskola, who tops the conference with 5.87 digs per game average.
N.C. State (3-25, 0-18 ACC) managed to take a game off of Duke in their last meeting, but could not stop the trio of DeMange, Norman and Carls, who each topped 15 kills in the 3-1 (30-23, 26-30, 30-25, 30-19) victory. The Wolfpack is led by one of the most talented freshmen in the conference in 6-2 hitter Lauren Zaniboni. Zaniboni has hammered a team-leading 304 kills on the season for a 3.10 per game average while also collecting 71 blocks. Senior middle Ashley Wallace has also been a force at the net and has knocked down a team-high 88 blocks to go along with her 126 kills.
Following the home finale, Duke will take on Virginia and Virginia Tech as part of a two-match road trip to end the regular season. Duke defeated both opponents this year and will look for the same success on Wednesday, Nov. 21 in Charlottesville, Va., against the Cavaliers, and Friday, Nov. 23 in Blacksburg, Va., against the Hokies.
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