Duke Ready To Make A Run In ACC Tournament

DURHAM, N.C. --- The No. 12 Duke women's lacrosse team will open up the first round of the 2008 ACC Tournament Championship on Thursday by facing off against Virginia Tech at 1:00 p.m., in Scott Stadium. It will mark the second time in 11 days that the two teams have played, with both contests coming in the state of Virginia. The game will be shown live and on-demand on www.ACCSelect.com.

The Blue Devils: Duke is 9-6 this season and finished third with a 3-2 mark in the ACC. The Blue Devils hold a 4-6 record over ranked teams and a 2-4 mark over top-10 competition. Duke is 1-0 this year in neutral site matchups.

The Hokies: Virginia Tech is 4-13 this season and finished in last place for the fourth straight season in the ACC at 0-5. The Hokies are 0-7 versus ranked opposition in 2008. They have yet to win an ACC game in four years in the conference.

Series History: Duke has never lost to Virginia Tech, and holds a 10-0 record against the Hokies. On April 14 of this season, Duke went to Blacksburg, Va., and came away with an 18-11 victory over Tech. Junior Megan Del Monte and sophomore Lindsay Gilbride each netted four goals to lead the Blue Devils. Virginia Tech was paced by senior attacker Kady McBrearty and freshman midfielder Allie Emala, who each tallied four goals. The 11 total goals by Tech were the most it has ever scored against Duke.

Rankings: The most recent IWLCA poll has the Blue Devils at No. 11. In the latest Inside Lacrosse rankings, Duke was ranked No. 12. Virginia Tech is unranked in both polls.

Duke In The ACC Tournament: Duke is 5-10 all-time in the ACC Tournament, 0-2 as the No. 3 seed and 0-0 against Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils captured their only ACC Tournament Championship with a 9-6 victory over Virginia in 2005. Duke had its string of three consecutive years playing in the championship game snapped last year in the semifinals by North Carolina.

On The Horizon: If Duke wins, it will face No. 2 seed Virginia on Friday at 3:00 p.m. The ACC Championship game will be held at 1:00 p.m., on Sunday in Scott Stadium and will be televised by RSN-TV.

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