Volleyball Prepares for Showdown with Florida State, Miami

DURHAM, N.C. - In a showdown of the top two teams in the ACC, Duke will take on No. 16 Florida State this Friday, Nov. 6, in Tallahassee, Fla., as part of a two-match road trip that also includes a Sunday bout against Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.

Only one game separates Duke (21-4, 11-2 ACC) and Florida State (21-2, 12-1 ACC) in the ACC standings. The Seminoles, who jumped to No. 16 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, hold a slight edge after besting Duke 3-2 in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Oct. 10.

Duke is red hot entering the weekend, however, bringing a five-match win streak into the Florida road trip. That streak includes back-to-back 3-0 sweeps over Maryland and Boston College and a pair of tough 3-2 road wins over Clemson and Georgia Tech. This weekend, however, will be one of Duke's toughest trips of the year as Florida State and Miami are both two of the top offensive teams in the conference. The Seminoles rank fourth nationally with a .303 team hitting percentage, while Miami boasts a .239 clip which ranks fourth in the ACC.

Duke, however, is more than capable of shutting down both teams with a defense that has held opponents to an ACC-low .150 hitting percentage. The Blue Devils have held all but two opponents - No. 1 Penn State and No. 16 Florida State - to a sub-.300 hitting percentage this season and have not allowed any of their past five opponents to hit over .180.

In the last meeting between Duke and Florida State, the Seminoles - led by 19 kills from Jordana Price - squeaked past Duke 3-2 with a 15-10 fifth-set victory. Florida State, then ranked No. 19, became just the second team to hit over .300 against Duke, posting a .301 clip. Despite the final number, however, the Blue Devils eventually caught on to Florida State's offensive patterns and held the Seminoles to a .083 hitting percentage in the final game. Duke will have to draw that performance out over the entire match this Friday to have a chance against the Seminoles, who are on a nine-match win streak of their own.

Duke had little trouble getting past Miami in their last meeting, however, rolling the Hurricanes 3-0. The offensive duo of Rachael Moss and Becci Burling combined for 33 of Duke's 53 kills in that sweep, which saw Duke hold Miami to a .156 hitting percentage. Burling gave the Hurricanes fits at the net, totaling four blocks, while Moss, libero Claire Smalzer and defensive specialist Alex Sall all contributed on the floor with a combined 45 digs. Coral Gables, Fla., proved to be a difficult environment for the Blue Devils last season, however, as the Hurricanes upset Duke 3-0 on their home court in 2008.

With just seven matches remaining in the regular season, Duke's opportunity to make a run at the second straight ACC title begins this weekend. The Blue Devils finished strong in 2008, winning seven of their final eight, but will need to be even better this year to catch Florida State. If Duke gets past Florida State and Miami this weekend, another tough road trip to Virginia Tech and Virginia awaits the following weekend before the Blue Devils close out the season with home matches against NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

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