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Duke Finalizes Prep Ahead of Season Opener
8/25/2021 10:36:00 AM | Volleyball
DURHAM – After nearly three weeks of preseason preparation, the 2021 Duke volleyball team is primed for its season opener at the Coastal Carolina Invitational in Conway, S.C. The Blue Devils will take on the host Chanticleers Friday at 6 p.m., on ESPN+ before a 1 p.m., match against Iowa Saturday.
Entering her 23rd season at the program's helm, head coach Jolene Nagel added five newcomers to this year's squad in freshmen Ngozi Iloh, Rylie Kadel, Rachel Richardson and Nikki Underwood as well as graduate student Taylor Cole, sister of current senior Mackenzie Cole.
Duke returns 11 letterwinners from the 2020 team and are led by preseason All-ACC pick Mackenzie Cole. 2020 All-ACC honorees Ade Owokoniran and Payton Schwantz also return alongside seniors Lily Cooper and Alex Springate, juniors Lizzie Fleming, Gracie Johnson, Camille Nazor and Moorea Wood and sophomores Georgia Stavrinides and Sydney Yap.
THE MACK ATTACK
Mackenzie Cole looks to continue her impressive numbers into the 2021 season. An All-ACC and AVCA All-East Coast Region selection, Cole picked up 396 digs, 38 aces and 93 assists. She registered 20-plus digs six times last year and became the 24th Blue Devil to reach the 1,000-dig plateau for her career. The Oakdale, N.Y., native ranked third in the ACC in digs and fourth in aces, where she picked up a season-high six in Duke's victory over Virginia in the fall. Cole ended her third year with the Blue Devils with 1,237 career digs to rank 12th in Duke history.
OH WOAH
Owokoniran continued to be a dominant offensive force for the Blue Devils last year as she accumulated a team-leading 243 kills. As a six-rotation player through most of the season, Owokoniran also got the job done on the defensive end. She added 50 total blocks as Duke averaged 2.24 blocks/set to rank sixth in the conference and picked up 110 digs in the back row. She knocked down 15+ kills five times, including a season-high 19 in Duke's setback to No. 22 Notre Dame. The Raleigh, N.C., native also collected three double-doubles in the fall season.
SETTIN' UP SCHWANTZ
Schwantz has been one of Duke's go-to offensive attackers during her time as a Blue Devil. She fought through some injuries during the 2020-21 season and continued to be a strong option for Duke. Despite missing a few matches, Schwantz knocked down 160 kills for a .217 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Frisco, Texas, native picked up 152 digs to rank third on the squad and added 23 blocks standing at 5-11. On March 22, 2021, Schwantz became the 26th Blue Devil to reach the 1,000-kill plateau as she collected 10 kills and no errors in Duke's sweep over Boston College. To date, Schwantz owns 1,025 career kills.
BACK IN ACTION
Nagel returns nearly all of her offense from the 2020-21 season, led by Owokoniran (243 kills), Johnson (223 kills) and Schwantz (160 kills). Duke's defense is also set up to be successful this season, spearheaded by 2021 All-ACC libero Cole with 396 digs. The Blue Devils return both setters in Nazor and Springate and its top blockers are back in action in Cooper, Fleming and Stavrinides.
Following this weekend in South Carolina, the Blue Devils will open the 2021 home season against Elon Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".
#GoDuke
Entering her 23rd season at the program's helm, head coach Jolene Nagel added five newcomers to this year's squad in freshmen Ngozi Iloh, Rylie Kadel, Rachel Richardson and Nikki Underwood as well as graduate student Taylor Cole, sister of current senior Mackenzie Cole.
Duke returns 11 letterwinners from the 2020 team and are led by preseason All-ACC pick Mackenzie Cole. 2020 All-ACC honorees Ade Owokoniran and Payton Schwantz also return alongside seniors Lily Cooper and Alex Springate, juniors Lizzie Fleming, Gracie Johnson, Camille Nazor and Moorea Wood and sophomores Georgia Stavrinides and Sydney Yap.
THE MACK ATTACK
Mackenzie Cole looks to continue her impressive numbers into the 2021 season. An All-ACC and AVCA All-East Coast Region selection, Cole picked up 396 digs, 38 aces and 93 assists. She registered 20-plus digs six times last year and became the 24th Blue Devil to reach the 1,000-dig plateau for her career. The Oakdale, N.Y., native ranked third in the ACC in digs and fourth in aces, where she picked up a season-high six in Duke's victory over Virginia in the fall. Cole ended her third year with the Blue Devils with 1,237 career digs to rank 12th in Duke history.
OH WOAH
Owokoniran continued to be a dominant offensive force for the Blue Devils last year as she accumulated a team-leading 243 kills. As a six-rotation player through most of the season, Owokoniran also got the job done on the defensive end. She added 50 total blocks as Duke averaged 2.24 blocks/set to rank sixth in the conference and picked up 110 digs in the back row. She knocked down 15+ kills five times, including a season-high 19 in Duke's setback to No. 22 Notre Dame. The Raleigh, N.C., native also collected three double-doubles in the fall season.
SETTIN' UP SCHWANTZ
Schwantz has been one of Duke's go-to offensive attackers during her time as a Blue Devil. She fought through some injuries during the 2020-21 season and continued to be a strong option for Duke. Despite missing a few matches, Schwantz knocked down 160 kills for a .217 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Frisco, Texas, native picked up 152 digs to rank third on the squad and added 23 blocks standing at 5-11. On March 22, 2021, Schwantz became the 26th Blue Devil to reach the 1,000-kill plateau as she collected 10 kills and no errors in Duke's sweep over Boston College. To date, Schwantz owns 1,025 career kills.
BACK IN ACTION
Nagel returns nearly all of her offense from the 2020-21 season, led by Owokoniran (243 kills), Johnson (223 kills) and Schwantz (160 kills). Duke's defense is also set up to be successful this season, spearheaded by 2021 All-ACC libero Cole with 396 digs. The Blue Devils return both setters in Nazor and Springate and its top blockers are back in action in Cooper, Fleming and Stavrinides.
Following this weekend in South Carolina, the Blue Devils will open the 2021 home season against Elon Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".
#GoDuke
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