Duke Begins Road Swing at No. 10 SMU and No. 1 Pittsburgh

Opening Serve
• Duke begins a grueling four-match road stretch starting Friday in Dallas, Texas at No. 10 SMU. First serve is set for 8 p.m. (ET) inside Moody Coliseum. The Blue Devils jump on a flight for Pittsburgh to take on the No. 1 Panthers, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m., at Fitzgerald Field House.

Last Time Out
• Duke lost in heartbreaking fashion in five sets to No. 16 Georgia Tech last Friday before eclipsing Clemson, 3-1, Sunday. The Blue Devils led 11-4 in the fifth set before the Yellow Jackets mounted an incredible comeback for the 16-14 win to take home the 3-2 match win. Against Clemson, Duke hit a season-best .375 while holding the Tigers to just a .134 clip.
• Kerry Keefe led the offense with 38 kills and a .255 hitting percentage, while setter Grace Penn dished 96 assists for 10.67 per set. Libero Mailinh Godschall tallied 60 digs. Rachel Richardson had a solid weekend with 25 kills and a .308 hitting percentage whileTaylor Williams had 29 kills and a .236 hitting percentage.

A Closer Look at the Series
SMU
• Duke and SMU meet for just the third time and the first time as conference foes. The Blue Devils are 2-0 against the Mustangs with wins in 2001 and 2005 - both under Jolene Nagel.
Pittsburgh
• The Blue Devils take on Pittsburgh for the 24th time and for the first time on the road since the 2021 season. Duke is 8-15 overall against the Panthers and 5-8 as ACC foes. Pitt owns a seven-match win streak dating back to Oct. 28, 2018 when Duke won 3-1 in Durham.

Scouting the Opponents
SMU
• SMU climbed to No. 10 in the rankings followed a weekend sweep of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Mustangs are 17-6 overall and 9-3 in ACC play. Naya Shime and Maya Tabron headline the offense with 272 and 253 kills respectively. SMU ranks fourth in the ACC and 20th nationally with a .272 hitting percentage. On the defensive side of the net, the Mustangs are fourth in the league in total blocks (213) with Nnedi Okammor headlining the team with 97. Maya Tabron is averaging 2.47 digs per set as SMU holds its opponent to just .169 hitting for the year.
Pittsburgh
• Pittsburgh remained at the top of the AVCA rankings with a pair of three-set victories against Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Panthers are 21-1 overall and 11-1 in league action with the loss coming to SMU. Pitt leads the ACC in six statistical categories, including hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. Olivia Babcock is the Panthers' primary offensive target, pacing the team with 303 kills along with a .310 hitting percentage. Torrey Stafford has 527 kills while hitting .366. Emmy Klika anchors the defensive unit with 211 digs (2.93/set) while Bre Kelley is the top blocker with 91 blocks.

A Win FRIDAY Would Be ...
• Head coach Jolene Nagel's 712th career victory
• Head coach Jolene Nagel's 509th at the helm of the Blue Devils
• The program's 1,027th win

Versus ranked opponents
• The ACC features a slew of ranked opponents this season as one of the toughest conferences in the nation.
• Duke is 0-4 this season against ranked foes so far -- No. 13 Kansas (L, 1-3), No. 3 Penn State (L, 0-3), No. 19 Florida State (0-3), No. 16 Georgia Tech (2-3)
• Last years' team was 1-5 against ranked foes. Their lone win was against No. 18 Creighton (3-2), the first win over a ranked opponent since Sept. 20, 2019 against No. 14 Oregon. Duke's last ranked win over an ACC foe was the 3-1 victory against Pitt in 2018.

Can You Dig It?
• Duke's freshmen have libero Mailinh Godschall leads the Blue Devils' defensive effort with 367 digs (4.32/set) this season. Her 37 in the loss to Georgia Tech rank 18th nationally in five-set matches this season.
• Godschall ranks third in the ACC in digs per set and 80th nationally. She is eighth among all true freshmen and leads all rookie defensive specialists in the ACC.
• Through 20 games, she owns 367 digs, 65 assists and 27 aces to lead the team. Her 367 digs rank her second in the conference, while her 4.32 per set rank her third.
• She has tallied 20-or-more digs in six matches, including a career-high 37 against Georgia Tech. She followed up that performance with 23 against Clemson. Godschall has tallied 10 or more digs in all but three matches.
• Duke has had great success with freshmen starting liberos as the last one was 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mackenzie Cole.

Freshmen Starting Assignments
• Duke's freshmen have stepped up in a huge way this season and are crucial to Duke's success on the court.
• Breonna Goss has started in all 23 contests as one of Duke's most impressive middle blockers, while Mailinh Godschall has earned 22 starts -- she was unavailable for the St. John's match.
• Taylor Williams has seen action in 21 matches and has made 13 starts, while Avery Hamlin has played in 15 matches with one starting assignment.

Five Set Matches
• Duke played in its sixth five-set match this fall in the setback to Georgia Tech (11/1).
• The Blue Devils are 3-3 in marathon matches this season.

Grace Penn's Milestone
• Graduate student Grace Penn reached 2,500-career assists in the victory over Syracuse. She dished a career-high 52 dimes, which ranks 42nd among Division I players this season.
• To date, she owns 2,788, 672 came as Duke's quarterback this season.
• She has dished 40-or-more times eight this season, including in the most recent matches against Georgia Tech (11/1) and Clemson (11/3).

Keeping Up with Kerry
• Junior outside hitter Kerry Keefe has carried much of Duke's workload on offense this season following the graduation of first team All-ACC selection Gracie Johnson. She has 15 double-digit kills performances this season, averaging 3.55 kills per set - a slight increase from her 3.36 average a year ago.
• Keefe was sensational for Duke in 2023, earning a spot on the All-ACC second team. As a sophomore, she tied for first on the team with 356 total kills and led all outside hitters with a .308 hitting percentage. She tallied 10-or-more kills in all but three matches and accumulated five double-double performances as a six-rotation player.
• This season, she leads the team with 316 kills, 157 digs and 42.0 total blocks.
• For her career, she owns a .272 hitting percentage, 832 kills, 423 digs and 140 total blocks as one of Duke's go-to threats on both sides of the ball.

Up Next
• Duke continues its road swing next weekend at No. 4 Louisville Nov. 15 and at Notre Dame Nov. 17. Both matches will be broadcast on ACCNX.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils volleyball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeVB".

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

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Duke Begins Road Swing at No. 10 SMU and No. 1 Pittsburgh

Players Mentioned

Mailinh Godschall

Breonna Goss

Avery Hamlin

Gracie Johnson

Kerry Keefe

Grace Penn

Rachel Richardson

Taylor Williams

Duke information

Duke Begins Road Swing at No. 10 SMU and No. 1 Pittsburgh

Players Mentioned

Mailinh Godschall

Breonna Goss

Avery Hamlin

Gracie Johnson

Kerry Keefe

Grace Penn

Rachel Richardson

Taylor Williams

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Duke information