Tag: Duke Volleyball

Duke volleyball defeats NC Central in ‘Battle for Bull City’ exhibition match

The Duke volleyball season won’t officially get underway until next Friday, but the Blue Devils swept NC Central in a Wednesday exhibition.

The Duke volleyball team looked as good as it could in Wednesday’s exhibition against NC Central, sweeping the Eagles in three sets as the Blue Devils tune up for the 2024 season.

The game, dubbed ‘The Battle of Bull City’ on social media since both schools are in Durham, took place in NC Central’s home arena, McDouald-McLendon Arena.

The Blue Devils got off to a 9-2 start in 2023, winning nine consecutive matches over schools like Creighton, Michigan, Michigan State, and West Virginia. They finished the year 19-10 after 10 wins in conference play, their first double-digit ACC slate since 2018.

The Blue Devils need to replace outside hitter Gracie Johnson, who co-led the team with 356 kills last season, and setter Emma Worthington’s team-leading 1,013 assists after both players exhausted their eligibility. Outside hitter Kerry Keefe (the other Blue Devil with 356 kills in 2023) returns for her junior season, though, and senior Rachel Richardson (157 kills in 2023) should be a major factor again.

The Blue Devils face Colgate on August 30 for the first official match of the year, the first of three consecutive days with a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke battles Kansas on August 31 before playing South Carolina on September 1.

Duke volleyball releases its 2024 season schedule

The Blue Devils released their 2024 volleyball schedule with early non-conference schedules against Kansas, LSU, and Michigan.

The Duke Blue Devils released their 2024 volleyball schedule on Tuesday.

The team will play an exhibition against North Carolina Central on August 21 before its 31-match regular-season schedule. The Blue Devils host Kansas (August 31), LSU (September 5), and Michigan (September 21) for notable non-conference battles early on.

The schedule consists of 18 home matches and 20 conference battles, and Duke plays all three new members of the conference at some point in 2024. The Blue Devils travel to SMU on November 8 before hosting California and Stanford for back-to-back contests on November 22 and 24.

The home opener takes place on August 30 against Colgate, and the ACC opener comes at home against Boston College on September 27.

The Blue Devils play North Carolina in back-to-back matches early on in October, hosting the Tar Heels on October 2 before playing in Chapel Hill on October 4.

The Blue Devils finished the 2023 season with a 19-10 record, most notably a ranked win over Creighton in August, and a 10-8 mark against ACC opponents.