Duke 2024

[huskerjen]

They just need one big time pin hitter and they could quickly climb the standings in the ACC in the next couple of years. They won't worry Louisville or Pittsburgh, but they could make some noise.

[katn]

i'm impressed with duke's recruiting...LFG blue devils

[devilhorns24]

duke played davidson today and won 3-0. it wasn't streamed but the box score is available here. goduke.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2023/davidson/boxscore/21319

[trainermch]

Jul 20, 2023 19:11:46 GMT -5 anOPINionATEDbeACH(hookemboo) said:

Kinda shocked, but I like it.

Going somewhere and trying to build something > committing to the same 5 programs

Sometimes even a commitment to the same old same old has the same intent/dream. Sigh.

[anOPINionATEDbeACH(hookemboo)]

Aug 24, 2023 10:10:46 GMT -5 trainermch said:

Jul 20, 2023 19:11:46 GMT -5 anOPINionATEDbeACH(hookemboo) said:

Kinda shocked, but I like it.

Going somewhere and trying to build something > committing to the same 5 programs

Sometimes even a commitment to the same old same old has the same intent/dream. Sigh.

May I ask what team hurt you? 😭

[devilhorns24]

this duke loyola match isn't streamed but based off the livestats, the rotation is a bit different from yesterday. jess robinson hasn't played yet and christina barrow is. she isn't a middle so i have no idea who the MB2 is (if we have one).


edit: jess has checked in but only to serve

[Deleted]

Today's result: Duke over (18)Creighton 3-2

goduke.com/news/2023/8/27/volleyball-duke-outlasts-no-18-creighton-3-2.aspx

[devilhorns24]

Duke beat Loyola University Maryland 3-1. The second set was the one that Loyola won 28-26 hitting over .400 in the set. Duke came back and took control in set 3 and the 4th set saw their reserves get some time. Kerry Keefe had a DAY finishing with 24 kills on 39 attempts and hit .538. Gracie Johnson had probably her best match thus far with 15 kills and hitting .243. Robinson and Fleming had 4 kills.

One thing that i think that might be a problem as the season goes on is the passing. Keefe is playing 6-ro which is something she didn't do last year. Johnson is also playing 6-ro again this year and isn't a great passer. I think Johnson's passing has improved but the question remains if her and Keefe can pass well enough to both play all the way around. In this match, the passing struggled a bit which saw Sydney Yap DS for Keefe in the second and third set.

Duke plays West Virginia on Saturday who lost to UNC in straight sets today.

[devilhorns24]

Duke beat West Virigina in five sets (25-18, 23-25, 23-25, 25-23, 18-16) and boy it was something.

The good:
Jess Robinson and Kerry Keefe continue to come up big with Keefe having 18 kills and Jess Robinson had a phenomenal day with a match high !!21!! kills. Keefe is just so crafty and Robinson has been a joy to watch in the middle.

Serving is going to continue to be a strength for this duke team. while both duke and WV had 11 SA, WV had 20 SE compared to duke's 11.

The bad:
Passing, passing, passing. Madison bryant struggled a lot today and if she's struggling to pass, that's not good at all. granted WV has some solid hitters but if the passing isn't great, everything breaks down. This duke team needs to get their middles involved. If they aren't able to run their middles as much because of bad passes, now they are doing tight sets or out-of-system sets to our hitters, and our offense suffers a lot if that's happening which we saw a lot of in sets 1 and 2. Because of this, it can make things difficult on johnson and richardson who both struggled in this match. i think johnson had like 4 or 5 errors in the first set alone. i think the passing got a better as the match went on though. 


This is neither good nor bad but im curious if lizzie fleming is now MB2. lizzie fleming has been the better blocker over rylie kadel which this duke team needs but boy rylie not playing does hurt the strength of their serving. rylie was second on the team in aces last year, only behind gracie johnson. christina barrow is coming in to serve but i don't know if that's the answer.

[devilhorns24]

Duke Non-Conference Wrap up

Since the last recap, Duke has gone 6-0 and are on a nine-game winning streak with Pitt coming up next. It's been all sweeps since West Virginia except for the match against Michigan, losing the third set. This non-conference schedule hasn’t been the strongest but imo this Duke team is a tournament team so I'm going to say some takeaways for Duke before conference starts.

Duke continues to be a strong serving team and that will be important in conference if they want to beat certain teams (looking at you Florida State). In non-conference, Duke has had 65 service aces to 93 service errors. it breaks down by player like this:

Gracie Johnson 18/36
Madison Bryant- 12/16
Rachel Richardson- 11/14
Christina Barrow- 9/10
Emma Worthington- 8/8
Kerry Keefe- 7/9

Rylie Kadel came in as a serving sub against Michigan State instead of Christina Barrow, so there’s a possibility she might see time as a serving sub.

Kerry Keefe looks like an All-ACC team member. In non-conference, she hit .353 and has been amazing. I’m curious how teams will game plan for her since she’s been the big offensive threat, not Gracie Johnson. Jess Robinson could also be in the conversation for an ACC team depending on how conference goes.

The rotation where Gracie and Kerry are both in the back-row seems to be the one that can cause problems for Duke. With Emma Worthington( 5”11) and Rachel Richardson (5”9) in the front row, this rotation doesn’t have the blocking and neither Gracie or Kerry are strong passers. Nagel seems to be making adjustments (by putting a DS for Keefe or Millie Muir as a blocking sub for Worthington) if we are having problems in that rotation, so I expect that to continue in conference.

In regards to our OHs, as long as both aren’t hitting badly, then this team can still find ways to win (hey Jess Robinson). Problems start to arise when they are passing badly AND an OH is struggling. For example, against Michigan, Rachel Richardson hit -.179 and our passing wasn’t great, specifically in the third set. That led to our offense being limited to two options, RS to Kerry or back row for Gracie. Michigan did a great job reading where the ball and that predictability can cost us.

OH depth is a bit concerning for Duke. I have noticed out of our 5 OHs, two appear not to have dressed out last week, one being the first OH off the bench. Therefore, there seems to be only one available OH if either Richardson or Johnson are struggling. So if our hitters are struggling, they are probably staying in unless it's really really bad because the other option is a freshman that has only played two games, making her debut against Elon.

Overall, this duke team has the experience that is needed to do some damage in conference. This week is Pitt and Virginia and I expect them to go 1-1. If duke can steal a set against Pitt...

[devilhorns24]

Keeping up with the Duke Boston College game via stats but at what point does Nagel try a different hitter for Richardson? Rachel is a good blocker but we need more from her offensively. Hitting around .00 in conference is a problem.

[devilhorns24]

what a great win for duke over WF!! should help duke's RPI and keep their tourney hopes alive. one game at a time!

[devilhorns24]

I'm planning on doing a Duke wrap-up once the season ends but one thing that has been absolutely killer for us all season has been the SR. What's really hurting us is players that were decent last year there seemed to have been much weaker this year. Could be coaching, could be a fluke but that needs to be addressed in the off-season.

Also, I feel like the coaches talked to Rachel about her shot selection because ever since the BC game, she has done a significantly better job at reading the defense and taking better swings.

[mpr2477]

Nov 17, 2023 20:24:58 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

I'm planning on doing a Duke wrap-up once the season ends but one thing that has been absolutely killer for us all season has been the SR. What's really hurting us is players that were decent last year there seemed to have been much weaker this year. Could be coaching, could be a fluke but that needs to be addressed in the off-season.

Also, I feel like the coaches talked to Rachel about her shot selection because ever since the BC game, she has done a significantly better job at reading the defense and taking better swings.

Listen, as a lifetime Duke vball fan, it’s hard not to put the last ten year debacle on the coaching!! Every 4 years, we make the tourney, so Nagle gets a pass from administration! Imo, she shoulda been fired years ago! Problem is, Duke is a strange place when it comes to expectation & results of their female coaches! Unless you’re McCallie (WBB), it’s seems as if they have a lifelong contract with no consequences. Even when the results are atrocious! Nagle has consistently shown me she can’t coach players up, even though she gets 1 or 2, OR 3 Prep All Americans or Senior Aces EACH YEAR!! It’s the epitome of underachieving! There is no way in hell Duke should miss 8 out of the last 10 ncaa tournaments! That’s INSANE! Don’t get me wrong, Richardson is an incredible athlete with great hops, a terrific server/back row player. But she is ridiculously AWFUL as the #2 OH!! She prob hitting NEGATIVE for the whole season! NO OTHER TEAM’S OH would be hitting THAT poorly! But Nagel refuses to bring along anyone else to replace her! That is poor coaching / decision making.

So yea, the issues for awhile now with Duke vball, have been the coach. I honestly think it’s time to retire. We “might” make the tourney this year, but that’s iffy

[devilhorns24]

Nov 19, 2023 0:38:47 GMT -5 mpr2477 said:

Nov 17, 2023 20:24:58 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

I'm planning on doing a Duke wrap-up once the season ends but one thing that has been absolutely killer for us all season has been the SR. What's really hurting us is players that were decent last year there seemed to have been much weaker this year. Could be coaching, could be a fluke but that needs to be addressed in the off-season.

Also, I feel like the coaches talked to Rachel about her shot selection because ever since the BC game, she has done a significantly better job at reading the defense and taking better swings.

Listen, as a lifetime Duke vball fan, it’s hard not to put the last ten year debacle on the coaching!! Every 4 years, we make the tourney, so Nagle gets a pass from administration! Imo, she shoulda been fired years ago! Problem is, Duke is a strange place when it comes to expectation & results of their female coaches! Unless you’re McCallie (WBB), it’s seems as if they have a lifelong contract with no consequences. Even when the results are atrocious! Nagle has consistently shown me she can’t coach players up, even though she gets 1 or 2, OR 3 Prep All Americans or Senior Aces EACH YEAR!! It’s the epitome of underachieving! There is no way in hell Duke should miss 8 out of the last 10 ncaa tournaments! That’s INSANE! Don’t get me wrong, Richardson is an incredible athlete with great hops, a terrific server/back row player. But she is ridiculously AWFUL as the #2 OH!! She prob hitting NEGATIVE for the whole season! NO OTHER TEAM’S OH would be hitting THAT poorly! But Nagel refuses to bring along anyone else to replace her! That is poor coaching / decision making.

So yea, the issues for awhile now with Duke vball, have been the coach. I honestly think it’s time to retire. We “might” make the tourney this year, but that’s iffy

Love another duke fan on here. I agree 1000% with what you've said. I've tried to be lenient on the coaching this year hoping she was learning, but I learned quickly that wasn't happening once again. Tbh, i believe if we had better coaching, with this roster, we would be squarely in the tournament, not on the bubble because multiple losses this season were caused by Nagel's bad coaching & bad/lack of adjustments. I really don't understand never yanking Rachel either as you said. Personally I think her passing has regressed this season as well. She's struggled all year in SR and our opponents know this and target her at times more than Gracie. Imo this coaching staff should be looking for a 6-ro OH transfer in the portal this year. 

Hopefully, we find our way to the tourney this year bc next year is looking bleak anyways.