Duke 2024

[devilhorns24]

Also, forgot to post in here, but along with Grace Penn, we got two middles in Ariana White (Harvard) and Tiff Paalman (Green Bay). 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C581bWBOM3y

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5O08GYpLGw

Tiff Paalman's 2023 stats
330 kills (2.73 per set) on 794 attempts, hitting .284 with 96 TB 

Ariana White's 2023 stats
100 kills (1.09 per set) on 234 attempts, hitting .235 with 114 TB 

[gibbyb1]

May 21, 2024 21:23:03 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

May 5, 2024 12:01:11 GMT -5 sluggermatt15 said:

Thank you for all the analysis here. I find it helpful. Does it sound like a long season ahead for the Blue Devils?

No problem! At the moment, probs. We just lost too much compared to other ACC teams to be as competitive as we were last year. We won't be Syracuse/Virginia Tech bad though so things could be worse. 

In relation to this, Yale's Audrey Leak entered the portal a couple of days ago. The last few months, I've said this team could use a grad OH (granted a 6-ro) but even a 3-ro experienced OH could be good for this team. Duke looks to be interested in her but so are a couple of other P5 schools like Kansas, Northwestern & West Virginia.If we are able to get her, things could get interesting. I think incoming freshmen Taylor Williams could be the OH1 and an OH duo of Williams/Leak and Keefe on the right is solid. 

I did notice in one of the videos for the spring matches that Kerry was hitting from the left which could be interesting. Taylor Williams has shown she can hit from the left and the right, so I wonder if Duke is trying to get Kerry used to the left in case we want to have Taylor Williams hit from the right this season. 

In other Duke news, Jess Robinson looks to be going pro, Taylor Williams was named to the VolleyballMag Fab 50 list & Charlotte Glass was recognized as a player to watch for 2025. 

“As competitive as we were last year” it’s been a long time since this team wasn’t disappointing, and operating ridiculously below what it’s capable of.

[Deleted]

May 22, 2024 12:16:35 GMT -5 gibbyb1 said:

May 21, 2024 21:23:03 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

No problem! At the moment, probs. We just lost too much compared to other ACC teams to be as competitive as we were last year. We won't be Syracuse/Virginia Tech bad though so things could be worse. 

In relation to this, Yale's Audrey Leak entered the portal a couple of days ago. The last few months, I've said this team could use a grad OH (granted a 6-ro) but even a 3-ro experienced OH could be good for this team. Duke looks to be interested in her but so are a couple of other P5 schools like Kansas, Northwestern & West Virginia.If we are able to get her, things could get interesting. I think incoming freshmen Taylor Williams could be the OH1 and an OH duo of Williams/Leak and Keefe on the right is solid. 

I did notice in one of the videos for the spring matches that Kerry was hitting from the left which could be interesting. Taylor Williams has shown she can hit from the left and the right, so I wonder if Duke is trying to get Kerry used to the left in case we want to have Taylor Williams hit from the right this season. 

In other Duke news, Jess Robinson looks to be going pro, Taylor Williams was named to the VolleyballMag Fab 50 list & Charlotte Glass was recognized as a player to watch for 2025. 

“As competitive as we were last year” it’s been a long time since this team wasn’t disappointing, and operating ridiculously below what it’s capable of.

why do you hate Duke so much. (I don’t disagree they underperform all the time) but you like really hate them lmao

[devilhorns24]

Some Duke news before 2026 recruiting begins. Audrey Leak is most likely not ending up here.

Anyways, going into 2026 recruiting, this is how the roster looks like.

We are losing Kerry Keefe (OPP), Taylor Atkinson (OH), Christina Barrow (DS/L) and Sydney Tomlak (DS/L) for sure. Millie Muir has one year of eligibility remaining so I'm keeping her on the roster for now.

OH
Thrower
Ingram
Hamlin 
Williams 
Zubchevich 

MB
Goss
Gillen-Malveaux 
Wayne 


DS/L
Godschall
Donoghue

S
Glass 
Quinn
Muir*


I think this will be the second class that Coach Garcia has put together since coming here, so I'm curious how this year's class will look. I fully expect a player from Texas lol. The top priorities are an OPP & a DS/L. With the injuries that have occurred to the DS/Ls in the past, they have to find a way to get 2 more on the roster. I really think Duke VB is going to look at getting undergrad transfers. Additionally, they will probs pick up a middle as well.

[devilhorns24]

Now, Duke's schedule dropped on June 6th last year and we are still without a schedule. I've been trying to piece together what it is. Here's the confirmed games based off other team's schedule. Dates that are in italics, I'm guessing based off travel partners. 

(Duke Invitational)
September 5th LSU
September 6th Davidson
September 7th FIU

(Penn State Invitational)
September 13th Penn State
September 14th St. John’s
September 14th Princeton

September 20th Michigan State
September 21st Michigan

ACC Schedule
Sep 27th Boston College
Sep 29th Syracuse
Oct 11th @ Wake Forest
Oct 13th @ NC State
Oct 18th @ Virginia
Oct 20th @ Virginia Tech
Nov 1st Georgia Tech
Nov 3rd Clemson
Nov 8th @ SMU
Nov 10th @ Pitt
Nov 15th @ Louisville
Nov 17th @ Notre Dame
Nov 22nd Stanford
Nov 24th Cal
Nov 27th Wake Forest
Nov 30th @miami

(playing bc/syracuse, clemson/gt & florida state/miami @ home, unsure of dates)
away: wake/nc state, UVA/tech, pitt/smu, louisville/notre dame, unc, (missing one)

Duke will play UNC, Wake Forest & another ACC school twice. Based off process of elimination, comparing schedules, & assuming we don't close out the season against UNC, it is either Clemson, VT, Cal, ND or Miami. If we are playing UNC to end the season, then it could possibly be a team outside of the five I named. 

edit: more process of elimination, final game of the season has to be an away match. either playing clemson or miami twice. my money is on miami

[devilhorns24]

[devilhorns24]

First Duke committ of 2026
Welcome Sara Lozano!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9n2wk1Md2U

[hookem1]

Jul 19, 2024 18:37:42 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

First Duke committ of 2026
Welcome Sara Lozano!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9n2wk1Md2U

Camped at Texas in 2023, was one of the few 2026s.

[devilhorns24]

Recruiting class of 2025. Pretty sure this is the first time they are all together. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9vL7dPPGmh

[devilhorns24]

Just noticed that Taylor Atkinson (OH, JR) is not on the Duke 2024 roster. Not great for us imo. Therefore, I would assume that the starting OHs will be two of Taylor Williams (FR), Grace Thrower (SO), & Rachel Richardson (SR).  

[devilhorns24]

Attempting to update this thread. Another 2026 commit, Riley Copenhaver from Legacy. Same club as Sydney Tomlak. She's listed as a MB but might be a possible option on RS.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-MEz5kOqTH

[devilhorns24]

Opening Weekend Preview (ish)

Duke begins their season with a home tournament against Colgate, Kansas, and South Carolina. There's a lot of unknowns but I'm going to attempt to predict the lineup and what to look out for this weekend. 

Lineup Prediction 
OH1: Taylor Williams (Fr.)
OH2: Grace Thrower (So.) DS: Nikki Underwood (Sr.)
MB1: Rylie Kadel (Sr.)
MB2: Tiff Paalman (Gr.) 
S: Nikki Quinn (R-Fr.)
OPP: Kerry Keefe (Jr.)
L: Mailinh Godschall (Fr.)

I'm not 100% sure on this lineup but this is the one that I think they will go with. I think the biggest question marks are the libero and the second middle. The middle situation feels similar to last year when the final spot was between Kadel and Fleming. Paalman is stronger offensively but Harvard transfer Ariana White is stronger defensively. I think they will start with Paalman but if they want a stronger blocking presence, White might see some time. 


Keys for this weekend 

Serving. Duke has been a solid serving team the last few years. Even with them losing a great server in Gracie Johnson, they are going to put pressure behind the service line. 

Blocking. Duke's block was a game changer last year, thanks to Robinson and Fleming. Even with the new pieces, blocking is going to be a priority for this team and could really help them win games this weekend. 

Regarding the middles, Kadel and Paalman are very good offensive middles, so Duke needs to make it a priority to get them involved early.

Outsides. I don't know what to expect from our OHs this weekend but hopefully we can get them going. I wonder if we will see Ingram, Richardson or Hamlin. 

*Also important to note, with Atkinson leaving, Ngozi Iloh has moved to OH this season. 

Overall, this could be a young team on the court this weekend. Multiple players will be making their college volleyball debuts. I'm excited to see what everyone is capable of. 

[setterdump]

Aug 28, 2024 23:59:56 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

Opening Weekend Preview (ish)

Duke begins their season with a home tournament against Colgate, Kansas, and South Carolina. There's a lot of unknowns but I'm going to attempt to predict the lineup and what to look out for this weekend. 

Lineup Prediction 
OH1: Taylor Williams (Fr.)
OH2: Grace Thrower (So.) DS: Nikki Underwood (Sr.)
MB1: Rylie Kadel (Sr.)
MB2: Tiff Paalman (Gr.) 
S: Nikki Quinn (R-Fr.)
OPP: Kerry Keefe (Jr.)
L: Mailinh Godschall (Fr.)

I'm not 100% sure on this lineup but this is the one that I think they will go with. I think the biggest question marks are the libero and the second middle. The middle situation feels similar to last year when the final spot was between Kadel and Fleming. Paalman is stronger offensively but Harvard transfer Ariana White is stronger defensively. I think they will start with Paalman but if they want a stronger blocking presence, White might see some time. 


Keys for this weekend 

Serving. Duke has been a solid serving team the last few years. Even with them losing a great server in Gracie Johnson, they are going to put pressure behind the service line. 

Blocking. Duke's block was a game changer last year, thanks to Robinson and Fleming. Even with the new pieces, blocking is going to be a priority for this team and could really help them win games this weekend. 

Regarding the middles, Kadel and Paalman are very good offensive middles, so Duke needs to make it a priority to get them involved early.

Outsides. I don't know what to expect from our OHs this weekend but hopefully we can get them going. I wonder if we will see Ingram, Richardson or Hamlin. 

*Also important to note, with Atkinson leaving, Ngozi Ilhoh has moved to OH this season. 

Overall, this could be a young team on the court this weekend. Multiple players will be making their college volleyball debuts. I'm excited to see what everyone is capable of. 

Thanks for the updates. What makes you think Quinn starts at setter over Muir and Penn? I agree OH is the biggest unknown and likely weakness. I'm not sure the passing holds up if Williams/Thrower start, so I expect to see at least 1 of Ingram/Richardson/Hamlin for that reason even if their offensive production is less. Hope Keefe stays healthy because she'll need to carry a big load this season.

[devilhorns24]

Aug 29, 2024 0:13:30 GMT -5 setterdump said:

Aug 28, 2024 23:59:56 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

Opening Weekend Preview (ish)

Duke begins their season with a home tournament against Colgate, Kansas, and South Carolina. There's a lot of unknowns but I'm going to attempt to predict the lineup and what to look out for this weekend. 

Lineup Prediction 
OH1: Taylor Williams (Fr.)
OH2: Grace Thrower (So.) DS: Nikki Underwood (Sr.)
MB1: Rylie Kadel (Sr.)
MB2: Tiff Paalman (Gr.) 
S: Nikki Quinn (R-Fr.)
OPP: Kerry Keefe (Jr.)
L: Mailinh Godschall (Fr.)

I'm not 100% sure on this lineup but this is the one that I think they will go with. I think the biggest question marks are the libero and the second middle. The middle situation feels similar to last year when the final spot was between Kadel and Fleming. Paalman is stronger offensively but Harvard transfer Ariana White is stronger defensively. I think they will start with Paalman but if they want a stronger blocking presence, White might see some time. 


Keys for this weekend 

Serving. Duke has been a solid serving team the last few years. Even with them losing a great server in Gracie Johnson, they are going to put pressure behind the service line. 

Blocking. Duke's block was a game changer last year, thanks to Robinson and Fleming. Even with the new pieces, blocking is going to be a priority for this team and could really help them win games this weekend. 

Regarding the middles, Kadel and Paalman are very good offensive middles, so Duke needs to make it a priority to get them involved early.

Outsides. I don't know what to expect from our OHs this weekend but hopefully we can get them going. I wonder if we will see Ingram, Richardson or Hamlin. 

*Also important to note, with Atkinson leaving, Ngozi Ilhoh has moved to OH this season. 

Overall, this could be a young team on the court this weekend. Multiple players will be making their college volleyball debuts. I'm excited to see what everyone is capable of. 

Thanks for the updates. What makes you think Quinn starts at setter over Muir and Penn? I agree OH is the biggest unknown and likely weakness. I'm not sure the passing holds up if Williams/Thrower start, so I expect to see at least 1 of Ingram/Richardson/Hamlin for that reason even if their offensive production is less. Hope Keefe stays healthy because she'll need to carry a big load this season.

With Quinn, I think she looks better in the front-row blocking-wise than Penn and has better set placement that Muir. Penn's blocking ability in the front row concerns me probs the most out of the Duke setters. Muir's set placement was an issue last season and I don't know if it's good enough to justify her starting. 

With the OHs, I think that's understandable. However, I've learned to be concerned about the passing from all of our OHs because our track record isn't good. Some players look like they will be decent passers and then they struggle more than you expect in games and vice versa. The passing from the OHs at Duke has been inconsistent (sometimes really bad) and a huge problem for a while now. With regards to Hamlin/Ingram, I question if they can pass well enough in game to offset their offensive production being less (and how much less their offensive production is). I don't know if Duke gives Richardson another opportunity to start with how she was performed last year unless there was significant improvements in the offseason. With regards to Richardson, one of the Duke biggest struggles last season was Richardson struggling to hit as well as pass. 

Honestly, sitting on it, I only feel sure about Kadel and Keefe starting. Williams, I feel decent about her starting just not as strong as the other two. The other positions *shrugs*.

[setterdump]

Aug 29, 2024 13:50:00 GMT -5 devilhorns24 said:

Aug 29, 2024 0:13:30 GMT -5 setterdump said:

Thanks for the updates. What makes you think Quinn starts at setter over Muir and Penn? I agree OH is the biggest unknown and likely weakness. I'm not sure the passing holds up if Williams/Thrower start, so I expect to see at least 1 of Ingram/Richardson/Hamlin for that reason even if their offensive production is less. Hope Keefe stays healthy because she'll need to carry a big load this season.

With Quinn, I think she looks better in the front-row blocking-wise than Penn and has better set placement that Muir. Penn's blocking ability in the front row concerns me probs the most out of the Duke setters. Muir's set placement was an issue last season and I don't know if it's good enough to justify her starting. 

With the OHs, I think that's understandable. However, I've learned to be concerned about the passing from all of our OHs because our track record isn't good. Some players look like they will be decent passers and then they struggle more than you expect in games and vice versa. The passing from the OHs at Duke has been inconsistent (sometimes really bad) and a huge problem for a while now. With regards to Hamlin/Ingram, I question if they can pass well enough in game to offset their offensive production being less (and how much less their offensive production is). I don't know if Duke gives Richardson another opportunity to start with how she was performed last year unless there was significant improvements in the offseason. With regards to Richardson, one of the Duke biggest struggles last season was Richardson struggling to hit as well as pass. 

Honestly, sitting on it, I only feel sure about Kadel and Keefe starting. Williams, I feel decent about her starting just not as strong as the other two. The other positions *shrugs*.

Thanks for your assessment. I agree lots of question marks and potential lineup combinations. I just hope the starters can establish themselves fairly quickly and it's not a continuous revolving door throughout the season especially at OH and S.

I have no clue what the setting depth chart is. I think a 5-1 is likely with Keefe playing 6-rotations, so I thought Muir and Penn might split front row and back row setting duties to maximize defense.

I really hope Duke has better options than Richardson at OH this year but I just don't know if any of the other OH will be consistent enough offensively and passing-wise to beat her out as the only upperclassman OH. I feel like Nagel prioritizes OH who are decent passers (which is why I think at least 1 of Richardson/Hamlin/Ingram may start) but I agree Duke is going to need more offense than just Keefe. If Williams/Thrower both start (I especially like Williams' potential), then I see both being DS'ed in the backrow. Between Underwood, Godschall, and Tomlak, Duke should have decent L/DS options.

I also think Paalman will start along with Kadel at MB, with White being a blocking sub. I had high hopes for Iloh when she picked Duke but I'm not sure where she fits in this year.