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…