Duke Set for Two ACC Road Matches

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke is set for two ACC contests this weekend as it takes on Wake Forest and NC State on the road. The Blue Devils will face the Demon Deacons Friday at 7 p.m., before a 1 p.m., contest against the Wolfpack.
 
Last Time Out
 
Duke dropped both contests to North Carolina over the weekend. 
 
Kerry Keefe led the offense with 24 kills and a .339 hitting percentage, while setter Grace Penn dished 46 dimes. Libero Mailinh Godschall tallied 22 digs while Rylie Kadel led the blocking unit with eight total blocks.
 
A Closer Look at the Series
 
WAKE FOREST
Duke and Wake Forest meet for the 81st time in program history. The Blue Devils dominate the all-time series, 61-19, and have won six of the last eight meetings. The last time Duke fell in Winston-Salem was in 2017. 
 
NC STATE
Duke and NC State meet for the 106th time in program history as Duke leads the all-time series, 71-34. Duke has won two consecutive and six of the last 10 meetings.
 
Scouting the Opponents
 
WAKE FOREST
The Demon Deacons enter the weekend 10-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play as they most recently tallied a win over California (3-0) before being swept at No. 5 Stanford. Wake Forest features four with 100+ kills and is led by Paige Crawford with 144, while Laila Ricks owns 124. Setters Becca Bellows and Rian Baker have dished 298 and 287 assists, respectively, while Emma Farrell leads the defense with 232 digs. At the net, the Demon Deacons own 156.0 total blocks and are led by Tina Grkovic (75), Ricks (62) and Dior Charles (62). As a team, Wake Forest is hitting .203 percent and is limiting its opponents to a .160 clip. 
 
NC STATE
NC State enters Sunday’s contest 7-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Wolfpack most recently dropped two matches in California — No. 5 Stanford (1-3) and California (0-3). The Wolfpack are led by Amanda Rice with 147 kills and a .303 hitting percentage while setters Naomi Cabello and Kate Peterson own 267 and 165 assists, respectively. Skye Stokes leads the defense with 172 digs, while Jada Allen leads the blocking unit with 46 total blocks. As a team, NC State is hitting .233 percent this season while its opponent is playing to a .210 clip.
 
Next Matches
 
Duke remains on the road as it takes on Virginia (Oct. 18) and Virginia Tech (Oct. 20). 
 
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