By BRYAN STRICKLAND

bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671

DURHAM -- Fall means football to many area sports fans, but there are other sports that are in the process of preparing for the kickoff of their seasons as well.

Members of Duke's other fall sports programs took time out from their preseason schedules Friday to talk about the season to come. Here's a look at what fans can expect.

Volleyball

The Blue Devils, fresh off an ACC championship and their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, have been tabbed as the conference favorites in a preseason poll of ACC volleyball coaches.

"Being number one is great, but we try not to think about it too much," said senior outside hitter Rachel Moss, who was named to the preseason All-ACC team along with teammates Kellie Catanach and Becci Burling. "I would say we always have a target on our back, and from my experience it's always been there regardless of our ranking and we are always prepared for people to play their best against us."

Duke lost three seniors who helped the program win 103 matches over the last four seasons, but the Blue Devils' freshman class includes highly touted outside hitter Megan Hendrickson -- the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Michigan -- and 6-5 middle blocker Christiana Gray.

Women's soccer

The Blue Devils, coming off their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, are picked sixth in the loaded ACC but are ranked 14th in a national poll.

Duke coach Robbie Church believes the sky is the limit -- if the cloud caused by a rash of injuries lifts.

"Today at practice we had 15 healthy bodies, and we had nine on the sidelines," said Church, whose team opened its season Sunday against Gardner-Webb. "I guess it's our year for freakish accidents. Nicole Lipp, who's probably been our most outstanding freshmen, hit her head in the dorm on a loft and got a concussion.

"What can you do?"

The Devils still believe they can do a lot, thanks in large part to the return of high scorers KayAnne Gummershall and Elisabeth Redmond. They may need multiple goals to win because the injuries include season-ending ones to four defensive players.

Returning defensive standout Ashley Rape and promising freshman defender Kim DeCesare are out with torn anterior cruciate ligaments, and returning contributors Sara Murphy and Molly Lester also will be sidelined for the season. In addition, freshman forward Callie Simpkins tore her ACL in practice.

"But as long as we have these three here putting on Duke uniforms," Church said, pointing to Gummershall, Redmond and fellow senior Jane Alukonis, "we're going to be able to play with anybody in the country.

"We'll overcome that."

Men's soccer

The Blue Devils are picked seventh in the preseason poll, but last season North Carolina advanced to the NCAA title game (against ACC foe Maryland) after finishing eighth in the ACC in the regular season.

"We're kind of relishing the underdog approach," Duke coach John Kerr said. "We know we can and will do a lot better than that."

Duke must find a way to replace five starters, including Mike Grella, last year's ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

Field hockey

The ACC may be more loaded in field hockey than in any other sport.

The Blue Devils were picked to finish sixth -- dead-last -- in the coaches' preseason poll. Reigning NCAA champion Maryland was picked second in the poll, and runner-up Wake Forest was picked fourth.

"We've never finished last, and I don't think we will this season. We're pretty strong," Duke coach Beth Bozman said. "We could be sixth in the nation right now. We might be better than sixth in the nation."

The lack of outside expectations could be contributed to the youth of the team: Duke has just five seniors and juniors among its 18 players, headed by first-team All-America defender Lauren Miller.

Men's cross country

Coach Norm Ogilvie rarely has been this excited about a team as he enters his 10th year as head coach and 19th overall at Duke.

"I'm very confident in saying that this team has the potential to be the best team we have had here at Duke. That includes the ACC championship team of 2000 and the team that placed 14th in the NCAAs in 2001," Ogilvie said. "We've had three tremendous recruiting classes back-to-back. We have a bunch of seniors that are going to provide some really good leadership for us.

"All the ingredients are here for a great season."

The Devils are led by Bo Waggoner, the lone Duke runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships last season.

Women's cross country

Coach Kevin Jermyn took the approach last season that slow and steady would win the race, but this season he wants his team to come out of the gates faster.

"In past years we have taken a little bit more time to focus on November and ease our way into the season, but since last year we came up short on some of our goals for the season we wanted to really challenge our team a little bit earlier," Jermyn said. "I think we can get a good confidence boost and then go from October through the end of the postseason really with the confidence that we are one of the top teams in the nation."

Duke is led by sophomore Emily Schwitzer and senior Carly Seymour, both of whom finished in the top 30 at last year's NCAA Southeast Regional.