Sophomore Michelle Vittesse joined Cavalier teammates Paige Selenski and Inga Stöckel on the All-ACC team, which was announced yesterday. The midfielder ranks second on the team in assists with six this season and is fourth in scoring. Photo by Toby Loewenstein.

The No. 3 Virginia field hockey team begins its quest for an ACC Championship today when it hosts No. 14 Duke at Turf Field.

This weekend will mark the first time Virginia (16-2, 3-2 ACC) has hosted the postseason conference tournament since 2003. Under coach Michele Madison, the Cavaliers have a 3-3 record in the ACC Tournament. Virginia has never won the ACC Championship in the tournament’s 26-year history, while North Carolina has hoisted the championship trophy a conference-high 16 times.

“We have been waiting for it since they announced it,” sophomore midfielder Rachel Jennings said. “We have been preparing for it all season. It’s a huge goal of ours to win. Every practice and every ACC game just prepares us more.”

The last game the Cavaliers played should be especially beneficial to tournament preparation, as the squad just faced ­— and beat — the Blue Devils (9-9, 0-5 ACC) Sunday in a come-from-behind home win. Virginia trailed 1-0 at halftime but then scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half to prevail, 2-1.

With the win against Duke, Virginia improved to 3-2 in ACC play this season, its best conference record in the Michele Madison era. If the Cavaliers prevail against the Blue Devils again, they will take on No. 2 North Carolina on Friday. Virginia’s overtime loss against the Tar Heels was one of only two this season — the second came against No. 1 Maryland, a testament to the strength of the ACC.

“We definitely have a few tricks up our sleeve,” Jennings said. “Now that we have played every team, we know how to play them. I think we will definitely be prepared to play.”

The Cavaliers will need their key players to step up if they hope to make a run at the championship. Sophomore midfielder Paige Selenski is tied for second in the ACC with five goals in conference play, while junior goalkeeper Kim Kastuk leads the ACC with two conference shutouts and seven total shutouts this season. The Cavaliers have only surrendered five goals in nine games at home this season, all of which were to ACC schools.

Though Virginia faces a tough task against Duke, the road to a championship will only get tougher. If the Cavaliers wish to claim the program’s first championship, they most likely will have to defeat Maryland, which won last year’s tournament, or North Carolina, which won the 2007 title.

“We have kept the clips all year,” Madison said. “Everything we do everyday builds on beating Maryland and North Carolina.”

The Cavaliers feel confident about their chances this weekend, especially because they are playing on their home turf.

“To have the ACC Tournament at home is great,” Madison said. “It’s all or nothing now.”