09/05/2008 - Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke volleyball team increased its win streak at the Duke Invitational to 25 straight matches after knocking off Seton Hall 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-18) Friday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Led by junior Rachael Moss, senior Jourdan Norman, sophomore Becci Burling and freshman setter Kellie Catanach, the Blue Devils (2-2, 0-0 ACC) hit .272 in the bout and racked up 12 total team blocks. Moss, Norman, Burling and Catanach each recorded double-doubles, including a 10-block, 14-kill outing from Norman who is now within 58 blocks of setting Duke’s all-time record.

Norman also turned in a .619 hitting percentage after committing just one error on 21 attacks. Moss topped her total and led the team with 18 kills while also contributing a season-high three service aces against the Pirates (2-2). Burling also turned in 14 kills and 12 digs in the four-set match along with three blocks. Freshman Sophia Dunworth added a career-high eight kills and a block, while senior Sue Carls contributed six kills and two blocks of her own.

Catanach had her most productive match to date with 53 assists, three blocks, 10 digs and two kills. The freshman setter out of Tampa, Fla. (Plant) came through on over 45 percent of her set attempts, including over 53 percent of her attempts in the tie-breaking third set.

Seton Hall managed to hit just .218 against Duke’s defense and fell 25-18 in the fourth game after putting up a .056 clip. Sarah Osmun had a team-high 15 of the Pirates’ kills, while Megan Matusiak and Rachael Thornquist each reached double figures with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Duke libero Claire Smalzer played a big role in limiting the Seton Hall offense and picked up a career-high 19 digs.

The Blue Devils fell behind early, however, after dropping the first set 25-22. Osmun came through with seven kills for Seton Hall, which opened the match with a .318 clip. The Blue Devils were down throughout the match but fought back to tie the game at 11-11 and once again at 21-21, but were unable to gain the lead. Moss and Burling led the Blue Devils with five kills each, while Catanach had 12 of the teams 14 assists.

The Blue Devils controlled the second set from the first serve and never surrendered the lead, but the Pirates were able to tie the Blue Devils twice early in the match. Norman delivered the final blow for Duke, however, with her fourth kill of the set. Moss once again led the team with five kills in the set while Burling added three, Dunworth connected on two and Carls added one. As a team the Blue Devils had four team blocks in the second set with Norman helping out on all four.

The third set was a hard-fought contest with Duke and Seton Hall swapping the lead three times and knotting up the score on eight occasions. Norman, Moss and Burling came through when it mattered though as the trio combined for 20 total points, including seven from Moss who had five kills and two service aces. Down for most of the first half of the match, the Blue Devils began their comeback after trailing 13-9 when Burling ignited the team with two straight kills. Following two more kills from Moss and another from Norman, Duke tied the score at 16-16 before Moss came through again with two straight aces to put the Blue Devils ahead for the remainder of the match. Duke then maintained a slight lead until Burling added her fifth kill of the frame and a service to put Duke within one point of clinching the set. Seton Hall responded with two straight kills from Osmun and Breanna Leisner, but Catanach nailed the door shut with a well-timed attack for her second kill of the frame.

By the time the fourth set rolled around all the fight was out of the Pirates. The final set went to the Blue Devils, pulling away to score six unanswered points after an 11-11 tie. Norman led the team with four kills in the set, while Carls and Moss each had three and Smalzer cleaned up on the defensive end with six digs. Dunworth also added two kills on her three attacks to give her a career-high eight for the match.

The Blue Devils will play again tonight at 7:30 p.m. versus Colgate. Earlier in the day Colgate fell to Georgia 3-1.