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Courtesy: Duke Photography
Duke junior Rachael Moss went 16-for-28 without committing an attack error against the Wolfpack. she hit .571 as part of a .372 effort put up by the Blue Devils.
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RALEIGH, N.C. – Rachael Moss put down 16 kills without a single attack error to lead the Duke volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-17) sweep over NC State Friday evening in Reynolds Coliseum.
Moss went 16-for-28 for a season-high .571 hitting percentage to contribute to a .372 clip turned in by the Blue Devils (21-8, 12-5 ACC). Moss also helped out on the defensive end with seven digs and put down her ACC-leading 49th service ace of the year.
Duke freshman Sophia Dunworth also had a near-flawless night and put down eight of her 15 attacks for kills without committing an error. The performance produced a career-high .533 hitting percentage for Dunworth, who has accounted for 50 kills in Duke’s last four matches. Dunworth’s freshman classmate Kellie Catanach also contributed to Duke’s offensive foray with 32 assists.
Catanach also put back a career-high seven of Duke’s eight blocks, including one solo stop. She and middle blocker Jourdan Norman teamed up for six stops on the night to outblock the Wolfpack (9-23, 3-14 ACC) eight to one. Sophomore Becci Burling was in on the other stop and finished with six kills and a pair of service aces, giving her 17 aces in Duke’s last 13 matches.
When NC State managed to hit around Duke’s block, the defensive specialist duo of Claire Smalzer and Aana Wherry were there to keep the play alive and finished with 11 and 10 digs, respectively. Sophomore Alex Sall also got in on the action and collected all six of her digs in the final set.
“I was pleased to see how well we communicated and passed the ball tonight,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “The team really worked together out there and took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves. That’s something we always have to do to be successful, and it was good to see that with the quick turnaround from last night.”
Duke’s defensive effort held NC State to a .081 hitting percentage and forced 23 Wolfpack attack errors compared to just 32 kills. Arlee Tamietti was the only NC State attack with double-digit kills, finishing with 10 on a -.068 hitting percentage.
The Blue Devils came out swinging in the opening set and hit .371 with just three attack errors on the way to a 25-16 win. Catanach dished out 15 assists in the frame, while Moss and Dunworth combined for 10 kills and a .667 hitting percentage with no errors. Duke jumped ahead by five points midway through the set following an 8-3 run that included a kill and an ace from Dunworth and four attack errors from the Wolfpack. NC State would temporarily trim the deficit to two, but the Blue Devils managed to maintain the lead for the remainder of the match. NC State called a timeout with Duke ahead 20-15 and came out of the break with a point on a kill from Isis Gardiner, but followed by allowing five straight points to close out the match. Burling ended the frame with consecutive kills, both of which came on assists from Catanach.
Both Moss and Dunworth stayed perfect through the second set and led Duke to a .375 clip and a 25-15 win. Moss went 3-for-5 without an error in the frame to run her total for the match to 9-for-13. Catanach dished out eight more assists and teamed up with Norman for four blocks in the frame. The Wolfpack hung with Duke early in the match and came back to tie the score at 11-11, but gave up eight straight points to the Blue Devils to fall behind 21-12. NC State gave away five of those scores on attack errors, while Burling, Catanach and Moss picked up the other three with an ace and two kills. NC State would score just three more points for the remainder of the frame before ending the match with another attack error.
Moss gave Duke the first two points in the frame with kills on consecutive attacks as part of four straight points from the Blue Devils to open the set. NC State rallied back, however, and tied the match at 8-8 before Duke went on a 9-5 run to jump ahead 18-13. The six-point cushion did not last long, however, as the Wolfpack halved the deficit at 20-17. From there, Duke would score five straight points, however, to end the set and the match. Moss and Catanach teamed up for two kills during the final run, while the other three points came on NC State attack errors.
The Blue Devils will return to Cameron Indoor Stadium next weekend to open their final three-match homestand in Durham. Duke welcomes Virginia Tech on Friday, Nov. 21, and Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 22. Saturday will feature the Senior Day ceremony to honor of Duke’s senior class of Carls, Norman and Wherry.
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