Freshmen Break Out In 3-0 Win Over S.C. State

Saturday, September 13

Arlington, Texas

12:00 p.m. (CST)

Duke University

South Carolina State

Duke Volleyball Notes: NCAA Tournament (Rounds 1-2)

Freshmen Break Out In 3-0 Win Over S.C. State

9/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

ARLINGTON, Texas ? Duke's freshman class combined for 16 kills, seven blocks and a .571 hitting percentage to lead the Blue Devil volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-13) win over South Carolina State on Saturday during the second day of the Hilton Invitational hosted by UT Arlington in Texas Hall.

One night after setting a school record for the fewest points allowed in a three-set match during the rally scoring era, the Blue Devils (6-2, 0-0 ACC) beat the mark once again after holding S.C. State (1-9) to just 39 points, which was one less than the 40-point performance put up by UT Arlington on Friday, Sept. 12. Led by a six-block effort from freshman Amanda Robertson, Duke totaled 8.5 stops and held S.C. State to a -.023 clip by forcing 20 attack errors compared to just 18 kills.

The six stops were a career high for Robertson, as were her seven kills and .700 hitting percentage. Along with classmates Kayla Kirk, Sophia Dunworth and Kellie Catanach, Duke's freshman quartet combined for 28 errorless attacks with each Blue Devil adding at least one kill. Kirk went 5-for-10, Dunworth 3-for-6 and Catanach 1-for-2, while Catanach also served up 16 assists.

Junior outside hitter Rachael Moss was Duke's top attacker in the match with a team-leading nine kills at a .316 clip along with two service aces and a team-high nine digs. Senior middle blocker Jourdan Norman also added three blocks while junior outside hitter Brittany Staffeil added five kills.

The Bulldogs had a tough time defending Duke's attack from the first set and allowed the Blue Devils to hit .423 in the opener while managing a -.034 clip themselves. Duke received five kills on seven attacks from Moss, three blocks from Norman and two more stops from Robertson in the 25-14 win. South Carolina State hung close early in the match and trailed 11-9, but gave way to a 9-3 Duke run that put the Blue Devils ahead 20-12. From there, Duke closed out the match with kills from Dunworth and Christina Falcone, a block from Norman and Robertson and consecutive kills by Aana Wherry that locked up the opening win.

Duke improved to a .615 clip in the second set after making just two attack errors compared to 17 kills on 26 attacks. Duke made quick work of S.C. State in the set and jumped ahead 10-2 early before the Bulldogs got back on track and matched Duke with a 9-8 run that ran the score to 18-11. Kirk and Robertson came through for Duke to stop S.C. State's momentum though, and accounted for five of Duke's next seven points including a run where the freshman duo combined for four straight kills. Kirk added one more kill during the final stretch to put Duke within one point of the 25-12 victory. Staffeil also helped out with four kills on five errorless attacks in the set.

Duke kept up the pace in the third set and forced eight S.C. State attack errors while allowing just two of the Bulldogs' 27 attacks to hit the floor. Meanwhile, Robertson went 4-for-6 and Wherry went 2-for-2 with no errors to contribute to a .312 clip for Duke. Five Blue Devils helped out on a combined 3.5 blocks in the third set, including a pair of stops from Robertson. Falcone and Alex Sall both split time at setter and each served up five assists. The Blue Devils were able to score 18 points before S.C. State got into double figures and outscored the Bulldogs 7-3 for their final run on the way to the match-clinching win.

Duke will play No. 13 Middle Tennessee this evening at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time in the finale of the Hilton Invitational. The Blue Raiders are also 2-0 in the tournament.

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