Blue Devils Sweep NC State 3-0

Saturday, October 17

Raleigh, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

Duke University

N.C. State

Blue Devils Sweep NC State 3-0

10/17/2009 7:45:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

RALEIGH, N.C. - Becci Burling hammered 13 kills and hit .400 to lead Duke to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-18) sweep over NC State Saturday evening in Reynolds Coliseum.

Burling, a junior middle blocker, finished 13-for-25 with just three attack errors to give the Blue Devils (17-4, 7-2 ACC) to their 17^th consecutive victory over NC State. She also helped out on four of Duke's nine blocks and chipped in four digs as part of a defensive effort that saw NC State hit just .010 on the night.

NC State (7-16, 0-8 ACC) also had trouble stopping freshman Christiana Gray, who finished with eight kills, a .462 hitting percentage and four blocks. Gray, who leads Duke's starters with a .359 hitting percentage, has now hit .300 or better in 13 of Duke's 21 matches.

By holding the Wolfpack to just 10 points in the second set, Duke set a school record for the fewest points allowed in a game since the NCAA adopted a 25-point-per-set limit in 2008. The last time Duke held an opponent to 10 points or less in a game was in 2004 when the Blue Devils did it three times in the same season.

Duke used 12 players in the victory, five of which recorded service aces. Freshman Phoebe Maglathlin got two of those, while Kayla Kirk, Claire Smalzer, Kellie Catanach and Rachael Moss also contributed one each. Smalzer, who entered the match ranked second in the ACC in service aces per game, now has a team-leading 27 which is already a career high for the junior libero.

Margaret Salata was NC State's only attacker to hit over .200, finishing 5-for-13 with a .308 clip. Duke forced NC State into 22 attack errors and the lowest hitting percentage against a Duke team since Sept. 13, 2008, when S.C. State hit -.023 against the Blue Devils.

Duke stayed in control of the first set, building a seven-point lead before finishing off the Wolfpack 25-22 to take game one. NC State had no answer to Burling, who finished 6-for-9 attacking without an error. Duke hit .303 in the opener with 14 assists from Catanach, four kills from Robertson and service aces from Smalzer and Kirk. NC State, meanwhile, hit just .212 but still managed to fight back from a 21-14 deficit to come within two points of tying the match. Duke, however, still led 24-22 and finished off the game on a kill from Sophia Dunworth.

The momentum stayed in Duke's favor at the start of the second frame, as the Blue Devils jumped out to a 15-5 lead on the way to a 25-10 victory. Burling led the effort once again with five kills on eight attacks - again without an error - while Gray chipped in two kills and a pair of blocks. Catanach dished out seven more assists before senior Christina Falcone entered the game and tossed up three assists and a block. Duke had a chance to hold the Wolfpack to single digits, but NC State pulled out two straight points after trailing 24-8.

After handling NC State in the first two games, the Blue Devils quickly put the final set away with a match-clinching 25-18 victory. Duke once again reached 19 points before the Wolfpack reached double digits, but then gave way to a 9-5 run that narrowed the deficit to 24-18. The Blue Devils ended NC State's shot at a comeback, however, when freshman Megan Hendrickson connected on her second kill of the evening to lock up the win. Senior Brittany Staffeil had her number called often in the final set, finishing 3-for-7 in the game with a pair of digs.

Up next for Duke is another weekend road trip, this time to Clemson and Georgia Tech on Oct. 23-24. The Yellow Jackets are tied for second place in the ACC standings alongside the Blue Devils, while Clemson is also in position to challenge for the top spot with a 5-3 ACC record.

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