Blue Devils Cruise Past Georgia Tech, 3-0

Saturday, October 30

Durham, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

Georgia Tech

Blue Devils Cruise Past Georgia Tech, 3-0

10/30/2010 9:48:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C.-Duke University junior middle blocker Amanda Robertson posted a double-double with a match-high 15 kills and 10 assists to lead the Blue Devils to a 3-0 sweep (25-19, 26-24, 25-23) of Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball action this evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The double-double was her second consecutive and her sixth of the season.

Duke improves to 19-4 overall and 11-2 in the ACC to stay atop the league standings. Georgia Tech falls to 15-10 and 8-5 in conference play. The Blue Devils are unbeaten at home in ACC action this season, sporting a 7-0 mark.

"I feel like the team was pretty in tune to the importance of this match tonight and the significance of it," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "They were pretty focused going into it in a good way. They understood what was at stake and they came out and executed well."

Junior setter dished out 40 assists for the Blue Devils, while the defensive combination of sophomore Nailah Waterfield and freshman Ali McCurdy combined for 30 digs to hold the Yellowjackets to a .252 hitting percentage. Waterfield picked up 16 digs, while McCurdy registered 14.

"Seeing four players with double-digit digs makes me smile right away," Nagel said. "Last night we had four people in double-digit digs too and that was really exciting to see. To see these numbers is exciting because we've really been trying to work on our defense and that includes setting good blocks. I think we're setting some good blocks and getting some great touches, which allows people to make those digs."

Posting double-digit kills for Duke were Becci Burling, Christiana Gray and Sophia Dunworth with 10 apiece. The Blue Devils hit .298 for the night and finished above a .300 percentage in two of the three sets.

With the first set even at five, the Blue Devils started to pull away, scoring four unanswered for a 9-5 lead. The Yellowjackets pulled back within two at 12-10, but Duke never wavered en route to the 25-19 win in the opening set.

Duke hit at a match-high .333 clip in the first set with Claire Smalzer leading the way with five kills. Dunworth and Robertson added four apiece.

The second and third sets proved to be a different story for Duke as Georgia Tech jumped out to early leads in both. The Yellowjackets scored the first four points of the second set and led by as many as six at 11-5 before Duke stormed back to tie the score at 14.

Robertson contributed three kills during Duke's 9-3 run to make it a 14-14 contest. The two squads traded points in the set that featured eight ties and three lead changes. Neither team led by more than two in the last half of the set, but it was Duke capturing the win with the final three points for a 2-0 lead in the match. Gray registered two of the three final points for the Blue Devils, while Dunworth hit home the final kill to clinch the set at 26-24.

In nearly identical fashion, Georgia Tech came out in the third set and jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Duke scored 11 of the next 15 points for an 11-8 advantage. The Blue Devils upped the lead to 16-11, but the Yellowjackets came storming back to tie the set at 17. Gray stopped the Georgia Tech run on the next play knocking down a kill to give the Blue Devils a lead they would never relinquish.

After Georgia Tech pulled back within one, 23-22, Duke came out of a timeout and quickly put the match away with consecutive kills by Robertson. The Blue Devils hit .300 in the final set with Robertson posting seven kills and a .600 hitting percentage.

Duke returns to action on Nov. 5, traveling to NC State for a 7 p.m., match. The Blue Devils then match up against ACC rival and co-leader of the conference North Carolina on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.