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7 PM
Volleyball
at Georgia Tech
Friday, November 5
Raleigh, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
Duke University
3
at
0
N.C. State
Duke Sweeps N.C. State 3-0
11/5/2010 8:57:00 PM | Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. – Becci Burlingand Kellie Catanach both posted seven blocks to key Duke to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-14) win over N.C. State on Friday evening in Reynolds Coliseum.
Burling and Catanach sparked a dominant defensive effort that saw Duke (20-4, 12-2 ACC) hold N.C. State (13-14, 3-12 ACC) to a .107 hitting percentage and only 35 kills. The Blue Devils posted 12 blocks in the sweep, marking the team's most blocks in a three-set match since Nov. 13, 2008 against North Carolina.
Duke had no trouble on the offensive end as well, posting a season-high .360 hitting percentage. No Blue Devil hit lower than .318 as Catanach dished out 33 assists to direct the offense to 48 kills and only seven attack errors. Junior Amanda Robertson led the squad with 11 kills on a team-high 24 attacks while sophomore Christiana Gray went 7-for-11 for a team-high .545 clip. Burling and junior Sophia Dunworth knocked down nine kills apiece – with Dunworth finishing without an error – while senior Claire Smalzer contributed eight kills.
The win was the 20th of the season for Duke and gave the program its seventh consecutive 20-win season for the longest active streak in the ACC. The ACC win also keeps Duke on top of the conference standings alongside fellow front-runner North Carolina, which Duke faces on Saturday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Also key in the defensive effort was freshman libero Ali McCurdy who chipped in 20 digs for the 11th time this season. McCurdy, who ranks third in the ACC with 441 digs, picked up 12 of those in set three and has now posted double-digit digs in 15 consecutive matches.
“I thought our team did a good job playing one point at a time and trying to make the most out of the opportunities they were given,” said head coach Jolene Nagel, who has led Duke to 20 wins in 10 of her 12 seasons. “One of the things we wanted to focus on tonight was our blocks, and they did a great job with their timing and just staying strong on those. I thought we also continued our defensive ways and really succeeded in making that a priority in our game.”
N.C. State kept the first set close, but Duke broke open a 13-13 tie with an 8-1 run that featured three kills from Dunworth and two blocks from Burling and Catanach. The Blue Devils would hit .350 in the opening frame with only one attack error. Duke also posted five blocks in the opener with Catanach and Gray both contributing three.
The second game was a battle as the Wolfpack led for the majority of the frame but by no more than three points. Duke rallied to overtake the lead late, however, when Burling put down her third block of the night to put Duke on top 21-20. That was all the Blue Devils needed, as they followed with four straight points to cap the 25-20 win. Burling and Catanach had two more blocks during that final run to give the team eight for the match.
After giving Duke a run in the first two sets, however, N.C. State had no shot in the final frame. Duke jumped out to a 12-6 lead and never looked back in the 25-14 match-clinching win. Smalzer took over on the offensive end and went 6-for-9 without an error while McCurdy picked up 12 digs and Burling and Catanach both put back two more blocks.
Duke will now prepare a showdown with fellow ACC front-runner North Carolina, who come into Saturday tied with Duke for first place in the ACC. The bout in Chapel Hill, N.C., will begin at 6 p.m. in Carmichael Arena.
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