No. 17 Duke Takes Down Wisconsin 3-2

Saturday, August 27

Durham, N.C.

7:00 PM

Duke University

Wisconsin

Blue Devils to Host Duke Volleyball Clinic Saturday

No. 17 Duke Takes Down Wisconsin 3-2

8/27/2011 10:57:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. - In front of a crowd of over 3,000 spectators in Cameron Indoor Stadium, freshman Jeme Obeime and senior Amanda Robertson led a charged Duke volleyball team to a 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-21, 15-12) comeback win over Wisconsin in the final match of the Duke Invitational on Saturday evening. The victory puts 17^th-ranked Duke's record at a perfect 3-0 following the first weekend of the 2011 season.

Obeime and Robertson knocked down 15 kills apiece, and Obeime slammed five service aces as No. 17 Duke came back from a 2-1 deficit to win game four and five. Obeime had a team-high four kills in the 15-12 set five win and led all Duke players with 35 kills for the tournament. She, setter Kellie Catanach and outside hitter Sophia Dunworth were each named to the Duke Invitational All-Tournament Team after Duke also defeated Furman 3-1 on Friday and Charleston Southern 3-0 on Saturday morning.

Catanach, a 2010 AVCA All-America pick and the reigning ACC Player of the Year, effectively spread the ball around against Wisconsin, allowing Megan Hendrickson 12 kills and Christiana Gray and Sophia Dunworth nine kills apiece. Duke hit .289 for the tournament and led all teams in kills, hitting percentage and digs.

Against a Wisconsin team that matched Duke's height advantage, Duke's defense locked down late and held the Badgers to a .123 hitting percentage over the final two games. Duke did not give up a single service ace after game three and outblocked the Badgers over those last two sets. Libero Ali McCurdy turned in her second 20-dig performance of the season and frustrated teams all weekend as she averaged 5.08 digs at the tournament.

Obeime, Catanach and Dunworth were all named to the Duke Invitational All-Tournament Team. A freshman outside hitter, Obeime led Duke with 35 kills and five aces during the three-match run, while Catanach averaged 11.18 assists and 1.62 digs and Dunworth hit .343 with several clutch points among her 30 kills.

Wisconsin used a strong serve to jump out to an early 8-3 lead and rode that momentum to an opening 25-16 victory. Freshman Courtney Thomas got hot early and served four aces during a 5-0 run and also added seven assists and a pair of blocks. Duke never closed the gap to less than four, and the Badgers held the Blue Devils to a .194 hitting percentage.

The Blue Devils turned the tables in the second set, however, and used a strong defensive effort to hold Wisconsin to a .059 clip on the way to a 25-20 win. Duke forced Wisconsin into five early attack errors en route to taking a 6-0 lead and led by at least five points the rest of the way. Catanach amassed 15 assists, and four Blue Devils had multiple kills including Obeime, who went 5-for-8 in the victory. McCurdy also chipped in six digs as the Badgers scored on just 10 of their 34 attacks.

Duke had a chance to take a 2-1 lead after staking a 17-10 lead in game three, but the Badgers rallied to overcome that deficit and take a 22-20 lead. The Blue Devils came within one point of tying the match again, but Wisconsin used a pair of kills from Crystal Graff and Deme Morales to reach match point. Robertson gave Duke one last chance with her 11^th kill of the match, but Wisconsin forced Duke into an attacking error to lock up the win.

Down 2-1 and facing a loss, the Blue Devils locked in and pulled out a 25-21 victory on the heels of a strong defensive performance. Duke held Wisconsin to a .081 hitting percentage and did not give up a single service ace during that frame. A key momentum swing came with Duke leading 17-15 when Hendrickson, Gray and Dunworth combined for three straight kills to increase Duke's lead to 20-15. Wisconsin came back within two points at 23-21, but Obeime put the match away with a kill and a service ace to lock up the win.

The momentum was fully in Duke's court after game four, and the Blue Devils pulled out the victory with a 15-12 win in the final set. Feeding off the boisterous, energetic crowd, the Blue Devils broke a 3-3 tie with a 7-1 run and fought off a late Wisconsin rally after the Badgers came within two points at 14-12. Dunworth and Obeime came up big once again, as Dunworth scored two of Duke's final three points and Obeime went 4-for-8 with the game-winning kill.

Duke will head to the West Coast next week to take on three California foes. The Blue Devils will face Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 1, and will then square off against St. Mary's and Stanford during the Stanford Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

-d-u-k-e-