Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Syracuse on October 17, 2025 at 6 PM
/
6 PM
Volleyball
at Syracuse
Friday, August 28
Fullerton, Calif.
10:00 PM
Duke University
3
at
0
Cal State Fullerton
Blue Devils Continue Strong Start, Defeat Titans 3-0
8/29/2015 12:46:00 AM | Volleyball
FULLERTON, Calif. – The 25th-ranked Duke volleyball team followed its season-opening sweep with a second-consecutive straight-set victory, knocking off host Cal State Fullerton 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-17) Friday evening in the Blue Devils' second match of the 2015 LBSU/CSF Baden Invitational.
Duke (2-0) received a boost from its serving game, amassing 11 aces. Sophomore setter Emma Paradiso racked up a career-high four, while senior Emily Sklar and freshman Leah Meyer turned in two apiece.
Much like the opening match earlier Friday, Duke was again able to overpower its opponent. The Blue Devils put down 44 kills on .450 hitting and limited Cal State Fullerton to 25 kills on .145 hitting.
“We did a much better job serving tonight,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “Our serve receive was also a lot better and that allowed us to do more offensively. We were ready to go tonight and really executed well.”
Sklar reached double-digit kills for the second-straight contest, accumulating a match-high 11. Junior middle blocker Alyse Whitaker was Duke's most efficient target, knocking down nine kills on 11 attempts for a scalding .818 hitting percentage.
Meyer continued to impress early in her collegiate career. The Clarence, N.Y., native chipped in with eight kills, two aces and a pair of blocks in Friday's nightcap.
Defensively, libero Sasha Karelov picked up 13 digs to lead all players.
Cal State Fullerton could do little to slow Duke in the early going as the Blue Devils sent down 15 kills on 24 errorless attempts in the first set. Behind a combined nine kills from Sklar and Whitaker, Duke hit .625 compared to a .240 mark for the Titans. Paradiso began the frame with an ace and Duke never trailed the rest of the way.
Duke remained in control during the second set, capturing the stanza 25-15. Sklar and sophomore Anna Kropf added four kills each to pace the Blue Devils. Kropf finished the night with six kills on 10 attempts and no hitting errors.
The Blue Devils wrapped up the match with a 25-17 decision in the third and final set. Four Blue Devils hit .600 or better in the frame, which culminated in a Sklar ace to give Duke the victory.
For the day, Sklar totaled 24 kills, giving her 1,183 for her career. After starting the day ranked 16th in program history, Sklar now sits in 13th in the Duke record book and needs 67 more kills to move into the top 10.
Duke's final game of the tournament is set for an 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) opening serve Saturday, August 29. The Blue Devils square off against Long Beach State for the first time since 1997.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
DS/L
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOut Here in Miami For Thanksgiving
Wednesday, December 04
Camera'd Up with Grace Thrower
Saturday, November 16
Big Lo on the Mic
Wednesday, November 13
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
