Duke Sweeps NC Central on the Road

Wednesday, September 13

Durham, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

7-2,0-0ACC

NC Central

1-7,0-0MEAC

Duke

N.C. Central

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Sweeps NC Central on the Road

9/13/2023 9:09:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

DURHAM - The Duke volleyball team captured its seventh consecutive win Wednesday as it swept NC Central, 3-0 (25-10, 25-21, 25-16), at McDougald-McLendon Arena on the campus of NCCU.

Offensively, the Blue Devils were led by Gracie Johnson with nine kills and just two errors on 20 swings to hit .350 percent while Kerry Keefe added seven kills of her own. Setter Millie Muir dished 17 assists while libero Madison Bryant led the defensive charge with seven digs.

Eight different Blue Devils registered a block with Jess Robinson and Johnson lead the way with four each. Duke served well as three Blue Devils — Christina Barrow, Rylie Kadel and Johnson — all added two aces. As a team, Duke hit .298 percent for the match.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke got going early to lead 7-4 and forced NC Central into its first timeout of the opening set. The Blue Devils extended their lead (18-7) by way of some tough serving and blocking as Johnson and Robinson both tallied three quick block assists. They finished the game with four each.
The Blue Devils hit .391 percent to take a quick 1-0 lead and limited the Eagles to a negative percentage.
With a 1-0 lead, the second set was a back-and-forth affair with six ties. After hitting nearly .400 in the previous frame, Duke struggled a bit to gather its offensive rhythm early in the set but ended hitting .211. All tied up at 17, Keefe sparked a 4-0 run with three consecutive kills (21-17) and continued to find a way in the 25-21 victory to take a 2-0 lead.
After the second set, Duke played to a .279 clip and limited NC Central to a .016 percentage.
Duke hit .348 percent by way of 12 kills and just two errors in the third and final frame. Ngozi Iloh tallied a career-high four kills and no errors to hit .667 percent.

NOTABLES

Wednesday marked the first time a Duke team has played on NC Central's campus since the 1970s.
The Blue Devils move to 7-2 overall with their seventh straight victory.
Duke moves to 9-0 against NC Central.
This was head coach Jolene Nagel's 690th of her career and the 487th at the helm of the Blue Devils.
With her two aces tonight, Johnson now owns 137 for her career to rank eighth in program history.
Johnson has tallied at least one ace in 66 contests over her career.
16 different Blue Devils saw action this evening.
Muir tallied a career-high two solo blocks.
The Eagles were led by Emma Medlin with 11 kills to hit .381 percent.

QUOTE

"It was a special night to play at NC Central and combine efforts with them to support the Boys and Girls Club of Durham and Orange counties. We are grateful we had the opportunity. This sport brought two universities in Durham together for a unique opportunity to support our community." - head coach Jolene Nagel