Blue Devils Fall Short Against Wildcats

Saturday, September 20

Boone, N.C.

4 PM

Duke University

3-8,0-0ACC

Davidson

5-4,0-0Atlantic 10

Duke

Davidson

Blue Devils Fall Short Against Wildcats

9/20/2025 7:18:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BOONE, N.C. – The Duke volleyball team made a late push in the fourth set, winning six straight points, but Davidson closed with the final kill to secure a 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20) victory Saturday afternoon inside the Holmes Convocation Center. Duke falls to a 3-8 overall record, while the Wildcats improve to a 5-4 ledger.

Freshman Ashby Zubchevich paced the Blue Devils, matching a career-high 16 kills, while fellow freshman Olivia Wayne added 11. Redshirt sophomore Nikki Quinn dished out a team-high 18 assists. Defensively, sophomore Mailinh Godschall led with 14 digs and sophomore Breonna Goss notched a career-high four blocks.

How It Happened

Set One – Duke 25, Davidson 20

The Blue Devils claimed the opening set in a closely fought frame that featured six ties before a 9-9 deadlock. Duke broke away with a 9-3 run, earning the 18-12 edge, then captured four of the next six points to build a 22-14 advantage. The Wildcats responded with a late surge, scoring five straight points to close within 22-19, but Duke secured three of the final four points, sealing the frame on a block from Williams and Goss.

Set Two – Duke 18, Davidson 25

Davidson won set two, 25-18, to even the match at 1-1. The Wildcats opened with a 7-3 lead before Duke answered with a 6-3 run, highlighted by a pair of kills from Williams and Wayne and a termination from Goss, to close within 10-9. The frame remained tightly contested with ties at 13-13, 14-14, 15-15, 16-16 and 17-17, but Davidson seized momentum down the stretch, claiming nine of the final 10 points to secure the set.

Set Three – Duke 17, Davison 25

The Wildcats moved ahead 2-1 in the match with a 25-17 victory in the third set. Davidson built a 15-9 lead before Duke responded with a pair of kills from Zubchevich and a finish from freshman Zoë Gillen-Malveaux to trim the deficit to 15-12. The Wildcats countered with a 5-2 run to extend their margin to 20-14 and closed the frame by taking five of the final eight points.

Set Four – Duke 20, Davidson 25

Davidson never trailed in the fourth, using a 7-3 run to extend its 6-5 edge into a 13-8 lead. The Wildcats traded points with the Blue Devils before pulling away from a 16-11 margin with five straight points to build a 21-11 advantage. Duke responded with a late six-point surge, highlighted by three service aces from Williams, but a final Davidson kill closed the set, 25-20, and secured the match.

Notes

The Blue Devils drop to a 3-8 overall record, while the Wildcats improve to a 5-4 ledger.
Duke falls to a 1-3 neutral site ledger.
The Wildcats tie the all-time series, 1-1.
The Blue Devils boasted a .176 hitting percentage, while the Wildcats tallied a .244 attack percentage.
Davidson led in kills, 59-50.
Godschall dished out a career-high nine assists.
Redshirt junior Millie Muir posted a career-best nine digs, while Quinn matched her career-best mark of eight.
Zubchevich posted a double-digit kill count for the fifth time in her career and second time in the Mountaineer Classic.

Up Next

The Blue Devils open ACC matches inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, hosting NC State Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m., followed by Wake Forest Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. Both contests will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra.

For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".

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