Duke Falls in Tightly Contested Match Against Wake Forest

Sunday, September 28

Durham, N.C.

1 PM

Duke University

4-9,1-1ACC

Wake Forest

7-6,1-1ACC

Wake Forest

Duke

Photo by: Nat LeDonne / Duke Athletics

Duke Falls in Tightly Contested Match Against Wake Forest

9/28/2025 4:55:00 PM | Volleyball

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DURHAM, N.C. – The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons battled in a tightly contested match, with no set decided by more than three points. After Duke volleyball claimed the opening frame, Wake Forest responded by taking the next three to secure a 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 27-25) victory Sunday afternoon inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke falls to 4-9 on the season, including a 1-1 mark in ACC play, while Wake Forest improves to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in conference.

The Blue Devils hit .242 as a team, led by freshman Ashby Zubchevich, who matched her career-high with 21 kills for the second consecutive match. Also logging double-digit kills was sophomore Taylor Williams with 13 and freshman Olivia Wayne with 11. Defensively, sophomore libero Mailinh Godschall paced Duke with 25 digs, while freshman Zoë Gillen-Malveaux led the Blue Devils at the net with five block assists.

How It Happened

Set One – Duke 25, Wake Forest 22

The Blue Devils took the early lead in the match with a 25-22 win in the opening frame. The set was tightly contested, knotted at 13-13, before Duke claimed five of the next six points to build an 18-14 edge. Wake Forest rallied to tie it late, 22-22, but Zubchevich notched two kills, and the Demon Deacons committed an attack error to give Duke the final three points.

Set Two – Duke 23, Wake Forest 25

Wake Forest evened the match with a 25-23 victory in the second frame. The Demon Deacons jumped out to an 18-14 lead, but Duke answered with a 4-2 run to trim its deficit to 20-18. The teams traded points late, with Wake holding a 24-21 advantage before a service error and a Wayne kill cut Wake Forest's lead to 24-23. However, a Duke service error gave the Deacs the set.

Set Three – Duke 23, Wake Forest 25

The Demon Deacons pushed their lead to 2-1 with a 25-23 win in the third set. Wake opened with a 6-3 lead before Duke rattled off seven of the next nine points to take a 10-8 edge. Wake answered with a 7-4 run to regain a 15-14 lead, then extended its margin taking seven of the next 11 points for a 22-18 cushion. Duke answered with four straight points to tie it at 22-22, but Wake closed by taking three of the final four.

Set Four – Duke 25, Wake Forest 27

Wake Forest clinched the match in a back-and-forth fourth frame, 27-25. The set featured 13 ties and seven lead changes. Tied at 21-21, Zubchevich and sophomore Breonna Goss recorded back-to-back kills to give Duke a 23-21 advantage. Wake responded with two straight points before the Blue Devils regained the lead at 25-24 with a Williams termination and a Wake Forest service error. The Deacs closed the match with three consecutive points to secure the 27-25 win.

Notes

Both the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons sit at a 1-1 ledger in ACC play.
Wake Forest cut into Duke's all-time series lead, which now stands at 64-19, including trimming the Blue Devils' edge in conference matchups to 48-15.
Zubchevich has recorded her career-high kill total (21) in back-to-back matches.
Duke led statistically with a 157-145 advantage in kills and hit .242 while holding Wake Forest to a .214 clip.
The Demon Deacons held a 13-10 edge in total blocks.
Senior Christina Barrow dished a career-high five assists.
Godschall surpassed 700 career digs with her 25 on Sunday.
Williams logged a double-digit kill count for the second consecutive game and the ninth time this season.

Up Next

The Blue Devils continue ACC play next week, facing in-state rival North Carolina twice. The first matchup is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill, followed by a showdown inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m.

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

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