Match Stats
- Duke def. Virginia 3-2 (22-25, 32-30, 25-22, 24-26, 15-7)
- Duke moves to 8-4, 2-0 in ACC; Virginia falls to 3-11, 0-2 in ACC
- Charlottesville, Virginia (Virginia hosted)
The Duke Blue Devils spoiled a career-best 25-kill performance by UVA’s Haley Kole with a 5-set victory on the road to go to 2-0 in ACC play this season.
The Blue Devils only hit .173 over the course of the match, but with a whopping 36 block assists they held Virginia to an even lower .141 hitting average over the course of the game.
Duke was dominant in the 5th-and-final set, though, hitting .357 and allowing only a single Virginia kill to seal the match away.
“This was a really big win on the road for us,” said Duke head coach Jolene Nagel. “[I’m] really proud of the way we hung tough and we kept together. We gave each other strength out there. [At] different times different people came up big. We grew a lot as a team tonight.”
Despite taking the tough loss, Virginia head coach Dennis Hohenshelt was pleased with his team’s effort.
“If we play like we played tonight with that effort and a little bit of execution, we are going to beat a lot of people,” Hohenshelt said. “I told them I was as proud of their effort tonight as I have been this season. This team has to figure out that they need to play with that passion and energy everyday in practice, then it becomes natural in the games.”
Press Releases
Courtesy Duke Athletics:
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Duke totaled a season-high 18 blocks en route to its third five-set win of the season, escaping Virginia with a 3-2 (22-25, 32-30, 25-22, 24-26, 15-7) decision Saturday evening in Memorial Gymnasium.
Sophomore middle blocker Leah Meyer collected the first double-double of her career, amassing 12 kills and 11 blocks to pace the Blue Devils. Freshman setter Cindy Marinaalso had a double-double, her team-leading seventh, adding 49 assists and 22 digs in the winning effort.
Meyer was one of four Blue Devils in double-digit kills. Sophomore outside hitter Jessi Bartholomew totaled a team-high 15, while freshman rightside hitter Samantha Amos contributed a career-high 13. Senior middle blocker Jordan Tucker rounded out the Duke contingent with 11 kills to go along with seven blocks and four digs.
“This was a really big win on the road for us,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “[I’m] really proud of the way we hung tough and we kept together. We gave each other strength out there. [At] different times different people came up big. We grew a lot as a team tonight.”
A 5-0 Virginia run early in the first proved to be the difference in a 25-22 Cavalier victory. After the two squads split the match’s opening 10 points, UVA rattled off five straight to go ahead, 10-5. Duke pulled within a point on three occasions but Virginia had the answer each time. Up 22-21, UVA finished the frame on a 3-1 run.
Duke outlasted Virginia in a marathon second set, 32-30. The Cavaliers fought off a pair of set points after a Bartholomew kill put Duke on top, 24-22. The two teams proceeded to trade points down the stretch before landing on a 30-30 stalemate. Amos came up with the kill to give Duke its fifth set point of the frame and Bartholomew finished it off with an ace off the top of the tape.
The Blue Devils opened the third with seven straight points and held off Virginia down the stretch, 25-22. Amos put down three kills in the early going to give Duke a commanding advantage. The Cavaliers chipped away, coming within one at 23-22 before the Blue Devils turned to Tucker for back-to-back kills to finish the set.
Much like the second, the fourth set came down to the wire before Virginia notched consecutive kills to win, 26-24. Duke trailed by as many as five before clawing its way back to tie the frame at 24-all on Bartholomew’s kill. Virginia then countered with kills from Alex Thorson and Haley Kole to force and fifth frame.
Duke took charge early in the fifth, storming out to a 7-2 lead. Six UVA miscues aided the Blue Devils, who did not let the Cavaliers within four points the remainder of the set. Bartholomew established match point on her 15th kill before Meyer and Amos teamed up for the game-clinching block. The final block assist was one of a career-high seven for Amos.
“We’re doing a lot better with our blocking,” Nagel said. “That’s exciting. We’re doing better job setting up our block, timing and getting over the net. We’re really working hard at it and making it a priority and it’s coming out in our play.”
Libero Sasha Karelov anchored the backline with 25 digs in addition to three service aces on the night.
UVA’s Haley Kole led all players with 25 kills, followed by Alex Thorson’s 15.
Duke hits the road again this coming weekend. The Blue Devils travel Notre Dame Sept. 30 and Louisville Oct. 2.
Courtesy Virginia Athletics:
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team fell to Duke in a close five-set match, 3-2 (22-25, 32-30, 25-22, 24-26, 15-7) on Saturday night in Memorial Gymnasium.
“If we play like we played tonight with that effort and a little bit of execution, we are going to beat a lot of people,” head coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “I told them I was as proud of their effort tonight as I have been this season. This team has to figure out that they need to play with that passion and energy everyday in practice, then it becomes natural in the games.”
Senior Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) scored a career-high 25 kills to help Virginia (3-11, 0-2 ACC) comeback and send the match to a tie-breaking fifth set after trailing 2-1, but Duke (8-4, 2-0 ACC) had its best offensive set with a .357 hitting percentage to take the win.
Duke led in hitting percentage, .173-.141 and had an 18.0-13.0 edge in blocks. Virginia led with six service aces to four.
Kole recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 digs to go along with the 25 kills. Redshirt junior Alex Thorson (Spring, Texas) added 15 kills and senior Jasmine Burton (West Hills, Calif.) finished with nine to lead the offense. Four players finished with double-digit kills for the Blue Devils.
Freshman Chino Anukwuem (East Hanover, N.J.) tallied seven blocks, while fellow freshman Kiley Banker (West Lafayette, Ind.) added five. Senior Lexi Riccolo (Wheaton, Ill.) notched 23 digs and freshman Kelsey Miller (Crestwood, Ky.) had 13.
In the first set, the Cavaliers used a 5-0 run to take a 10-5 advantage and force a timeout by Duke. The Blue Devils would cut the lead to one, 16-15, but UVA responded with another run to extend its lead once again and hold on to take the first set 25-22.
Virginia fell behind early in the second set, but fought back to tie it up at 6-6. The teams traded the lead several times and a 3-0 run put the Cavaliers ahead 14-11. However, Duke responded with a run out of a timeout to regain the lead. UVA would then tie the set at 24-24 to send it to extra points. Duke had the early advantage several times, and then Virginia went up for set point but couldn’t convert as Duke eventually took the set 32-30 to tie the match at 1-1.
Duke scored the first seven points in the third set. Virginia climbed back in to cut the lead to two multiple times but couldn’t get any closer as the Blue Devils won 25-22 to lead 2-1.
The fourth set was close early, until the Cavaliers broke away with a 4-0 run to lead 11-7. Duke closed the gap and tied the set at 22-22 to force a timeout by UVA. There were two more ties before a kill by Thorson followed by a kill for Kole secured the 26-24 win for Virginia to send the match to a fifth set. The Cavaliers had their best offensive performance with a .311 hitting percentage in the fourth set.
In the fifth set, Duke took control with a 5-0 run to go up 7-2. The Cavaliers were unable to cut into the deficit as the Blue Devils took the win 15-7.
Virginia will be back on the road next weekend. The Cavaliers travel to Virginia Tech on Friday, Sept. 30 for a Commonwealth Clash match, before heading to Pitt on Sunday, Oct. 2.
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