DURHAM – Eighth-ranked Pitt swept Duke, 3-0 (25-20, 30-28, 25-22), in the ACC opener Friday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The loss ended Duke’s nine-match winning streak.
The Panthers hit .258 percent for the match and were led by Torrey Stafford and Olivia Babcock, who combined for 28 kills to help pace the offense.
The Blue Devils were led by Gracie Johnson and Kerry Keefe with 13 and 11 kills, respectively, as Johnson hit .286 percent for the match. Setter Emma Worthington dished 33 dimes, while libero Madison Bryant tallied 18 digs. Defensively, Rachel Richardson paced the blocking effort with five blocks, while Lizzie Fleming and Jess Robinson each added four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both offenses were firing in the opening frame as the Panthers barely outhit the Blue Devils, .281 percent.
- Despite dropping the first set, Johnson came out swinging and tallied eight quick kills and no errors to hit .800. Pitt’s Chiamaka Nowkolo sparked a 6-0 run with three consecutive kills on Duke serve receive overpasses and continued to hit well to take a 1-0 lead.
- The second set was a back-and-forth affair with 18 ties and nine lead changes as neither team could break free of the other. Keefe led the offensive unit with five kills while Robinson added four.
- Duke’s block came alive in the second frame with 10 block assists, led by Fleming and Richardson with three each.
- A kill by Pitt’s Nwokolo tied the set (28-28). Pitt’s head coach Dan Fisher challenged the next call and it was…
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