DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set match, 3-2 (22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 10-15), against Michigan State Friday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Outside hitter Kerry Keefe tallied a career-high 27 kills and just three errors on 59 swings to hit an impressive .407 percent, while Rachel Richardson and Rylie Kadel added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Setter Nikki Quinn dished 45 assists, while libero Mailinh Godschall led the team with 17 digs. Keefe paced the serving with three aces, while three different Blue Devils tallied three blocks – Kadel, Tiffany Paalman and Taylor Williams.
Michigan State tallied a whopping 27 blocks as Zuzanna Kulig led the way with 11. Duke committed a season-high 17 service errors in the setback.
How It Happened
- Duke quickly fell behind 2-0 after struggling to find its offense in the opening two sets as Michigan State tallied nine quick blocks in the first frame.
- The Spartans hit .409 percent in the second set and added seven more blocks to earn a 2-0 lead in the match. The Blue Devils led 15-11, but the Spartans used a series of runs to regain the lead.
- Duke regrouped after the set break and came out hitting .310 percent, led by Keefe’s .429 percentage with a set-leading six kills.
- The Blue Devils’ block came alive in the fourth set, which proved to be vital in sending the match to a decisive fifth set. Paalman led the squad with two…
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