Duke Closes Out Non-Conference Slate with Harvard, Winthrop

DURHAM – The Duke volleyball team is set for its final non-conference weekend and will welcome Harvard and Winthrop for matches this weekend. The Blue Devils will square off against the Eagles Thursday at 6:30 p.m., before a noon match Saturday against the Crimson. Both matches will be streamed on ACCNX with Chris Edwards on the call from Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

LAST TIME OUT

The Duke volleyball team has won seven straight wins over Big Ten opponents Michigan (3-1) and Michigan State (3-2) over the weekend in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Senior outside hitter Gracie Johnson tallied a whopping career-high 28 kills against the Wolverines to hit an impressive .389 percent for the match. Her 28 kills are tied for the fourth most in a single match nationally this season. She also registered two aces, seven digs and a block in her all-around performance. Graduate setter Devon Chang dished 96 assists in two matches, including 50 against Michigan, the most this season for a Blue Devil.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERIES

HARVARD

Duke is 1-0 all-time against the Crimson as the two teams have only met once in program history.

WINTHROP

Duke is 5-2 against the Eagles and have only met once in the last 30 years.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

HARVARD

The Crimson are 1-5 overall in the early fall and most recently snapped a five-match losing streak with a 3-2 win over Iona (9/10). Harvard is led by Ashley Wang with 65 kills and Nicole Prescott with 55 kills. The Crimson use two setters in Bella Almanza and Rocky Aguirre with 130 and 94 assists, respectively. As a squad, Harvard is hitting .198 percent while its opponents own a .287 hitting percentage.

WINTHROP

Winthrop enters the weekend 3-6 overall and most recently dropped a 3-1 match to Davidson (9/10). Offensively, the Eagles are led by Alayna Jansky with 109 kills while, Avery Jolley is hitting .268 percent. Setter Isabella Murray has 350 assists under her belt, while five players have more than 60 digs defensively. As a team, the Eagles are hitting .177 percent while their opponents are playing to a .225 clip.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Duke is near the top of the Division I national rankings in two categories in the early fall: No. 5 in total aces (84) and No. 10 in aces per set (2.33). Gracie Johnson is the catalyst behind those ace numbers, ranking No. 3 nationally with 25 aces and No….