Duke Defeats NC State, 3-1

DURHAM – The Duke volleyball team collected a 3-1 victory (25-23, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18) over NC State Wednesday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

The stat sheet was filled and balanced across all categories as three Blue Devils tallied double-digit kills and double-digit digs.

How it Happened

• Senior Gracie Johnson once again led the Blue Devils with 22 kills, her ninth career match with 20 or more kills and the third consecutive. She added two aces, seven digs and four blocks in her all-around performance. Johnson was joined by Kerry Keefe and Rachel Richardson with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Setter Devon Chang dished 49 assists while Nikki Underwood collected 20 digs. Rylie Kadel, Georgia Stavrinides and Johnson each added four blocks at the net.
• Duke jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a solid opening set with a .229 hitting percentage as Keefe hit .800 with four fast kills. Duke was able to take the set despite NC State’s 10 blocks, led by Jada Allen with four and Vanja Bukilic’s three. 
• NC State evened the match, 1-1, with 14 kills and only five errors to post a .205 hitting percentage. 
• The Blue Devils responded and limited the Wolfpack to a .000 hitting percentage and regained a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth. Kadel tallied a solo block while Stavrinides added two of her own as Johnson’s swing came alive with six kills.
• The Blue Devils came out to finish the match in a fast way with 15 kills and just two errors to hit .382 for the fourth set. Johnson and Keefe combined…