DURHAM – The Duke volleyball team outlasted Michigan State, 3-2 (25-17, 25-13, 17-25, 22-25, 15-10), in a marathon match Saturday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
How it Happened
- The Blue Devils were led by sophomore Rachel Richardson and rookie Taylor Atkinson with 14 kills each as Atkinson’s showing was a career high.
- Setter Devon Chang dished 46 assists while libero Nikki Underwood tallied 21 digs. Senior Lizzie Fleming registered six blocks to pace the blocking contingent, including one solo.
- Duke opened the match and took an early 1-0 lead by limiting Michigan State to a negative hitting percentage while Rylie Kadel tallied three consecutive aces midway through the set.
- The Blue Devils came out in the second set with a spark and posted a .433 hitting percentage as Atkinson came off the bench and tallied eight kills to post a .571 clip.
- Duke struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the third as the Spartans played to a .300 hitting percentage.
- Duke trailed 23-13 in the fourth set and despite its best efforts with a 9-2 run, Michigan State evened the match (2-2).
- In the final set, the Blue Devils came out fast with a 5-0 early lead and did not let up. Fleming and Richardson combined for seven kills and no errors as the team hit .500 to win their seventh contest this fall.
Notes
- Duke improved to 7-2 with its seventh-straight win.
- It was head coach Jolene Nagel‘s 674th career victory and her 471st at the helm of the Blue Devils.
- Duke moves to 3-2 all-time…
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