Duke Falls 3-0 At North Carolina In Defensive Struggle

Thursday, November 13

Chapel Hill, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

North Carolina

Duke Falls 3-0 At North Carolina In Defensive Struggle

11/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Heather Brooks and Suzanne Haydel combined for 22 kills, five blocks 26 total points to lead the North Carolina volleyball team to a 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-21) win over Duke Thursday evening at the Dean E. Smith Center.

Brooks led all players with a .261 hitting percentage in the match while Haydel lead both teams with 13 kills. The win bumped North Carolina (18-9, 12-4 ACC) into first place over Duke (20-8, 11-5 ACC) in the ACC standings and also gave the Tar Heels a half-point in the Carlyle Cup standings. The Tar Heels now lead the annual competition between Duke and North Carolina 3.5 to 2 after splitting the volleyball point.

North Carolina held Duke to a .093 hitting percentage, which marked the first time since Dec. 4, 2005 that Duke hit under .100. Senior middle blocker Jordan Norman had a team-high 11 kills for the Blue Devils on 22 attacks and put back six of Duke's 13 blocks, including the 600th of her career. Norman became the first player in Duke history to reach the 600-block plateau and extended a run of 74 straight matches with at least one block.

Duke outblocked North Carolina 13 to 10 and held the Tar Heels to a .139 hitting percentage, which was among Duke's best defensive performances of the season. The Blue Devils had trouble hitting around Tar Heel libero Brianna Eskola, however, who finished with 21 digs at an average of seven per set. The middle-blocking duo of Brooks and Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland also gave Duke trouble as they worked their way in on a combined nine blocks, while setter Stephanie Jansma matched them with four of her own.

Norman was the only Blue Devil to finish in double-digit kills, though Sophia Dunworth (8), Becci Burling (7) and Rachael Moss (7) also found success throughout the three-set affair. Setter Kellie Catanach set the group and finished with 33 assists, but saw just 29 percent of her sets go down for kills. That mark was a career-low for Catanach, who had finished at no less than 30 percent in any match and carried a .401 clip for the season into Thursday's affair. Duke was just as tough on Jansma, however, who had 35 assists but saw just 30 percent converted into kills.

“Carolina played a great match tonight,” Duke head coach Jolene Nagel said. “They dug a ton of balls, and I feel like we didn't execute like we're capable of. We lacked strong communication, and that's one of the key ingredients we need to be successful.”

Jansma led North Carolina to a win in the first set after serving up 13 assists and working her way in on three of the Tar Heels' four blocks. Haydel also had a hand in the 27-25 victory with six kills on 15 errorless attacks to outpace a 5-for-7 effort turned in by Duke's Norman. The Tar Heels made quick run early in the set to go ahead 7-3, but Duke rallied to knot the score at 8-8 before taking over the lead. The teams then traded points until Duke broke open a 15-15 tie with a 3-0 run that forced a North Carolina timeout. The break was just what the Tar Heels needed to get the momentum back on their side, as they came out with six straight points to jump ahead 21-18. A kill from Carls would jump-start a 3-0 run for the Blue Devils, however, that tied the match at 21-21. Carolina quickly rebounded by forcing a pair of Duke attack errors to reclaim a two-point lead, but that advantage quickly dissipated after Duke tied the score at 24-24. An ensuing Tar Heel attack error temporarily put the set point in Duke's court, but North Carolina fought back one last time and scored three straight to take the first set 27-25.

The Tar Heels kept the momentum in their favor at the open of the second set and jumped ahead 12-5 to open the frame. They would hold at least a six-point lead for the majority of the set until Moss took over as Duke's server and led the Blue Devils to a 6-0 run that cut the deficit to 20-18. The run prompted North Carolina to take a timeout, which proved to be enough to kill Duke's momentum. The Blue Devils stayed within one of tying the score, but North Carolina was able to match them point-for-point to close out the 25-23 win. Haydel and Jansma continued to give Duke trouble in the frame, as Jansma chalked up 12 more assist and Haydel matched her first-set total with six more kills. The Tar Heels also put down three more blocks to hold Duke to a .140 clip, which was just enough to a make up for the .185 that Duke forced them to hit.

The Blue Devils came out of the break and matched North Carolina early in the set, but the Tar Heels broke open an 8-8 tie with three straight points before Duke took a timeout. Duke looked to turn the tide following the timeout after Burling opened with a kill, but North Carolina quickly turned the tables with an 8-4 run that put the Tar Heels ahead 20-13. The cushion would not last long, however, as the Blue Devils bounced back to come within two points at 23-21. Brooks and Courtney Johnston dashed Duke's comeback hopes, however, and put down consecutive kills to close out the set and the match. The final kill was the sixth of the set for Johnston, who hit .545 in the frame and scored another point on a block.

The Blue Devils will continue their in-state road trip on Friday, Nov. 14, with a 7 p.m. meeting against NC State in Raleigh. Duke brings a 15-match win streak against the Wolfpack into the meeting.

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