Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus #25 North Carolina on October 4, 2025 at 2 PM
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2 PM
Volleyball
vs #25 North Carolina
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Friday, October 2
Durham, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
Duke University
3
vs
0
Virginia
Duke Improves to 14-2 With Win over Virginia
10/2/2009 9:00:00 PM | Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. - Kellie Catanach dished out 40 assists and hit .538 with seven kills to help Duke sweep Virginia 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20) Friday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Catanach did not make a single error on her 13 attacks and led the Blue Devils to a .351 hitting percentage and their fourth straight sweep over an ACC opponent. Duke also extended its win streak to six matches and has still not lost a set to an ACC team this season.
Junior middle blocker Becci Burling made just one error on her 18 attacks, giving her a .500 hitting percentage for the match. Burling was one of two Blue Devil with double-digit kills, joining senior Rachael Moss, who led the team with 13.
Freshman middle blocker Christiana Gray had a career-high nine kills on a .667 hitting percentage along with a pair of blocks. Gray, who ranks among the top 10 in the ACC in hitting percentage, leads Duke with a .375 clip and has hit over .300 in 11 of Duke's 16 matches.
Virginia (6-9, 1-3 ACC) managed just a .173 hitting percentage against a Duke team that finished with 58 digs, which is the most by the Blue Devils in a three-set match this season. Libero Claire Smalzer had 16 of those along with her team-leading 21st ace of the season. The Cavaliers got 11 kills from Simone Asque and 10 from Lauren Dickson, but had just two players - Sydney Hill (.357) and Kendahl Voelker (.333) - hit over .300.
Virginia also managed to drop in just one service ace against Duke. Over their past three matches, the Blue Devils have surrendered just six aces while piling up 18 of their own. Duke got three more aces on against Virginia, including two from sophomore Amanda Robertson.
Duke posted a .378 hitting percentage in the first set on the way to a 25-20 victory to jump ahead 1-0. Duke made just four attack errors while putting down 18 kills, including six from Moss and four from Gray. The Cavaliers battled Duke for the majority of the game, taking a 17-16 lead at one point, before the Blue Devils opened a 7-3 run that featured six straight points.
The Blue Devils were even more efficient in the second set, hitting .429 with 17 kills and just two attack errors en route to another 25-20 victory. Burling hit .833 with five kills and no errors, while Catanach dished out 13 assists and recorded three kills of her own. Duke had trouble breaking away from Virginia once again, but put up a defensive effort that held the Cavaliers to a .195 clip and kept them from gaining any momentum. Duke did that without making a single block, instead digging 20 attacks without surrendering a service ace.
Duke ran away with the third set, leading by as much as 10 points before the Cavaliers mounted a late rally and cut the deficit to five. That would be as close as they would get to making up the difference, however, as Duke finished off the match with another 25-20 win. Moss chipped in five more kills, while Robertson put down two service aces. Smalzer, who had just six digs through the first two sets, racked up 10 in the final frame to hold Virginia to a .162 hitting percentage.
Duke will continue its weekend homestand on Saturday, Oct. 3, with a 7 p.m. meeting against Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils boast a seven-match winning streak against the Hokies. Duke will also continue its "Dig Pink" fundraiser on Saturday in an effort to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness.
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Players Mentioned
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