Blue Devils Topple Terrapins 3-2, Improve to 4-0 in ACC

Friday, October 1

Durham, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

Maryland

Blue Devils Topple Terrapins 3-2, Improve to 4-0 in ACC

10/1/2010 4:19:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – Amanda Robertson posted her third double-double in her last four matches and knocked down a team-high 19 kills to lead Duke past Maryland 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-12, 23-25, 15-10) on Friday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Robertson hit .471 for the match and made only three attack errors while collecting 16 digs and three blocks. In set five, the 6-3 junior middle blocker came through with five kills on seven attacks as Duke (12-2, 4-0 ACC) won its fourth straight ACC match this season and ninth straight ACC match in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Robertson was one of four Blue Devils with double-doubles, joining junior setter Kellie Catanach who had 55 assists and 15 digs, senior outside hitter Claire Smalzer who had 11 kills and 23 digs, and senior middle blocker Becci Burling who had 14 kills and 10 digs. Smalzer's double-double was her third straight, while Catanach's was her fifth of the year and Burling's was her second.

While those four led Duke's offense, freshman libero Ali McCurdy carried the defense with a career-high 34 digs. McCurdy, who has at least 20 digs in four straight matches, became the first Blue Devil to reach 30 digs since Smalzer had 35 on Oct. 17, 2008. McCurdy had no less than five digs in every set and posted a match-high 11 in game four.

“We knew that this would be a tough match tonight and that Maryland was coming off a win over Wake Forest on Thursday,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “We knew we were going to have to come out and compete. I thought we were a step behind in game one; we weren't seeing things as quickly as I'd like for us to have seen them, and that affected our defense. I thought that really improved as the match went on though, especially our communication which allowed us to play better defense.

“This is such a wonderful team to work with and coach. They're a very highly motivated group, and they really seem to pull together when they need to. There were a lot of momentum changes tonight, but our team mentally withstood that and came together at the right time.”

Duke posted 10.5 blocks and 107 digs on the night. Sophomore middle blocker Christiana Gray had five of those blocks while Burling helped on out four and Robertson, Catanach and Dunworth each had three. Duke's 107 digs were the most since Nov. 7, 2008, when Duke had 105 against Clemson.

Duke's defense held Maryland (12-5, 3-2 ACC) to a .142 hitting percentage. Setter Remy McBain gave the Blue Devils trouble, sneaking in 10 kills on 19 attacks, but the Blue Devils held the rest of the Terrapin lineup to a .108 clip.

Duke was only three points away from a first-set loss, trailing 22-19, but rallied for six straight points to win the opener 25-22. With the match tied at 18-18, Maryland opened a 4-1 run that prompted a Duke timeout. The Blue Devils came out swinging after the break and scored three straight to tie it before Robertson and Gray teamed up for a block that put the Blue Devils ahead 23-22. From there, Burling – who served all six points during the run – added her second service ace of the game before Smalzer ended it with her third kill.

Maryland built another lead late in set two, but this time held on for a 25-21 win. Thanks to eight digs from McBain, the Terps held the Blue Devils to a .229 hitting percentage. Duke mounted a late rally and closed the gap from six points to three, but lost the momentum and the set after their first service error of the game.

Duke quickly killed Maryland's momentum in the next frame with a 25-12 third-set win. The Blue Devils dominated Maryland defensively, holding them to a -.121 hitting percentage, and offensively, hitting .351. The Terrapins managed only five kills on 33 attacks while the Blue Devils connected for 16 kills and only three service errors. Catanach directed the offense with 11 assists as Duke scored 23 points before Maryland reached double digits.

Maryland turned in a clutch performance in set four and held off another late Duke rally to tie the match with a 25-23 win. Maryland built a 21-17 lead, but the Blue Devils responded with a 6-2 run that tied the set at 23-23. Following a Maryland timeout, however, the Terps came back to take the lead on a kill by Lisa Scott before winning it on a Duke attack error.

Unfortunately for Maryland, Robertson took over in the final game and knocked down five of her seven attacks to lead Duke to a 15-10 match-clinching win. The 6-3 middle blocker made only one errors for the entire last game and came through with consecutive kills to break a 7-7 tie. After Robertson put Duke in the lead once again with another kill to run the score to 10-9, Duke opened a 5-0 run that ended with consecutive kills from Burling on assists from Catanach.

Duke will look to extend its four-match win streak against Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils have won all nine matches against the Eagles since they joined the ACC during the 2005 expansion.