Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Coastal Carolina on August 28, 2026 at 6 p.m.
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6 p.m.
Volleyball
at Coastal Carolina
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Sunday, November 16
Durham, N.C.
1:00 PM
Duke University
3
vs
1
Notre Dame
Volleyball Defeats Notre Dame 3-1
11/16/2014 4:22:00 PM | Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke wrapped up the home portion of its schedule with a four-set victory over visiting Notre Dame Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Behind junior Emily Sklar's 21 kills, the Blue Devils downed the Irish 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20) to secure their 20th win of the 2014 campaign.
Sklar's 21 kills led all players as the outside hitter reached the 20-kill plateau for the fourth time this season. She also turned in a double-double for the third-straight match and 10th time this season, adding 14 digs.
“Emily has been playing very consistently,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “There's a lot of responsible for her out there on the court. To see her have a 20-kill game, that's spectacular for her.”
Middle blocker Jordan Tucker was tremendous at the net, matching her career high with nine blocks. Tucker chipped in with 10 kills as well. Fellow middle blocker Alyse Whitaker was the third Blue Devil to reach double-digit kills, totaling 13 on .619 hitting.
“Having our middles really be active out there was important for us,” Nagel said. “Notre Dame was playing phenomenal defense. With Alyse being able to be quick and get in there, it was able to open us up a little bit more offensively to get us some kills we desperately needed against a strong Notre Dame defense.”
Duke (20-6, 12-3 ACC) took time prior to the start of the match to honor seniors Kelsey Williams and Jeme Obeime. Obeime finished the match with eight kills, while Williams dished out 45 assists to surpass 40 assists for the 16th time this season.
“It was a great day for us to celebrate those seniors,” Nagel added. “They've meant a lot to us and they've gone through a lot during their four years.”
Both teams were out of sync in the first set, but Duke capitalized on a 15-5 run to close out the frame. Sklar tallied five kills and five digs, while Tucker added two kills and three blocks. Tied at 10-10, the Blue Devils broke the stalemate with four-straight kills, instigating a 7-0 run. Notre Dame (6-20, 3-12 ACC) came no closer than six the rest of the way and Duke secured the set, 25-15.
The Irish turned in their best hitting percentage of the day in the second set, recording a .423 clip en route to the 25-23 victory. Jeni Houser led all players with six kills to help the Notre Dame cause. The Irish built a sizeable 21-13 advantage before Duke put together a furious rally. The Blue Devils narrowed the deficit to 22-20 aided by a pair of Sklar kills and several Irish miscues. Houser ended the streak with a kill and an Irish block established set point. Obeime knocked down a kill and Whitaker fired an ace to pull Duke within one at 24-23, but a Notre Dame block ended the Blue Devil threat.
Sklar, Tucker and Whitaker teamed up for 14 third-set kills, leading Duke past Notre Dame, 25-19. Tied 3-3, Duke outscored Notre Dame 12-6 over the next 18 points. The Blue Devils dropped eight kills in that span, including three each from Sklar and Tucker. Notre Dame trimmed the margin with a 5-3 stretch, but it was not enough in the end. Sklar's fifth kill sealed the set, 25-19, and gave Duke the 2-1 overall advantage.
Sklar registered six of Duke's 12 kills in set four, which the Blue Devils won 25-20. Duke won five of the first six points and never looked back. Both Tucker and Jeme Obeime added three blocks as Duke limited Notre Dame to .061 hitting.
Defensive specialist Chloe DiPasquale totaled 14 digs, while libero Sasha Karelov had 14. Duke's defensive also amassed 10.0 blocks and held the Irish to a .162 hitting percentage overall.
Houser was the lone Notre Dame player to record 10 or more kills. She ended the afternoon with 13.
Duke hits the road for its final three regular season matches. The Blue Devils travel to Louisville Nov. 21 before taking on nearby ACC opponents North Carolina (Nov. 26) and NC State (Nov. 29).
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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