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Friday, November 21
Louisville, Ky.
6:00 PM
Duke University
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Louisville
No. 21 Duke Sweeps Louisville on the Road
11/21/2014 8:50:00 PM | Volleyball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 21 Duke extended its win streak to four matches, sweeping Louisville 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 34-32) Friday evening at Cardinal Arena.
The Blue Devils' offense, which entered the match ranked second nationally in kills per set, was on display against the Cardinals. Duke (21-6, 13-3 ACC) totaled 61 kills to Louisville's (15-13, 8-7 ACC) 40 as the Blue Devils also posted a .355 hitting percentage.
“We're excited to get an ACC road win in a tough volleyball environment,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “The hitters did a good job of moving the ball around and being aggressive. We also did a good job of setting and timing the block today. That helped us dig balls then get on target in transition and allow our offense to be effective.”
Senior outside hitter Jeme Obeime poured in a match-high 19 kills to pace Duke's potent offense. Obeime committed just two errors on 38 attempts, hitting .447 on the night.
Fellow outside hitter Emily Sklar continued her impressive play, notching her fifth-consecutive double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs. Sklar now has a team-leading 11 double-doubles on the season.
Sophomore middle blocker Alyse Whitaker rounded out Duke's contingent in double-digit kills, accumulating 12 on 25 errorless attempts. Friday's match marked Whitaker's fifth straight with 10 or more kills.
Duke opened the match in dominating fashion, securing the 25-15 first-set decision. The Blue Devils posted a .405 hitting percentage and piled up 19 kills, utilizing an 11-3 run to break open the frame. With Duke up a point at 9-8, Obeime knocked down three-straight kills to instigate a run that culminated in a 20-11 Blue Devil advantage. Four of Duke's final five points came via kills, including one from Kelsey Williams to clinch the set.
Duke continued to roll in the second set and once again registered a hitting percentage that reached the .400 mark. The Blue Devils put down 17 kills en route to a 25-12 victory. After a Louisville kill tied the score at 6-6, Duke responded with 11 unanswered points on eight kills - including four from Obeime - a pair of blocks and a Sklar ace. Duke's lead did not dwindle under 10 for the remainder of the stanza.
“Those first two sets were unbelievable,” Nagel said. “To hit over .400 in those first two sets was really a great team effort. I think our serving was a big part of getting great starts in those first two sets because we were able to keep the pressure on.”
After cruising the first two frames, Duke found itself in a third-set battle. The Blue Devils shook off an early 3-1 Cardinal lead to tie things at 5-5, but Louisville mounted a 5-0 run aided by Duke miscues. The Cardinals led by as many as six points before Duke began to chip away at the margin.
Down 17-12, the Blue Devils made their move, starting with a 3-0 spurt. Obeime dropped four kills over the next five points, knotting the score at 19-19. Louisville again had Duke on the ropes as the Cardinals led 22-20 following a kill and an ace. Middle blocker Jordan Tucker tallied a kill and libero Sasha Karelov registered an ace to once again tie the score. The two teams proceeded to trade blows over the next 22 points, each able to counter the other to keep the set alive. The Blue Devils finally sealed the set and the match, breaking a 32-32 tie with a kill each from Sklar and Tucker.
“We didn't do ourselves any favors and made too many errors early in that third set to give Louisville opportunities,” Nagel said. “That was a tight third set, which I thought was good for our team. We were able to hang in there and come out with it, keep siding out when we needed to.”
Defensive specialist Nicole Elattrache picked up 11 digs in the final frame and finished with a career-high 16 digs for the match. Karelov topped double-digit digs for the 26th time this season, adding 14.
Senior setter Williams tossed up 48 assists, totaling 40 or more assists for the seventh straight match. Williams also added five digs, three kills and two blocks.
Maya McClendon and Janelle Jenkins added 11 kills each to lead Louisville.
Duke wraps up the 2014 regular season with a pair of road matches next week. The Blue Devils take on North Carolina Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 2 p.m., then square off against NC State Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m.
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