Duke Posts 3-1 Win Over Bryant to Open 2025 Season

Friday, August 29

Durham, N.C.

6 PM

Duke University

1-0,0-0ACC

Bryant

0-1,0-0America East

Bryant

Duke

Photo by: Andy Mead/YCJ

Duke Posts 3-1 Win Over Bryant to Open 2025 Season

8/29/2025 10:34:00 PM | Volleyball

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DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke volleyball team opened the 2025 season with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 33-35, 25-18) win over Bryant inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday night.

The Blue Devils tallied 54 kills, led by outside hitter Taylor Williams, who registered 18 on just two errors while hitting .327. Middle blocker Breonna Goss and outside hitter Ashby Zubchevich each added eight kills to fuel the attack.

On the defensive side, three Blue Devils notched double-digit digs: libero Mailinh Godschall (20), Zubchevich (10) and libero Christina Barrow (10). Duke also totaled 20 blocks, with middle blockers Zoë Gillen-Malveaux and Ngozi Iloh recording six apiece.

How It Happened

Set One – Duke 25, Bryant 20

The Blue Devils took the early lead with a 25-20 win in the opening set. Duke hit .263 while holding Bryant to a .100 attack percentage. The frame was tied at 18 before the Blue Devils claimed six of the next seven points. Goss sealed the set with a kill off setter Charlotte Glass' assist.

Set Two – Duke 25, Bryant 23

Duke extended its lead, 2-0, with a 25-23 victory in the second set. Williams paced the attack with three kills, while Gillen-Malveaux anchored the defense with two blocks. The Bulldogs rallied late, cutting Duke's 22-18 lead and tying it at 23. The Blue Devils responded with a kill from outside hitter Avery Hamlin to move ahead, 24-23, before Iloh delivered the decisive kill to close the frame.

Set Three – Duke 33, Bryant 35

The Bulldogs came out on top in a back-and-forth third set, 35-33. Williams once again led Duke's offense, notching nine kills. The set was tied 19 times, with the lead shifting seven times, before Bryant posted two kills to pull away from the 33-33 lockup to clinch the third set and send the match to a fourth set.

Set Four Score – Duke25, Bryant 18

The Blue Devils secured their first victory of the 2025 season with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. Duke pushed past a 13-13 tie and never dropped the lead again. Zubchevich tallied three kills, while Goss, Williams and Glass each added two apiece. Godschall capped the match with an ace to seal the win.

Notables

The Blue Devils won their first all-time meeting against the Panthers, now leading the all-time series, 1-0.
Duke is now 41-14 in season-opening matches and 19-8 under head coach Jolene Nagel.
Friday's win marks the second consecutive year where the Blue Devils have won their opening match.
Freshmen Zoë Gillen-Malveaux, Ashby Zubchevich and Charlotte Glass all earned starts in their Duke debuts.
Nagel picks up her 713th career win and 510th triumph at Duke.
Sophomore Taylor Williams has registered 10 or more kills in five out of her last six games, dating back to last season.
Sophomore Mailinh Godschall tallied 20 digs Friday night, marking the eighth time in her career she has posted 20 or more digs.
Duke boasted a .196 attack percentage, while the Panthers earned a .139 hitting percentage.
Williams notched a game-best and career-high 18 kills.
Senior Christina Barrow earned a career-best 10 digs.
Redshirt senior Ngozi Iloh's posted career-high six blocks.
Glass led the game in assists (45).

Quote

"I'm happy for the team, and I'm happy with how they hung in there. I thought our bench was really engaged in everything. They were ready to go. I think we are trying to figure out what will work best for this team, and I think we are still in that process right now," said head coach Jolene Nagel.

Up Next

The Blue Devils return to action Saturday at 5 p.m., hosting Houston inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke closes the weekend against FIU on Sunday at 2 p.m. Both matches will stream on ACC Network Extra.

For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".

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