Duke Defeats Notre Dame, 3-2

Sunday, October 18

South Bend, Ind.

1 p.m.

Duke University

13-5,5-3ACC

Notre Dame

4-13,1-7ACC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Duke	19	25	18	25	15	3
Notre Dame	25	14	25	18	12	2

Ashby Zubchevich and Breonna Goss Celebrate After Scoring a Point

Duke Defeats Notre Dame, 3-2

10/18/2026 5:03:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Duke volleyball won a thrilling five-set battle against Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon, winning 3-2 (19-25, 25-14, 18-25, 25-18, 15-12) inside Purcell Pavilion.

Duke (13-5, 5-3 ACC) turned it on late to record its fourth five-set conference victory of the season, as Notre Dame (4-13, 1-7 ACC) had no answer for the Blue Devils' high-powered offense fueled by Nataly Moravec and Ashby Zubchevich.

The duo combined for an impressive 47 kills, with Moravec leading the way with a match-high 24. For the graduate transfer, Sunday marked her sixth 20-plus kill game this season and third against an ACC foe. Zubchevich's 23 kills are a career-high for the sophomore and her third 20-plus kill performance this season.

Nikki Quinn played a huge role in the outside hitters' success, as the setter dished out 51 assists. Quinn, who entered this weekend leading the ACC in assists per set with 10.47, averaged over 10 per set Sunday.

As a team, the Blue Devils finished the afternoon hitting .230.

Defensively, Duke held the Fighting Irish to a .187 hitting percentage, including .122 in the three sets the Blue Devils won. Mailinh Godschall led the Blue Devils with 22 digs, which is an individual and team season-high.

Moravec also tallied 14 digs to record her fifth double-double of the season, while Quinn added 12 digs for her fourth double-double.

Taylor Williams, who returned to the Duke lineup this weekend after having not played since the opening week of the season, recorded four aces, seven kills and 11 digs after playing in limited action against Louisville on Friday.

Breonna Goss led the Blue Devils with three blocks, while also adding seven kills on .375 hitting.

Mae Kordas had 17 kills to lead Notre Dame.

How it Happened
Set 1: Notre Dame 25, Duke 19

The Blue Devils got off to a very slow start, dropping eight of the opening 10 points. Duke was able to settle in as the set progressed but still trailed 15-10 at the media timeout.
Notre Dame extended its lead coming out of the break and was in full control the rest of the frame. Duke was able to narrow the gap to five — 21-16 — but couldn't get it any closer.
Notre Dames' offense was humming in the early go of it, hitting .306. Duke got six kills from Zubchevich as the Blue Devils hit .256.

Set 2: Duke 25, Notre Dame 14

After splitting the opening two points of the set, Zubchevich recorded two consecutive kills and the Blue Devils led the rest of the set. Leading 9-7, Duke won six of the next eight to take a 15-9 lead into the media timeout.
Duke continued to lead comfortably, 20-14, before closing out the frame on a 5-0 run. During that stretch, the Blue Devils got kills from Moravec, Goss and Williams.
The Blue Devils hit a blistering .371 in the set, registering 16 kills and only three errors. Zubchevich led with six kills, while Moravec added five.
Notre Dame was held to .152 hitting.

Set 3: Notre Dame 25, Duke 18

It was a very competitive start to the third set, as the two sides were tied at 8-8 through the opening 16 points. Notre Dame followed with a 5-0 run to jump ahead 13-8. At the media timeout, the Fighting Irish led 15-11.
Duke was unable to get the deficit within four the rest of the set. Duke struggled offensively, hitting .136, while Notre Dame hit .312.

Set 4: Duke 25, Notre Dame 18

In a must-win set, Duke won the first three points and did not trail the rest of the way. Up 4-2, Duke went on a 3-0 run thanks to a Godschall ace and kills by Zubchevich and Williams, forcing a Notre Dame timeout.
The Blue Devils continued to play good volleyball and pushed their lead to 15-8 at the media timeout. Seven of Duke's first 15 points came off kills, including three from Zubchevich.
Duke continued to roll and its lead never fell below five the rest of the set. An attack error by the Fighting Irish sent the match to a winner-take-all fifth set.
The Duke defense shined in the frame, holding Notre Dame to .023 hitting. Moravec and Zubchevich combined for 10 kills — five each — as the Blue Devils hit .211.

Set 5: Duke 15, Notre Dame 12

It was not a good start to the final set for Duke, as it quickly found itself behind 4-1, resulting in a timeout by head coach Ahen Kim. The Fighting Irish continued to hold the momentum and extended their lead to 8-4.
With its back against the wall, Duke put together a massive 7-0 run to jump ahead 11-8 and put itself in the drivers seat. During the stretch, Moravec contributed three kills, while Williams added another.
Duke pushed its lead to 14-10 and on its third match point, Moravec recorded her 24th kill of the day to seal the deal for the Blue Devils. She finished with five kills in the final frame.

By the Numbers

Duke won the kill battle 65-54. Duke also recorded 10 more assists — 61-51 — than Notre Dame.
The Blue Devils had nine service aces, while the Fighting Irish had four.
With 22 digs, Godschall is the first Duke player this season with 20 or more digs in a match. Notre Dame had 82 digs while Duke had 77.
Duke is 4-0 during conference play in five-set victories this season and 4-1 overall.
Sunday is the second time this season that both Moravec and Zubchevich have recored 20-plus kills in a match.
For the third time this season, Quinn registered 50-plus assists.

Up Next

Duke opens a four-match home stand this weekend, as it welcomes Stanford on Friday and Cal on Sunday to Cameron Indoor Stadium. Both matches will stream on ACCNX.