Duke Defeats Butler, 3-1

Friday, September 18

Indianapolis, Ind.

7 p.m.

Duke University

8-1,0-0ACC

Butler

6-5,0-0Big East

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Duke	25	28	12	26	3
Butler	22	26	25	24	1

Duke Volleyball Celebrates a Point Against Belmont on September 12

9/18/2026 10:55:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

INDIANAPOLIS – Duke volleyball recorded its sixth consecutive win on Friday night, as it defeated Butler 3-1 (25-22, 28-26, 12-25, 26-24) inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Duke (8-1) is off to its best start through nine matches since 2012, when it also opened the season 8-1.

The Blue Devils are now 3-0 in true road matches this season, having also recorded wins at Coastal Carolina and North Florida.

On Friday, Duke did not have its best offensive showing, as it hit .246, but it played good defense and won a number of small battles late in the sets. On the other side, Butler finished the night hitting .277 but recorded three more errors than Duke.

Ashby Zubchevich and Nataly Moravec led the Duke attack, as both players recorded 18 kills. Moravec did so on a .375 hitting percentage, while Zubchevich hit .316. Chase Lemming had a match-high 28 kills for the Bulldogs.

Nikki Quinn set up the Duke offense, as she finished with a match-high 38 assists. The redshirt junior also recorded a kill and three blocks.

On defense, Zoë Gillen-Malveaux had seven total blocks and a career-high three solo blocks. Mailinh Godschall led the Blue Devils with 13 digs, while Moravec added 11 to record her third double-double of the year.

Set 1 – Duke 25, Butler 22

Duke jumped ahead 8-4 early and pushed its lead to 15-9 going into the first media timeout of the night.
The Blue Devils continued to play good volleyball, as a block by Gillen-Malveaux extended their lead to 19-13.
Butler started to find its groove offensively, as the Bulldogs got themselves within one (22-21) late in the set. Duke countered the late Butler push with a kill from Avery Hamlin, an ace by Zubchevich and a service error from the Bulldogs to take the opening set.
The Blue Devils hit .276 in the frame while holding the Bulldogs to .258. Moravec led all players with five kills.

Set 2 – Duke 28, Butler 26

The second set was much more back-and-forth than Set 1, as the two teams were even at 15-15 through the first 30 points of the frame.
The Blue Devils came out of the break and won the next five points to grab control of the match. Moravec had three of the five points, with two aces and a kill.
Butler went on to win eight of the next 10 points to take a 23-22 lead. Duke found itself down 26-25 but went on to win the next three points and the set on a kill by Gillen-Malveaux, an ace by Hamlin and a block from Gillen-Malveaux and Quinn.
Both teams struggled hitting in the frame, as Duke was at .194 and Butler was at .100. Moravec led the Blue Devils with five kills.

Set 3 – Butler 25, Duke 12

The third set was the worst of the night for Duke, as Butler dominated in nearly every category.
The Bulldogs jumped ahead 10-3 early and only extended their lead. Butler led by as much as 13.
Duke had no answer on the defensive side of the net, as Butler hit .727 in the set.

Set 4 – Duke 26, Butler 24

Like the second set, the fourth frame saw both teams trading points, with Duke taking a slim 15-13 lead into the media timeout.
The Blue Devils were able to extend their lead to 20-17, but the Bulldogs were not going down without a fight. Butler won the next three points to level the score.
With things tied 24-24, Duke got a kill from Zubchevich and an ace from Godschall to claim the match victory.
Duke hit .250 in the frame, with Zubchevich recording a team-best eight kills. Butler hit .167.

By the Numbers

Butler won the kill battle 53-47, while Duke recorded three fewer errors.
The Bulldogs also had seven more assists – 49-42 – than Duke, while Quinn had a match-high 38.
Duke won ace battle 9-7, with four Blue Devils recording two.
Butler had 11 blocks to Duke's nine.

Career Highs
Zoë Gillen-Malveaux

Had a career high in solo blocks with three.

Charlotte Glass

Had a career high in service aces with two.

Grace Thrower

Tied her career high in digs with one.

Up Next
Duke will wrap up its non-conference schedule on Saturday, as it takes on Long Island inside Hinkle Fieldhouse at 2 p.m. A stream of the match will be available on YouTube, with live stats at GoDuke.com.

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