Duke Beats Charleston Southern in Home Opener, 3-0

Tuesday, September 8

Durham, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

5-1,0-0ACC

Charleston Southern

4-3,0-0Big South

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Charleston So.	21	23	19	0
Duke	25	25	25	3

Ashby Zubchevich celebrates with Nikki Quinn after recording a kill against Charleston Southern on September 8

Photo by: Nat LeDonne / Duke Athletics

Duke Beats Charleston Southern in Home Opener, 3-0

9/8/2026 9:55:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke volleyball continued its winning ways on Tuesday night, defeating Charleston Southern 3-0 in the home opener inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke (5-1) picked up its third sweep of the season and head coach Ahen Kim recorded his first win at home. Charleston Southern (4-3) had no answer for the Blue Devils offense, which was led by Ashby Zubchevic and her career-high 21 kills. Nataly Moravec also continued her strong play as of late, recording 15 kills.

Duke finished the night hitting .318 as a team. Zoe Gillen-Malveaux led Duke with a .500 hitting percentage, while recording eight kills. Zubchevich had her 21 kills in an efficient fashion, hitting .444.

Like she has done all season thus far, Nikki Quinn quarterbacked the offense with 39 assists. The redshirt junior has recorded 34 or more assists in every game this season.

The Blue Devils also handled business at the net, winning the blocking battle 7-5. Breonna Goss had a team-high four, while Moravec and Gillen-Malveaux added three.

Moravec, Mailinh Godschall and Aly Donoghue all had 13 digs to lead Duke. The total marks a career-high for both Donoghue and Moravec. The Blue Devils held the Buccaneers to .159 hitting.

How it Happened
Set 1 – Duke 25, Charleston Southern 21
• Duke came out of the gates sluggish and found itself behind 7-3 through the opening 10 points before winning the next four points to even it up.
• Duke continued to roll and took a 15-11 lead into the technical timeout.
• Trailing 17-13, the Buccaneers won five of the next six points to even the score at 18-18. Duke would jump ahead on the next play and did not trail for the rest of the set.
• It was Duke's worst offensive frame of the night, as it hit .233. Zubchevich had seven kills to lead the Blue Devils.

Set 2 – Duke 25, Charleston Southern 23
• The closest set of the night, the two sides traded points the entire way, with Duke holding a slim lead at 15-14 going into the technical timeout.
• The Blue Devils led 19-18 and pushed that lead to 23-20. The Buccaneers were able to get within one – 24-23 – but Duke closed it out on a kill by Zoe Gillen-Malveaux. Zubchevich added another seven kills in the frame.

Set 3 – Duke 25, Charleston Southern 19
• The final set was the best of the night for the Blue Devils, as they hit .467.
• Tied at 9-9, Duke won seven of the next nine points to take a commanding 16-11 lead. The Buccaneers got it within three (20-17) late, but Duke was able to close it out.
• Moravec and Goss teamed up for a big block to clinch the first home victory of the season four the Blue Devils.
• Zubchevich (7) and Moravec (6) combined for 13 kills and just one error.

By the Numbers
• Duke won the kill battle 51-33. The Blue Devils outhit the Buccaneers .318-.159.
• Duke had 49 total assists, including a game-high 39 from Quinn.
• Each team had four services aces, while Godschall led Duke with two.
• The Blue Devils had 53 digs compared to 39 for the Buccaneers.
• Duke won the blocking battle 7-5.

Career Highs
Aly Donoghue
• Set career high in digs with 13.
• Tied career in assists with one.

Nataly Moravec
• Tied career high in digs with 13.

Nikki Quinn
• Tied career high in both total blocks and block assists with two.

Ashby Zubchevich
• Tied career high in kills with 21.
• Set a career high in hitting percentage at .444.

Up Next
Duke remains home this weekend as it hosts Marshall on Friday and Belmont on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m., on ACC Network Extra.

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