Blue Devils Roll Ramblin Wreck

Friday, October 28

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

Georgia Tech

Blue Devils Capture First ACC Title Since 1994 With 3-0 Sweep Over Virginia

Blue Devils Roll Ramblin Wreck

10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. ? The Duke volleyball team rolled to their fourth straight victory, sweeping visiting Georgia Tech, 3-0 (30-22, 30-27, 30-27), on Friday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils improve to 15-6 overall and 9-4 in the ACC while the Yellow Jackets fall to 13-8 and 9-3 in the conference.

Duke's win marks a season series sweep over Georgia Tech, the first time the Yellow Jackets have been swept in an ACC regular season series since 2002 (North Carolina).

The Blue Devils used runs of five and six consecutive points and held Georgia Tech to a .022 hitting percentage to win game one, 30-22. Trailing 22-24 in game two, the Blue Devils scored eight of the next eleven points to go ahead 2-0, winning the frame, 30-27. In the third game, Duke fell behind, 16-21, before scoring 14 of the following 21 points to seal the season series sweep of the Yellow Jackets.

“I think our team did a great job of hanging tough throughout the match,” stated Duke Head Coach Jolene Nagel. “We got on a couple of runs and eliminated some errors as the match progressed which helped us win. I thought we blocked exceptionally well tonight.”

The Blue Devils were led by sophomore Carrie DeMange, who had a team-high 12 kills in the win. Seniors Samantha Fisher and Sarah Salem and junior Tealle Hunkus each added 11 kills for Duke while sophomore Ali Hausfeld paced the Blue Devil attack with a match-high 43 assists.

Sophomore Jenny Shull anchored the Duke defense, posting a team-high 14 digs. Hunkus recorded her 10th double-double of the season, adding 10 digs to her 11 kills. DeMange and Hausfeld each registered nine digs while Salem notched seven digs for the Blue Devils. Freshman Jourdan Norman posted one block solo and six block assists, DeMange had six block assists and Hausfeld added five block assists against the Yellow Jackets.

“I felt that the whole match was about our defense,” Nagel said. “Our blocking really helped us dig the ball defensively. Defense is very important and our blocking has to be solid for us to be able to dig well. I thought that our defense was the difference in the match tonight.”

The Blue Devils will be on the road next weekend, traveling to North Carolina on Friday night and N.C. State on Sunday afternoon. Duke defeated the Tar Heels, 3-2, on September 29, ending a ten-match losing streak to their Tobacco Road rival. The Blue Devils then swept visiting N.C. State the following night for their ninth straight victory over the Wolfpack.

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