Hausfeld Earns 5,000th Assist As No. 14 Duke Sweeps Boston College

Saturday, September 22

Durham, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

Boston College

Hausfeld Earns 5,000th Assist As No. 14 Duke Sweeps Boston College

9/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. ? Ali Hausfeld served up 46 assists, including the 5,000th of her career, to lead 14th-ranked Duke volleyball to a 3-0 (30-24, 30-21, 30-25) sweep over ACC foe Boston College Friday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

With the win, Duke completes a three-match homestand that included three straight wins over ACC opponents Wake Forest, Maryland and Boston College. Duke has now won 14 straight ACC contests, dating back to 2006, and 36 consecutive matches in Cameron Indoor Stadium, dating back to 2004.

Hausfeld entered the match with 4,975 assists in her four year career as a Blue Devil, and finished by becoming only the second player in school history to top the 5,000 assist mark, joining school record-holder Kristen Campbell, who racked up 5,082 from 1994-97. Hausfeld is currently second in school history with 5,021 assists, and needs just 62 more to vault to the top of Duke's all-time list.

With Hausfeld directing the offense, four Blue Devils were able to reach double-digit kills against the Eagles, including senior Carrie DeMange, who turned in a match-high 17 in 38 attempts for a .421 hitting percentage. Rachael Moss added 13 while Jourdan Norman and Sue Carls each added 10. Both Moss and DeMange recorded double-doubles, while Norman led all players with a .529 hitting clip.

Defensively, Duke (8-3, 3-0 ACC) was able to hold Boston College to a .181 hitting percentage while totaling 10 blocks. DeMange and Norman each helped out on five stops while senior Jenny Shull locked down the floor defense and picked up 13 digs and 29 errorless service receptions. Over a two-match span, Shull has posted 83 consecutive service receptions without committing an error.

Kelsey Johnson paced Boston College (7-6, 1-2 ACC) with 13 kills while Abigail Hasebroock added 10 on 29 attacks for a .310 hitting percentage.

Duke opened the contest with 23 kills and a .379 attack percentage in game one to take the opener 30-24. Hausfeld served up 18 of those kills to help DeMange and Moss connect successfully on a combined 15 attacks. Duke broke a 4-4 tie on back-to-back kills by DeMange that started a 6-2 run that eventually staked the Blue Devils to a nine-point lead. The Eagles managed to cut the deficit to five points at 25-20, but a 5-1 run by the Blue Devils brought up game point, which DeMange knocked down with her ninth kill of the opening frame.

Duke's defense took hold in game two, as Duke limited Boston College to a collective .171 hitting percentage while recording three blocks in the 30-21 victory. The Blue Devils opened the game with three consecutive points before Boston College knotted the score at 6-6. Freshman Becci Burling put Duke ahead with a kill, and DeMange took over with two more back-to-back shots to open an 8-1 Blue Devil run. Duke totaled 19 points before allowing the Eagles their 10th of game two, and reached game point on two consecutive service aces by Hausfeld. Boston College squeaked out two more scores to surpass the 20-point mark before Norman put the game away with her team-leading fifth kill of the second frame.

Boston College opened game three by jumping out to an 11-9 lead, but Duke fought back to tie the score at 12-12 before overtaking the Eagles for the remainder of the final game. The Duke defense maintained its lock on the Eagle offense, offering four more blocks while keeping Boston College to a .140 clip. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils posted a .301 hitting percentage of their own on the efforts of Carls, DeMange, Norman and Burling who each turned in .300-plus hitting percentages in the finale frame. Norman and Carls were dominant at the net with three and two block assists, respectively.

"It feels great to be able to get these wins at home," head coach Jolene Nagel said. "You can't take any of these ACC matches for granted, and to be able to get off to such a good start is great. Maryland is always a good and very scrappy team that doesn't quit, and they had that determination tonight.

"I thought we did a much better job of staying loose, communicating and keeping our energy high tonight. Before the match, we talked about how we play better when we're more loose and having fun. Mistakes are going to happen, but being able to laugh at them is much more beneficial than getting frustrated."

After a three-match ACC homestand in which the Blue Devils continued a 36-match winning streak in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke will hit the road to take on Florida State on Sept. 28 and Miami on Sept. 30. Duke's bout against Florida State will be available via webcast, courtesy of ACC Select.

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