Miami Knocks Duke Down A Notch With 3-0 Win

Friday, October 31

Miami, Fla.

7:00 p.m.

Duke University

Miami

Miami Knocks Duke Down A Notch With 3-0 Win

10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

MIAMI, Fla. ? Katie Gallagher served up 35 assists in three sets to direct the Miami volleyball team to a .295 hitting percentage and 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-23) win over Duke Friday evening in the James Knight Complex.

Gallagher had at least 11 assists in every set and saw over 40 percent of her attempts go down for kills in the match. The 5-11 sophomore also recorded a double-double with 14 digs and allowed teammates Genny Mayhew and Ashley Woods to reach double figures with 14 and 10 kills, respectively.

Miami (20-4, 8-4 ACC) had the edge defensively and racked up eight blocks to hold Duke (17-7, 8-4 ACC) to a .234 clip. The Blue Devils managed to out-serve the Hurricanes with nine aces compared to just four from Miami, but could not compensate for Gallagher and Mayhew, who hit .462 on 26 attacks.

“Miami played a great match, and they were just way more aggressive than we were tonight,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “I thought the difference was their blocking and defense.”

Duke libero Claire Smalzer had a big match on the defensive end with 21 digs and 32 errorless service receptions, marking the fifth time in her last six outings in which she has reached the 20-dig mark. A 5‑11 sophomore who is in her first year as Duke's libero, Smalzer is averaging 6.18 digs per set during that span.

Senior Sue Carls carried Duke's offense with 10 kills at a .321 clip, while Becci Burling, Jourdan Norman, Sophia Dunworth and Rachael Moss each put down seven kills. Norman did not commit an error on 17 attacks to finish with a .421 hitting percentage. Norman, who leads Duke with a .343 clip on the season, has made just two attack errors in her last four matches.

In the opening set, Duke mounted a small comeback but fell short as Miami took the opener 27-25. The Blue Devils trailed 23-19, but got three straight kills from Norman, Burling and Dunworth to come within one point at 23-22. Freshman setter Kellie Catanach helped out on two of those and came through with one more to Carls to run the score to 24-23. Dunworth then knotted the score at 24-24 with one of Duke's three service aces in the set before Mayhew put Miami back in front with her fifth and final kill of the frame. Carls responded with another kill to tie the score once again, but Miami got a break on a Duke service error before Arielle Cooke put the match away with her second kill of the evening.

The Hurricanes played near-perfect volleyball in the second set, hitting .451 with just two attack errors and no service errors on the way to a 25-19 win. Cooke, Gallagher, Mayhew, Lane Carico and Angelica Ellis each chipped in three kills with Ellis going a perfect 3-for-3. Gallagher also tossed up 11 assists in 22 attempts and tied libero Cassie Loessberg with five digs to hold the Blue Devils to a .231 hitting percentage.

Duke finally found a way to slow down Miami's offense in the third set, holding the Hurricanes to a .163 clip. Still, they could not find an answer for Mayhew, who connected on six of her 13 attacks, and Woods, who went 5-for-9. Miami's defense met the challenge and held the Blue Devils to a .156 clip by allowing just 11 kills, a team-leading three of which belonged to Carls. Duke resorted to its serving game to compensate and got three more aces, including one each from Moss, Catanach and freshman Amanda Robertson, but it was not enough to fend off the 25-23 loss. Duke made up a four-point deficit and fought back to tie the set at 23-23, but gave away a point on a bad set and let Miami lock up the match on a kill from Woods.

The loss allows Miami to tie Duke in the ACC standings, as each team boasts an 8-4 record in conference play. Duke is still in the ACC Championship picture, however, and trails the leading teams by just one game. The Blue Devils will have the opportunity to keep their spot in the standings on Sunday, Nov. 2, when they travel to Tallahassee, Fla., for a 1 p.m. showdown with Florida State.

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