Duke Wraps Up Day One Of Duke Invitational With 3-1 Win Over Colgate

Friday, September 5

Durham, N.C.

7:30 p.m.

Duke University

Colgate

Duke Wraps Up Day One Of Duke Invitational With 3-1 Win Over Colgate

9/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. ? After defeating Seton Hall 3-1 in their first match of the day, the Duke volleyball team wrapped up day one of the Duke Invitational with a 3-1 (25-14, 25-13, 22-25, 25-21) victory over Colgate Friday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Sophomore Becci Burling led the way for the Blue Devils (3-2, 0-0 ACC) with a career-high-tying 14 kills and junior Rachael Moss added 11 kills and 19 digs for her third straight double-double. Senior middle blocker Jourdan Norman also reached double figures with 10 kills and a team-high .421 attack percentage while getting in on five of Duke's seven blocks. Through her first five matches, Norman has 29 blocks and is averaging 1.61 stops per set.

Norman was part of a defensive effort that held Colgate to a .150 hitting percentage and gave up just three service aces. Moss also had a hand in four of the blocks while Burling and setter Kellie Catanach contributed two each. Libero Claire Smalzer and senior outside hitter Aana Wherry took care of the floor defense and each reached double-digit digs.

All four of Duke's freshman got in against Colgate (2-3), with Sophia Dunworth and Amanda Robertson each reaching career highs in kills. Dunworth added 10 on 22 attacks for a .273 hitting percentage while Robertson went 5-for-8 without an error. Catanach fed them throughout the match and finished with 47 assists and three kills.

Duke had a tough time with Colgate's Katrina Zawojski, who went 15-for-35 for a .343 clip. Her effort was not enough though, as Duke held the Raiders to a sub-.130 clip in three of the four sets, excluding a .393 effort in Colgate's 25-22 win in the third set.

Duke's defense suffocated Colgate in the opener and surrendered just six kills to the Raiders while forcing four attack errors in the opening 25-14 win. Meanwhile, Duke hit .355 as a team with Burling going 5-for-10 and Moss putting up a perfect 4-for-4 effort. Catanach served up 11 assists in 22 attempts and helped out at the net on both of Duke's blocks. Duke quickly broke the set open with an early 9-1 run that put them ahead 11-3. Moss than came through with kills on three straight attacks in the midst of another run that put the Blue Devils ahead by 12 points at 22-10. Following a Colgate service error and another kill from Burling, Catanach locked up the 1-0 lead for Duke with her first kill of the match.

The Blue Devils stayed hot in the second set and put up another offensive foray to win 25-13 and go ahead 2-0. Dunworth took hold in the second set, connecting on five of her six attacks while also adding a service ace. Burling and Moss combined for seven more kills and 11 digs while Norman went 2-for-4 with another block. Colgate battled Duke early in the bout and was within striking distance with the score at 10-8, but fell victim to a 10-3 Duke run and fell behind 20-11. Dunworth had three kills during the rally, all of which were on assists from Catanach who tossed up 13 in the set. Following a pair of Colgate attack errors, Burling and Norman hammered back-to-back kills to close out the win.

The third set became a much more competitive contest with the Raiders eventually emerging with a 25-22 win. Colgate improved from a .069 hitting percentage in the first set and a .125 clip in the second frame to hit .393 in the third-set victory. Duke received a 4-for-4 effort from Robertson, but she could not match the efforts of Zawojski, who recorded six kills on nine errorless attacks, and Fanta, who tossed up 11 assists. Duke had a shot to lock up the sweep after battling to a 22-22 tie, but Zawojski put the Raiders ahead with her sixth kill before the Colgate defense forced a Duke attack error to jump ahead 24-22. Maureen Colligan sealed the win with a service ace, which was one of two for her in the match.

Colgate managed to fend off elimination in set, but could not keep the Blue Devils down and fell 25-21 in the fourth set. Senior Sue Carls was the hero of the final set, connecting on four of her seven errorless attacks, including two crucial points when Duke was within four points of clinching the win. Carls' final two kills came at the right time, as Colgate managed to overcome a six-point deficit to come within three points at 20-17. Carls hammered a kill to maintain a four-point lead for Duke and added her final one to put the Blue Devils ahead 24-20. In line with her performance over the rest of the match, Burling added the final point with her 14th kill of the night.

"We were really excited to be able to compete in our own gym with our hometown fans behind us," head coach Jolene Nagel said.

"I was really pleased with the team today and how they maintained their composure. They made the right adjustments in both matches in order to be successful, and I was impressed with their ability to focus on the point at hand."

The Blue Devils will close out the 2008 Duke Invitational on Saturday with a 3 p.m. match against Georgia. The Bulldogs also picked up two wins on the first day of the tournament and will battle the Blue Devils on Saturday for the 2008 Duke Invitational crown.

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