Duke Sweeps North Carolina 3-0

Saturday, November 21

Durham, N.C.

7:30 p.m.

Duke University

North Carolina

Duke Sweeps North Carolina 3-0

11/21/2009 9:45:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. - Amanda Robertson blasted a team-high 13 kills on a .407 hitting percentage to lead Duke to a 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-16) win over North Carolina Saturday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Robertson, a 6-3 sophomore middle blocker, made just two attack errors on the night and matched a season high with four blocks in the sweep. She hit at least .364 in every game and topped .400 twice.

Robertson came through in the clutch in game two when Duke (26-5, 16-3 ACC) had to fight off two match-point opportunities, almost single-handedly getting the Blue Devils three consecutive points to win the game. With North Carolina ahead 25-24, Robertson solo blocked Tar Heel middle blocker Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland to knot the score at 25-25 and then rattled off two straight kills to give Duke the win.

She came through again the third set, hitting .455 with five kills and no attack errors as Duke won 25-16 to clinch the sweep. The win gives Duke one half point in the annual Carlyle Cup standings, which is an all-sports competition between Duke and North Carolina. The Tar Heels currently lead the competition 5.5-2.5.

In addition to the strong offensive showing from Robertson, Duke's defense managed to hold North Carolina to a .116 hitting percentage, including a .051 clip in the final game. Junior middle blocker Becci Burling put back five blocks, while senior Rachael Moss collected a team-high 18 digs. Moss has now posted at least 18 digs in three of her last four matches, a span in which she is averaging 4.79 digs per set. Freshman Nailah Waterfield also collected 15 digs, while junior teammates Claire Smalzer and Alex Sall also reached double figures and combined for 22 digs. Duke posted nine blocks in the match and forced North Carolina into 19 attack errors.

Duke opened the match by holding the Tar Heels to a .062 hitting percentage in a 25-18 first-set win , giving up just 10 kills while forcing North Carolina into seven attack errors. The Blue Devils totaled four blocks in the opener, three of which involved Burling. Led by 13 assists from Kellie Catanach and four kills from Moss, Duke jumped out to an early 13-6 lead, which was a big enough cushion to allow Duke to cruise to the win. North Carolina rallied to come within three points at 16-13, but then gave up a 12-5 run to close out the match. Freshman Megan Hendrickson also came off the bench to deliver two kills on three attacks as part of a Duke effort that yielded 16 kills.

In the second game, Duke was on the edge of defeat with North Carolina leading 23-20, but rallied to tie the match, fought off two set-point opportunities, and then got three consecutive points from Robertson to clinch game two 27-25. After Duke scored three straight to tie the game at 23-23, the Tar Heels responded with a kill from Branagan Fuller, but then gave a point right back to Duke on a service error. The Tar Heels had another chance to clinch the win after Hanson-Tuntland knocked down her fifth kill of the game to put North Carolina ahead 25-24, but hit right into a block from Duke's Robertson. From there, Robertson took over and knocked down two straight kills to clinch the game for Duke, which took a 2-0 lead.

North Carolina hung tight until midway through the third set when Duke broke open a 13-13 tie with a 4-0 run that eventually led to a 25-16 match-clinching win. Moss sparked that rally with three straight service aces, which put her over the 30-ace mark for the third consecutive season. Robertson got on board the offensive explosion as well and finished with five more kills. Duke ended the match on a 12-3 run with the final two points coming on blocks from Burling and Catanach, and Burling and Moss.

Duke will wrap up the 2009 regular season this Tuesday, Nov. 24, with a 7 p.m. showdown against Wake Forest in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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