Duke Wins Black & Gold Challenge

Saturday, September 19

Winston-Salem, N.C.

4:30 p.m.

Duke University

Appalachian State

Duke Wins Black & Gold Challenge

9/19/2009 6:45:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Amanda Robertson recorded her first career double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 19 digs to help Duke capture a 3-1 (25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-14) win over Appalachian State that gave the Blue Devils the Black and Gold Challenge crown Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Gym.

After leading Duke to a sweep over host Wake Forest in the opening match of the two-day tournament on Friday, Robertson helped Duke notch a pair of wins on Saturday - 3-2 over Liberty and 3-1 over Appalachian State - to earn all-tournament honors. After putting together a .643 clip against Wake Forest, the 6-3 sophomore hit .429 against Appalachian State while making just one attack error.

Duke got another solid performance from sophomore setter Kellie Catanach, who finished with 42 assists and averaged 11.33 assists per set for the tournament to earn Most Valuable Player honors. Catanach put up 57 of those assists in Saturday's opener against Liberty and followed by recording her second double-double of the season with 12 digs against the Mountaineers.

Also joining Catanach on the all-tournament team was junior Becci Burling, who finished with eight kills and four blocks against Appalachian State. For the tournament Burling hit .312 with 30 kills and 12 blocks, collecting four blocks and at least eight kills in all three matches.

Robertson and Catanach also chipped in two blocks apiece and were part of a Duke offense that hit .302 while holding the Mountaineers to a .095 clip. Robertson was one of three Blue Devils with double-digit kills, joining senior Rachael Moss, who put down 11 kills on a team-high 31 attacks, and sophomore Sophia Dunworth, who went 11-for-25 for a .400 clip. Moss also recorded her third straight double-double and her fifth of the season.

Appalachian State (3-10) got the bulk of its production from Becca Norris, who went 10-for-23 and was named to the all-tournament team.

Moss was nearly unstoppable in the first set, connecting on six of 11 attacks without making an error to lead Duke to the 25-16 win. The Blue Devils never trailed in the opening set and hit .375 while holding the Mountaineers to a .077 clip that included seven attack errors and just 10 kills. Also led by five kills from Dunworth, Duke scored the first four points of the match and built as much as a 20-12 lead. Robertson and Nailah Waterfield frustrated Appalachian State on the defensive end, combining for 10 of Duke's 19 digs. Waterfield went on to add a career-high 17 digs over the four-game affair.

Duke overcame a slow start to the second set and bounced back from an early four-point deficit to take the set 25-19. The Blue Devil defense was even sharper in the second frame, holding Appalachian State to a .056 clip thanks to nine more digs from Robertson and seven from Waterfield. After falling behind 8-4, the Blue Devils scored six straight points to overtake the lead, which they never relinquished. Gray sparked the run with a kill that preempted four kills from Dunworth, including three straight at one point, and a service ace from Waterfield. The Mountaineers finally broke the streak to run the score to 10-9, but that would be the closest they came to tying the match as Duke went on to build as much as a nine-point lead at 20-11.

Down 2-0, the Mountaineers did anything but lay down and bounced back for a 26-24 win to fight off the loss. Duke could not break away from Appalachian State and gave away a set-point opportunity when Caroline Sedon spiked a kill to tie the game at 24-24. From there, a Duke attack error gave Appalachian State a 25-24 lead, setting the stage for a set-clinching kill from Meghann Forshey that forced a fourth set.

Duke came back with a vengeance in the fourth set, however, and scored nine straight points before Appalachian State could get on the board. Duke rode that early lead to an 11-point lead and an eventual 25-14 fourth-set victory to lock up the victory. The Blue Devils held Appalachian State to just seven kills and a .000 hitting percentage while topping .333 themselves for the third time in the match.

With two preseason tournament wins and one ACC victory under their belts, the Blue Devils will continue ACC play next Friday and Sunday, Sept. 25-27, with road matches at Maryland and Boston College. Friday's outing against the Terps begins at 7 p.m., while the showdown against the Eagles starts at noon on Sunday.

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