No. 21 Duke Sweeps Clemson

Friday, October 24

Durham, N.C.

6:30 PM

Duke University

Clemson

10/24/2014 9:42:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – The 21st-ranked Duke volleyball team recorded its ninth sweep of the season, downing Clemson 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-22) Friday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Outside hitter Jeme Obeime knocked down a match-high 15 kills while fellow outside hitter Emily Sklar notched her fifth double-double with 12 kills and 16 digs. Setter Kelsey Williams was a dig shy of a double-double as well, dishing out 37 assists to go along with nine digs and four kills.

Duke (16-4, 8-1 ACC) led in both kills, 51-26, and digs, 77-62, while also limiting Clemson (14-7, 3-5 ACC) to a .176 hitting percentage. Libero Sasha Karelov picked up a match-high 26 digs to anchor the defense. Karelov registered her ninth match of the season with 20 or more digs and raised her ACC-leading average to 5.48 digs per set in the process.

“We were all a little disappointed and frustrated and down after dropping our match last Sunday to UNC,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “I thought we really dug in and showed some character and some pride to come back and learn from it and move on. It was really exciting to see us come out and execute and do what we needed to do against a good ACC opponent.”

The Tigers recorded 8.0 of their 12.0 blocks in the opening set, but Duke countered with eight Obeime kills to secure a 25-20 decision. The Blue Devils faced a 17-14 deficit before a Sklar kill ignited a 5-0 run. Duke won five of the final six points, including two Obeime kills, to put the frame away.

Duke again trailed 17-14 in the second set prior to a 11-4 spurt to close out the frame. Middle blocker Alyse Whitaker began the rally with a kill and Duke tied the score at 18-all on a Sklar ace. The Blue Devils outscored the Tigers 7-3 behind three Obeime kills and a second Sklar ace, ultimately winning the set, 25-21.

Middle blocker Jordan Tucker knocked down five of her eight kills in the third set to help Duke finish the match with a 25-22 decision. Duke jumped out to a 10-6 advantage, but Clemson clawed back to tie the set at 18-18. With the score knotted at 20-all, Tucker sent down a kill and Karelov followed with an ace to give Duke some separation. A Clemson service error and Sklar kill set up match point and Duke finished the contest with a Whitaker kill.

Clemson outside hitter Kristin Faust was the lone Tiger to reach double-digit kills. Faust had a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs on the night.

Duke returns to action Friday, Oct. 31, welcoming Wake Forest to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. first serve.

#GoDuke