Duke Sweeps Western Illinois Saturday

Saturday, September 5

Lawrence, Kan.

11:30 AM

Duke University

Western Illinois

Duke Sweeps Western Illinois Saturday

9/5/2015 2:24:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Duke Sports Information

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Freshman middle blocker Leah Meyer knocked down a career-high 12 kills and Duke swept Western Illinois 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-13) at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center on the final day of the Kansas Invitational.

Meyer's 12 kills came on 23 attempts as the freshman hit .391 for the match. She has posted a hitting percentage over .300 in all but one match this season and currently leads the team with a .427 clip.

“Leah did great all weekend, but certainly in this match she was dominant,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “Every time she takes the court, she becomes more comfortable and more confident.”

Duke (4-2) totaled a season-high 11.0 blocks and limited Western Illinois (0-6) to a -.021 hitting percentage. The Blue Devils did not allow the Leathernecks to hit over .000 in any of the match's three sets. Meyer turned in a match-high six stops while junior Alyse Whitaker added four.

“I thought we did a good job of regrouping and coming back strong as a team,” Nagel said. “We served efficiently and minimized our errors to get on some runs. Our serve also helped us be able to defend against their offense well. This morning's match was a good finish to the weekend as we head into our home matches this coming week.”

Meyer notched five of Duke's 13 kills in a 25-15 opening frame. The Blue Devils followed the strong first set with an equally impressive second frame, again securing a 25-15 victory. Sophomore Anna Kropf contributed five kills in the second stanza to lead Duke.

Duke finished off the match with a 25-13 final frame, hitting .375 as a team. Meyer and sophomore Cadie Bates contributed four kills each to help the Duke cause.

On defense, libero Sasha Karelov led all players with 14 digs. Redshirt senior setter Maggie Deichmeister added 26 assists, two aces, six digs and three blocks in a well-rounded performance.

After two straight weekends on the road, Duke takes the court in Cameron Indoor Stadium for its first two home matches of the season this coming weekend. The Blue Devils host Stanford Friday, Sept. 11 and UNC Wilmington Saturday, Sept. 12.

#GoDuke