Duke Falls at North Carolina Friday

Friday, October 22

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6 PM

Duke University

12-8,3-6ACC

North Carolina

17-4,6-4ACC

Duke

North Carolina

Duke Falls at North Carolina Friday

10/22/2021 8:57:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Duke volleyball dropped a 3-0 match (25-21, 25-13, 25-19) at North Carolina Friday evening in Carmichael Arena.

With the setback, Jolene Nagel's squad drops to 12-8 (3-6 ACC) as the Tar Heels improve to 17-4 (6-4 ACC).

The Tar Heels are ranked fifth in the ACC in hitting percentage and posted a .300 percent clip tonight with 42 kills and 15 errors.

The Blue Devils were led offensively by Ade Owokoniran and Georgia Stavrinides with seven kills each. Setter Alex Springate dished 18 assists while libero Mackenzie Cole added 10 digs. At the net, Duke registered a season-high 20 blocks as Stavrinides and Lizzie Fleming led the way with five each.

North Carolina got off to an 11-5 lead in the opening frame, forcing Nagel into a timeout early in the match. Duke clawed back to pull within one (21-20) off a few Tar Heel errors and Taylor Cole's 19th ace of the season. A 4-0 Tar Heel run allowed them to take a 1-0 lead heading into the second.

Duke registered 10 blocks in the opening frame, led by Stavrinides with three.

In the second set, Duke took a 5-3 lead as Owokoniran knocked down back-to-back kills on the outside from Springate. North Carolina responded with a 6-0 run of its own. North Carolina won 11 of the final 14 points to lead 2-0 with a .407 hitting percentage.

Rachel Richardson came off the bench for Duke in the third set and added an ace and a block. Stavrinides and Richardson set up a big double block in the middle before a Fleming ace to tie the set (8-8). The final points of the match were a back-and-forth affair as the two teams traded seven points, but ultimately Duke couldn't hold off a powerful North Carolina offense.

North Carolina was led by rookie Mabrey Shaffmaster with 13 kills while Nia Robinson added nine to hit .368 percent.

Duke will travel to NC State to take on the Wolfpack Sunday at 4 p.m., in Reynolds Coliseum on ACCN.

For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".

#GoDuke