DURHAM, N.C. - A trio of Duke volleyball players were named to the 2020-21 All-ACC Team, as announced by the league Monday. Earning the nod to the second team was
Mackenzie Cole,
Ade Owokoniran and
Payton Schwantz.Â
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Owokoniran lands a spot on the team for the second time as a junior outside hitter while junior libero Cole and senior outside hitter Schwantz are first-time honorees.Â
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Cole has been a mainstay for Duke's defense the past three years and helped spearhead a defense that once led the nation in opponent hitting percentage. This season, Cole racked up 396 digs, 38 service aces and 93 assists. The Oakdale, N.Y., native ranked third in the ACC in digs and fourth in aces, where she picked up a season-high six in Duke's victory over Virginia in the fall. She registered 20-plus digs six times this year and became the 24th Blue Devil to reach the 1,000-dig plateau for her career. Cole ends her third year with the Blue Devils with 1,237 career digs to rank 12th in Duke history.Â
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Owokoniran continued to be a dominant offensive force for the Blue Devils this year as she accumulated a team-leading 243 kills. As a six-rotation player through most of the season, Owokoniran also got the job done on the defensive end. She added 50 total blocks as Duke averaged 2.24 blocks/set to rank sixth in the conference and picked up 110 digs in the back row. She knocked down 15+ kills five times, including a season-high 19 in Duke's setback to No. 22 Notre Dame. The Raleigh, N.C., native also collected three double-doubles in the fall season.Â
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Schwantz has been one of Duke's go-to offensive attackers during her time as a Blue Devil. She fought through some injuries this year and continued to be a strong option for Duke. Despite missing a few matches, Schwantz knocked down 160 kills for a .217 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Frisco, Texas, native picked up 152 digs to rank third on the squad and added 23 blocks standing at 5-11. On March 22, 2021, Schwantz became the 26th Blue Devil to reach the 1,000-kill plateau as she collected 10 kills and no errors in Duke's sweep over Boston College. To date, Schwantz owns 1,025 career kills.
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