Duke Sweeps Two to Open Duke Classic

Friday, September 17

Durham, N.C.

10 AM

Duke University

7-2,0-0ACC

NC Central

1-7,0-0MEAC

N.C. Central

Duke

Duke Sweeps Two to Open Duke Classic

9/17/2021 9:51:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

DURHAM - The Duke volleyball team opened its final tournament 2-0 on Friday at the Duke Classic. The Blue Devils swept both NC Central and Long Island in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

With the victories, the Blue Devils improve to 8-2 this season.

GAME 1 | DUKE vs. NC CENTRAL
Duke Won 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-17)
In the first match of the day against NC Central, senior libero Mackenzie Cole tallied four aces and reached 100-career aces, becoming the 18th Blue Devil to do so.

Offensively, the Blue Devils were led by senior Ade Owokoniran with eight kills and just one error to hit .318 percent while Lily Cooper and Moorea Wood each brought in six as Duke out hit its opponent .260 to .172. Setter Alex Springate dished 20 assists while libero Cole notched 15 digs and four aces. Lizzie Fleming was once again a force at the net with four blocks, bringing her season tally to 30.

Duke got off to a quick start with eight straight points to take a 9-1 lead in the opening frame as the Eagles were limited to a negative hitting percentage. The Blue Devils led a majority of the second set before the Eagles tied it up at 20-20, but Springate connected with Cooper and Owokoniran to seal the set. Duke used a commanding .389 hitting percentage in the third with 17 kills and just three errors to capture its seventh win of the season.

The Eagles were led by Abby Vacha with nine kills while setter Lauren Janok dished 21 assists.

GAME 2 | DUKE vs. LONG ISLAND
Duke Won 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-19)
Duke carried its momentum from the first game into the night portion of the tournament and captured a 3-0 sweep over Long Island.

The Blue Devils were led by Owokoniran and Gracie Johnson with 13 kills each as the squad hit .296 percent for the match, the second-best percentage this season. Owokoniran only committed two errors for a .524 clip while Fleming continued her strong junior campaign with seven kills and no mistakes to register a .583 percentage.

Setters Springate and Camille Nazor split time on the court with 26 and 10 assists, respectively, as the two combined to find six attackers. Libero Cole added 18 digs while Fleming notched four blocks, much like the earlier game.

Despite attempts in the second set with nine ties, the Sharks were unable to find an answer to Duke's high-powered offense. As a team, the Blue Devils hit .441 percent in the third to ultimately win the match.

The Sharks were led by Jovana Stekovic with 14 kills.

Duke will take on Cornell Saturday at 2:30 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium to close out its non-conference slate.

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

#GoDuke