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/
6 PM
Volleyball
at Syracuse
Friday, September 3
Durham, N.C.
10 AM
Duke University
vs
Howard
Blue Devils Set to Host Duke Invitational
9/2/2021 2:10:00 PM | Volleyball
DURHAM – The Duke volleyball team is set to open its first of two home tournaments this weekend, beginning with the Duke Invitational. The Blue Devils will welcome College of Charleston, Howard and Miami (OH) for six games in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke will take on Howard Friday, Sept. 3 at 10 a.m., before a 7 p.m., contest against Miami (OH) and will close out the tournament Saturday against College of Charleston at 2:30 p.m. All six contests will be broadcast on ACCNX.
LAST TIME OUT
Duke continued its undefeated start to the 2021 season Tuesday by defeating Elon 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-16) to open the home slate. Duke was led by juniors Lizzie Fleming and Gracie Johnson with eight kills each and just three combined errors to help lead the Blue Devils to a .275 hitting percentage. Junior Moorea Wood also added six, while freshman Rylie Kadel added five and just one error to hit .500 in her Cameron Indoor Stadium debut.
Setter Alex Springate record 33 assists as she found nine Blue Devils while Duke's defense was split fairly evenly. Libero Mackenzie Cole led the team with 14 digs, followed by Springate (9) and Johnson (8). Fleming got it done at the net once again with four blocks while Georgia Stavrinides and Lily Cooper each added three to help limit the Phoenix to just a .096 match hitting percentage.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERIES
Col. of Charleston: Duke holds a 5-2 series lead against College of Charleston, but the two squads haven't met since 2013. Head coach Jolene Nagel is 4-0 with a five-match win streak, but the Cougars have forced four sets in their last two previous meetings.
Howard: This weekend marks just the second time in program history Duke will play Howard. In their lone meeting in 1978, Duke secured the victory.
Miami (OH): Duke and Miami (OH) will meet for the fourth time in school history this weekend as the Redhawks hold a 2-1 series advantage. The two haven't met since 1990 when Miami (OH) secured a 3-1 victory in Durham.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Col. of Charleston: The Cougars are 3-1 in the early 2021 season after hosting a tournament over the weekend. Sophomore Sammy Campion was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week following her weekend performance. As a team, the Cougars are hitting .225 percent and are led by Gabi Bailey with 44 kills.
Howard: The Bison are 2-1 heading into the weekend after picking up wins over George Washington (3-0) and Georgetown (3-1) and are led by three with 20+ kills (Bria Woodard, Jennifer Bolden and Kendall Smith).
Miami (OH): The Redhawks have had a rocky start to the season following setbacks to Austin Peay,
Alabama and Marshall. Setter Gracie Norris has 65 assists under her belt as Miami (OH) is hitting just .140.
BACK IN ACTION
Nagel returned nearly all of her offense from the 2020-21 season, and is currently led offensively by Lizzie Fleming (34 kills), Gracie Johnson (32) and Ade Owokoniran (30). Defensively, libero Mackenzie Cole owns 57 digs while setter Alex Springate has dished 113 assists so far through three games. Fleming is also leading the team in blocks with 10 (2 solo, 8 assisted).
MILESTONES TO WATCH
Several Blue Devils are approaching milestones in their careers: Ade Owokoniran, Payton Schwantz and Alex Springate. Owokoniran has 828 kills to date while Schwantz checks in with 820 career digs. Springate owns 844 assists as all three look to reach their respective 1,000-career marks.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
For more information on health and safety guidelines, as well as general game day information, please visit here.
NEXT UP
Duke will hit the road for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and will face No. 23 Michigan and Michigan State Sept. 11-12.
For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".
#GoDuke
Duke will take on Howard Friday, Sept. 3 at 10 a.m., before a 7 p.m., contest against Miami (OH) and will close out the tournament Saturday against College of Charleston at 2:30 p.m. All six contests will be broadcast on ACCNX.
LAST TIME OUT
Duke continued its undefeated start to the 2021 season Tuesday by defeating Elon 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-16) to open the home slate. Duke was led by juniors Lizzie Fleming and Gracie Johnson with eight kills each and just three combined errors to help lead the Blue Devils to a .275 hitting percentage. Junior Moorea Wood also added six, while freshman Rylie Kadel added five and just one error to hit .500 in her Cameron Indoor Stadium debut.
Setter Alex Springate record 33 assists as she found nine Blue Devils while Duke's defense was split fairly evenly. Libero Mackenzie Cole led the team with 14 digs, followed by Springate (9) and Johnson (8). Fleming got it done at the net once again with four blocks while Georgia Stavrinides and Lily Cooper each added three to help limit the Phoenix to just a .096 match hitting percentage.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERIES
Col. of Charleston: Duke holds a 5-2 series lead against College of Charleston, but the two squads haven't met since 2013. Head coach Jolene Nagel is 4-0 with a five-match win streak, but the Cougars have forced four sets in their last two previous meetings.
Howard: This weekend marks just the second time in program history Duke will play Howard. In their lone meeting in 1978, Duke secured the victory.
Miami (OH): Duke and Miami (OH) will meet for the fourth time in school history this weekend as the Redhawks hold a 2-1 series advantage. The two haven't met since 1990 when Miami (OH) secured a 3-1 victory in Durham.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Col. of Charleston: The Cougars are 3-1 in the early 2021 season after hosting a tournament over the weekend. Sophomore Sammy Campion was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week following her weekend performance. As a team, the Cougars are hitting .225 percent and are led by Gabi Bailey with 44 kills.
Howard: The Bison are 2-1 heading into the weekend after picking up wins over George Washington (3-0) and Georgetown (3-1) and are led by three with 20+ kills (Bria Woodard, Jennifer Bolden and Kendall Smith).
Miami (OH): The Redhawks have had a rocky start to the season following setbacks to Austin Peay,
Alabama and Marshall. Setter Gracie Norris has 65 assists under her belt as Miami (OH) is hitting just .140.
BACK IN ACTION
Nagel returned nearly all of her offense from the 2020-21 season, and is currently led offensively by Lizzie Fleming (34 kills), Gracie Johnson (32) and Ade Owokoniran (30). Defensively, libero Mackenzie Cole owns 57 digs while setter Alex Springate has dished 113 assists so far through three games. Fleming is also leading the team in blocks with 10 (2 solo, 8 assisted).
MILESTONES TO WATCH
Several Blue Devils are approaching milestones in their careers: Ade Owokoniran, Payton Schwantz and Alex Springate. Owokoniran has 828 kills to date while Schwantz checks in with 820 career digs. Springate owns 844 assists as all three look to reach their respective 1,000-career marks.
GAME DAY INFORMATION
For more information on health and safety guidelines, as well as general game day information, please visit here.
NEXT UP
Duke will hit the road for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and will face No. 23 Michigan and Michigan State Sept. 11-12.
For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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