Duke Wins Season Opener in Five Sets

Friday, August 30

Durham, N.C.

12 PM

Duke University

1-0,0-0ACC

Colgate

0-1,0-0Patriot

Colgate

Duke

Photo by: Nat LeDonne / Duke Athletics

Duke Wins Season Opener in Five Sets

8/30/2024 8:32:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

DURHAM, N.C. – Head coach Jolene Nagel tallied her 500th win at the helm of the Blue Devils as Duke outlasted Colgate, 3-2 (26-28, 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 15-7), Friday afternoon to open the 2024 season at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Five hundred of her 703-career wins have come in Durham, and she captured her 700th-career win a season ago. She is one of eight active head coaches to reach the milestone.

Offensively, Duke was led by four with double-digit kills – Rylie Kadel (16), Kerry Keefe (16), Ngozi Iloh (14) and Taylor Williams (12). Redshirt freshman setter Nikki Quinn started in her first-career game this afternoon and dished 48 assists. In addition to her offense, Kadel led the team with five block assists while Keefe and Iloh added two each.

Duke's freshmen were on full display in its opening match as libero Mailinh Godschall tallied 23 digs, five aces and seven assists while Williams and Breonna Goss each played significant roles on both offense and defense.

How It Happened

Both teams opened the match swinging as Colgate hit .421 percent with 17 kills and just one error in the first set. Duke also fared well with 20 kills and five errors for a .319 percentage. Iloh led the team with five kills while Godschall notched two quick aces. Colgate used its block (six block assists) to take the first set, 28-26.
Duke responded well with a .323 hitting percentage and tied the match, 1-1. Quinn assisted on 10 of 13 kills, including four of Kadel's.
Colgate once again edged out Duke in the third set despite the Blue Devils keeping the score close. The Raiders tallied consecutive kills to pull within one of taking the set (24-21) before Goss recorded her second kill of the frame. Keefe couldn't connect on her final attempt, allowing Colgate to regain the upper hand, 2-1.
Once again, Duke responded with the match on the line and played to a .378 hitting percentage with 20 kills and just three errors on 45 swings. Neither team recorded a block in the frame, allowing for Godschall to collect eight digs. Kadel and Williams combined for 12 kills and zero errors to hit .571.
It was all Duke in the fifth and final set as it hit .389 percent and put the Raiders on their heels, posting a negative percentage. Iloh hit .600 percent with three kills on five swings while Kadel and Keefe each added a block.

Notables

Duke moves to 40-14 all-time in season openers and 18-8 under Nagel.
Colgate made the NCAA Tournament a season ago as it finished the 2023 campaign 22-8 overall.
Kadel hit .625 percent with just one error in the match.
Kadel tallied four-or-more blocks for the 20th-time in her career.
Kadel's 16 kills is a career high.
The match featured 22 ties and just five lead changes.
As a team, Duke hit .281 percent to Colgate's .228.
Colgate was led by Milan Bayless with 18 kills and Frances Torres with 12 kills. Libero Taylor Cigna tallied 30 digs to Abby Shadwick's 17.

Quote

"[I am] proud of our team today to persevere and win in five against an always good Colgate team. Things weren't always smooth, but the team stayed with it and got better as the match progressed. We had some great contributions off the bench which were key. This 500th win at Duke was very special today to share with Team 54. We have been talking about the teams that have come before us and discussing what kind of legacy 54 wants to leave. I'm encouraged by their grittiness today and grateful for our many teams in the history of Duke volleyball who have laid the groundwork for excellence on the court and in the classroom." – head coach Jolene Nagel

Up Next

Duke remains at home to take on No. 13 Kansas at 3 p.m., on Saturday.

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

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

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