Duke Remains Undefeated in ACC Play with 3-1 Win Over Syracuse

Sunday, September 29

Durham, N.C.

1 PM

Duke University

6-7,2-0ACC

Syracuse

12-2,0-2ACC

Syracuse

Duke

Duke Remains Undefeated in ACC Play with 3-1 Win Over Syracuse

9/29/2024 6:16:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – Behind Grace Penn's career-high 52 assists, the Duke volleyball tallied a 3-1 victory, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 25-17) over Syracuse, Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

With the win, Duke has won two consecutive and improves to 6-7 overall and 2-0 in conference play.

Two Blue Devils tallied double-doubles, led by Kerry Keefe's 21 kills and 10 digs, while Rachel Richardson added 11 kills and 12 digs. Libero Mailinh Godschall grabbed 19 digs, while Richardson and Rylie Kadel led the blocking with three each.

Breonna Goss, Kadel and Keefe were instrumental in Duke's hitting percentage today as the Blue Devils hit .302 percent as a team. Goss hit a team-leading .500 percent, while Kadel hit .348 to Keefe's .429.

Penn reached 2,500-career assists this afternoon and now owns 2,514.

How it Happened

Duke jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the match as it hit a whopping .531 percent in the first set with 18 kills and just one error. Kadel and Keefe combined for 12 kills.
Duke also got its blocking started early with six blocks to none for Syracuse.
Syracuse flipped the script in the second set as it limited Duke to its lowest hitting percentage of the match, .128 percent.
Keefe helped Duke respond and regain the set lead with a .500 hitting percentage with a set-high six kills in the third set.
Duke ended the match much like it started it, with a high hitting percentage. In the fourth and final set, the Blue Devils hit .405 percent with 20 kills and just three errors to just nine for the Orange.

Notables

It was head coach Jolene Nagel's 708th-career victory and the 505th at the helm of the Blue Devils.
The all-time series moves to 9-7 in favor of Duke.
The match featured 22 ties and nine lead changes.
Duke's .302 hitting percentage was its second highest this season.
Duke committed 13 service errors, the sixth time this fall with 10-or-more.
It marked Keefe's fourth-career 20+ kill game.
Syracuse was led by Ava Palm and Skylar George with 12 kills each.

Quote

"I'm excited for our team to secure two ACC wins at home to begin conference play. The Boston College win on Friday was a great team effort and our team showed grit in their perseverance. Today's match versus Syracuse required the same effort from all. Our offense was working for us, but we had trouble gaining momentum with our service errors. Our middles did a great job of being available today." – head coach Jolene Nagel

Next Match

Duke takes on rival North Carolina Oct. 2 in Durham before making the short trip to Chapel Hill Oct. 4.

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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