Duke Falls Short Against No. 7 SMU, 3-0

Sunday, November 2

Durham, N.C.

1 PM

Duke University

5-18,2-10ACC

SMU

17-5,9-3ACC

SMU

Duke

Duke Falls Short Against No. 7 SMU, 3-0

11/2/2025 3:36:00 PM | Volleyball

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DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke volleyball team fought hard in three sets but ultimately fell short against No. 7 SMU, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-19), Sunday afternoon inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils drop to 5-18 overall and 2-10 in ACC play, while the Mustangs improve to 17-5 and 9-3, respectively.

Offensively, freshman Ashby Zubchevich paced Duke with 12 kills on 32 swings, hitting .156. Fellow freshman Charlotte Glass facilitated the offense with 27 assists, while redshirt senior Ngozi Iloh led the blocking effort with 1.5 total denials. Sophomore Mailinh Godschall eclipsed 800 career digs, leading Duke's back row with 11 marks.

How It Happened

Set One – Duke 21, SMU 25

The Mustangs earned the early 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 win in the opening frame. The set was knotted, 6-6, before SMU's 13-8 run gave the Mustangs the 19-13 edge. Duke responded by taking seven of the next nine points, backed by kills from sophomore Breonna Goss, sophomore Avery Hamlin, Iloh and Glass, putting the set within one at 21-20. SMU closed the set by taking four of the final five points.

Set Two – Duke 17, SMU 25

SMU pushed its lead out to 2-0 with a 25-17 triumph in the second set. The Mustangs opened on an 8-3 rally before Duke went on to claim six of the next nine marks, spurred by kills from Zubchevich, sophomore Taylor Williams and Goss. The team's traded points, with the Mustangs holding the 14-11 advantage, before the Blue Devils tied the frame, 14-14, with a three-point run. SMU retook control with a 7-0 burst to hold a 21-14 edge. Duke logged three more points, but the Mustangs claimed four marks to secure the second set.

Set Three – Duke 19, SMU 25

SMU secured its straight set win with a 25-19 victory in the set three. The Mustangs jumped out to an 11-3 advantage before Duke answered with a 5-1 stretch to cut the Blue Devils' deficit to 12-8. The Mustangs went on to claim eight of the next 11 marks, pushing their lead out to 20-11. Duke battled back with a 6-3 run, fueled by two putaways from Goss, narrowing the margin to 23-17. The match was closed with SMU securing two of the final four points.

Notes

Duke falls to a 5-18 overall record, including a 2-10 ledger in conference matches, while the Mustangs improve to a 17-5 overall record and a 9-3 mark in ACC.
SMU tied the all-time series at 2-2, and now leads the ACC matchups, 2-0.
The Mustangs hit at a .374 clip and logged 46 kills, while the Blue Devils boasted a .157 attack percentage and garnered 34 terminations.
Godschall surpassed 800 career digs with her 11 marks Sunday.
Hamlin dished out a career-best four assists.
Iloh served two aces to match a career high.

Up Next

Duke travels to the Golden State for a pair of road contests, facing California Nov. 7 and No. 5 Stanford Nov. 8. Both matches are slated for 10 p.m. (ET) and will stream on ACC Network Extra.

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

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