Duke Falls in Five Sets at Mississippi State, 3-2

Wednesday, September 10

Starkville, Miss.

7 PM

Duke University

2-5,0-0ACC

Mississippi State

7-0,0-0SEC

Duke

Mississippi St.

Duke Falls in Five Sets at Mississippi State, 3-2

9/10/2025 10:34:00 PM | Volleyball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – In the inaugural Showdown at the Net tournament, Duke volleyball forced a decisive fifth set, which was tied five times before Mississippi State pulled away late for a 15-10 win to clinch a 3-2 victory (25-16, 20-25, 25-17, 17-25, 15-10) Wednesday evening inside Newell-Grissom Building. Duke falls to a 2-5 overall ledger while the Bulldogs improve to 7-0.

Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Williams led Duke's offense with 15 kills while freshman middle blocker Zoë Gillen-Malveaux followed with 10. Redshirt sophomore setter Nikki Quinn and redshirt junior setter Millie Muir dished out 13 assists apiece.

Before the match, the Bulldogs ranked second in the NCAA with a .398 hitting percentage, but the Blue Devils stifled their attack, holding MSU to a .158 attack percentage Wednesday evening. On defense, sophomore libero Mailinh Godschall led the match with 28 digs and Gillen-Malveaux garnered five total blocks.

How It Happened

Set One – Duke 16, Mississippi State 25

MSU took a 1-0 lead with a 25-16 win in the opening set. The Bulldogs grabbed a 10-6 edge early before stretching it to 24-13. Duke made a run late in the set with three straight points, but a block by Cayley Hanson and Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss sealed the frame for MSU.

Set Two – Duke 25, Mississippi State 20

Duke stole the momentum in the second frame with a 25-20 win to even the match at 1-1. MSU led 18-14 before the Blue Devils rattled off five straight points to take the lead, 19-18. Duke limited the Bulldogs to just two more points the rest of the set and closed out the frame by taking six of the final seven points.

Set Three – Duke 17, Mississippi State 25

The Bulldogs pushed out to a 2-1 lead in the match after claiming the third set, 25-17. The Bulldogs held the 17-12 advantage, but the Blue Devils responded, taking five of the next six points to put the Bulldogs' lead within one, 18-17. MSU halted Duke's momentum, claiming seven straight points to clinch the set.

Set Four – Duke 25, Mississippi State 17

Duke won the fourth set, 25-17, to tie the match at 2-2. The frame was knotted at 13-13 before the Blue Devils went on a four-point surge to take a 17-13 lead. The teams traded points twice, but Duke pushed past MSU's 19-16 edge with four straight points. The Bulldogs added one more score, but a block from Williams and sophomore middle blocker Breonna Goss, followed by a rejection at the net from freshman outside hitter Ashby Zubchevich and Goss, sealed the set in Duke's favor.

Set Five – Duke 10, Mississippi State 15

The Bulldogs sealed the match with a 15-10 win in the final frame. The set was knotted five times, but MSU pushed past the 5-5 lockup with three straight points to establish an 8-5 advantage. The Bulldogs carried their lead to the finish, scoring three of the final four points to seal the win.

Notables

Duke drops to a 2-5 overall record while the Bulldogs improve to a 7-0 ledger.
MSU tied the all-time series, 1-1.
Before match, the Bulldogs ranked second in the NCAA, boasting a .398 hitting percentage. Wednesday night, the Blue Devils constricted them to a .158 attack percentage.
Quinn appeared in her third match of the season and matched a team-best 13 assists and posted career-best marks in blocks (2) and block assists (2).
Senior defensive specialist Christina Barrow has surpassed 150 career digs.
Gillen-Malveaux has surpassed 50 career kills with her 10 putaways Wednesday night.
Muir has dished out over 200 career assists with her 13 helpers against the Bulldogs.
Gillen-Malveaux posted a career-high two solo blocks.
Godschall matched a career-best eight assists.
Freshman attacker Olivia Wayne notched a career-best five digs.
Zubchevich matched her career-best three service aces.

Quote

"Our team gave great effort tonight. We had a slow starts in sets one and three, but we fought back in sets two and four. Moving forward, we hope to learn from this match tonight as we continue to grow as a team," said head coach Jolene Nagel.

Up Next

The Blue Devils return to Cameron Indoor Stadium to host Utah Valley Sept. 12 at 6 p.m., before taking on Cleveland State inside Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., at 1 p.m.

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

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