Blue Devils Earn a 3-1 Win Over Alabama State

Thursday, September 4

Athens, Ga.

5 PM

Duke University

2-3,0-0ACC

Alabama State

0-5,0-0SWAC

Duke

Alabama St.

Photo by: Andy Mead/YCJ

Blue Devils Earn a 3-1 Win Over Alabama State

9/4/2025 8:29:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

ATHENS, Georgia – Duke's freshman outside hitter Olivia Wayne and sophomore outside hitter Avery Hamlin posted 16 kills apiece to surge the Blue Devils' offense past Alabama State, 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-20), Thursday evening inside Stegeman Coliseum. The Blue Devils improve to a 2-3 overall record, while the Hornets fall to 0-5.

Duke earned the advantage in kills, posting 70 while constricting the Hornets to 43. In addition to career-high offensive performances from Wayne and Hamlin, freshman middle blocker Zoë Gillen-Malveaux posted a career-high 12 kills. Defensively, sophomore libero Mailinh Godschall tallied a match-high 17 digs, while Gillen-Malveaux posted four block assists and one solo block.

How It Happened

Set One – Duke 23, Alabama State 25

The Hornets took set one, 25-23, for the early 1-0 lead. Duke held a 21-18 advantage before ASU claimed five of the next six points to go up 23-22. Hamlin tied the frame at 23 with a kill, but the Hornets closed it out with the final two points. The Blue Devils were held to a .212 hitting percentage, while the Hornets boasted a .379 attack percentage. Gillen-Malveaux, freshman outside hitter Ashby Zubchevich and Hamlin led Duke's offense with four kills apiece.

Set Two – Duke 26, Alabama State 24

The Blue Devils bounced back in the second set and tied the overall score, 1-1, with a 26-24 triumph. Duke held the 24-21 advantage before ASU went on a three-point run, knotting the score at 24. However, two kills from Wayne sealed the frame for Duke. Wayne led the set with six kills and Hamlin followed with five.

Set Three – Duke 25, Alabama State 21

Duke took a 2-1 lead with a 25-21 win in the third set. The Blue Devils and Hornets were tied at 7-7 before Duke claimed seven of the next nine points for a 14-9 advantage. The Blue Devils held the lead the whole set, though the Hornets trimmed the margin to three late in the frame. A kill from Wayne secured the set in Duke's favor. The Blue Devils hit .342 while holding the Hornets to .226 and boasted a 19-10 edge in kills.

Set Four – Duke 25, Alabama State 20

The Blue Devils won set four, 25-20, to seal the triumph. The fourth set was tied at 8-8 before the Blue Devils took the 16-12 lead. The Hornets won four of the next five points, decreasing Duke's lead to one, but the Blue Devils responded, pushing their lead back out to 21-17. The match was sealed for Duke when sophomore middle blocker Breonna Goss tallied the final kill.

Notables

Duke improves to a 2-3 overall ledger while Alabama State drops to a 0-5.
The Blue Devils win the first all-time meeting against the Hornets.
Head coach Jolene Nagel picks up her 713th career victory and 511th win at Duke.
Hamlin (16), Wayne (16) and Gillen-Malveaux (12) posted career-high marks for kills.
Godschall dished out eight assists for a career best.
Hamlin matched her career-high blocks (2) and assists (2).
Wayne hit a career-best .483 attack percentage.
Redshirt sophomore Nikki Quinn led the match with assists (25).
Senior defensive specialist and libero Christina Barrow owns 50 career assists after tallying two in Thursday's match.

Quote

"Our team worked together tonight to beat a feisty, hardworking opponent. There were many long rallies and back-and-forth moments in the sets. I'm really happy our team showed grit and came out on top tonight," head coach Jolene Nagel.

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