Duke Falls to LIU, 3-2

Saturday, September 19

Indianapolis, Ind.

2 p.m.

Duke University

8-2,0-0ACC

LIU

2-7,0-0NEC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
LIU	23	22	25	25	15	3
Duke	25	25	21	21	11	2

Nataly Moravec Serves During a Match Against Belmont on Sept. 12

9/19/2026 5:28:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

INDIANAPOLIS – Duke volleyball closed out its non-conference schedule on Saturday afternoon, falling to LIU 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-11) inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Duke (8-2) was led by Nataly Moravec with a career-high 28 kills on a .345 hitting percentage. It's the most kills in a match by a Blue Devil since Gracie Johnson had 29 against Wake Forest on Nov. 16, 2022.

Also recording double-digit kills for Duke were Ashby Zubchevich (15) and Avery Hamlin (13). As a team, Duke hit .338 and had a season-high 69 kills. Nikki Quinn had 53 assists for the Blue Devils, as she facilitated another efficient offensive showing.

On the other side, LIU had four players record double-digit kills, with Sara van Gisteren leading the way with 20. The Sharks hit .333 and out-blocked the Blue Devils 14-8.

How it Happened
Set 1 – Duke 25, LIU 23
• Duke got off to a fast start, winning nine of the opening 10 points. The Sharks were able to close the deficit slightly, but the Blue Devils still took a 15-8 lead into the media timeout.
• Despite being down 20-12, LIU grabbed some momentum and cut Duke's lead to 23-21 and forced a Blue Devil timeout.
• Thanks to kills from Zubchevich and Hamlin, Duke took the opening set.
• Zubchevich had five kills in the frame, as Duke hit .247. LIU struggled offensively, hitting just .136.

Set 2 – Duke 25, LIU 22
• The second frame saw much more back-and-forth action, as neither team could pull ahead. The set featured 10 ties and a pair of lead changes.
• With the score leveled at 20-20, Duke got kills from Moravec and Gillen-Malveaux to move closer to a set victory.
• Zubchevich recorded the set-winning kill, her 11th of the match, to give the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead.
• Duke hit .441 for its best hitting percentage set of the day.

Set 3 – LIU 25, Duke 23
• It was another tight set, as the score was even through the opening 30 points. LIU was able to take a 20-17 lead as it looked to force a fourth set.
• Duke was within one late, trailing 22-21, but LIU won the next three points to claim the frame.
• The Blue Devils hit .333 in the set, while the Sharks hit .300.

Set 4 – LIU 25, Duke 21
• LIU jumped ahead 8-6 and extended its lead to 16-10, putting Duke in a big hole.
• The Blue Devils were able to narrow the deficit to 18-16, but never got closer than that.
• Duke hit .292 in the set, while LIU hit .367.
• Moravec had eight kills for the Blue Devils.

Set 5 – LIU 15, Duke 11
• The Blue Devils got off to a good start in the final set, taking a 3-1 lead and forcing an LIU timeout.
• Tied 10-10, the Sharks went on a 3-0 scoring run to take a 13-10 lead and closed out the match on a kill.
• Duke hit .360, but could not contain the LIU offense, which hit .571 and did not record an error.

By the Numbers
• Duke won the kill battle, 69-64. The Blue Devils hit .338, while the Sharks hit .333.
• Duke finished the game with 64 assists, led by Quinn's 53. LIU had 55.
• From the service line, Duke had nine aces but 15 errors.
• On defense, Duke won the dig battle, 52-49, while LIU had 14 blocks compared to Duke's eight.

Up Next
Duke opens ACC play this coming weekend, as it travels to Wake Forest on Friday and NC State on Sunday. Both matches will be stream on ACC Network Extra.