Duke’s ACC home opener started with promise Friday night, but Georgia Tech quickly took control and walked out of Cameron Indoor Stadium with a 3-1 win, handing the Blue Devils a 23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17 loss.
The Blue Devils opened the match with their best volleying of the night and claimed the first set behind a sharp offensive burst. But Georgia Tech answered with the kind of balanced attack that made life difficult the rest of the way, finishing the match hitting .302 and placing five players in double figures in kills.
Duke was led by Ashby Zubchevich, who put down 17 kills and hit .303. Nataly Moravec added 15 kills, while Nikki Quinn directed the offense with 40 assists.
Zoe Gillen-Malveaux paced the defense at the net with six blocks, and Duke finished with 10 as a team. Mailinh Godschall led the back row with 10 digs.
Georgia Tech got a team-high 14 kills from Bianca Garibaldi and used its depth to keep pressure on Duke throughout the match.
The opening set was Duke’s best stretch of the night. The teams were level through the first 16 points before Georgia Tech nudged ahead 13-10.
Duke answered to close within 15-14 at the media timeout, then battled back from 20-18 down to tie it at 23-23. From there, Gillen-Malveaux finished a kill and Charlotte Glass and Breonna Goss combined on a block to give Duke the set, 25-23.
Zubchevich was perfect in the frame, going seven-for-seven, and Moravec added six kills as Duke hit .378.
Georgia Tech flipped the match in the second set. The Yellow Jackets sprinted to an 8-4 lead, forced a Duke timeout, and kept stretching the margin until they were up 15-8 at the media break.
Duke never got closer than four points after that, and Georgia Tech tied the match on a Garibaldi kill. The Blue Devils managed just six kills in the set and hit .069.
Duke came out fast again in the third, jumping ahead 4-0 and then 7-2 before Georgia Tech turned the momentum with a 10-2 run and took a 12-9 lead. Duke made one last push, trimming the deficit to 22-20 after a Georgia Tech service error, but the Yellow Jackets closed the set with the next three points to go up 2-1. Moravec led Duke in the frame with four kills, and the Blue Devils hit .273, but Georgia Tech was even sharper at .320.
The fourth set stayed tight early, with Duke hanging even through the first 14 points. Georgia Tech then created separation and led 15-10 at the media timeout.
Duke couldn’t pull the gap back under six the rest of the way, and the Yellow Jackets sealed the match on a block. The Blue Devils hit .079 in the final set, with three players recording three kills apiece, while Georgia Tech hit .242.
For the night, Georgia Tech outkilled Duke 60-45 and finished with 57 assists to Duke’s 44. The Yellow Jackets also had the edge in digs, 48-39, while Duke won the blocking battle 10-8. Duke posted five service aces, and Georgia Tech finished with seven.
In Other News...
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There will be some growing pains along the way, especially for freshmen like Joaqim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams, who are still adjusting to the speed and physicality of college basketball. But that is part of the appeal of this group, too. Duke wanted roster tension, internal pressure and a reason for fans to lean in early, and the scrimmage suggested the Blue Devils may have all three before October is even over. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Season Kickoff Hinted At Two Dangerous ACC Contenders
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The intrigue, though, is different on each side. Scheyers group looks built to be in the national conversation again, even if it does not have an obvious singular face yet, while Lawsons team arrives with a sharper edge after her latest international success with Team USA. Between the scrimmage flashes and the coach-driven confidence, Duke left the building looking less like a school opening a season and more like one with two teams already measuring themselves against the leagues best. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Fans Got Their First Real Clue About This Roster
Dukes annual Countdown to Craziness offered the first real look at this years group inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, with the Blue-White scrimmage giving fans a chance to size up the rotation and get a feel for how the pieces fit. It was the kind of early October snapshot that does not answer every question, but it does at least start to show which players are ready to make an impression before the games count.
The scrimmage had the usual mix of energy and experimentation, and the evening ended with Team White coming out on top in the Elam ending format, thanks to a three-pointer from Deron Rippey Jr. Duke will not have long to sit on the exhibition notes, either, with a scrimmage against Belmont coming up as the next opportunity to see whether the early flashes translate into something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]