TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 13th-ranked Duke volleyball team saw its 11-match winning streak come to an end Sunday as the Blue Devils fell 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-17) to No. 19 Florida State at Tully Gym.
The Blue Devils knocked down 43 kills over the three stanzas, compared to the Seminoles' 47, but 20 attack errors limited Duke's offensive potency. Duke (25-4, 16-2) struggled to contain a motivated Florida State (22-7, 15-3) squad as the Seminoles were able to post a .340 hitting percentage for the match.
“Florida State played really well,” said head coach Jolene Nagel. “They served well and they blocked well. They did a good job against us and we need to get better as a result.”
Outside hitter Emily Sklar paced the Blue Devil offense with 10 kills, her 24th match of the season in double-digit kills. Middle blockers Jordan Tucker and Chelsea Cook put down nine and eight kills, respectively, while senior libero Ali McCurdy picked up 14 digs to lead the defense.
Florida State received 15 kills from outside hitter Nicole Walch and rightside hitter Elise Walch added 10 of her own. The Seminoles also held the edge in team blocks (10.0-5.0) and digs (49-44) for the match.
The two top-25 teams went at it to open the match, battling back and forth to a 17-17 tie following a Cook-Tucker block. Duke and Florida State continued to trade blows, resulting in a 22-22 stalemate before the Seminoles pulled away late. A Florida State block and Duke attack error put the Seminoles up before a Nicole Walch kill clinched the set, 25-22.
The second frame began with a 6-6 tie before a 13-6 Duke spurt, bolstered by three kills each from Elizabeth Campbell and Jeme Obeime, gave the Blue Devils a 19-13 advantage. However, the Seminoles clawed their way back to tie the frame 22-all before Nicole Walch powered Florida State to the win with three consecutive kills.
“The first set was back and forth and very tight," added Nagel. "We had the second set, but made some errors at the end which didn't allow us to finish that set strong."
With the momentum squarely in Florida State's favor following a pivotal second set, the Seminoles were able to close out the match with a 25-17 victory in the third game.
The Blue Devils close out the regular season with two home matches this coming weekend. Duke welcomes in-state rivals NC State and North Carolina to Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday and Friday, respectively.
#GoDuke
