DURHAM, N.C. – Charleston Southern volleyball battled Duke on Tuesday night inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the Blue Devils came away with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-19) victory.
The Buccaneers moved to 4-3 on the season with the loss, while Duke improved to 5-1. Charleston Southern battled throughout the three-set match, recording 33 kills and five total blocks while forcing the Blue Devils into 16 attack errors.
The opening set featured six ties and two lead changes as the Buccaneers and Blue Devils traded runs early. Charleston Southern held a 6-2 advantage after a four-point run that featured a pair of Duke attack errors and blocks from the Bucs. The Blue Devils responded with a 5-0 run to regain the lead, eventually building a 16-11 advantage. Charleston Southern continued to fight, pulling within three at 20-17 and again at 23-20, but Duke closed out the frame, 25-21.
Charleston Southern again stayed within striking distance in the second set. The Bucs trailed 12-5 early before putting together a 7-1 run, highlighted by a pair of kills from Brynn Minter and two consecutive service aces from Adeline Wieler, to pull even at 12-12. The teams continued to battle point-for-point, with the Bucs tying the score at 22-22 before Duke scored three of the final four points to take a 25-23 victory.
The third set was another competitive affair, with Charleston Southern taking an early 2-0 lead before Duke answered. The Bucs remained within two points at 8-8 and later pulled within 16-15 following a kill from Tristin Sutton. Duke then created separation with a 4-0 run, taking a 20-15 lead. Charleston Southern continued to battle late, cutting the deficit to 23-19, but the Blue Devils secured the sweep with the final two points, 25-19.
Notables:
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Jenna Kitchens helped lead the Buccaneers offensively with nine kills on 19 attempts, hitting .368 while adding a block assist for 9.5 points.
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Brynn Minter contributed 10 kills, two block assists, a service ace and three digs, finishing with 11.5 points.
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Emma Bednarek recorded five kills and a team-high four block assists, finishing with a .250 hitting percentage and seven points.
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Faith Burch added six kills and a block assist, finishing with a .190 hitting percentage.
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Tristin Sutton recorded 13 assists, a kill without an attack error and three digs.
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Cara McLean paced the Bucs with 15 assists, while also adding two digs.
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Presley Morris anchored the Charleston Southern defense with a team-high 13 digs, while adding three assists and a service ace.
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Adeline Wieler posted 10 digs and two service aces, including both aces during Charleston Southern's second-set rally.
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As a team, Charleston Southern finished with 33 kills, four service aces, five total blocks and 37 digs.
Up Next:
Thursday, September 10th, Charleston Southern will host The Citadel at 6:00 PM for day one of the Playa Bowls Invitational at CSU. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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