Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Duke
Wake Forest Falls at Duke in ACC Opener
9/22/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeVolleyball)
DURHAM, N.C. - The Wake Forest volleyball team fell at Duke, 3-1, in its ACC opener on Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Deacs (8-5, 0-1 ACC) raced out to a 1-0 lead in the match with a strong first set. However, the Blue Devils (9-3, 1-0 ACC) bounced back with a dominant second set and used that momentum to take the next two sets and win the match, 3-1.
Kylie Long led the Deacs with 15 kills. She was supported by freshman Caroline Kuhn, who had 12 kills to go along with a team-high .360 hitting percentage. Caroline Rassenfoss also totaled 12 kills and two block assists.
The Deacs controlled play throughout the first set, as they raced out to a 20-14 lead and forced two Blue Devil timeouts. After the Blue Devils battled back to cut the Demon Deacon lead to 20-18, Wake Forest reestablished control and took the set on Kuhn's fifth kill.
Duke rebounded with a dominant second set, as they jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. The Blue Devils took the set, 25-13, to tie the match at 1-1. Kuhn led the Deacs with eight kills through the first two sets.
The Blue Devils continued their momentum into the third set. Duke jumped out to another early lead and held the Deacs at arm's length the rest of the way. The Demon Deacons cut the lead to three on multiple occasions, but could not rally all the way back, as Duke pulled away to take the set, 25-18.
Wake Forest responded with a strong start to the fourth set by jumping out to a 12-9 lead. The Blue Devils answered with a run of their own to tie the score at 13. The Deacs then made a run to take a 20-14 lead, but Duke won the next five points to cut Wake Forest's lead to one. From there, the Blue Devils took six of the final eight points to close out the match and earn the victory.
Overall, Duke tallied a .243 hitting percentage, compared to just .143 for the Demon Deacons. The Blue Devils also recorded 12 blocks while the Deacs had just 9.5. This marks just the second time this season that the Deacs have had fewer blocks than their opponent.
Up next, the Deacs return home to LJVM Coliseum, as they host Clemson this Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. in their home ACC home opener.
