Building on last weekend’s 3-2 road victories over Virginia Tech and Virginia, Duke returned with a strong home stand, sweeping Boston College Friday and hitting past Maryland 3-1 Saturday in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils’ win over the Terrapins marked their 18th consecutive ACC home victory since its loss to then-No. 19 Florida State over two years ago. Duke (12-6, 6-3 in the ACC) is 7-1 in Cameron this season.
Both evenings featured strong performances from a variety of players, with setter Kellie Catanach, the reigning ACC player of the year, headlining Saturday’s 20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-16 victory over Maryland (9-12, 3-6).
Catanach recorded 37 assists, eight digs and nine kills, leading the team to three straight set victories after dropping the first set.
Under her direction, three hitters—Amanda Robertson, Sophia Dunworth and Christiana Gray—managed double-digit kills, while libero Ali McCurdy anchored the defense. McCurdy accounted for 22 of the team’s 70 digs.
The Blue Devils got off to a slow start Saturday, allowing Maryland a .318 hitting percentage in their first-set loss—which included 11 score ties and lead changes. The second set was similarly neck-and-neck, with Duke coming back from a 23-20 deficit to notch five straight points and a 25-23 victory.
From there, the Blue Devils never looked back, extending their win streak to four games after loses to Florida State and Miami on the road two weekends ago.
Friday’s win against the Eagles was another showcase of Duke’s recent success, as Catanach and McCurdy again played crucial roles with 35 assists and 26 digs, respectively. Dunworth added her second-straight double-double with 18 digs and 10 kills, while Gray hit .526 with 12 kills.
Against Boston College (7-13, 3-6), the Blue Devils’ defense stayed strong, holding the Eagles’ hitting percentage to .028 and 25 attack errors. Duke forced the Eagles into a -.078 hitting percentage and 12 errors in its 25-19 first-set win.
The Blue Devils now hold the fourth spot in the ACC as they ready themselves for Wednesday’s home match against rival North Carolina, which holds the No. 2 spot in the conference.
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