Virginia Sweeps Duke To Extend Home Win Streak

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After a weekend on the road, the Virginia volleyball team (15-3, 5-2 ACC) defeated the Duke Blue Devils (7-11, 3-4 ACC) in three sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-18) on Friday evening (Oct. 18) at Memorial Gymnasium to extend the Cavaliers’ home win streak to seven matches.

Friday’s victory pushed the Hoos to their best start in league play since 2006 at 5-2. The five ACC wins are the most in a season for UVA since 2019.

In the win, Elayna Duprey and Kate Dean each had a match-high 10 kills, while Dean, Abbey Tadder and Brooklyn Borum had four blocks each.

HOW IT HAPPENED   

Set 1: Virginia 25, Duke 20

The night’s opening set had a pair of lead changes before UVA charged ahead for good with a 6-0 run that put the Cavaliers up 20-15. Duke battled back to get within a trio of points at 22-19 before Borum ended the set with a kill. Dean paced the Hoos’ attack in the first set with five kills.

Set 2:  Virginia 25, Duke 18

Duke built an early 7-5 advantage, but the Cavaliers rallied to go up 8-7 on the first of several UVA runs in the second set. The Hoos took the lead for good at 13-12 with a block by Dean and Borum that sparked a 4-0 Virginia run. To close out the set, the Cavaliers scored 10 of the final 14 points.

Set 3: Virginia 25, Duke 18

In a set where Virginia never trailed, the Cavaliers led by as many as 10 through the heart of the final set. Duprey’s 10th and final kill of the night sealed the victory for Virginia at 25-18.

 WITH THE WIN

• Virginia is 15-3 (or better) for the first time since 2003, when it won its first 16 matches of the season.
• UVA is off to a 5-2 start in ACC play, its best since 2006
• Virginia is riding a seven-match home win streak, which is the longest for UVA since 1998.
• The Cavaliers have won three straight home matches against ACC opponents for the first time since 2015.
• Virginia has swept three straight ACC opponents at home for the first time since 1999.
• The Hoos have swept three straight home matches for the first time since 2021.
• Virginia snapped a 12-match losing streak to Duke and improved to 15-60 in the all-time series, which began in 1982.
• The Cavaliers swept Duke for the first time since 2004.
• Virginia picked up its fifth ACC win on Friday, the most since 2019.

Additional Notes

• UVA’s 46 kills against the Blue Devils are the most in a sweep over an ACC opponent since recording 46 at home against Virginia Tech in 2022.

UP NEXT  
The Cavaliers will close out the home weekend by hosting North Carolina (14-2, 6-1 ACC) at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday (Oct. 20). First serve is set for 1 p.m. and the match can be streamed on ACCXN.