The volleyball team traveled to Gainesville Friday with upset on its mind, but No. 6 Florida would have nothing of the sort. The Gators (24-2) put on a clinic for the home crowd, defeating the Blue Devils (9-17, 4-10 in the ACC) in three games, 15-4, 15-5, 15-4.
Florida showed why it is one of the elite teams in college volleyball, never giving Duke even a glimmer of hope. The Gators were led by the power of Jeni Jones, who recorded 13 kills and an impressive 10 blocks.
"Florida was a team of great players," Dominique Philipp said. "I think all of them are really good, but I think we could have played more up to our potential than we did. I definitely thought we could have put up more of a fight."
Junior Sarah Peifer was held to just seven kills, her lowest output of the season. It was also only the second time she has not recorded double figures in kills this season.
Other team highs for Duke included sophomore Nina Rybak's 16 assists and freshman Ashley Harris' 12 digs.
Duke was held to its lowest point total of the season, as the Gators allowed the Blue Devils a mere 13 offensive points. This loss also ended the Duke's two-game winning streak.
The Blue Devils return to action against ACC foe Virginia Wednesday night in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers come into the contest with a record of 22-5 and 9-3 in the ACC, just one game behind league-leading North Carolina.
Duke lost the first meeting between the two 3-0 in Durham, but it was able to keep the match close throughout. The Blue Devils will look to continue their strong ACC play against the Wahoos, but Virginia will also want to keep the heat on Carolina for top billing in the conference.
Duke is in eighth place in the ACC heading into its final two games, although wins over Virginia and Maryland could lift the Blue Devils up to as far as sixth in the conference heading into the tournament.
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