Sienna Hackshaw
Sophomore setter Ashley Mullen gets up after losing a rally during the match against Cleveland State in Reynolds Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Mullen made five digs. The Wolfpack defeated the Vikings 3-0.
NC State volleyball’s 37-year drought at Cameron Indoor Stadium continued Friday, as the Wolfpack came up short at Duke 3-1.
“That was the loudest crowd I’ve ever seen at Duke,” said head coach Megan Wargo-Kearney.
Lots of Wolfpack faithful made the trip, but glowing blue horns adorned the Blue Devil fans who made themselves heard all night.
NC State (7-4, 0-1 ACC) entered Durham looking to hand Duke (4-8, 1-0 ACC) its fourth-straight loss, but was unable to capitalize. The margins today were razor-thin for both teams, as the Wolfpack lost the match by a mere four points over four sets.
Senior outside hitter Courtney Bryant had 22 kills for the Wolfpack, but Duke’s defense — helmed by libero Mailinh Godschall — was too much for the red-and-white. Godschall added 19 digs to her season total of 215.
The first set was back-and-forth, with dueling 3-0 runs midway through to set an early tone. NC State put on another run only to find themselves down 23-22 with the momentum going Duke’s way.
The home crowd’s applause after Duke earned its 24th point was quickly withdrawn as Wargo-Kearney challenged the official’s decision. The officiating crew reviewed the play and, after 60 seconds of silence, the crowd erupted as the announcer declared the call upheld.
The Wolfpack defended the Blue Devils’ set-point serve, but dropped the set after another rally 25-23.
The Pack needed to get back into the game with a clean second set and, while Duke responded with a 4-0 run, NC State’s defense held strong.
“We just talked about cleaning up our side of the net,” Wargo-Kearney said.
The third set echoed the first one, with neither team giving up a big lead. A 4-0 Blue Devil run to go ahead 19-17 forced NC State to take a timeout, and it responded with a 3-0 run. Then it was Duke’s turn to unsuccessfully challenge a call, but that didn’t stop them from leading 23-21 a minute later.
“Let’s go, Duke!” chants filled the stadium and only grew louder as the home team moved to set point. One exchange of points later, and the Blue Devils took this set 25-22.
The final set was even closer. No team led by more than one point before Duke took a 20-16 lead with a 5-0 run. Strong blocking from senior Lily Cropper and freshman Jordan Smith brought the set back, but it wasn’t enough to extend the match, falling 25-21.
Duke now leads the all-time matchup 71-36. The weight of a Tobacco Road rivalry didn’t keep the teams from exchanging smiles and a “good luck” before the opening serve, but the friendliness lasted only that long.
“It’s a rivalry way more important than volleyball; it’s been going on in a lot of sports for a lot of years,” Wargo-Kearney said.
The Wolfpack will have to wait for another chance to end the Blue Devils’ home winning streak.
In the meantime, the team stays on the road and will challenge another Tobacco Road rival, UNC, at 1 p.m. on Sunday.