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BYU's Heather Gneiting (2) reacts to scoring a point during the Cougars 3-1 victory against Duke at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, August 26, 2022.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU volleyball team celebrates a point during a match against Duke in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, August 26, 2022.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Erin Livingston attacks the ball during a match against Duke in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, August 26, 2022.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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A BYU women's volleyball record crowd of 5,507 filled the Smith Fieldhouse for the Cougars' match against Duke on Friday, August 26, 2022.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU’s student cheering section, “The ROC” (Roar of Cougars) came heavy to the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday for the No. 10 Cougars matchup with Duke, donning t-shirts that read “Welcome to the Party.”

It was a memorable bash in the nightcap of the do’TERRA Classic, with a BYU women’s volleyball record crowd of 5,507 turning up to watch the Cougars take down Duke 3-1 (25-14, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19) to move to 2-0 on opening day.

“I just love BYU,” Cougar senior Heather Gneiting said. “Our fans always support us and we’re so lucky. Our team just feeds off that energy.”

Gneiting did too, tallying a career-high 15 kills, hitting .500 and adding two aces, five digs and five block assists.

BYU won the first two sets but inexplicably fell behind 11-0 to start Set 3 as Duke started hot. The Cougars pulled to within four at 22-18 but could get no closer and was forced to a fourth set.

“I think we were trying different things and our shots weren’t working,” Gneiting said. “For Duke a lot of lucky things happened for them and we were just trying to problem solve.”

Gneiting was dominant in Set 4 with five kills, including a pair of swings to get to match point, and the winning block on a Duke attack.

“We came back and got 19 points (in the third set) and I’m really proud of the team for that,” Gneiting said. “We got the momentum more on our side and were being more assertive, which I love.”

BYU held Duke to just a .103 hitting percentage and outblocked the Blue Devils 13 to 9. Erin Livingston added 11 kills and Whitney Llarenas had nine kills and seven block assists. Setter Whitney Bower contributed 33 assists, 13 digs, two block assists and four kills. New libero Kelsey Knudsen led the Cougars with 19 digs and Aria McComber added 14.

Gracie Johnson had 14 kills for Duke (0-2).

Bower scored on a power dump to tie the first set at 12 and the Cougars absolutely took over from there, outscoring the Blue Devils 13-2 the rest of the way. Llarenas teamed up with Bower and Kate Grimmer for back-to-back blocks for a 21-14 lead. Grimmer logged a solo block to get to set point and Llarenas smashed down an overpass for the winner.

BYU raced to a 12-4 lead in Set 2, highlighted by a sequence where Bower and Gneiting blocked consecutive Duke attacks. The lead reached nine points, 18-9, after a Gneiting ace and a Duke hitting error. At second set point, Gneiting alertly sent her tip to the short corner for a 25-19 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set 3 was unlike any played in the Fieldhouse in a long time as Duke played out of its mind for the 11-0 lead and held off a late charge to force the fourth set.

The attendance on Saturday night broke the old BYU women’s volleyball record of 5,472, set against Utah on Sept. 13, 2018.

The Cougars, which swept Rider 25-10, 25-17, 25-16 earlier in the day, will finish off the do’TERRA Classic on Saturday at 7 p.m. Against Washington State. The red Cougars also swept Rider and topped Duke 3-1 on Friday.

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