Box Score 
MADISON, Wis. - After a hard-fought battle, the UW Badgers lost its first match of the season on Friday night in the first round of the Inntowner Invitational. The Badgers fell in five sets to Duke 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 15-12 in a thriller in front of 3,244 fans in the UW Field House.
'"We came out of the gates fast and we were playing some great ball,"' head coach Pete Waite said. "'But then we gave them a few streaks where they got their confidence back and got back into the game. They got the first set, but again we got the second and came back from behind to win that game. We did the best we can." '
The new-look Badgers (0-1) showed that they will challenge many teams as they bettered the Blue Devils in a number of statistics, who are favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference this year.
The Badgers offense looked strong as it recorded 58 kills to Duke's 56. The Badgers also tallied 55 assists, which was superior to Duke's 52. Additionally, Wisconsin out-dug Duke 59-57, led by Kim Kuzma who had 19.
However, Duke''s hitting percentage of .245 certainly aided their victory as the Badgers hit just .139. The Badgers were also out-blocked by the Blue Devils 17-6, led by Becci Burling with a match-high 11 blocks.
Duke''s offense was led by Rachael Moss and Sophia Dunworth who both had double-digit kills with 16.
In her fourth career double-double, junior Allison Wack led the Badgers offensively with a career high 20 kills while adding 10 digs. Freshman Kirby Toon also stood out with 19 kills and seven digs. Sophmore Janelle Gabrielsen was also a force as she tallied a match-high 49 assists.
Coach Waite said that he was happy with the performance of Toon in her first match.
'"Kirby, for her first match in her collegiate career, was phenomenal. She did a great job and kept us in there and put up great numbers so that's pretty awesome,'" Waite said.
Wisconsin came out strong in the first set and quickly established a 12-2 lead over Duke. The Blue Devils then found themselves trailing 17-15 after an 8-1 run. Duke went on to win the first set 25-23 after a 5-1 run.
The Badgers and Blue Devils essentially exchanged roles in the second set as UW refused to fade away. Elle Ohlander had a service ace to cap off a 5-1 run that left the Badgers with a 25-23 set victory.
The third set consisted of UW and Duke battling back and forth. The Badgers put together a 6-0 run to come back from 14-17 and take a 20-17 lead. Despite Duke''s strong effort and two intense rallies, the Badgers won the set 25-23 after an error by Duke.
Fatigue appeared to have set in for the Badgers as Duke dominated the fourth set. Duke ended the set with a 7-2 run that gave them a convincing 25-15 victory.
Both teams found themselves neck and neck with one another in the fifth set. After several lead changes the score was tied 12-12. However, Duke''s 5-1 run featured two back-to-back blocks to end the match 15-12.
Waite said that Duke provided good competition because they are such a mature and polished team.
'"I think that this was a great team to play against because they have a lot more veterans than we did,"' Waite said. "'We put ourselves in position and it just didn't go quite as well."'
The Inntowner Invitational continues Saturday with South Dakota and Duke squaring off at 10 a.m. Duke will also face Ohio later in the day at 5 p.m. After a solid match against Duke, the Badgers look to record their first victory of the season Saturday night when they face South Dakota at 7 p.m.
