Oct. 5, 2007
Box Score
PITTSBURGH - Jessica Artman hit a career-best .528 and added a team-high 22 kills as Duquesne defeated Fordham 3-2 Friday night in a match that was close wire-to-wire.
Lindsay Hess' kill in game one gave the Dukes an 11-10 advantage, but their lead was short-lived. The Rams ran off four consecutive points to go ahead 14-11. Nicole Wright's service ace tied the contest at 15-15, but Fordham answered with three straight points to take a three-point lead 18-15. The Dukes came within one point of tying the game on three different occasions, but could not catch up as the Rams took game one 30-26.
Game two featured 18 ties and 12 lead changes as the Dukes needed some extra points to win 34-32. With the game tied at 30-30, Jenni Gross' kill game the Dukes a game-point 31-30. Fordham tied the score at 31-31 on a kill by Christi Griffiths only to give the lead back to DU on Griffiths' service error. The Rams' Emilie Stewart tied the score at 32-32, but a kill by Wright and an attach error by Lauren Fitzsimon gave the Dukes the game 34-32.
Duquesne had control of game three after falling behind 2-1 early on. A Dana McLaughlin kill gave the Dukes a 3-2 advantage and a lead they would not relinquish. Fordham tied the game three times, but could get ahead as the DU took the game 30-26 behind seven kills from Artman.
As the Dukes were hoping to take match in four games, the Rams had other plans. Stewart's kill broke a 17-17 tie as Fordham went on a 5-1 run to take a 22-18 advantage. DU could only get within three points of the lead at 29-26, but Fitzsimon's kill forced a deciding five as Fordham took game four 30-26.
The fifth game was just as close as the first four games. The Dukes had a chance to win the match while leading 14-13, but Griffiths kills tied the score at 14-14. A Fitzsimon' error gave DU a 15-14 advantage, but Fordham's Katie Wells kill had the score deadlock for ninth time in the game. Artman's 22nd kill of the match gave the Dukes a 16-15 lead and Kristen Hammergren's block of a Wells attempt gave the Dukes a 17-15 win and a 3-2 match victory.
McLaughlin recorded a double-double with her 15 kills and 16 assists. Amy Palko had a match-high 29 digs and Katie Goss had a career-best 21 digs.
The Dukes (8-9, 1-2) will face Rhode Island Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
Game Notes - Palko 29 digs was a career-best
- Kristin Garnett's 58 assists put her within 559 of Sarah Brown's all-time record of 4,180.
- Artman's previous personal-best was 18 kills vs. Bucknell (9/1/07)
- Duquesne now leads Fordham 18-5 in the all-time series
