@DuqVB Returns Home to Face VCU, Davidson to Begin Second Half of A-10 Play

PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne volleyball team continues Atlantic 10 Conference Play this weekend, when the Dukes return to Mt. Lebanon High School to battle VCU on Friday night and Davidson on Sunday. Both matches will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with Friday's contest beginning at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday's matchup against the Wildcats is set for a 1:00 p.m. start.

THE SERIES

The Dukes opened A-10 play against the Wildcats and Rams on the weekend of Sept. 27-29, as Duquesne fell in both matches on the road. The Dukes hung tough with Davidson, rallying from down two sets to win the third set and nearly took the fourth frame. The match featured 36 ties and 15 lead changes.
Duquesne leads 8-2 in the all-time series with Davidson, while VCU leads 10-6 in the series with the Dukes.

QUICK HITS

The Dukes are coming off a 1-1 weekend, as Duquesne defeated George Mason, 3-1 and fell to George Washington in straight sets to wrap up the weekend.
Freshman Ashley Larson posted an impressive 5.71 digs per set on the weekend with 40 total digs against the DC-area teams. Larson leads the squad in A-10 play with 4.44 digs per set.
The Dukes rank 60th nationally in digs per set as a team, with an average of 15.99 digs per set.
Halfway through conference play, the Dukes are also led in total kills by a freshman, as Morgan Kelly has 74 through seven matches. The youth movement continues with assists, as Hailey Poling has distributed 4.96 assists per set in conference play. Senior Dani Suiter leads the Dukes in assists with 5.32 dishes per frame.
Along with Kelly, Summer Slade (2.83 k/s), Liz Wayne (2.72 k/s) and Maria Mosbacher (2.40 k/s) continue to lead the Dukes' offense. Wayne is tied with Ego Onu for fourth in the A-10 with a .347 hitting percentage.
VCU is a perfect 6-0 in A-10 play and have swept five consecutive A-10 opponents. The Rams were tested by La Salle in its A-10 opener, but came out on top in five sets.
Travel partner VCU and Davidson met last week in their lone matchup, as VCU earned a 3-0 victory. Prior to that, Davidson was coming off of back-to-back wins against Fordham and Rhode Island.