WILMINGTON, N.C – On Saturday, Duquesne (2-1) split its matches against North Florida (1-2) and UNC Wilmington (3-0) in the final day of the UNCW Hampton Inns Invitational at Hanover Hall.

The Dukes swept North Florida in the afternoon (25-16, 25-19, 25-17), but suffered their first loss of the season to UNCW (18-25, 17-25, 22-25) in the final match of the invite. 

Liz Wayne and Maria Mosbacher were both recognized on the all-tournament team for their impressive performances. Wayne registered 30 kills over the three matches (3.0 k/s), with a .423 hitting percentage. Mosbacher connected on 28 kills in the tournament to earn the nod. 

The Dukes will play in the first ever volleyball match at PPG Paints Arena on Friday, September 6 against Green Bay in the first day of the ChampYinz Volleyball Invitational. For tickets, click here.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. NORTH FLORIDA

• The Dukes were able to dominate the final half of each set, putting together significant runs to secure its second victory of the campaign.
• Maria Mosbacher and Summer Slade led the way offensively, connecting on eight kills each.  
• Liz Wayne and Morgan Kelly (.313) contributed seven kills.
• Claire Boe registered 10-plus digs for the second consecutive game, with 12 against the Ospreys.  
• Dani Suiter dished 14 assists, while Hailey Poling registered 10 helpers.
• Overall, Duquesne led in kills (33-28), blocks (7-6), assists (29-25) digs (46-39) and hitting percentage (.200 to .037)
• The Dukes and Ospreys exchanged points to begin the contest. With the score tied at 9-9, the Dukes would build a 10-point lead following a 15-5 stretch to reach set point at 24-14. The Ospreys would earn back-to-back points, but a bad set gave Duquesne game one against North Florida.
• A similar sequence took place in the second set, as UNF and Duquesne were knotted up at 17-17. A Slade kill followed, which prompted the Dukes on a set-ending 10-2 sprint. A kill from Poling gifted the Dukes a 2-0 advantage.  
• The Duquesne scoring run began with the score tied at 10-10 in the third set, as the Dukes ran away with a 11-4 stretch to take a 21-14 edge. A pair of Slade kills, another from Wayne along with a UNF attack error on match point would give Duquesne the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. UNCW

• Wayne (.500 hitting percentage) led the Dukes with nine kills against the Seahawks, while Mosbacher and Slade both added eight kills. Moscbacher finished the match with 501 career kills.
• Boe posted 12 digs for the Dukes.
• Slade was just one dig away from her second double-double of the season.
• In the first set, the Dukes fell behind 12-2 early. Duquesne would fight back to slice the UNCW lead to seven at 22-15 and six at 24-18, but ultimately UNCW would win the set 25-18.
• UNCW responded early in the second set as well, jumping to a 7-1 advantage. Duquesne cut the Seahawk lead to just four at 14-10 following a 4-0 run. UNCW opened up the set to take a 21-11 lead. Duquesne brought the set back to 24-17, the Seahawks prevailed to take a 2-0 advantage.
• The third set saw both teams exchange points early on. With the score tied at 9-9, UNCW would tally six of the next seven points to claim a 15-10 advantage. Duquesne slowly clawed back, as the Dukes went on an impressive 8-1 sprint to tie the set late at 22-22. UNCW would not let Duquesne take a lead, earning the final three points in the set to earn the 3-0 win.