Box Score PITTSBURGH – The Dukes (7-10, 2-4 A-10) were defeated 3-0 by VCU (9-10, 5-2 A-10) Saturday evening in an Atlantic 10 match at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
 
The Rams pulled out the three-set win by scores of 25-15, 25-19 and 25-23.
 
Anita Parrott (League City, Texas/Clear Falls) led Duquesne with nine kills. Hailey Poling (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) set up the offense with 26 assists and also chipped in 10 digs defensively.
 
DU held VCU under its season average with a .203 hitting percentage. The Rams entered the evening leading the A-10 with a .233 mark.
 
The Dukes will return to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 10 when they take on Davidson at 1 p.m.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Duquesne fell behind 6-2 in the first set. Although the Dukes managed to slice the deficit down to two, 8-6, on a Summer Slade kill, the Rams never relinquished the lead. VCU widened the gap on the Dukes and eventually took the set 25-15.
• The Dukes trailed 7-6 in the second set when it went on a 5-0 run, capped off by a block by Morgan Kelly and Ego Onu, to take a 10-7 lead. DU led 14-13 on a Parrott kill, before the Rams went on a 7-3 spurt to put the Dukes in a 20-17 hole. Duquesne was limited to just two more points and dropped the set 25-19.
• Duquesne was behind 8-4 in the third set, but a run that included a pair of kills and a block by Parrott spurred the Dukes to an 11-10 lead. After VCU reclaimed the lead and went ahead 17-13, Duquesne rallied back to tie the score with a 5-1 run. VCU regained control at 24-20 when DU took its final timeout. The Dukes clawed back with three-straight points to make the score 24-23, but the Rams secured the match-clinching point to end the contest with a 25-23 win.