Duquesne, coming of a straight-set win over Davidson on Saturday, heads to Richmond to face VCU in a pair of matches set for Sunday at 6:00 p.m. and Monday at 2:00 p.m. (both on ESPN+). This will be the second meeting this season between the Dukes and Rams. VCU took the first (25-19, 25-15, 25-14) in Pittsburgh on Feb. 12.

THE SERIES VS. VCU

• VCU received a pair of first place votes in being picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.
• VCU leads the young series 12-6, including a 5-2 advantage in matches in Richmond.
• The Rams have won the past seven matches between the two, including the past four at home.
• DU's last win at VCU was on Oct. 12, 2014.

QUICK HITS

• Duquesne hit .252 in its win over Davidson, the percentage was second to its .254 at Dayton. DU's 45 kills and seven aces were season highs, regardless of number of sets.
• DU's has averaged 12.0 blocks in its past two matches.
• Sophomore Morgan Kelly has had 11 or more kills in a match three times: 16 at Dayton (4s), 12 vs. Saint Louis (4s) and 11 vs. VCU (3s).
• Junior Summer Slade had a season-high 11 kills (3s) vs. Davidson.
• Sophomore Hailey Poling, who had a season-high 36 assists (3s) vs. Davidson, has led the Dukes in assists in all five matches (144 on the season).
• Sophomore Ashley Larson, who is tied for the team lead with Poling and Claire Boe with five service aces, had 18 digs vs. Davidson.
• Sophomore Anita Parrott has posted all of her team-high 21 blocks in DU's past three matches: six at Saint Louis, nine vs. Saint Louis and six vs. Davidson.
• DU's season-opening match vs. VCU on Feb. 12 was DU's first on campus since 2018, as the team played its 2019 home matches at nearby Mt. Lebanon High School due to renovation of the on-campus UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
• Duquesne's remaining home matches are being played at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse which officially opened in early February.
• DU, playing without a true home venue, finished 10-17 in 2019. Duquesne returns over 75 percent of its kills, 57 percent of its assists and 94 percent of its digs from a year ago. The Dukes also welcome back four of their top five leaders in kills, the leader in total assists, and the top-five players in digs.
• Morgan Kelly, a 2019 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team pick, led the Dukes and ranked eighth in the A-10 with 3.00 kills per set during conference play. Other major contributors returning include: junior Summer Slade (2.64 kills/set, 3.0 digs per set), senior Maria Mosbacher (2.55 kills/set), sophomore Hailey Poling (5.26 assists/set, 2.43 digs/set), sophomore Ashley Larson (3.38 digs/set) and senior Claire Boe (3.21 digs/set).
• Olivia Alessi, Camille Spencer and Riley Speelman are freshman newcomers. Alessi and Spencer made their DU debuts in the opener vs. VCU.
• Duquesne head coach Steve Opperman, in his 30th season as a head coach (449-330), enters the weekend with 449 career victories. The winningest coach in DU volleyball history, Opperman is 330-330 in his 23rd season on the Bluff. He is a four-time A-10 Coach of the Year - 2001 (co-), 2004 (co-), 2010 (co-) and 2013. He guided the program to its first NCAA Championship appearance in school history in 2013. Opperman came to Duquesne in 1998 after seven seasons as head coach at Wright State.

2021 POD FORMAT
The Atlantic 10 has adopted a pod system for the spring season, with Duquesne placed in the West Pod with Davidson, Dayton, Saint Louis and VCU. Dayton, VCU and Saint Louis were picked to finish first, second and third in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll released in late January. The Dukes were tabbed fifth.