BUFFALO, N.Y. – Outside Hitter
Morgan Kelly (Florence, Ky./Cooper) established a new school record in kills to lead Duquesne (4-4) to a 3-0 win over Canisius (0-7) to open the Western New York Invitational Friday.
The Dukes concluded play on Friday with a 3-0 loss at Buffalo (4-3).
Kelly broke a 22-year old Duquesne record for kills in a three-set match when she put down 20 in the opening match sweep over Canisius (25-21, 25-23, 26-24). The previous record of 19 was set by both
Anita Ball (09/04/99 vs. Bowling Green) and
Mindy Buhrow (10/10/98 vs. Dayton). Kelly finished with just four errors on 44 attacks (.364 hitting percentage).
Outside hitter
Anna Shoemake (Dayton, Ohio/Beavercreek) posted 10 kills, while
Summer Slade added eight and a team-high 13 digs. Setter
Hailey Poling (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) guided the offense with 38 assists and also chipped in 12 digs.
The Dukes traveled six miles down the road to Buffalo and were defeated in three sets (25-13, 25-18, 25-13).
Summer Slade (Lancaster, N.Y./St. Mary's) led Duquesne with eight kills in the loss. After her historic performance in the opener, Kelly was limited to four kills, but managed to match a team-high with 13 digs. Libero
Camille Spencer (Brentwood, Tenn./Ravenwood) also finished with 13 digs.
The Dukes will close out play in the Western New York Invitational tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 11 when they take on American at 10 a.m. inside the Koessler Center at Canisius.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. CANISIUS
- Despite an early 4-1 lead for the Dukes managed to take an early 4-1 lead in the first set, but three-straight points for the Griffins quickly tied the set up. Neither team had a lead of more than two points until Duquesne went ahead 17-14. Canisius managed to get as close as 19-17, before the Dukes pulled away and a kill by Shoemake closed out the first set at 25-21.
- The Dukes jumped out to a 5-1 advantage in the second set. Canisius rallied back and put Duquesne in a 9-8 hole, but it was not long before DU held a 18-15 lead and was poised to take a 2-0 lead. The Griffins managed to storm back and tie the set at 23-23, before a Shoemake kill and an attack error allowed Duquesne to take the set at 25-23.
- Canisius notched the first point of the third set, but a service error and a ball handling error gave the Dukes the lead at 2-1. Duquesne led by as many as eight, 21-13, on the heels of a six-point run and were serving for the match at 24-19. The Griffins managed to draw even at 24-24 with a five-point run of their own to force a DU timeout. A kill by Slade and the school-record setting 20th kill of the match by Kelly secured the set and the match.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. BUFFALO
- The first set was tight early on. With the score tied at 9-9, Buffalo went on a 9-1 run to open up an 18-10 lead. The Bulls went on to win the set at 25-13.
- Duquesne hung around in the opening stages of the second set and were tied at 11-11 following a block by Shoemake and Anita Parrott (League City, Texas/Clear Falls). Buffalo countered and put the Dukes into a 20-14 hole. The two sides traded points, before the Bulls took the second set at 25-18.
- The Dukes were unable to get at least one set in the match and were dealt their first three-set loss of the season at 25-13. Duquesne was only able to string consecutive points together three times in the final set, allowing Buffalo to secure the win.
