PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne University volleyball team fell to the Rhode Island Rams in four sets Saturday night.
Duquesne moves to 4-17 (1-8 A-10) while URI improves to 5-17 (1-8 A-10).
The Dukes battled back to win set three after being down 2-0, but ultimately lost in the fourth set.
Freshman
Carsyn Henschen was the only Duke to hit double-digit kills with 10. Graduate student
Elizabeth Osborn had the second-most kills with nine on the night.
Senior
Anita Parrott had eight kills and once again led the team in blocks with five. Freshman
Ariel Helm recorded four kills and pitched in with two blocks.
Senior
Hailey Poling had 35 assists and had another nice match above the net with four blocks.
Both teams had eight blocks on the night, but the difference in hitting percentage proved to be the difference in this one. URI hit .301 while Duquesne hit just .158.
The Dukes had 11 service aces tonight, which marks their third-highest total this season. Freshman
Madison Grimm (3) , Poling (2), junior
Camille Spencer (2), freshman
Hanna Wilson (2) and senior
Ashley Larson (2) each had multiple.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first two sets went Rhode Island's way, as the Rams took a 14-7 lead in the first and rode it out for the win despite Duquesne getting within two points at 17-15. In the second, URI jumped ahead 18-12 and the Dukes had no answer for the Rams just yet.
The third set was pretty tight throughout, with the largest lead on either side being four points. Duquesne got up 6-2, then Rhode Island was up 14-10, but the two teams would then tie at every point from 16 to 22. The Dukes took three of the last four points to stay alive and force a fourth set.
The fourth set looked promising for Duquesne and it looked like it was going to force a final fifth set, but Rhode Island had other plans. The Dukes started up 11-6, and kept a lead late into the set. They even got up 18-12, but the Rams then ripped off a 10-2 run to take a 22-20 lead. URI scored three out of the next five points to hold off the Dukes and end the match.
GAME NOTES
- Kelly ranks second on the team and ninth in the conference with 187 kills.
- Henschen has 209 kills, which leads the team and ranks sixth in the A-10.
- Poling's 655 assists are the second-most in the conference, along with her 8.51 assists per set.
- Grimm had 11 digs tonight, making it her 16th game in which she has recorded double-digit kills this season.
- Junior Riley Speelman made her season-debut tonight and recorded her first career block.
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