PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne volleyball team is on the road once again this weekend to take part in the Toledo Challenge Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, Duquesne faces Purdue Fort Wayne at 4:00 P.M. ET and will battle Eastern Illinois Saturday at 1:30 P.M.    

Both matches will available to watch on ESPN3. Live stats will also be available.

SERIES BREAKDOWN VS. PURDUE FORT WAYNE

• All-Time Series: Duquesne trails in the all-time series, 1-4.
• First Meeting: Sept. 2, 2006 at Duquesne – PFW won, 3-2
• Last Meeting: Sept. 14, 2018 at RMU (neutral) – PFW won, 3-0 I Recap | Box Score
• Streak: Purdue Fort Wayne, W3

SERIES BREAKDOWN VS. EASTERN ILLINOIS

• All-Time Series: Series is tied 1-1
• First Meeting: Sept. 10, 1999 (neutral) – EIU won 3-1
• Last Meeting: Sept. 14, 2012 (neutral) – DUQ won 3-0 I Recap | Box Score
• Streak: Duquesne, W1

THE DUKES

• Duquesne is now 2-8 on the season after going 1-2 this past weekend at the Chattanooga Classic.
• The Dukes' win came against Southern Indiana Saturday in four sets. After dropping the first set, they dominated the next three.
• Freshman Ariel Helm was named to the All-Tournament Team. She leads the team with 41 blocks, which ranks fifth in the conference.
• Freshman Carsyn Henschen totaled 58 kills in four matches this past week, which led the team. Her 122 kills rank second in the A-10.
• She was also named to the Duquesne/RMU Invitational All-Tournament Team after totaling 41 kills and seven service aces in the three matches.
• Senior Morgan Kelly ranks second on the team with 2.74 kills per set. The senior returns after earning a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team in 2021 after putting up 3.48 kills per set which was the second-best in the conference.
• Senior Anita Parrott was named to the Penn State Invitational All-Tournament Team after the first weekend of the season. She recorded 15 kills and 1.1 blocks per set in the three matches. She has missed the last seven matches.
• Graduate student Elizabeth Osborn put together a great weekend, totaling 48 kills in three matches. In addition to the kills, she also led the team with 36 digs and nine service aces this past weekend.
• Duquesne ranks 32nd in the nation with 89.5 total team blocks. 
• The Dukes are coming off of a 13-16 (7-9 A-10) season that ended in the A-10 Championship semifinals against the eventual-champion Dayton in a five-set thriller.
• Three of the Dukes' top four point-getters return for the 2022 season.
• Sophomore Anna Shoemake was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team last season after ranking fourth on the team with 254 points and third with 206 kills.
• Also returning is senior Hailey Poling. Poling led the conference with 1,114 assists and 9.86 assists per set last year.
• Duquesne was picked to finish sixth in the A-10 by the league's coach in the 2022 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll.

DUQUESNE HEAD COACH STEVE OPPERMAN (Ohio State '87)

• Steve Opperman enters his 25^th season as the head coach of the Dukes in 2021.
• He owns a career-record of 464-474 and a mark of 345-358 at Duquesne.
• Opperman collected his 450^th-career victory with a 3-0 win over Youngstown State in the 2021 season opener.
• The New Bremen, Ohio native is Duquesne's all-time winningest coach with 344 career victories on The Bluff.
• He is a four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (co-2001, co-2004, co-2010 and 2013).
• Opperman coached the first two AVCA All-Americans in program history, Liz Homan (2010) and Arielle Love (2014).
• The Ohio State alum has coached 16 First or Second Team A-10 All-Conference players (a total of 24 times).
• He has coached 23 A-10 All-Rookie Team members.
• Opperman arrived in Pittsburgh in 1998 after spending seven seasons as the head coach at Wright State, where he amassed a record of 119-116 from 1991-97.

SCOUTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE (ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS)

• Purdue Fort Wayne stands at 4-5 following a 1-2 record this past weekend at the Geri Polvino Invitational.
• Senior Sidney Schiller leads the team with 108 kills and 124.5 points.
• Sophomore Taya Haffner has dominated setting duties this year. She is already up to 312 assists.
• Junior Molly Mirabelli has been Purdue Fort Wayne's best blocker this year as she leads the Mastodons with 28 blocks.
• Purdue Fort Wayne brought in seven newcomers this year after finishing 8-23 last season.
• The Mastodons were picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League this season.
• Steve Florio is in his ninth season as head coach. He has a 103-146 record as the leader of the program.

SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS (ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS)

• The Panthers are 5-6 and coming off of a 3-0 loss to No. 25 Illinois Wednesday.  
• Prior to the loss to Illinois, EIU won three-straight at the Eastern Kentucky Tournament.
• Ella Collins (95) and Giovana Larregui Lopez (92) lead the Panthers in kills.
• Catalina has handled most of the setting duties this year as she leads the team with 217 assists.
• Ireland Hieb has been great above the net in 2022. She has 34 blocks, 20 more than anyone else on EIU.
• EIU was picked to finish sixth this season in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• The Panthers finished 11-18 in 2021.
• Sara Thomas is in her second season as the head volleyball coach for Eastern Illinois.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
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