Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University volleyball team fell to George Mason, 3-1, Saturday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, splitting the season series. The Dukes slipped to 11-13 (.458) overall during the 2023 campaign, including 6-10 (.375) in the Atlantic 10.
George Mason (8-20 / 4-12 A-10) took the opening two sets, 25-19 and 25-20, respectively, behind a balanced offense. Gabriella Gelfound and Camille Larkin each had three kills in the opening set for the Patriots, while Olyvia Kennedy posted four in the second set and Larkin three more. GMU posted a .243 attack percentage in set two.
Duquesne rallied in the third, grabbing an early 4-0 lead after a kill from sophomore
Ariel Helm. The lead swelled to 13-7 after yet another slam from Helm as the Dukes grabbed a 25-18 win on the strength of a .333 attack percentage thanks to 11 kills and no errors in 33 total attempts.
The Dukes rallied in the fourth set and threatened to force a fifth with set point but were unable to grab the win. Leading, 24-23, George Mason scored the final three points of the set to clinch the victory, getting consecutive kills from Caroline Rodriguez, Gelfound and Larkin. In the fourth, the Patriots recorded 21 of their 26 points off kills.
Duquesne had two players with double-doubles, as freshmen
Chloe Wilmot finished with 35 assists and posted 11 digs, while fellow rookie
Avery Hobson recorded 10 kills and 11 digs. Graduate student
Morgan Gish joined Hobson in double digits for kills with a team-high 13.
Duquesne will finish its regular season with two home matches against Davidson. The first is set for Friday, Nov. 10, at 6:00 p.m., and the series concludes Saturday, Nov. 11., at 3:00 p.m. at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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