PITTSBURGH – The Duquesne University volleyball team will begin its 2023 campaign this weekend with three matches at the Binghamton Invitational in Vestal, N.Y. The Dukes will open play against Saint Peters on Friday at 4 pm, then will play a doubleheader on Saturday taking on the hosts at 1 pm and Merrimack at 4:30 pm. 

"We're really excited and anxious to get going this weekend," said 26th year head coach Steve Opperman. The Dukes competed in a scrimmage with Youngstown State last week, serving as a good chance to mix lineups and get the young roster acclimated to the Division I scene, but now it's for real. "It was a good experience at Youngstown, hopefully that served as a chance for our rookies to work out some of the jitters and nerves, and it was nice to be able to mix lineups and see what we have going into the season," said Opperman. 

Duquesne was bitten by the injury bug last season, as only three of the projected seven starters were available early on, then mixed with coming up just short in six, five-set matches the Dukes suffered an 8-22 record and finished in sixth place in the Atlantic 10 (5-13).  

DU finished the season winners in two of its last three matches and will look to build on that in 2023, but it's nearly a completely different team and a very young one to add to it. Nine of the Dukes' 12 players are freshmen or sophomores. "There will be a lot of new faces on the floor and some familiar ones too," said Coach Opperman. 

Of those familiar faces are sophomores Carsyn Henschen and Madison Grimm, both returning from standout freshman seasons that lead to A-10 All-Rookie Team selections.  

Henschen led the team with 286 kills on the attack from both sides of the court last year. "Carsyn is a very versatile kid that can play any three positions for us," said Coach Opperman. 

Grimm, a defensive specialist, paced the Dukes in digs averaging 3.43 per set (357 total) and posted a .932 reception percentage on a team leading 497 attempts a year ago. "Madison holds down the ball control for our side of the court, she's a great kid and really gets after it," noted Coach Opperman 

Returners Ariel Helm and Hanna Wilson also look to make large impacts this year, Helm returns from shoulder surgery and Wilson will be sidelined early on but looks to be back on the court soon. Madison Floyd, a junior middle blocker, and Maggie Colenbrander, a sophomore defensive specialist, also return to the DU roster this season. 

Camille Spencer is the lone senior on the squad. The outside hitter is another versatile player on the roster that has served multiple roles throughout her Dukes career. 

Graduate transfer Morgan Gish will be one of those new faces on the court. A 6'0" left-handed outside hitter, who spent her undergrad years at Tennessee Tech, Gish will be in line to start opening weekend in the Red and Blue. 

"This incoming class has been a great addition to our program," said Coach Opperman. "They have integrated seamlessly and our cohesiveness as an overall group is one of our biggest strengths heading into the season." 

Opperman brought in four freshmen, all of which have played at the highest level, in club and high school ball, and are set to compete for time immediately. Three are scheduled to be in the starting lineup on opening weekend; Chloe Wilmot will look to handle the setting duties, Avery Hobson will be on the outside, and Jordan Robertson is a 6'2" middle. Amalia Martin rounds out the talented freshman class, a 5'10" setter from South Carolina.  

One play at a time will be the mantra for the Dukes in 2023, as they look to flip the script on those five set matches and build up the win total. "We've been really focused on just moving on and controlling what we can control," said Coach Opperman. "People are going to make good plays on the other side of the net, but it's just one play and we have to be able to move on to win the next point."

Duquesne will be inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse next weekend, with a split doubleheader against Canisius (11 am and 6 pm), then will be north of the city to take on Robert Morris on Saturday at 6 pm. Atlantic 10 play begins on September 22 at Fordham.

Live coverage links for video and statistics will be posted on the schedule page for all available games.

OPENING WEEKEND NOTES 

• Opperman is the winningest coach in Duquesne history (351 wins) and a four-time A-10 Coach of the Year. 

• DU is 2-0 against St. Peter's all-time with a 3-0 win at home on Aug. 30, 2003 and a 3-1 victory at St. Peter's on Oct. 10, 2004. 

• Binghamton won the lone matchup in series history, a five-setter at Temple early in the 2015 season. 

• This will be the first-ever meeting against Merrimack. 

• Merrimack is a member of the Northeast Conference, along with Duquesne football and bowling. 

• The Warriors have just completed a four-year transition from Division II … This season is the first as a full Division I member. 

• Over the last five opening weekends, DU has gone 5-9 … Last season, the Dukes lost all three matches at the Penn State Invitational … The last season-opening win was 2021 (3-0 over Youngstown State) … DU went 2-1 to start the 2019 and 2021 seasons. 
  
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