VESTAL, N.Y. – The Duquesne University volleyball team finished its opening weekend at the Binghamton Invitational with a split on Saturday. The Dukes bounced back from a hard-fought, four-set loss to Binghamton in the first game of the day with a 3-0 sweep of Merrimack to secure a 2-1 record to start the 2023 campaign.
Game 2 vs. Merrimack:
Duquesne powered its way past Merrimack with its most efficient outing of the weekend (.325 hitting percentage) to earn a sweep.
The Dukes took control of a back-and-forth set one with a late 6-0 run to go up 22-14 and went on to take the opener 25-16 setting the tone for the match.
DU rattled off seven straight points to begin the second set and never looked back, as they extended the lead to as many as 13 in a dominating set two, then finished the straight set victory off with a 25-21 edge in the third frame. The Dukes scored seven of the final eight points to put the match away after trailing 20-18 late.
Duquesne totaled 43 kills and 13 errors on 83 swings for the early-season best .325 hitting percentage, including a .409 effort in the second set, meanwhile Merrimack was held to a .100 hitting percentage.
Morgan Gish posted a game-high 13 kills, while Carsyn Henschen added 10, and Avery Hobson had 10. Chloe Wilmot charted 27 assists to lead all players.
Gish and Helm paced the defense with four blocks each. Wilmot and Madison Grimm had nine and eight digs, respectively. Eight of the 10 Dukes that saw action recorded at least one dig.
This is the third time in the past five seasons that DU has gone 2-1 on opening weekend (along with 2019 and 2021).
Game 1 vs. Binghamton:
Duquesne was handed its first defeat of the season in four sets by the Binghamton Bearcats in the first game Saturday. Three of the four sets were decided by three points or less. Sophomore Carsyn Henschen set a new career high in kills with a game-high 22.
The Dukes dropped the first set 25-16, as they were held to a negative hitting percentage and the Bearcats charted a .370 mark, their best set of the day.
Duquesne was much better in the second set, posting a higher hitting percentage and more kills than Binghamton, however they were unable to hold onto an 18-14 lead, and went on to drop the set by a score of 25 to 23.
The Dukes came out hard in the third set, with their backs against the wall, taking an early 5-1 lead. Despite ending the set with a whopping .452 hit percentage to BU's .107 and leading 17-9 in the kills department, the Bearcats made it a tough finish. After holding a 24-19 lead, Duquesne was able to hold on to win the set by a score of 25-22.
In the fourth and final set, Duquesne found itself with a 22-19 lead late, however the Dukes were unable to force a winner-take-all fifth set, losing 26-24. Duquesne's .111 hit percentage was not up to stuff with the .289 of the Bearcats.
Henschen accounted for 22 of Duquesne's 52 kills, along with two aces and 10 digs, for her first double-double of the season.
Ariel Helm posted a good two-way showing with six kills and three blocks. Freshman Avery Hobson was second on the team in kills with 15 and added two serving aces.
Despite losing the match, Duquesne was close with Binghamton in many statistics, but a +3-margin in aces for the Bearcats, as well as nine more errors by the Dukes proved to be the difference in the match.
Up Next
Duquesne will host Canisius for a home-opening doubleheader on Friday at 11 am and 6 pm inside the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
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