PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne University volleyball team will return to the court this weekend to wrap up non-conference play at the Virginia Tech Classic.
 

THE BASICS 

Sept. 15-16th, 2023 | Virginia Tech Classic (Blacksburg, VA) 

Duquesne Dukes (5-1. 0-0 A-10) 

• Streak: W4 | Roster | Stats | Schedule 

East Carolina Pirates (7-2. 0-0 AAC) 

• Streak: W3 | Roster | Stats | Schedule 

Virginia Tech Hokies (9-0. 0-0 ACC) 

• Streak: W9 | Roster | Stats | Schedule 

Queens Royals (2-7. 0-0 ASUN) 

• Streak: L3 | Roster | Stats | Schedule 

Only Virginia Tech game will be live streamed on ACCNX  |  Live statistics for each match can be found on the schedule page.

SCHEDULE 

• Friday: Duquesne vs East Carolina – 3 PM 

• Friday: Virginia Tech vs Queens – 6 PM 

• Saturday: Loser of Duquesne-ECU vs Loser of Virginia Tech-Queens – 1 PM 

• Saturday: Winner of Duquesne-ECU vs Winner of Virginia Tech-Queens – 4 PM

THE DUKES 

• The Dukes are coming off a sweep in tournament play in the Duquesne/RMU Invitational over Labor Day weekend. The Dukes beat Canisius twice and Robert Morris once.  

• Freshmen Chloe Wilmot and Avery Hobson were named to the all-tournament team, alongside graduate student Morgan Gish, who was named MVP of the tournament.  

• Gish totaled 50 kills at a .435 percentage over the three games, including a career-best 20 kills in a single game vs Canisius, and an 18 kill-10 dig game vs Robert Morris. 

• Hobson tallied 58 kills over the weekend, including a career high with 22 in a single match. Hobson posted a double-double in kills and digs in all three games, never having below 18 kills in any. 

• Wilmot tallied 167 assists over the three games. She currently leads the A-10 in assists per set at 11.94. She leads the Dukes with 271 assists on the season, followed by sophomore Madison Grimm at 16. Wilmot's efforts led to earning Duquesne Athletics' Performance of the Month.  

• The Dukes have four players with more than 50 kills on the young season. Hobson leads the team with 89, followed by Gish, sophomore Carsyn Henschen, and senior Camille Spencer with 74, 65, and 52 respectively. Hobson, Gish, and Henschen rank 4th, 5th, and 8th in the A-10 in kills. 

• Duquesne's team hitting percentage sits as .274, good for first in the A-10. It's opponent hitting percentage is at .170, good for fifth best in the conference.  

LAST TIME OUT 

• Duquesne took care of Robert Morris in four sets, fueled by a .286 hit percentage and a .057 hitting percentage against. The Dukes won each of the last two sets by four points after dropping the second.  

• A career high 56 assists for Chloe Wilmot and Morgan Gish's 18 kills and 14 assists carried Duquesne to its fourth straight win and a tournament sweep. 

THE PIRATES 

• The East Carolina Pirates enter the weekend with a 7-2 record, best in the AAC, coming off a sweep in the Hampton Inn and Suites Seahawk Classic. The Pirates defeated Norfolk State, North Carolina- Wilmington and Alabama State.  

• Senior right side hitter Fran McBride was named tournament MVP, while middle blockers Carlia Northcross, sophomore, and Farah Farooq, freshman, were named to the all-tournament team.  

• Northcross was named AAC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in the Seahawk Classic. 

• Northcross has 39 blocks on the season, with Farooq and McBride each having 22 and 21, respectively. Angeles Alderete leads the Pirates with 83 kills. Izzy Marinelli is second on the team with 60 kills. 

• The Pirates were predicted to finish second in the AAC East Division in the preseason. 

THE HOKIES 

• The undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies host the tournament. Their latest tournament saw them sweep Lehigh, Delaware State and Farleigh Dickinson in the Steel Classic.  

• The Hokies have two players with 80+ digs on the season. Graduate student Leandra Mangual-Duran and junior Elayna Duprey have 84 and 81 respectively. Mangual-Duran is third on the team in blocks with 15, and is second in digs with 76.  

• The Hokies' leader in digs is graduate student Iliana Rodriguez with 129, which is good for fourth best in the ACC. 

• Sophomore Hanna Borer's 309 assists rank second among all ACC players this season in both total assists and assists per set.  

• No team in the ACC has a better record than the Hokies' 9-0, despite them being picked to finish last in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.  

THE ROYALS 

• The Queens University Royals enter tournament play having dropped three straight en route to a 2-7 record. The Queens Fall Classic saw them lose to The Citadel, Marshall and Furman, last weekend. 

• Juniors Alleigh and Jordyn Johnson, no relation, are the top two on the team in kills with 77 and 73 each. They are also the team leaders in digs with 15 for Alleigh and 13 for Jordyn.  

• The Royals have two players with over 100 digs on the season. Jordyn Johnson's 100 trails only junior Jesse George's 144. George also has 6 service aces and 13 assists, good for fourth and third on the team.  

• Queens ranks last in the ASUN Conference in hitting percentage, opponent kills allowed, per set opponent assists allowed per set and points per set.  

• Queens was picked to finish last in the ASUN Conference in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.  

THE SERIES 

• Duquesne is 1-0 all time against East Carolina. The only match was played in September of 1995, with the Dukes winning in four sets.  

• Duquesne's history with Virginia Tech spans back to 1995 with 11 matches played in total. The Dukes are 5-6 against their old A-10 Rivals, with the last game being an out-of-conference match played in 2013. The Dukes were swept by the Hokies. 

• Duquesne has yet to play Queens University. Queens was promoted to Division I of the NCAA in 2022, with this being its second DI volleyball year.  

STRONG START 

• Duquesne is off to a 5-1 start for the first time since 2012. 

• Last year the Dukes didn't win their fifth game until October 22nd, while they've already reached that milestone this year. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLES THIS SEASON 

• Morgan Gish (2) - vs. Canisius (9/01), at Robert Morris (9/02) 

• Camille Spencer (2) - vs. Canisius x2 (9/01) 

• Avery Hobson (3) - vs. Canisius x2 (9/01), at Robert Morris (9/02) 

• Chloe Wilmot (2) - at Binghamton (8/26), vs. Canisius (9/01) 

PRESEASON POLL 

• Duquesne was picked to finish eighth out of 10 in the A-10 Preseason Poll after an 8-22 (5-13 A-10) record in 2022. 

• Defending A-10 champion Loyola Chicago was tabbed the favorite with 97 points and seven first place votes. Dayton (2) and Davidson (1) also received first-place votes, taking second and third in the poll. 

FRESHMAN STARTERS 

• Coach Opperman brought in four talented freshmen this season, three of which started on opening weekend: Jordan Robertson, Avery Hobson, and Chloe Wilmot. 

• Successful players at the highest club and high school levels, the trio is fitting right into the mix at Duquesne after three games.  

• Wilmot earned A-10 Rookie of the Week … Hobson slammed 31 kills (second on the team) … Robertson had six blocks up front and served four aces. 

WINNINGEST COACH IN PROGRAM HISTORY 

• The Dukes are led by 26th year head coach Steve Opperman. 

• With an all-time record of 356-373 at Duquesne, Opperman has the most wins of any coach in program history. 

• Four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (co-2001, co-2004, co-2010 and 2013) 

• Opperman, whose teams have appeared in nine of the past 13 Atlantic 10 postseason tournaments, guided the Dukes to the school's first A-10 regular season and tournament championship in 2013. The 2013 Dukes went on to make the first NCAA Championship appearance in school history. 

• Opperman entered the season with 470 career wins (Wright State & Duquesne). 

ACADEMIC SUCCESS 

• Duquesne earned its fifth consecutive and 13th overall AVCA Team Academic Award for its classroom success last year. 

• DU's 13 AVCA Academic Awards most in A-10 since 1992-93 

UP NEXT 

• Duquesne will begin Atlantic 10 Conference play next Friday and Saturday at Fordham.  

FOLLOW THE DUKES 

For the latest news and updates for Duquesne volleyball, follow @DuqVB on Twitter (X) and Instagram.