PITTSBURGH - The Duquesne University volleyball team will begin Atlantic 10 Conference play this weekend at Fordham.

THE BASICS 

September 22 & 23, 2023 | 6:00 PM (Friday) | 2:00 PM (Saturday) 

Rose Hill Gym (Bronx, NY) 

Duquesne Dukes (5-3. 0-0 A-10) 

• Streak: L2 | Roster | Stats | Schedule

Fordham Rams (9-1. 0-0 A-10) 

• Streak: W2 | Roster | Stats | Schedule 

GAMEDAY COVERAGE

• FRIDAY:  Watch Live on ESPN+  |  Follow Live Stats  |  Gameday Central 
• SATURDAY:  No Stream  |  Follow Live Stats  |  Gameday Central 
   

THE DUKES 

• The Dukes were swept in tournament play in the Virginia Tech Classic last weekend with losses to East Carolina and Queens, after DU got off to its best start since 2012, at 5-1. 

• Freshman Jordan Robertson was named to the All-Tournament team at the Virginia Tech Classic. She recorded 10 kills over two matches. 

• Freshman Avery Hobson leads the Dukes in kills with 109, 20 of which came last weekend. Hobson ranks fourth in the A-10 in kills per set and third in attacks per set. 

• Graduate student Morgan Gish and sophomore Carsyn Henschen rank ninth and 10th respectively in the A-10 in kills per set. Gish ranks fifth in the conference in blocks per set. 

• Freshman Chloe Wilmot ranks in the top 10 in the A-10 in aces per set (fourth), assists per set (first) and total assists (fifth). Wilmot is ranked 10th in the country in assists per set with 10. Wilmot tallied 48 assists last weekend over the two games.  

LAST TIME OUT 

• Duquesne fell to ECU and Queens in the Virginia Tech Classic. It was the first time this season the Dukes have suffered back-to-back losses. 

THE RAMS 

• The Fordham Rams enter A-10 play after a sweep in the Rose Hill Classic, last week. The Rams bested Dartmouth and FDU to bounce back from their only loss of the season, which came a week prior at the hands of Boston College.  

• The Rams have two players over 120 kills in senior Whitley Moody with 149 and sophomore Audrey Brown with 129. Moody and Brown are second and fifth in the A-10 in kills per set, respectively.  

• Moody is also top 10 in the A-10 in attacks per set (second), points (third), points per set (second), total attacks (third) and total kills (second).  

• Freshman Whitney Woodrow leads the team in assists with 354. She is second in the A-10 in total assists and is third in assists per set.  

• Fordham was picked to finish seventh in the A-10 preseason poll. 

THE SERIES 

• Duquesne is 37-8 all-time against Fordham in the regular season and 1-0 against the Rams in the A-10 Tournament. The A-10 exclusive series dates back to 1995.   

• DU split the season series last year inside the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse with a 3-1 win in the first match and a straight sets loss the following day. 

• The teams have split the season series each of the last two years.  

• The Dukes are 17-4 on the road against Fordham. 

DUKES IN ATLANTIC 10 OPENERS 

• The Dukes are 12-24 all-time in A-10 opening matches. 

• Duquesne dropped its first Atlantic 10 matchup last season to Davidson on the road, 3-1. 

STRONG START 

• Duquesne's 5-1 record was the school's best start since 2012.  

• Last year the Dukes didn't win their fifth game until October 22, while this year they reached five wins in their sixth game on September 2. 

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 (4) - vs. Canisius x2 (9/01), at Robert Morris (9/02), vs Queens (9/16) 

• 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 has started all eight matches this season, three of four Dukes to do so. 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS 

• Jordan Robertson – Virginia Tech Classic 

• Morgan Gish (MVP), Chloe Wilmot, Avery Hobson – RMU Invite 

• Carsyn Henschen, Madison Grimm – Binghamton Invitational 

WINNINGEST COACH IN PROGRAM HISTORY 

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

• With an all-time record of 356-375 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 continue Atlantic 10 Conference play next Friday and Saturday at VCU.  

FOLLOW THE DUKES 

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