MATCHES 19, 20
Fordham (5-11, 1-6) vs. (Duquesne (12-7, 3-4)
Friday, October 18 | 6:00 p.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

Fordham (5-11, 1-6) vs. (Duquesne (12-7, 3-4)
Saturday, October 19 | 2:00 p.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

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Bump. Set. Spike.
-The Dukes return to Pittsburgh when they welcome Fordham for an Atlantic 10 series on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2:00 p.m. inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. During Saturday's match, Duquesne will celebrate 50 years as this season marks the 50^th anniversary of women's volleyball as it began in the fall of 1974.

- The Duquesne University volleyball team is coming off a split weekend at Rhode Island on Saturday and Sunday. The Dukes rally fell short on Saturday night, dropping a 3-2 decision before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory on Sunday afternoon.

- On Saturday, three Dukes finished with double figure kills, led by junior Carsyn Henschen, with a season-high 19 kills and three blocks while posting a .326 hitting percentage. Graduate student Elizabeth Drelling finished with her second double-double of the season, ending with 14 kills and 10 digs while collecting two blocks.

- Junior Ariel Helm fell short of a double-double, tallying 10 kills and nine total blocks on Saturday. Sophomore Chloe Wilmot posted a double-double with 29 assists, 16 digs, and two aces while grad Grace Kristofic finished with 18 assists and four digs. Junior Madison Grimm tallied 16 digs and seven assists on the evening.

- In the bounce back win on Saturday, Drelling and sophomore Avery Hobson finished in double figures for the Dukes. Each finished with 14 kills while Hobson posted her first double-double of the season, ending with 15 digs and three blocks.

- Carsyn Henschen and Jordan Robertson each tallied nine kills while combining for six total blocks. Graduate student Grace Kristofic and sophomore Chloe Wilmot each carded 23 assists while Wilmot posted seven digs and Kristofic collected three aces.

- Junior Madison Grimm registered her first career double-double with 12 digs and 11 helpers during the win.

- Duquesne begins a three-match road trip after it battles the Rams this weekend. The Dukes begin the trip with a series at Davidson on Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26 before heading to Dayton on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Scouting The Rams – Fordham comes into this weekend's series with a 5-11 overall mark, behind a 1-6 record in conference play. The Rams are coming off a split decision this past weekend against George Mason, capturing a 3-2 win on Saturday before losing in straight sets on Sunday afternoon. Whitley Moody paces the Rams, ranking fifth in the league in kills per set (3.62) while ranking sixth in total successful swings (217). Her 4.23 points per set ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 while collecting 254 total points. Whitney Woodrow controls the offence for Fordham, sitting third in the conference with 459 assists while being tabbed third with 7.65 assists per set. … It'll be the 49^th and 50^th meeting between the Dukes and Rams this weekend, with Duquesne holding a commanding lead in the series, 39-9. Fordham has been successful as of late in the all-time series, winning four of the last seven meetings.

50^th Anniversary – This Saturday's match against the Rams, the Dukes are celebrating 50 years of the program as it began in the fall of 1974. For the first 12 years, Duquesne played as a club team before elevating the program to the Division I level in 1986. The first coach to lead the then-Duchesses' was Duquesne alum Rob Cisney who coached the first three years of the Dukes being a Division I program. Duquesne has put together an all-time record of 701-701 (.500), a Division I record of 516-592 (.466), and an Atlantic 10 record of 209-313 (.400). The Dukes won its first-ever Division I contest at Robert Morris on September 10, 1986, with a 3-0 sweep. Duquesne won its first-ever conference contest against Rutgers, when they defeated the Scarlet Knights in straight sets. The Dukes made its first ever appearance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 1991, under Jeff Yurko before winning its first A-10 Tournament contest in 1993, with a 3-1 decision over West Virginia.

Hundo – Junior Ariel Helm has been a force at the net this season for the Dukes and enters this weekend with 99.0 total blocks. Her 99.0 total blocks are a career-best while being just seven blocks away from cracking the top 10 in total blocks in a season in Duquesne history. She currently ranks sixth in the country in total blocks while her 1.36 rejections per set sit 26^th in NCAA Division I. The Indiana native has posted eight matches with 5.0-plus rejections while registering four consecutive matches with 6.0-plus blocks. Helm also paces the Dukes with a .321 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10. She's tallied 120 kills this season which is also a career-best.

Swing Away – In her first season with the Dukes, graduate student Elizabeth Drelling has provided a massive boost on the offensive side of the net. She's the top swings leader for Duquesne while ranking fifth in the league with 220 successful swings. Her 2.82 kills per set sit eighth in the league while tallying 13 matches with double digit kills. Drelling has posted double figure kills in 12 of the Dukes last 13 matches, including a streak of five consecutive matches and back-to-back 14 kill performances. The California native has registered 239.5 points this season, which sits sixth in the league while her 3.30 points per set ranks in the top 10 of the conference. ­­

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