Washington, D.C. – According to a poll of Atlantic 10 head coaches, the Duquesne University volleyball team has been picked to finish seventh in the conference in 2024, announced by the league off Wednesday.
Selected as the 2024 preseason favorite is defending champions Dayton, who received 100 points and all 10 first-place votes. Loyola Chicago (89) was tabbed second while VCU (80), Davidson (61), and Saint Louis (60) rounded out the top five.
Fordham was picked to finish sixth with 54 points, followed by the Dukes in seventh with 41 points. George Washington (29), George Mason (25), and Rhode Island rounded out the poll.
Duquesne is led by the all-time winningest coach in
Steve Opperman, who is in his 27
th season in 2024. The Dukes return 10 players from a season ago that finished 11-15 (.423) overall, including a 6-12 (.333) mark in A-10 action.
Among those returning, Duquesne is led by A-10 Rookie of the Year
Chloe Wilmot and sophomores
Avery Hobson and
Jordan Robertson. All three were tabbed to the A-10 All-Rookie Team which is the most ever in program history while being three of four Dukes to start every match in 2023.
Wilmot, a setter from Alexandria, Va., becomes the second A-10 Rookie of the Year honoree in Duquesne history and the first since Stacey Gilligan in 1991. She finished the regular season with the second-most assists in the A-10 with 1,025 for an average of 10.15 per set. Her six Rookie of the Weeks were a program record and the second-most in a season in A-10 history. Wilmot dished out 20+ assists in all but one match, featuring 12 with 40+ and she broke the 50 mark five times.
Hobson was a two-time Rookie of the Week selection, as Duquesne took eight out of the 12 honors last season. A native from Fishers, Ind., Hobson led the team with 296 kills, averaging 3.02 per set. She registered 10 double-doubles (kills/digs) while posting 15 matches with double-digit kills. Robertson, a middle blocker from Coral Springs, Fla., led the team with 97 blocks in 2023 while averaging 1.01 per set. She collected 89 block assists, which ranks ninth in DU history for a single season. Robertson recorded nine matches with five or more blocks last season, including a pair of contests with a season-best nine.
Duquesne opens its season this Friday (August 30) at the Towson-Morgan State Invitational, where they will play three matches over the weekend. The Dukes kick off the Invite with a match against Saint Francis on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. before capping the night against Towson at 7:00 p.m. Duquesne concludes the weekend with a contest against Morgan State on Saturday, August 31, with the opening serve scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
2024 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
Team (First Place Votes)
|
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Dayton (10) |
100 |
| 2 |
Loyola Chicago |
89 |
| 3 |
VCU |
80 |
| 4 |
Davidson |
61 |
| 5 |
Saint Louis |
60 |
| 6 |
Fordham |
54 |
| 7 |
Duquesne |
41 |
| 8 |
George Washington |
29 |
| 9 |
George Mason |
25 |
| 10 |
Rhode Island |
11 |
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