MATCHES 1, 2, & 3
Saint Francis (0-0) vs. Duquesne (0-0)
Friday, August 30 | 10:00 a.m.
TU Arena | Towson, Md.

Duquesne (0-0) at Towson (0-0)
Friday, August 30 | 7:00 p.m.
TU Arena | Towson, Md.

Duquesne (0-0) at Morgan State (0-0)
Saturday, August 31 | 1:00 p.m.
Hill Field House | Baltimore, Md.

Live Stats | 2024 Roster | 2024 Schedule | 2023 Final Statistics
 
Bump. Set. Spike.
- The Duquesne University volleyball team opens its 2024 season this weekend at the Towson-Morgan State Invitational. The Dukes open competition on Friday, August 30 at 10:00 a.m. with a match against Saint Francis before battling Townson at 7:00 p.m. later that night. Duquesne will conclude the invite with a match against Morgan State on Saturday, August 31 at 1:00 p.m.

- The Dukes are led by head coach Steve Opperman, who is in his 27^th season leading the program in 2024. Opperman is the all-time winningest coach in DU history as he has posted over 362 victories for the red and blue while collecting 160 conference wins for the Dukes.

- A total of 10 players return for the Dukes in 2024, including three who started in all 26 matches last season. Sophomores Chloe Wilmot, Avery Hobson, and Jordan Robertson are the returning starters as all three were named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team in 2023.

- The Dukes welcome five new faces to the program, bringing in three freshman and a pair of transfers. Graduate students Grace Kristofic and Elizabeth Drelling will begin their first season in a Duquesne uniform while freshman Mirabella Iriarte, Tori Newton, and Emersen Schrom will be donning the red and blue this season.

- Despite the 2020 COVID year, Duquesne will begin its season on the road for the 11^th straight year. In season openers under Opperman, the Dukes own a record of 17-9 (.645), while winning three of the last four-season openers.

- Overall in season openers since 1986, Duquesne has registered a record of 26-12 (.684).

- Duquesne returns to Pittsburgh where it'll host the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic from September 6-7. The Dukes will battle Niagara on Friday Sept. 6 at 11:00 a.m. before taking on Coppin State at 6:00 p.m. Duquesne will conclude competition with a match against Robert Morris on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3:00 p.m.

Scouting the Red Flash – A member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), the Red Flash were chosen as the preseason favorite earlier last week. Saint Francis comes into this season after posting a 15-11 (.577) overall record while tallying a 10-4 (.714) mark in conference action in 2023. Friday mornings contest will mark the 35^th meeting between Duquesne and Saint Francis as the Dukes own a 32-2 (.941) record in the all-time series. Duquesne had won 10 straight matches before the Red Flash earned a 3-2 win in their last meeting in 2022. Korrin Burns paced the Red Flash with a double-double by posting 24 kills and 12 digs while Allison Murray registered a 14 kill and 13 digs double-double.

Scouting the Tigers – It'll be just the third ever meeting and first since 1996 when the Dukes and Tigers take the floor on Friday night. Duquesne has won the only two meetings between the programs, including a 3-0 sweep in 1996. A member of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), Towson was picked as the preseason favorite for the fourth consecutive season as well as having Victoria Barrett named CAA Preseason Player of the Year. Barrett finished fourth in the league in kills per set (3.34) a season ago while recording double-digit kills in 20 matches. Erin Brothers and Sydney Stewart also return for Towson as they each earned All-CAA honorable mention status. The Tigers are coming off their fifth straight CAA Championship appearance in 2023 where they recorded a 24-6 overall mark and a 16-2 record in conference play.

Scouting the Bears – A member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Morgan State was picked to finish seventh after posting an 8-22 overall record and a 3-11 mark in league action. The Bears return Jada Williams, who was named to the All-MEAC Rookie Team in 2023. She led Morgan State in blocks (93), which was second best in the conference and ranked seventh in program history for a single season. Williams recorded 1.07 kills and 1.04 blocks per set during her freshman season while totaling 95 kills and 43 digs in 89 sets played. On Saturday, it'll mark the fifth meeting between the two programs and the first since the 2015 campaign. The Dukes have won four straight against the Bears, including the last three being won in straight sets. It'll be just the second time in five matches the Dukes will play at Morgan State.

Celebrating 50 Years – This season marks the 50^th anniversary of women's volleyball 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. Leading up to this season, Duquesne has put together an all-time record of 689-694 (.498), a Division I record of 504-585 (.463), and an Atlantic 10 record of 206-585 (.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.

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