Towson, Md. – The Duquesne University volleyball team opened its 2024 campaign at the Towson-Morgan State Invitational on Friday, splitting a pair of matches. The Dukes began the invite with a 3-0 sweep over Saint Francis before falling to co-host Towson, 3-0 during the night cap to hold a 1-1 record on the year.

Game 1 vs. Saint Francis
Duquesne powered its way past the Red Flash behind an impressive .371 hitting percentage for the match. The Dukes started the opening set on a 10-3 run, thanks to three kills from graduate student Elizabeth Drelling and a pair of points from junior Carsyn Henschen and freshman Emersen Schrom. After a Saint Francis point, sophomore Avery Hobson sparked a 7-3 spurt, where DU took advantage of three straight attacking errors by the Red Flash. Sophomore Chloe Wilmot capped the run with a service ace to give Duquesne a 17-7 advantage. Saint Francis wouldn't shy away as they mounted a 7-1 skid to cut the deficit 18-14. Drelling would stop the run with a successful swing before the Dukes scored six of the final 11 points to take the opening set 25-19.

CLOSING IT OUT
In the second set, Duquesne used a hitting percentage of .611 percent while committing no hitting errors to earn a 25-16 set win and a 2-0 advantage in the match. In the final frame, DU put together 15 kills and a .316 swing percentage to complete the sweep. Saint Francis registered a 6-2 advantage in the third set before the Dukes strung together a 6-2 spurt to knot the score at 8-8. Drelling, senior Madison Floyd, and junior Ariel Helm mounted kills during the run. Later in the set, DU held a 16-13 advantage before it recorded five of the next eight points to hold a 21-16 lead. Four different Dukes captured a point during the run. Saint Francis would cut the lead to 21-20 with four consecutive points before Duquesne ended the match on a 4-2 stint to capture a 25-21 victory.

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Duquesne was led by Drelling, Henschen, and Schrom who all posted nine kills during the win. Drelling ended with six digs and a service ace while Henschen collected three blocks and a .643 hitting percentage. Schrom tallied five blocks along with two assists and an ace in collegiate debut. Wilmot led the Dukes with a team-best 18 assists and six digs while graduate student Grace Kristofic added 15 assists and five digs in her Duquesne debut. Sophomore Avery Hobson led the team with nine digs and Ariel Helm recorded a team-best six blocks.

Game 2 at Towson
In the opening stanza, both teams struggled as each team hit under .200 for the set. Towson jumped out to a 10-5 lead before Duquesne inched closer off a service ace from Wilmot, 12-8. The Tigers would capitalize on four Duquesne miscues as they held a 19-12 advantage after stringing together a 7-4 spurt. The Dukes wouldn't shy away as they mounted a 6-3 run off a pair of kills from Drelling and successful swings from Hobson and Schrom. Towson would net three of the final five points to take the opening set, 25-20.

THIRD STANZA
The Tigers took advantage of the Dukes miscues in set two as Duquesne recorded six attacking errors while Towson hit .500 for the set to take a 2-0 advantage in the match. The Dukes came out on fire in the third set, jumping out to a 9-4 advantage, thanks to five kills from five different players. The Tigers would strike as they mounted a 10-3 stint to claim a 14-12 advantage. Henschen would find the floor successfully while Floyd recorded a service ace to even the score at 14-all. Towson responded with a 5-1 run to stretch its advantage before the Dukes netted six of the next eight points to knot the score 21-21. Schrom, Drelling, and Henschen all tallied kills during the run. The Tigers recorded three consecutive points to take the set 25-22.

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
The Dukes were led by Henshcen and Schrom who both tallied eight kills. Schrom recorded three digs and two assists while Drelling posted seven kills, seven digs, and a block. Kristofic recorded 14 assists and six digs while Wilmot registered 13 assists, five digs, and an ace. Junior Madison Grimm posted six digs, four assists, and a service ace on Friday.

UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to action on Saturday, August 31, when it concludes the invitational with a match against co-host Morgan State inside Hill Field House at 1:00 p.m.

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