MATCH 10
Mercyhurst (1-6) vs. Duquesne (7-2)
Tuesday, September 17 | 6:00 p.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video

2024 Roster | 2024 Schedule | 2024 Statistics
 
Bump. Set. Spike.
- The Dukes return back to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse when they welcome Mercyhurst on Tuesday, September 17, for a non-conference match, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

- The Duquesne University volleyball team is coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Comfort Inn-Vitational, hosted by Morehead State. The Dukes dropped its opening match to the host Eagles, 3-1 before bouncing back to sweep Evansville 3-0. Duquesne wrapped up the tournament with a 3-2 victory over Eastern Michigan.

- Against Morehead State, freshman Emersen Schrom and graduate student Elizabeth Drelling each posted double-digit kills to lead the Dukes. Schrom posted her fifth straight game with double-digit kills, ending with 14 and tying her season-best with five blocks. She tallied two assists and two aces while hitting at a .294 percent clip.

- Drelling tallied 10 kills, four digs, two assists, two blocks, and an ace. Sophomore Chloe Wilmot controlled the offense, posting her third double-double of the season with 21 assists and a team-leading 15 digs. Graduate student Grace Kristofic ended with 13 assists and eight digs while Hobson carded 14 digs on Friday. Junior Madison Grimm collected 13 digs while sophomore Jordan Robertson led the team with six rejections.

- In a bounce back win against the Aces, a pair of Dukes finished with double-digit kills in Schrom and Drelling. Schrom finished with a team-best 16 successful swings, on a .375 hitting percentage while tallying four digs and two blocks. Drelling collected 13 kills on a .423 swing percentage while recording four digs and three blocks.

- Sophomore Avery Hobson Hobson ended with seven kills and four digs while hitting at a .417 clip. Wilmot carded another double-double with 30 assists and team-leading 17 digs while Kristofic registered 11 assists and six digs

- Against the Eagles in a five-set thriller, Duquesne featured four players with double-digit kills led by Drelling. She ended with 17 kills on a .294 hitting percentage along with four digs, three blocking assists, and an ace.

- Junior Carsyn Henschen and Schrom each finished with 12 kills and four digs while Henchen tallied four block assists and Schrom has a pair of service aces. Hobson was the final Duke in double-figures, ending with 11 successful swings, nine digs, and three aces.

- Sophomore Chloe Wilmot (31) and graduate student Grace Kristofic (21) combined for 52 assists while each carding six digs. Junior Madison Grimm totaled a team-leading 15 digs while Robertson led the team with six block assists

- Duquesne returns to action when it co-hosts the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational on Friday, Sept. 20 through Saturday, Sept. 21. The Dukes will battle Central Michigan on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and end the invitational against Canisius on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

Scouting the Lakers - In its first season as an NCAA Division I member, Mercyhurst comes to Pittsburgh with a 1-6 overall mark. The Lakers, who previously played at the NCAA Division II level in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), accepted an invitation to join the Northeast conference (NEC). Mercyhurst is coming off its third straight loss, dropping a 3-0 decision at Akron last Tuesday. Paige Miller paces Mercyhurst with 59 total kills, averaging 2.81 successful swings per set, which ranks fifth in the NEC. Kelsie Gaiter-Davis leads the defensive side, colling 3.08 digs per set, which ranks fourth in the league while her 80 total digs sit fifth. … Tuesday's matchup between the Dukes and Lakers will be the first-ever between the two squads.

All-Tourney – A pair of Dukes were tabbed to the All-Tournament Team after their performances in Kentucky. Sophomore Chloe Wilmot and freshman Emersen Schrom were tabbed with the honor. Wilmot controlled the Dukes offense, registering a pair of assist/digs double-doubles. She averaged 6.83 assists and 3.17 digs per set while totaling 82 assists, 38 digs, and three service aces. Schrom continues to enjoy her freshman campaign as she registered three straight matches with double-digit kills. The Pittsburgh native averaged 4.25 points and 3.50 kills per set while hitting at a .280 percent clip. She totaled 42 kills, 8.0 blocks, and five service aces over the weekend.

Back-To-Back – For the second straight week, freshman Emersen Schrom earned herself A-10 Rookie of the Week honors, announced by the league office Monday. She opened the weekend with 14 successful swings on a .294 hitting percentage while collecting five blocks and a pair of aces against Morehead State. She followed it up with her second-best performance of the season, ending with 16 kills while tying her season-best with a 3.75 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep over Evansville. Schrom tallied four digs, two blocks, and a service ace against the Aces. The freshman ended the weekend by helping Duquesne win a five-set thriller against Eastern Michigan. She totaled 12 kills to go along with four digs, two aces, and a block in the 3-2 victory.

Hot Start – Coming into Tuesday's match, Duquesne is off to its best start since the 2016 campaign, where it started 9-2 (.818) in its first 11 contests. The Dukes currently sit at 7-2 overall (.778) which is second best in the conference. When Duquesne wins the opening set, they are currently 4-0 on the season while holding a 3-2 mark when falling in the first set.

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