Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University volleyball team opened play at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational on Friday night, dropping a 3-1 decision to Central Michigan inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. With the loss, the Dukes dipped to 8-3 overall on the season.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
In the opening set, the Chippewas held a 17-11 advantage but a big run from Duquesne gave them the lead and the opening stanza, 25-22. Trailing by six, the Dukes strung together seven consecutive points to take an 18-17 lead and forced a Central Michigan timeout. Freshman Emersen Schrom sparked the run with a kill followed by a block from graduate student Elizabeth Drelling and sophomore Jordan Robertson. Drelling would find the floor successfully on the very next point before a block from Robertson and Drelling trimmed the deficit, 17-15. Back-to-back kills from Drelling and Schrom knotted the score before a service ace from junior Madison Grimm gave the Dukes the lead. The Chippewas would tie the score at 20-20 before three consecutive errors by Central Michigan gave Duquesne a 23-20 advantage. CMU would cut the lead to one as a successful swing from junior Carsyn Henschen and an error by Central Michigan gave the Dukes the opening set.

THIRD STANZA
Central Michigan bounced back in set two, using a .375 hitting percentage and 18 kills to even the match 1-1. The third set featured seven ties and three lead changes as both teams struggled offensively. The Dukes hit at just a .104 percent clip while the Chippewas recorded a .140 hitting percentage. The two squads traded the first 14 points before a successful swing from Drelling gave the Dukes a 13-12 lead.

Central Michigan responded with six consecutive points to take an 18-13 advantage and forced a Duquesne timeout. Out of the break, the Dukes bolstered six of the next eight points, to trim the deficit 20-19. Drelling sparked the stint with a point as Schrom found the floor successfully later in the run. A service error and a kill from Henschen cut the deficit to three before back-to-back aces from Drelling forced a Chippewas timeout. Central Michigan would take a 23-22 lead as it collected a kill and a Duquesne miscue to secure the set, 25-23.

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
A pair of Dukes finished with double-digit kills, in Elizabeth Drelling and Emersen Schrom. Drelling finished with 10 kills, eight digs, three service aces, and 1.5 rejections. Schrom ended with 10 successful swings, five digs and 2.0 blocks. Junior Ariel Helm posted nine kills and eight block assists (4.0), sophomore Chloe Wilmot tallied 26 assists and seven digs. Graduate student Grace Kristofic carded 15 assists and five digs while Madison Grimm recorded a team-high 17 digs, to go along with three assists and two aces.

UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 21, when it closes the invitational with a match against Canisius at 3:00 p.m.