MATCHES 4, 5, 6
Niagara (1-2) vs. Duquesne (2-1)
Friday, September 6 | 11:00 a.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

Copping State (2-2) vs. Duquesne (2-1)
Friday, September 6 | 6:00 p.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

Robert Morris (2-1) vs. Duquesne (2-1)
Saturday, September 7 | 3:00 p.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

2024 Roster | 2024 Schedule | 2024 Statistics
 
Bump. Set. Spike.
- The Duquesne University volleyball team returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for the first time this season, when it co-hosts the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic on Friday, September 6 through Saturday, September 7. The Dukes open competition against Niagara on Friday at 10:00 a.m. before battling Coppin State at 6:00 p.m. Duquesne will conclude the classic against co-host Robert Morris on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

- The Dukes are coming off their season opening tournament where they finished 2-1 at the Towson-Morgan State Invitational over the weekend. Duquesne opened the invite with a 3-0 sweep over Saint Francis before falling to co-host Towson 3-0. The Dukes ended the weekend with a 3-1 victory over the other host Morgan State

- Against the Red Flash, the Dukes were led by a trio of players. Graduate student Elizabeth Drelling, sophomore Carsyn Henschen, and freshman Emersen Schrom paced Duquesne with nine kills each. 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.

- Sophomore Chloe Wilmot led with a team-best 18 assists and six digs while graduate student Grace Kristofic added 15 assists and five digs in her Duquesne debut. Ariel Helm recorded a team-leading six blocks.

- Against the Tigers, Duquesne was 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.

- The Dukes ended the weekend on a high note, being led by a trio who all finished with double-digit kills. Drelling and Henschen paced the way with 11 kills each while Drelling produced three digs and an ace while Henschen totaled two blocks. Schrom was the final Duke in double figures, ending with 10 kills and a team-best four service aces. Junior Madison Floyd recorded nine kills and two blocks while sophomore Amalia Martin led the way with seven digs and 16 assists.

- Duquesne is led by head coach Steve Opperman, who is in his 27th season leading the program in 2024. Opperman is the all-time winningest coach in DU history as he has posted over 364 victories for the red and blue while collecting 160 conference wins for the Dukes.

- The Dukes will travel to Morehead, Kentucky to take part in the Comfort Inn-Vitational on Sept. 13-14. Duquesne will battle host Morehead State on Friday at 10:30 a.m. before taking on Evansville at 4:30 p.m. DU will end the weekend with a match against Eastern Michigan on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

Scouting the Purple Eagles – A member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Niagara comes to Pittsburgh with a 1-2 record after competing at the Red Storm Invitational las weekend. The Purple Eagles dropped a 3-0 match to host St. John's to open the Invitational before bouncing back with a 3-0 sweep over Central Connecticut State. Niagara ended the weekend by dropping a 3-1 decision to Northeastern on Saturday. Laryssa Imbuzeiro leads the Purple Eagles with 28 total kills while producing 2.80 kills per set. Bella Peroni leads the defensive end with 68 total digs as well as 6.80 digs per set … It'll be the ninth meeting and first since 2014 between Duquesne and Niagara as the Dukes have won all eight meetings in the series.

Scouting the Eagles – Coppin State comes into the weekend with a 2-1 overall mark after competing in the Red Storm Invitational in Queens, N.Y. A member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), the Eagles opened the Invitational with consecutive 3-0 sweeps over Northeastern and Central Connecticut State before dropping a 3-1 match to St. John's. … Freshman McKenzie Parks was named MEAC Rookie of the Week after producing 17 kills, a .279 hitting percentage, and six blocks. She was also named to the All-Tournament Team during the weekend. … Come Friday evening, it'll be just the third meeting between the Dukes and Eagles as Duquesne has won the previous two matches in straight sets. Friday will be the first meeting between the two squads since the 2017 campaign.

Scouting the Colonials – A series that dates back to 1986, Duquesne and Robert Morris will square off for the 47^th time on Saturday afternoon. The Dukes and Colonials have played every full season since the 1986 series started except for 1997. RMU snapped an 11-match DU win streak from 2008-2018 with a sweep at home in 2019 and had won three consecutive matches until the Dukes captured a 3-1 win last season. … Duquesne holds a 35-11 record in the all-time series. … The Colonials come to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse with a 2-1 record after competing in the Spartan Classic in Greensboro, N.C. RMU dropped its opening match to UNC Greensboro before capturing wins against USC Upstate (3-2) and Missouri State (3-1). RMU is led by Hillarie Adams who's recorded 38 total kills and 2.92 kills per set. Jaidan Hockman leads the defensive with 53 total digs and 4.08 digs per set.

Opening Weekend – A group of Dukes are off to a good start to the season after the opening weekend. Carsyn Henschen led Duquesne with 28 total kills while producing a .386 swing percentage, which ranks third in the Atlantic 10. Junior Ariel Helm continued to protect the net as she registered 10 total blocks over the weekend, ranking second in the conference. Sophomore Chloe Wilmot (6) and freshman Emersen Schrom (5) combined for 11 service aces in their first three matches, ranking them both in the top five of the league. Schrom paced the Dukes in total points over the weekend (34.5 points) as she tallied 3.45 points per set, which ranks sixth in the A-10.

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