Bronx, N.Y. – The Duquesne University volleyball team snapped its five-match skid on Friday night with a 3-1 road victory over Fordham in Atlantic 10 action at Rose Hill Gym. The win lifts the Dukes to 10-9 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
Duquesne delivered a dominant performance in the opening set, hitting a season-best .500 with 16 kills and four service aces in a convincing 25-9 win. The Dukes took an early 4-3 edge before igniting an 11-2 run to seize a commanding 15-5 lead. Sophomore
Emersen Schrom sparked the surge with back-to-back kills, and a pair of Fordham errors extended the margin, prompting a Rams timeout. Out of the break, Schrom struck again, and after a brief exchange of errors, senior
Ariel Helm and junior
Chloe Wilmot combined for a block to keep the momentum rolling. Schrom then delivered a service ace, while freshman
Karli Jordan added two kills and another ace to cap the run. Later in the set, senior
Hanna Wilson stretched the lead to 19-7 with an ace before Helm chipped in a point and Schrom closed the frame with consecutive kills to secure the dominant first-set victory.
DOMINANCE CONTINUED
Duquesne stayed hot in the second set, holding a narrow 7-6 edge before reeling off five straight points to build a 12-6 lead. Jordan sparked the run with a kill and a service ace, while the Dukes capitalized on a Fordham miscue. Fellow freshman
Mirabella Iriarte added a kill before another Rams error capped the surge. The Dukes' advantage ballooned to 17-7 after back-to-back kills from senior
Carsyn Henschen, and Duquesne closed the frame on a dominant 5-1 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Helm fueled the late push with consecutive points, and after a brief Fordham response, she struck again before Schrom sealed the set with a service ace. Duquesne hit .324 in the frame, tallying 16 kills en route to a commanding 25-11 win.
WE'RE SO BACK
Fordham gained some momentum by taking the third set, 25-23, but Duquesne responded emphatically, hitting over .300 for the third time in the match while adding four blocks and four service aces. The Dukes raced out to an 8-3 lead, fueled by two kills apiece from Iriarte and Henschen, before using a 9-4 surge to extend the margin to 17-7. Helm led the charge with three kills during the run, while Schrom contributed two aces and both Henschen and Iriarte added a block. Fordham briefly closed the gap to 19-9, but Duquesne controlled the finish, scoring seven of the final eight points to clinch the match. Helm added two more kills, Iriarte found the floor again, and Helm, Wilmot, Henschen, and Schrom each recorded a block to seal the 3-1 victory.
THE TRIO
Duquesne showcased a balanced offensive attack with three players reaching double figures in kills, led by
Carsyn Henschen. Henschen tallied 18 kills on 33 swings for an impressive .485 hitting percentage while adding four blocks. She did much of her damage in the third set with eight kills on a .538 clip, following a strong start with five successful swings in the opener.
Emersen Schrom followed with 15 kills and nine digs, leading the team with five service aces and adding two blocks. Schrom opened the match on fire, recording seven kills on a .600 hitting percentage in the first set and five more in the third. Senior
Ariel Helm rounded out the trio with a career-high 14 kills, hitting an efficient .500 while tying for the team lead with four blocks. She was especially effective in the middle frames, posting seven kills in the second set and six in the final frame. Together, the trio combined for 47 kills and 10 blocks in the Dukes' victory.
QUOTABLE
"Great team effort tonight," head coach
Steve Opperman said. "The team played very determined from the first whistle and played aggressive throughout the match. Need to ride this moving forward."
INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Freshman
Karli Jordan turned in a strong performance with nine kills and three digs, while fellow freshman
Mirabella Iriarte added six kills, three blocks, and two service aces. Junior setter
Chloe Wilmot paced the offense with her 10th double-double of the season, recording 41 assists and 21 digs along with two blocks. It marked her eighth match this year with 40 or more assists. Seniors
Hanna Wilson and
Madison Grimm each contributed five assists, with Wilson collecting 15 digs and Grimm adding 12.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when it concludes its doubleheader with Fordham inside Rose Hill Gym.
