Pittsburgh, Pa. – Despite erasing a two-set deficit to force a decisive fifth, the Dukes' rally came up short in a 3–2 setback to George Mason on Friday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. With the loss, the Duquesne volleyball team slips to 9–6 (.600) overall and 1–3 (.250) in Atlantic 10 play.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
The Patriots opened the final set with six straight points to seize an early 6–0 advantage, but the Dukes roared back with seven unanswered to take a 7–6 lead. Three consecutive Mason attacking errors fueled the surge before sophomore Emersen Schrom hammered four straight kills to put Duquesne in front. A kill from Kiera Hamilton halted the run, and the teams soon found themselves deadlocked at 9–9. George Mason regained momentum with a 2–0 spurt to go up 11–9, forcing a Dukes timeout. Out of the break, Schrom added another kill and a Mason miscue pulled Duquesne within one (12–11). The Patriots, however, closed strong with the final three points to secure the set, 15–11, and the match.

BOUNCE BACK
After dropping the first two sets (25–22, 25–21), Duquesne answered in dominant fashion in the third, rolling to a 25–14 victory. The Dukes raced out to a 10–3 lead behind three kills from Schrom and a point from freshman Karli Jordan. Classmate Mirabella Iriarte added an ace during the run, while junior Kylie Griffin came up with a solo block. George Mason cut the deficit to 12–8, but Duquesne responded with seven straight points to push the margin to 19–8. Jordan and Iriarte sparked the surge with back-to-back kills, followed by consecutive Mason errors. Schrom extended the run with another kill, senior Hanna Wilson fired an ace, and a Patriot miscue capped the streak. Mason strung together four straight points to momentarily close the gap, but the Dukes sealed the set with a 6–2 burst to stay alive in the match.

MOMENTUM ROLLING
It was a back-and-forth affair to begin the third frame as it was knotted at 13-all. Duquesne would secure a 16-13 lead after a pair of Patriot miscues and a kill from Iriarte. George Mason countered With three points of their own before a 6-1 stint from the Dukes broke open the set to 22-17. Senior Ariel Helm and Schrom each registered successful swings while senior Maggie Colenbrander carded an ace. George Mason would score four of the next six points before a service error by the Patriots gave the Dukes a 25-21 victory and forced a deciding set.

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Two Dukes finished in double figures offensively, led by Emersen Schrom. The sophomore notched her ninth double-double of the season with 20 kills and 13 digs, including seven kills in the decisive fifth set. It marked her fifth match this year with 20-plus kills. Freshman Karli Jordan added 10 kills, four digs, and two blocks, while classmate Mirabella Iriarte contributed six kills, a career-best four aces, and 3.5 blocks. Junior Chloe Wilmot recorded her eighth double-double of the season, dishing out 37 assists to go along with 13 digs, one ace, and one kill. On the defensive end, senior Madison Grimm anchored the back row with a team-high 15 digs and three assists, while fellow senior Hanna Wilson chipped in 12 digs, three assists, and an ace.

UP NEXT
Duquesne wraps up its three-match homestand when it closes out its double-header with George Mason on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m.