Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne volleyball team continued its homestand Friday night, earning its second consecutive sweep by defeating Saint Louis in straight sets at UPCM Cooper Fieldhouse in Atlantic 10 action. With the victory, the Dukes improved to 14-10 (.583) overall and 6-7 (.462) in conference play.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
It was a back-and-forth battle to start the opening set, with Duquesne holding a slim 10–9 lead before stringing together three straight points to create some separation. Senior Ariel Helm found the floor for a kill, and following a Saint Louis attacking error, freshman Karli Jordan added another point with a successful swing. The Billikens answered with a 4-1 run to narrow the gap to 14-13, but later in the set, the Dukes responded with three consecutive points to regain control at 21-18. Sophomore Emersen Schrom sparked the run with a kill, followed by an ace of her own and another kill from Helm. After the teams traded the next four points, junior Chloe Wilmot delivered a service ace, and senior Carsyn Henschen closed the set with a kill to secure the 25-21 win.

TAKING ADVANTAGE
Duquesne tallied 13 kills and a .270 attack percentage in the second set, capitalizing on 10 Saint Louis attack errors on their way to a 25-21 victory. The Dukes jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, powered by four kills from four different players, prompting a Saint Louis timeout. Later, Irmak Gokcen narrowed the gap to 11-10, but a kill from junior Jordan Robertson and two Billikens errors pushed the lead back to 14-11. Saint Louis responded with seven of the next 10 points to tie the score at 18–18, but Duquesne regained control with four straight points, all coming off Billikens mistakes. The Billikens cut the deficit to 22-20, but a kill and ace from Robertson, combined with a successful swing from Schrom, secured the set and a 2-0 lead in the match for the Dukes.

GOT GHOSTED
Posting its highest hitting percentage of the match (.310), Duquesne dominated the third set, recording four blocks and four service aces. The Dukes jumped out to a 5-0 lead before extending their advantage to 9-3. Schrom led the charge with three kills, while Carsyn Henschen and Ariel Helm also found the floor during the run. Schrom and senior Hanna Wilson added aces to the mix. After a 4-2 response from the Billikens cut the lead to 11-7, Duquesne answered with six of the next seven points to take control at 17-8. Jordan contributed two kills, and junior Chloe Wilmot added an ace. With a 21-11 lead, Saint Louis managed a brief 5-2 run, but back-to-back kills from Jordan sealed the match for the Dukes.

QUOTABLE
"Nice solid effort tonight for our team to pick up a win," head coach Steve Opperman said. "We limited our errors and did a nice job of putting balls away. We did a good job of getting Saint Louis out of system and it turned into transition points for us. Looking to battle again tomorrow as every match is a grind in the A-10."

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Emersen Schrom was the lone Duke in double figures, finishing with 11 kills, seven digs, two aces, and an impressive .310 hitting percentage. With her 13 kills in the match, Schrom now sits tied for 10th in school history for kills in a single season. Karli Jordan added nine kills, while Ariel Helm and Carsyn Henschen each contributed six kills and three blocks. Jordan Robertson led the team with four total blocks, including three solo, and Chloe Wilmot dished out 29 assists, along with eight digs and two aces. Wilmot enters Saturday's match just one ace shy of 100 for her career. Senior Madison Grimm recorded a season-high 21 assists, adding two digs to her stat line.

UP NEXT
Duquesne concludes its double-header with Saint Louis on Saturday, Nov. 1, inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse beginning at 1:00 p.m.