Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University volleyball team wrapped up its three-match homestand Saturday, dropping a 3-1 decision to George Mason inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse during conference action. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 9-7 (.562) overall and 1-4 (.200) in Atlantic 10 play.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
The Patriots jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the match, hitting just under .300 with 15 kills to secure a 25-15 opening-set victory. Duquesne answered in the second frame with its strongest offensive showing of the night, posting a .376 hitting percentage to even the match. The Dukes opened the set with an 8-6 advantage, fueled by two kills apiece from senior
Carsyn Henschen and sophomore Emeresen Schrom. George Mason cut the deficit to 12-11 following a service ace from Autumn Martinez-Robinson, but freshman
Mirabella Iriarte sparked a decisive 7-1 run that pushed Duquesne's lead to 19-12. Iriarte and senior
Ariel Helm began the surge with back-to-back kills before the freshman delivered three consecutive service aces. A kill by Kiera Hamilton briefly halted the momentum, but two Patriot errors extended the Dukes' cushion. George Mason pulled within 23-18 late, yet a Patriot error and a finishing kill from Henschen closed out the set, 25-19, to level the match at one apiece.
NO QUIT
George Mason reclaimed the match lead at 2-1 with a 25-17 victory in the third set. The fourth frame proved to be a tightly contested battle, featuring seven ties and five lead changes as both teams hit over .300. With the score even at 11-11, Henschen put Duquesne back in front with a kill, but the Patriots responded with five straight points to build a 16-12 advantage. The Dukes continued to battle, narrowing the gap to 19-17 behind a block from Helm and Schrom and a kill from freshman
Karli Jordan. Following a Mason timeout, the Patriots regained control, extending their lead to 24-19 before Hamilton delivered the final kill to clinch the match.
INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Freshman
Karli Jordan was the lone Duke with double figure kills, tying her career-high with 14 to go along with a .414 hitting percentage. The freshman did her damage in the third and fourth set, registering nine of her 14 in those frames.
Emersen Schrom finished with nine kills, five digs, and two blocks while Helm ended with seven successful swings and one block. Junior
Chloe Wilmot carded her ninth double-double of the season, tallying 31 assists and a team leading 12 digs while collecting two aces and a block. Senior
Madison Grimm registered 11 digs and five assists while
Mirabella Iriarte tied her career-high with four service aces.
UP NEXT
Duquesne begins a five-match road swing when it travels to Chicago, Ill., to battle Loyola Chicago on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11 in Atlantic 10 action.
