Washington, D.C. – The Duquesne volleyball team had its six-match winning streak come to an end as it dropped a 3-2 decision at George Washington on Friday night in Atlantic 10 action. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 17-11 overall and 9-8 in conference action.
DECIDING SET
After Duquesne built a 2-0 match lead, George Washington battled back to even the match at 2-2 and force a deciding fifth set. The Revolutionaries opened the frame with a 3-1 advantage, but senior
Carsyn Henschen trimmed the deficit to one before a GW attacking error tied it at 3-3. Later in the set, George Washington pushed ahead 6-4, though senior
Ariel Helm and junior
Chloe Wilmot answered with a block to pull the Dukes within one. After the teams traded points, sophomore
Emersen Schrom knotted the score at 8-8, but GW responded with three straight for an 11-8 lead. Junior
Kylie Griffin delivered a momentum-swinging kill, yet the Revolutionaries closed the set with four consecutive points to complete the comeback.
SWINGING WITH FURY
It was an impressive offensive performance from both squads in the second frame as the Dukes posted a .371 average, with 16 kills, and five service aces. Tied at 4-4, Duquesne broke the match open after bolstering a 7-3 stint to claim an 11-7 advantage. Schrom registered a pair of aces in the run while senior
Madison Grimm recorded the third service in the stint alone. After trading the next eight points, Duquesne used a 4-1 run to extend its lead to 19-12. Senior
Ariel Helm sparked the run with a successful swing and after consecutive George Washington errors, Schrom registered a service ace while Jordan recorded a kill. Later in the set, Schrom would give the Dukes set point before four straight points by the Revolutionaries cut the deficit to 24-20 but Schrom sealed the set, 25-20.
SOLO AT THE TOP
Entering Friday's match, senior middle blocker
Ariel Helm was just two blocks away from becoming Duquesne's all-time blocks leader. She notched the tying block in the second set, then officially claimed the top spot in the third. In the midst of a 4-0 run for the Dukes, Helm made history with a solo block that trimmed the deficit to 19-13. The Indiana native finished the night with four total rejections, including two solo blocks, along with nine kills and four digs. Helm now sits at 430 career blocks, with 110 of them coming this season. Just last week, she became the program's all-time leader in block assists (345), and she currently ranks seventh in school history with 85 solo blocks.
INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Emersen Schrom was the only Duke in double figures, ending with her 13
th double-double of the season, posting 27 kills and 11 digs. She carded a .318 attacking percentage while collecting three aces. Schrom has totaled 461 kills this season, just 10 shy of posting the most in a single-season.
Carsyn Henschen finished with nine kills and a one block while
Jordan Robertson paced the team with five blocks.
Chloe Wilmot paced the offense with her sixth 50+ assists match, finishing with 53 helpers, four digs, four service aces, and three blocks. Senior
Madison Grimm totaled a team-high 14 digs while senior
Hanna Wilson finished with eight.
UP NEXT
Duquesne concludes its regular season against George Washington on Saturday, Nov. 11, with the opening serve scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
