Richmond, Va. – The Duquesne volleyball team saw its season come to a close on Saturday afternoon with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to No. 2 seed Loyola Chicago in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals at the Siegel Center. The Dukes finish the 2025 campaign with an 18-13 (.581) record, their highest win total since the 2016 season.

DECIDING SET
The Ramblers battled back to force a decisive fifth set, one that featured eight ties and four lead changes. With the score locked at 8-8, Loyola Chicago capitalized on a Duquesne error, but junior Kylie Griffin quickly responded with a strong swing to even the match once again. The teams continued to trade points until Loyola Chicago put together a three-point surge to take a 13–10 lead. Junior Jordan Robertson momentarily slowed the run with a kill, but the Ramblers maintained their momentum, recording back-to-back kills to close out the set with a 15-11 victory.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
After opening the match with a 27–25 win, the Dukes carried their momentum into the second frame, hitting .289 with 18 kills. Loyola Chicago struck first, building an early 11-7 lead, but Duquesne answered with a dominant 10–1 run to surge ahead 17-12. A service error ignited the Dukes' rally, followed by a kill from senior Carsyn Henschen and a block from sophomore Emersen Schrom and Jordan Robertson. A Loyola attacking error and a Robertson kill extended the run before Leyna Nguyen briefly stopped the streak for the Ramblers. Henschen quickly reestablished control for Duquesne with back-to-back kills, and the Dukes continued to roll as a Schrom kill, a Loyola attacking error, and another point from Henschen capped the extended surge. Loyola's Ann Marie Remmes tallied a kill, but Duquesne closed the set with an 8-2 run to secure a 25-15 victory. Schrom led the late charge with three kills, while senior Ariel Helm added two kills and a block during the closing stretch.

SENIOR SALUTE
After Saturday's match, five Dukes closed out their illustrious careers in the red and blue. Senior Ariel Helm leaves as the program's all-time leader in total blocks (441) and block assists (352), while her 89 solo rejections rank sixth in Duquesne history. Carsyn Henschen concludes her career with 1,118 kills, ninth most in program history and adds 197 career blocks, including a career-high 61 this season. Defensive specialist Madison Grimm wrapped up her time at Duquesne with 1,372 digs, the seventh-highest total in program history, and posted a career-best 375 digs this season. Hanna Wilson finished her career with more than 530 digs and 90 service aces, highlighted by a personal-best 42 aces this year. Defensive specialist Maggie Colenbrander rounds out the group, collecting nearly 300 career digs and 35 aces. Collectively, the five seniors appeared in 475 matches and played more than 1,749 sets, leaving a lasting impact on the program.

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Three Dukes finished in double figures, led by sophomore Emersen Schrom, who recorded her 15th double-double of the season. She delivered an outstanding performance with 28 kills, 18 digs, and three aces. Schrom closes her sophomore campaign as the only player in program history to eclipse 500 kills in a single season, finishing with 532. Carsyn Henschen added 13 kills and five digs, while Kylie Griffin posted a career-high 11 kills, along with five digs and one block. Ariel Helm contributed nine kills and a team-best four blocks, and Jordan Robertson added eight kills and three blocks. Junior Chloe Wilmot guided the offense with 62 assists, eight digs, and three blocks. Madison Grimm anchored the defense with a team-leading 27 digs, while Maggie Colenbrander tallied a career-high 16 digs. Hanna Wilson also reached double digits with 14 digs in the match.