Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University volleyball team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday afternoon, capturing a 3-1 victory over Davidson during Atlantic 10 play. With the win, the Dukes extended its winning streak to five straight while improving to 16-10 (.615) overall and 8-7 (.533) in conference action.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
After dropping the opening set, 25-21, Duquesne responded in dominant fashion, posting a .387 swing percentage and seven blocks in a 25-15 set two victory. A Mia Compas kill cut the Dukes lead to 10-9 but a 5-1 surge pushed the Duquesne lead back to 15-10. Sophomore Emersen Schrom registered three kills in the stint while senior Carsyn Henschen found the floor successfully. The Wildcats responded by scoring five of the next seven points to trim the deficit to two (17-15) but the Dukes ended the set with eight consecutive points. Freshman Karli Jordan and Henschen each collected kills to begin the run before a block from Henschen and junior Jordan Robertson continued the momentum. Schrom and Henschen would each card successful swings before a solo block from Robertson and a Davidson miscue evened the set at 1-1.

PROVEN UNDER PRESSURE
It was a back-and-forth affair to open set three as it featured eight ties and four lead changes as it was knotted at 13-all. Duquesne broke open the match with a 6-1 burst, taking advantage of four Wildcat errors. Senior Ariel Helm registered a kill in the run while Henschen and Helm teamed up for a rejection to push the lead to 19-14 and forced a Davidson timeout. Out of the break, the Wildcats didn't shy away, responding with a 7-3 stint that cut the deficit to 22-21 off a kill from Elena Garcia-Guerrios. Robertson halted the run with a successful swing and an attacking error by Davidson gave the Dukes set point. After a Wildcats point from Anna Withee, junior Kylie Griffin gave Duquesne a 2-1 lead in the match off a kill and a 25-22 set victory.

SENIOR DAY SUCCESS
Momentum stayed on Duquesne's side in set four as it took an early 11-3 lead. Schrom paced the run with four kills while Helm found the floor successfully twice. Davidson once again would stem the tide as it responded with a 9-3 burst to cut the Dukes lead to 14-12. Out of a Duquesne timeout, Henschen got the Dukes back on track with a kill before leading a 6-3 stint to expand Duquesne's lead, 21-15. Later in the set, the Wildcats would cut the deficit to 23-20 but a kill from Griffin and a successful swing from Schrom sealed the match for Duquesne, 25-21.

QUOTABLE
"What a battle today," head coach Steve Opperman said. "The first set was back and forth and fun to be a part of. After our team settled in, I thought we played good volleyball. We had a good match attacking and blocking and made plays when needed. Look forward to battling Davidson again tomorrow."

NIGHT IN, NIGHT OUT
A pair of Dukes put on impressive performances this afternoon, leading Duquesne to its fifth straight victory. Sophomore Emersen Schrom and senior Carsyn Henschen each finished in double figures, with Schrom recording her 12th double-double of the season, tallying 28 kills and 10 digs. She posted an impressive .462 hitting percentage on 52 attacks, committing only four errors. The Pittsburgh native set the tone early, opening the match with seven kills at a .583 clip before adding seven and eight kills in the final two frames. This marked the 21st time she has led the Dukes in kills and her 22nd match with double-digit kills. Henschen enjoyed a prolific Senior Day, contributing 18 kills on a .455 swing percentage, along with four digs and three blocks. It's the 13th match this season she's reached double-digit kills and the sixth time in the last eight contests. Together, the duo accounted for 46 of the Dukes' 64 kills in the victory

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Senior Ariel Helm ended with nine kills, five blocks, and a .300 hitting percentage while junior Jordan Robertson carded a team-high six blocks and five kills. Helm currently ranks second in program history with 420 career blocks, trailing Dianna Wuebker's (2002-05) 427. Junior Chloe Wilmot recorded her 13^th double-double this season, posting 50 assists and 10 digs while collecting four blocks. Seniors Hanna Wilson and Madison Grimm finished with 12 and 11 digs, respectively while Grimm collected four assists and two aces.

UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 9, to close out the home portion of its schedule, taking on Davidson at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse with a 12:00 p.m. start.