MATCHES 1, 2, & 3
Canisius (0-0) vs. Duquesne (0-0)
Friday, August 29 | 11:00 a.m.
Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center| Youngstown, Ohio
Live Stats | Live Video (YouTube)

Duquesne (0-0) at Youngstown State (0-0)
Friday, August 29 | 7:00 a.m.
Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center| Youngstown, Ohio
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

Mercyhurst (0-0) vs. Duquesne (0-0)
Saturday, August 30 | 12:00 p.m.
Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center| Youngstown, Ohio
Live Stats | Live Video (YouTube)

2025 Roster | 2025 Schedule | 2024 Final Statistics | Tournament Central
 
Bump. Set. Spike.
- The Duquesne University volleyball team will open its 2025 season this weekend at the YSU Invitational presented by Mercy Health. The Dukes kick off play on Friday, August 29, with an 11:00 a.m. matchup against Canisius, followed by a 7:00 p.m. contest against host Youngstown State. The tournament concludes on Saturday, August 30, when Duquesne faces Mercyhurst at 12:00 p.m.

- The Dukes are led by head coach Steve Opperman, who enters his 28th season at the helm. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Opperman has guided Duquesne to 375 overall victories, including 164 in Atlantic 10 play. He begins the 2025 campaign just six wins shy of reaching the 500-win milestone for his career.

- The Dukes return 10 players for the 2025 season, highlighted by five seniors and two All-Atlantic 10 honorees. Seniors Hanna Wilson, Ariel Helm, Carsyn Henschen, Maggie Colenbrander, and Madison Grimm will all suit up for their final year on the Bluff.

- Senior Ariel Helm and sophomore Emersen Schrom return after earning postseason honors a year ago. Helm was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team, while Schrom secured a spot on the All-Rookie Team in her debut season with the Dukes.

- Duquesne adds five newcomers to the roster in 2025, including four freshmen and one transfer. Junior Kylie Griffin joins the Dukes after spending two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, while freshmen Kaylie Baumgart, Karli Jordan, Ryan Hicks, and Alexa Flowers will begin their collegiate careers in the red and blue this fall.

- Despite the 2020 COVID year, Duquesne will begin its season on the road for the 12th straight year. In season openers under Opperman, the Dukes own a record of 18-9 (.666), while winning four of the last five season openers.

- Overall, in season openers since 1986, Duquesne has registered a record of 27-12 (.717).
 
- Duquesne returns to Pittsburgh where it'll host the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic from September 5-6. The Dukes will battle Loyola Maryland on Friday Sept. 5 at 11:00 a.m. before taking on FDU State at 6:00 p.m. Duquesne will conclude competition when it travels up Route 376 to take on Robert Morris at 3:00 p.m inside the UPMC Events Center on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Scouting The Golden Griffins – Canisius, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), enters the weekend after being picked fifth in the league's preseason poll. The Griffins are coming off a 17-14 campaign in 2024, which included a 12-6 mark in conference play before falling in the MAAC Tournament semifinals. Friday morning's matchup will mark the 13th all-time meeting between Duquesne and Canisius, with the Dukes holding a 10-2 advantage in the series, including six straight victories. In last year's sweep of the Griffins, Elizabeth Drelling matched her season high with 17 kills, while Emersen Schrom added 12 kills on a .391 hitting percentage to go along with three aces and three assists.

Scouting The Penguins – A series that dates back to 1986, Duquesne and Youngstown State will meet for the 31st time on Friday and the first time since 2021. The Dukes hold a 20-10 advantage in the all-time series, winning six of the last 10 matchups. A member of the Horizon League, YSU is looking to rebound from a 9-21 campaign in 2024 that included a 3-15 mark in conference play. The Penguins are guided by head coach Riley Jarrett, now in her second season, and anchored by a trio of seniors, Bianca Giglio, Abbie Householder, and Julia Sell. Householder, an All-Horizon League Second Team selection last season, ranked second in the conference in both kills and points per set, and was the only player to finish among the league's top 12 in both kills and digs per set.

Scouting The Lakers – In their second season as an NCAA Division I member, Mercyhurst and Duquesne will square off for just the second time. The Lakers, who previously competed at the Division II level in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), made the transition to Division I as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Dukes won the lone meeting between the teams last season in straight sets, hitting .337 as a group. In that match, Emersen Schrom posted eight kills and two blocks, while Ariel Helm recorded seven kills along with a season-high nine blocks, including five block assists and four solo stops. Setter Chloe Wilmot added 20 assists and six digs to round out the victory.

All-Conference Duo – A pair of Atlantic 10 All-Conference selections return to lead the Dukes in 2025 — senior Ariel Helm and sophomore Emersen Schrom. Helm earned Second Team honors last season after a record-breaking campaign in which she started all 30 matches and played in all 115 sets. She anchored Duquesne's defense at the net, finishing with a team-high 139 blocks, a mark that ranked 15th nationally. In doing so, she became just the seventh player in program history to surpass 300 career blocks and broke the program's single-season blocks record, which had stood for two decades. Schrom, an All-Rookie Team honoree, made an immediate impact in her debut season, appearing in every match and set. A two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, she ranked second on the team with 295 kills (2.57 per set) and recorded double-digit kills in 17 matches, including a stretch of seven straight with 10 or more.

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