Youngstown, Ohio – The Duquesne University volleyball team completed competition at the YSU invitational on Saturday afternoon, securing a 3-0 sweep over Mercyhurst inside the Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. With the sweep, the Dukes improve to 3-0 on the season.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
Duquesne took an early 1-0 lead in the match after securing a 25-16 victory in the opening set. The Dukes raced out to a 5-1 advantage behind three early kills from sophomore
Emersen Schrom and a service ace from senior
Hanna Wilson. Mercyhurst trimmed the deficit to 9-6, but Duquesne responded with a 6-3 run to stretch the lead to 15-9 heading into the media timeout. Four different players contributed kills during the run, while both Schrom and Wilson added another ace. Out of the break, the Lakers pulled within 17-14, but the Dukes closed strong, scoring eight of the final 10 points to secure the set. Senior
Ariel Helm led the late push with two kills, while Schrom capped her strong opening frame with three service aces.
SWING AWAY
In the second set, the Dukes took advantage of a poor hitting performance by the Lakers, rolling to a 2-0 lead in the match. Mercyhurst opened the set with three straight points before Duquesne strung together a 6-3 run to knot the score at 6-6. Later in the stanza, the Lakers would take an 11-9 advantage before freshman
Karli Jordan sparked a 10-3 surge to give the Dukes a 19-14 advantage. After a Jordan kill, senior
Carsyn Henschen found the floor successfully before junior
Jordan Robertson and Jordan connected on a block. After a Mercyhurst miscue, Schrom tallied another successful swing, forcing a Lakers timeout. Out of the break, Mercyhurst registered consecutive points before Jordan and Henschen responded with back-to-back kills. Wilson would continue the momentum with a service ace before consecutive Mercyhurst errors capped the stint. Schrom would give the Dukes set point with a successful swing before Jordan gave Duquesne a 25-17 victory.
GET THE BROOMS AHT
Behind five service aces and a .286 hitting percentage, Duquesne closed out the sweep with a 25-21 win in the third set. The teams traded the first 12 points before the Dukes pulled ahead with a 4-0 run, highlighted by two service aces from Schrom and a kill from Helm, to take a 10-6 lead. An attacking error later pushed the advantage to 17-13, but Mercyhurst answered with a 4-1 spurt to cut the margin to 18-17. Duquesne responded with a decisive 7-4 run to seal the match. Junior
Chloe Wilmot sparked the surge with a kill, followed by a swing from Schrom and a Mercyhurst error. After the Lakers added two points, Jordan delivered back-to-back kills, and although Mercyhurst tallied once more, a service error set up match point. Sophomore
Mirabella Iriarte then delivered the final blow with a service ace, securing the 25-21 victory and the sweep.
INSDIE THE STAT SHEET
Sophomore
Emersen Schrom led the way for Duquesne, recording her first double-double of the season with a career-high 17 kills, 11 digs, and six service aces. She notched seven kills in each of the first two sets and added four aces in the opener to set the tone. Freshman
Karli Jordan and senior
Ariel Helm chipped in seven kills apiece, with Jordan also contributing four digs. Senior
Carsyn Henschen added six kills, while classmate
Hanna Wilson tied her career high with five service aces and collected eight digs. Junior
Chloe Wilmot directed the offense with her third consecutive 30-plus assist performance, finishing with 30 helpers and seven digs. Defensively, senior
Madison Grimm anchored the back row with nine digs to go along with three assists.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse for the first time this season to host the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic on Friday, Sept. 5, and Saturday, Sept. 6. The Dukes open play against Loyola Maryland on Friday at 11 a.m. before facing FDU later that evening at 6 p.m. They will then travel to Robert Morris on Saturday to wrap up the invitational with a 3 p.m. matchup.
