Oxford, Ohio – Despite forcing a deciding fifth set, Duquesne's rally came up short in a 3-2 loss to host Miami (OH) in the finale of the Best Western Invitational on Saturday. With the setback, the Dukes dropped to 7-2 (.778) on the season.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
After dropping the first two sets (25-22, 25-23), Duquesne rallied in the third, posting a .351 hitting percentage with 17 kills. Miami (OH) opened the set with the first two points, but the Dukes responded with six straight to take a 6-2 lead. Junior Jordan Robertson fueled the run with a pair of kills and two blocks, while freshman Karli Jordan added a successful attack. Senior Hanna Wilson capped the surge with a service ace. The RedHawks later used a 4-1 spurt to trim the deficit to one (15-14), but Duquesne answered with a 6-2 stretch to push its lead to 21-16. Senior Carsyn Henschen sparked the run with a kill, followed by a point from junior Chloe Wilmot. After a Miami score, the Dukes capitalized on a RedHawks miscue before sophomore Emersen Schrom delivered a service ace. Miami earned another point, but seniors Ariel Helm and Robertson each responded with kills. The RedHawks closed the gap to 22-20 with four of the next five points, yet Duquesne sealed the set as Henschen recorded a kill, Miami committed an attacking error, and Robertson put away the final swing.

BATTLE TESTED
Duquesne stayed hot in the fourth set, tallying 20 kills on a .349 hitting percentage to even the match at 2-2 with a 25-20 victory. The teams traded the first 12 points before the Dukes pulled ahead 14-8 on a kill from Schrom. Miami responded with an 8-3 run to cut the deficit to 17-16, but Duquesne countered by taking five of the next eight points to extend the lead to 22-18. Schrom, Robertson, and Jordan each delivered kills during the stretch, and after a RedHawks point, Jordan added another successful swing. Miami closed within two, but Robertson answered with a kill, and the Dukes closed the set with a block from Henschen and a kill from Helm to force a deciding set.

DECIDING SET
In the deciding set, the RedHawks jumped out to an early 5-2 lead before kills from Henschen and Schrom brought the deficit to one. Miami responded with a 4-1 stint to take a 9-5 advantage and force a Duquesne timeout. The two teams traded the next six points before the RedHawks ended the set with three consecutive points to take the match and the set 15-8.

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Duquesne showcased its balance on Saturday with four players recording double-figure kills and five reaching double digits in digs. Emersen Schrom led the charge with her sixth double-double of the season, posting 21 kills and 20 digs. Carsyn Henschen added 19 kills, five digs, and four blocks while hitting .312, and Jordan Robertson delivered a career-high 16 kills to go along with seven blocks and a .577 hitting percentage. Karli Jordan chipped in 11 kills and three digs. Setter Chloe Wilmot orchestrated the offense with a career-best 66 assists and added 19 digs for her fifth double-double of the year. On the defensive end, Hanna Wilson tallied a personal-best 22 digs with two aces and two assists, Madison Grimm contributed 19 digs and three assists, and Maggie Colenbrander rounded out the group with 10 digs. The performance marked the first time since November 2010 that five Dukes registered double-figure digs in a match.

QUOTABLE
"I thought our team really kept composed when we were down 0-2," head coach Steve Opperman said. "We came out and played pretty solid volleyball in sets three and four and just came up short in set five. Our team has really grown the last week and look forward to moving forward in the season."

UP NEXT
Duquesne returns back to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse when it hosts the Duquesne/RMU invitational. The Dukes will battle Buffalo on Friday, Sept. 19 before wrapping up non-conference play against Saint Francis on Saturday, Sept. 20.