MATCHES 10 & 11
Buffalo (3-4) vs. Duquesne (7-2)
Friday, September 19 | 6:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

Saint Francis (4-5) vs. Duquesne (7-2)
Saturday, September 20 | 2:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
Live Stats

2025 Roster | 2025 Schedule | 2025 Statistics 
 
Bump. Set. Spike.
- The Duquesne University volleyball team wraps up non-conference play this weekend as they host the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational. The Dukes will battle Buffalo on Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:00 p.m. before taking on Saint Francis on Saturday, Sept. 20 inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

- The Dukes are coming off its third tournament to start the season, most recently at the Best Western Invitational in Oxford, Ohio. Duquesne picked up a 3-1 victory over Southern Indiana on Friday afternoon before dropping a 3-1 decision to Middle Tennessee during the night cap. The Dukes ended the invitational, falling to the host Miami (OH) in five sets on Saturday.

- For the second time this season, the Dukes featured four players with double-figure digs and three players with double-digit kills. Emersen Schrom led the team with her fourth double-double of the season, recording 21 kills and a career-high 20 digs. She added three assists, two aces, and finished with a .283 hitting percentage. Karli Jordan posted a season-high 14 kills, while Carsyn Henschen contributed 12 kills with a .303 hitting percentage and tied her career-high with five total blocks.

- Seniors Maggie Colenbrander and Hanna Wilson each tallied 11 digs, and junior Chloe Wilmot notched her fourth double-double of the season with 55 assists and 10 digs, adding three kills. Wilmot recorded her second consecutive 50+ assist performance, falling just one shy of her career-high. Ariel Helm and Jordan Robertson each added nine kills and combined for eight total blocks.

- Emersen Schrom was the lone Duke to reach double figures in kills, recording her fifth double-double of the season with 29 kills and 15 digs while hitting at a .297 clip. Her 29 kills set a new program record for a four-set match, surpassing the previous mark of 27 set by Shelia Lopez at Xavier in November 1997.

- Chloe Wilmot continued her strong play with her third straight 50+ assist performance, finishing with 53 helpers, nine digs, a career-high six kills, and two aces. Freshman Alexa Flowers anchored the defense with a season-best 16 digs, while senior Madison Grimm added 15 digs and three assists. Ariel Helm chipped in nine kills with a .353 hitting percentage, while Carsyn Henschen and Kylie Griffin contributed eight and seven kills, respectively.

- 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.

- At the conclusion of the invitational, Duquesne will begin Atlantic 10 action on Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27 when it travels to VCU.

Scouting The Bulls – A member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Buffalo enters Pittsburgh with a 3-4 overall record after hosting the Buffalo Classic. The Bulls opened play against Northwestern, falling in a narrow 3-2 decision, before bouncing back with a straight-set victory over Niagara. They closed the weekend against Cornell, where they dropped a 3-1 contest. Friday night will mark the 13th meeting between Duquesne and Buffalo, with the Dukes holding an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Bulls claimed the most recent matchup in 2021 with a 3-0 sweep. Buffalo is powered by Manoela Forlin, who averages 3.77 kills per set and has added 10 service aces. Emerson Matthews follows closely with 3.15 kills per set, while Keira Kleidon anchors the defense with 83 digs. In the middle, Sydney Bell provides a strong presence, recording 16.0 total blocks, including four solo efforts.

Scouting The Red Flash – Saint Francis enters the weekend with a 4-5 overall record after playing three matches in three days last week. The Red Flash opened with a 3-0 setback to Rutgers on Thursday before falling to New Hampshire on Friday. They closed the road trip on a high note, sweeping Rider 3-0 on Saturday. A member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), SFU is led by Korrin Burns, who averages 5.35 kills per set and has already totaled 182 on the season. Burns also contributes defensively with 2.38 digs per set and 8.0 total blocks. Running the offense is Alexandra Sappia, who dishes out 10.09 assists per set and has surpassed 340 on the year. Friday will mark the 36th meeting between Duquesne and Saint Francis, with the Dukes holding a commanding 33-2 lead in the all-time series. Duquesne swept last year's matchup at the Towson-Morgan State Invitational and boasts a perfect 17-0 record at home against the Red Flash.

National Leaders – A pair of Dukes enter the weekend atop the nation in key statistical categories. Junior setter Chloe Wilmot leads all of NCAA Division I in both total assists (416) and assists per set (11.89). Off to a blistering start, she has posted 30 or more assists in every match this season, including a streak of four straight with 50-plus. The Virginia native notched a career-high 66 assists along with 19 digs against Miami (OH) last weekend and now ranks eighth in program history with 2,063 career assists. Sophomore standout Emersen Schrom has been equally dominant, pacing the country in total points with 198.0. She has recorded double-digit kills in nine consecutive matches, highlighted by a run of four straight with 20 or more.
 
Mr. 500 - Head coach Steve Opperman, now in his 35th season overall, secured his 500th career victory at RMU this September, becoming one of just 26 active head coaches nationwide to reach the milestone. He is also only the second active coach in the Atlantic 10 to surpass 500 wins, joining Dayton's Tim Horsmon. The longest-tenured coach in Duquesne volleyball history, Opperman is in his 28th season with the Dukes, where he has amassed 382 victories, the most in program history. An Ohio native, he began his career at Wright State, collecting 119 wins in seven seasons with the Raiders. During his time on the Bluff, Opperman has coached Duquesne's first two AVCA All-Americans, produced 18 All-Atlantic 10 First and Second Team honorees, developed 27 A-10 All-Rookie Team selections, and mentored two A-10 Rookies of the Year.

Sophomore Sensation - For the third consecutive week, sophomore Emersen Schrom secured a place on an All-Tournament Team, this time earning the honor at the Best Western Invitational over the weekend. The Pittsburgh native once again led the Dukes' offense, averaging 5.81 points, 5.46 kills, and 4.23 digs per set. Across three matches, she racked up 75.5 points, 71 kills, 55 digs, and three service aces. In the opening match against Southern Indiana, Schrom notched her fourth double-double of the season with 21 kills and a career-high 20 digs, while also adding three assists, two aces, and a .283 hitting percentage. That evening, she followed up with her fifth double-double, posting a career-best 29 kills and 15 digs on a .297 clip against Middle Tennessee. Her 29 kills set a new program record for a four-set match, surpassing the previous mark of 27 set by Shelia Lopez at Xavier in November 1997. Schrom closed out the weekend with her sixth double-double, tallying 21 kills and 20 digs against Miami (OH), along with one block, one ace, and an assist.

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