Richmond, Va. – The Duquesne University volleyball team opened Atlantic 10 play Friday night with a 3-1 setback against VCU at the Siegel Center. The loss drops the Dukes to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

POINT OF EMPHASIS
The Dukes built an early 11-8 lead on a block by juniors Jordan Robertson and Chloe Wilmot, then extended the margin to 14-11 following a kill from sophomore Emersen Schrom and a rejection by Robertson and senior Carsyn Henschen. VCU cut the deficit to 16-15, but Duquesne responded with an 8-1 run to push the advantage to 24-16. Schrom, senior Ariel Helm, and freshman Karli Jordan each delivered a kill during the surge, while senior Hanna Wilson capped it with a service ace. After a VCU ace, Schrom closed the set with a decisive swing to give the Dukes a 25-18 victory.

SWINGING WOES 
The Dukes struggled offensively, finishing with their lowest hitting percentage of the season at .165. After VCU claimed the third set 25-18, Duquesne was hampered by eight attacking errors and four service errors in the fourth. The teams traded the first 12 points before the Dukes moved ahead 10-8 on a pair of kills from Helm and a finish by Schrom. Helm later added a solo block to give Duquesne a 14-12 lead, but the Rams answered with six straight points to surge ahead 18-14. The Dukes cut the deficit to 20-16, only to see VCU close on a 5-1 run to secure the 25-17 set win and the match.

QUOTABLE
"We started a little slow tonight and made too many errors," head coach Steve Opperman said. "I thought we did a nice job of bouncing back in set two and really playing confident ball. From then on, we just played too inconsistent to close out the match."

INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Sophomore Emersen Schrom was the lone Duke to record double-digit kills, posting her seventh double-double of the season with 17 kills and 10 digs, along with two assists and an ace. Senior Ariel Helm and freshman Karli Jordan each added seven kills, with Helm hitting .545 and contributing four blocks. Senior Carsyn Henschen chipped in six kills, while junior Chloe Wilmot notched her 12th match of 30 or more assists, finishing with 39 helpers, nine digs, and two aces. Senior Hanna Wilson led the team from the service line with three aces, and juniors Jordan Robertson and Jordan each contributed four and three blocks, respectively.

UP NEXT
Duquesne concludes its conference opening weekend on Saturday, Sept. 27, battling VCU at 3:00 p.m.