Richmond, Va. – Playing in its third five-set match of the season, Duquesne rallied to secure a 3-2 victory over VCU in Atlantic 10 action at the Siegel Center. The win improved the Dukes to 9-4 (.692) overall and 1-1 (.500) in conference play, marking their first league victory of the year.
FIVE SET THRILLER
Duquesne dominated the decisive set, hitting .435 with 15 kills, no errors, and three blocks in a 15-8 victory to secure the match. Tied at 4-4, the Dukes surged ahead with four straight points to take an 8-4 lead. Helm sparked the run with a kill and a solo block, followed by an Schrom kill and a VCU error. After a Rams point, Duquesne answered by winning four of the next five rallies to build a 12-6 advantage. Jordan and Schrom each delivered a kill, while Jordan added a solo block. Jordan later pushed the Dukes to match point before Henschen finished it off with a kill to clinch the win.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
Duquesne delivered one of its strongest sets of the season to open the match, hitting .355 with 15 kills in a 25-18 first-set victory. The Dukes grabbed an early 9-5 lead behind two kills from senior
Ariel Helm, along with a kill and service ace from junior
Chloe Wilmot. VCU pulled within 12-10 after a kill from Alicja Jaryszek, but Duquesne responded with a 7-3 run to push the margin to 19-13. Helm sparked the surge with a kill, and after a Rams point and error, sophomore
Emersen Schrom recorded an ace before back-to-back kills from
Karli Jordan forced a VCU timeout. Out of the break, Jaryszek added another kill, but Schrom and Jordan answered with points to extend the run. Duquesne's advantage grew to 23-15 on a Helm kill, and after the teams traded the final four points, Schrom closed the set with a decisive swing.
TAKING ADVANTAGE
VCU evened the match with a 25-20 win in the second set, but Duquesne capitalized on the Rams' offensive struggles in the third. Tied at 8-8, VCU pulled ahead 13-11 before a kill and service ace from Schrom knotted the score again at 13-all. The Dukes then grabbed a 16-14 lead behind two VCU errors and a point from junior
Chloe Wilmot. The teams traded points until Duquesne broke through with four straight to build a 22-19 advantage. Junior
Jordan Robertson and Schrom opened the run with a block, followed by a combined rejection from Helm and Schrom, and a kill from Helm that forced a Rams timeout. A VCU miscue capped the surge, and the teams split the final six points before Helm sealed the set with a kill for a 25-22 Duquesne win. The Dukes hit .281 in the frame, finishing with 14 kills and three total blocks.
QUOTABLE
"Wow, what a battle," head coach
Steve Opperman said. "After last night's loss, I thought we did a nice job of regrouping and playing intentional volleyball. The match went back and forth, but our team never backed down. As we went into set five, our kids showed a great deal of composure as we were very balanced with our attacking. It's tough to get road wins and the coaching staff and I are proud of the way we laid it out on the floor today."
INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Three Dukes recorded double-digit kills, led by
Emersen Schrom, who notched her eighth double-double of the season with a team-high 18 kills and 17 digs, along with three blocks and two aces.
Ariel Helm and
Karli Jordan each added 11 kills, with Helm posting an impressive .647 hitting percentage, no errors, and three blocks.
Carsyn Henschen contributed eight kills, while
Chloe Wilmot registered her seventh double-double of the year with 45 assists and 12 digs, adding three kills and an ace. Defensively, senior
Madison Grimm tallied 11 digs and a season-best seven assists, while
Maggie Colenbrander chipped in 10 digs.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns to Pittsburgh when it hosts Dayton for an Atlantic 10 match on Tuesday, Sept. 30 inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse beginning at 5:00 p.m.
