Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne volleyball team opened a three-match homestand on Tuesday night, falling to Dayton in straight sets during Atlantic 10 action inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 9-5 (.643) overall and 1-2 (.333) in league action.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
The Flyers struck first, taking an early 1-0 lead in the match after capturing the opening set 25-18 behind a sharp .419 hitting percentage. In the second frame, Duquesne jumped out to a 9-6 advantage, fueled by three kills from senior
Ariel Helm, a point from sophomore
Mirabella Iriarte, and a service ace from junior
Chloe Wilmot. The Dukes extended their lead to 15-12 on back-to-back plays from Helm and sophomore
Emersen Schrom, but Dayton answered with a 6-3 run to even the score at 18-all. The Flyers then pulled ahead 22-19 before Duquesne responded with four straight points to seize a 23-22 edge. Senior
Carsyn Henschen ignited the surge with a kill, followed by a block from Helm and Wilmot. Senior
Maggie Colenbrander added a service ace, and Schrom and Helm capped the run with a rejection at the net. However, Dayton regained its rhythm late, stringing together three straight points to close out the set 25-23.
THIRD STANZA
The third set featured eight ties and two lead changes, with Dayton jumping out to a 10-6 lead behind kills from Corrie Anderson and Kamryn Hunt. Duquesne answered with five straight points to move back in front, 11-10. Iriarte sparked the run with back-to-back kills, followed by a point from Schrom, an ace from senior
Hanna Wilson, and a swing from Henschen. The Flyers responded, taking four of the next five points to build a 19-16 advantage, but consecutive attacking errors trimmed the gap to 19-18. The Dukes kept fighting, pulling within 24-22 on a service ace from senior
Maggie Colenbrander, before Hunt closed the door for Dayton with a kill to secure the set, 25-22.
QUOTABLE
"Our kids put up a nice battle tonight," head coach
Steve Opperman said. "As the match progressed, we settled in and played pretty solid volleyball. We just made a few errors at the wrong time that cost us set 2 and 3. We will get back to work and prep for George Mason."
INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Sophomore
Emersen Schrom led the Dukes with a team-high 10 kills to go along with five digs and a block. Freshman
Karli Jordan followed with eight kills and two digs, while seniors
Ariel Helm and
Carsyn Henschen each added seven kills apiece, with Helm also contributing three blocks. Junior
Chloe Wilmot paced the offense with 32 assists and added four digs, and senior
Maggie Colenbrander anchored the back row with 10 digs and three service aces.
UP NEXT
Duquesne closes its three-match homestand this weekend when it welcomes George mason on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m. inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
