Kingston, RI. – The Dukes withstood a late rally by Rhode Island to snap their four-match losing streak with a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon in Atlantic 10 action inside Keaney Gymnasium. With the win, the Duquesne volleyball team improves to 13-7 (.650) overall and 4-5 (.444) in conference play.
WEATHER THE STORM
Rhode Island refused to go quietly, winning the third and fourth sets to force a decisive fifth set. Duquesne responded with a strong performance in the final frame, posting a .524 hitting percentage with 12 kills. The two teams traded the opening 10 points before the Rams grabbed an early 7-5 advantage. Junior
Emersen Schrom answered with back-to-back kills to even the score before giving the Dukes an 11-10 lead later in the set. Cara Richter knotted the score at 11-11, but Duquesne closed out the match with four consecutive points to secure a 15-11 victory. Freshman
Londyn Stone opened the decisive stretch with a kill, followed by a block from seniors
Jordan Robertson and
Chloe Wilmot. Coming out of a Rhode Island timeout, Schrom delivered another kill before a Rams attacking error sealed the win for the Dukes.
BLOCK PARTY
Duquesne delivered a dominant performance in the opening set, posting an impressive .579 hitting percentage with 11 kills and six blocks in a commanding 25-6 victory. The Dukes jumped out to a 13-2 lead behind a pair of kills each from senior
Jordan Robertson and junior
Emersen Schrom, who also teamed up for a block alongside Robertson and freshman
Simone Searles. Senior
Chloe Wilmot extended the advantage to 15-4 at the media timeout before Duquesne closed the set on a 10-2 run, including eight consecutive points. Searles fueled the late surge with three kills, while Robertson and Searles combined for two blocks and Robertson teamed up with freshman
Londyn Stone for another rejection to seal the dominant opening-set win.
KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON
Fueled by 19 kills and a .357 hitting percentage, Duquesne built an early 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 victory in the second set. Rhode Island jumped out to an early 6-1 advantage before the Dukes responded with a 10-5 run to even the score at 11-11. Five different Dukes recorded a kill during the stretch, led by Schrom with three, while Robertson, Searles and freshman
Maddie Bush each added two. The Rams carried a 15-13 advantage into the media timeout before Duquesne answered with a 6-2 run coming out of the break. Schrom opened the surge with a kill, followed by a Rhode Island error and a Rams point before Schrom delivered back-to-back kills. Searles capped the run to force a Rhode Island timeout. The Rams battled back to even the score at 19-19, but Schrom responded with a kill and two aces, while Searles added a successful swing and Bush chipped in a point to give the Dukes set point. After Rhode Island briefly extended the set, Searles delivered the decisive kill to secure the 25-20 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
For the eighth time this season, the trio of
Emersen Schrom,
Simone Searles and
Londyn Stone each finished in double figures in kills. Schrom led the way with 22 kills and nine digs, narrowly missing a double-double while adding two service aces and a block. Searles recorded her second consecutive double-double of the weekend, finishing with 16 kills and 17 digs while hitting an impressive .325. She also contributed 2.5 blocks and an ace in the victory. Stone rounded out the trio with her second straight double-double, tallying 12 kills and 13 digs while adding three assists and a service ace.
Chloe Wilmot orchestrated the offense with her second consecutive double-double of the weekend, dishing out 49 assists and collecting 11 digs while adding 1.5 blocks.
Jordan Robertson anchored the defense at the net once again, finishing with 4.5 blocks and six kills, while
Maddie Bush contributed six kills and 1.5 blocks. Sophomore Alexis Flowers commanded the back row with 13 digs.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns home next weekend to host VCU on Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
