MATCHES 17 & 18
Loyola Chicago (7-8, 4-1) vs. Duquesne (12-4, 3-2)
Friday, October 9 | 6:00 p.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)

Loyola Chicago (7-8, 4-1) vs. Duquesne (12-4, 3-2)
Saturday, October 10 | 2:00 p.m.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Stats

2026 Roster | 2026 Schedule | 2026 Statistics | DUQ Game Notes
 
Bump. Set. Spike.
- The Duquesne volleyball team returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse this weekend when it welcomes defending Atlantic 10 champion Loyola Chicago for a two-match series. The Dukes will battle the Ramblers on Friday, Oct. 9 at 6:00 p.m. before closing out the series on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2:00 p.m.

- The Dukes wrapped up a three-match road swing Tuesday night, falling to Dayton, 3-1, in Atlantic 10 action inside the Frericks Center.

- Despite dropping the opening two sets, Duquesne battled back to claim the third frame, 25-21. The Dukes registered 16 kills while hitting an impressive .414 in the set. Duquesne jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, highlighted by three kills from freshman Simone Searles, a point from junior Emersen Schrom and an ace from senior Delaney McIntosh. Later in the set, senior Jordan Robertson found the floor with a successful swing as the Dukes carried a 15-12 advantage into the media timeout.

- The two squads traded the next 10 points before a successful swing from Searles extended the Duquesne lead to 22-19. Dayton's Kamryn Hunt responded with a kill as the teams continued to exchange points. Schrom then delivered a kill to give the Dukes set point and force a Dayton timeout. Sidney Sprada answered for the Flyers out of the break, but Schrom put the finishing touches on the comeback with another kill to secure the set victory for Duquesne.

- The fourth set featured 19 ties and eight lead changes as the two squads continued to trade blows throughout the frame. Deadlocked at 10-10, the Flyers grabbed a one-point advantage before a pair of Dayton miscues gave the Dukes a 12-11 lead. Dayton carried a slim 15-14 advantage into the media timeout before extending its lead to 20-17 later in the set and forcing a Duquesne timeout.

- The Dukes responded out of the break with a 5-1 run to take a 22-21 lead. Stone sparked the surge with a kill, followed by a point from Searles. After a Dayton point, Searles, Stone and Schrom each found the floor with successful swings to cap the run. The Flyers evened the score at 22-22 before a Stone kill and a Dayton miscue gave the Dukes set point. Dayton, however, found its rhythm down the stretch, closing the set on a 5-1 run to secure a 27-25 victory and clinch the match.

- Delaney McIntosh finished the night with 11 assists, two digs and an ace, while Chloe Wilmot dished out 48 assists to go along with five digs and two aces. The Flyers featured a pair of players in double figures in kills, led by Kamryn Hunt with a team-high 16 kills and eight digs while hitting .412. Charlotte Vinson added 11 kills and 3.5 blocks while hitting .500 for the match. Dayton finished with 14.0 total blocks, led by Abigail Cresse with seven.

Scouting The Ramblers – Located in Chicago, Ill., Loyola Chicago enters the weekend riding a four-match winning streak with a 7-8 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Atlantic 10 play. The Ramblers have posted four consecutive sweeps, most recently earning a pair of straight-set victories over Rhode Island. Loyola Chicago is led offensively by Leyna Nguyen, who is averaging 3.61 kills per set, good for fourth in the A10. Her 4.01 points per set rank fifth in the conference, while her 236.5 total points are sixth. Mya Bell orchestrates the Rambler offense, averaging 8.73 assists per set with 480 total assists, which ranks fourth in the league. Bell also leads the team with 26 service aces and 0.47 aces per set, both of which rank among the top five in the A10. The Ramblers also rank among the conference's top blocking teams, leading the conference with 2.50 blocks per set while ranking second with 147.5 total blocks. Avary DeBlieck leads the way at the net, ranking second in the league with 71 total blocks and 1.20 blocks per set. This weekend's matchups will mark the 10th and 11th meetings between the two programs, with the Dukes looking to earn their first victory in the all-time series.

Attack Comes In Threes – Duquesne continues to be paced by a trio of players swinging at a high rate, with junior Emersen Schrom and freshmen Simone Searles and Londyn Stone leading the charge offensively. The trio recorded their fourth match of the season with all three reaching double figures in kills, including their second consecutive outing accomplishing the feat Tuesday at Dayton. Searles posted her fifth double-double of the season, tying her season high with 21 kills and adding 13 digs while hitting an impressive .389 for the match. She also contributed 1.5 blocks, one ace and one assist. Her 21 kills marked her third 20-plus-kill performance of the season and her third such effort in the last four matches. Schrom finished with 18 kills and seven digs to go along with two assists and one ace, while Stone added 11 kills, seven digs and one ace. Collectively, the trio accounted for 50 of Duquesne's 54 kills while combining for 27 digs.

At the Controls – One of the nation's top setters continues to orchestrate the Duquesne offense in senior Chloe Wilmot. Wilmot enters the weekend ranked seventh in NCAA Division I with 639 total assists, while her 10.65 assists per set rank 17th nationally and lead the Atlantic 10. She has recorded double-digit assists in every match this season, including three performances with 50-plus assists. Wilmot has also registered three double-doubles this season while ranking second on the team with 21 service aces. The Virginia native has collected 132 career aces, good for fourth all-time in Duquesne history, while her 3,563 career assists rank fifth in program history. She is on pace to surpass 1,000 assists in a season for the third time in her career. Earlier this season, Wilmot reached another career milestone, becoming just the sixth player in Duquesne history to surpass 3,000 career assists.

Swinging Among the Nation's Best – Duquesne features a pair of attackers ranked among the nation's best in junior Emersen Schrom and freshman Simone Searles. Schrom enters the weekend ranked second nationally with 41 total aces, while her 0.70 aces per set rank fifth in NCAA Division I. She has totaled 289.0 points this season, good for eighth nationally, while her 241 kills rank 14th. Schrom is averaging 4.02 kills per set, which ranks second in the Atlantic 10, while her 4.82 points per set are good for 23rd nationally. Her counterpart, Searles, ranks 23rd in the country with 235 total kills, which also ranks second among all freshmen in NCAA Division I. She sits 24th nationally with 269.5 points and is averaging 3.92 kills per set, good for third in the A10. Searles has also been highly efficient at the net, as her .342 hitting percentage leads the conference. Together, the duo has recorded double-digit kills in the same match 12 times this season, including two matches in which both posted double-doubles. They have also combined for five 20-plus-kill performances, continuing to fuel one of the A10's most productive attacks.

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