Pittsburgh, Pa. – Behind a historic performance from senior setter
Chloe Wilmot, the Duquesne volleyball team battled to a 3-2 five-set victory over George Washington on Senior Day inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. With the win, the Dukes improved to 17-9 (.654) overall and 8-7 (.533) in Atlantic 10 play.
POINT OH EMPHASIS
George Washington claimed a 25-14 victory in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth frame, but Duquesne responded with a strong start. The Dukes jumped out to a 6-1 advantage behind kills from four different players, including a pair from freshman
Londyn Stone. The Revolutionaries answered with three consecutive points before a 5-1 Duquesne run extended the lead to 11-5. Freshman
Simone Searles contributed three kills during the stretch, while Stone and senior
Jordan Robertson teamed up for a block. George Washington added two more points before the Dukes capitalized on a pair of Revolutionaries miscues. A kill from junior
Emersen Schrom brought Duquesne to match point, and although Yazmyn Billings responded with a kill for George Washington, an attacking error by the visitors sealed the 15-8 victory for the Dukes. Duquesne hit .348 in the deciding set, recording nine kills to secure the five-set triumph.
A SEE-SAW SHOWDOWN
The opening set featured 16 ties and seven lead changes, and the second frame followed a similar script with 13 ties and five lead changes. George Washington held a 19-16 advantage late in the set before the Dukes mounted a 4-2 run to trim the deficit to 21-20. Schrom and Robertson each recorded kills during the stretch, while Searles and classmate
Maddie Bush teamed up for a block. Duquesne continued its momentum with three consecutive points to take a 23-21 lead, highlighted by blocks from Robertson and Searles and a kill from Searles that forced a Revolutionaries timeout. George Washington responded with a 4-2 run to even the score at 25-25 before taking set point on a kill from Alexis Rodriguez. Schrom answered with a kill to keep the Dukes alive, and the teams traded points again to reach a 28-28 deadlock. Schrom and Stone then delivered back-to-back kills to secure a 30-28 Duquesne victory.
JOINING ELITE COMPANY
Senior setter
Chloe Wilmot delivered a Senior Day performance to remember, etching her name into the Duquesne record book twice in one night. Entering the match just 56 assists shy of the 4,000-career milestone, Wilmot reached the mark with her final assist of the fourth set, becoming just the fourth player in program history to surpass 4,000 career assists. Wilmot capped the evening with her 10th double-double of the season, recording 63 assists and 11 digs while adding a pair of service aces. The Virginia native also entered the contest nine digs shy of 1,000 for her career and reached that milestone with her final dig of the fourth set, making her just the latest member of Duquesne's 1,000-dig club. Wilmot now owns 4,007 career assists and 1,002 digs, while her 141 service aces rank third all-time in program history. Just last week, she surpassed 1,000 assists in a single season for the third time in her career and now sits at 1,083 on the year.
QUOTABLE
"In the A10, we need to show up every night," head coach
Steve Opperman said. "Tonight, ourselves and George Washington battled and played a very competitive match. There were so many highs and lows throughout the match, but we were very pleased with how determined our squad was in the fifth set. We are looking you build on this momentum and carry it into tomorrow's match!"
BY THE NUMBERS
Three Dukes finished in double figures in kills, led by
Emersen Schrom, who tied her career high with 29 kills and added seven digs while hitting .273 for the match. Schrom was particularly effective in the third and fourth sets, recording eight and seven kills, respectively.
Simone Searles followed with her 11th double-double of the season, finishing with 18 kills and 12 digs while hitting an impressive .359. She also contributed 1.5 blocks and one service ace.
Jordan Robertson rounded out the trio with 11 kills, four digs and 2.5 blocks, while
Londyn Stone added eight kills and a team-high 18 digs. Senior
Delaney McIntosh turned in a career-best performance with 24 digs and six assists while adding a service ace.
Maddie Bush anchored the defensive effort at the net with a team-high 3.0 blocks and chipped in five kills.
UP NEXT
Duquesne closes out its regular-season homestand tomorrow afternoon when it battles George Washington in a 2:00 p.m. matchup inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
