Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne volleyball team announced its 2026 schedule on Tuesday as the Dukes prepare for a 30-match campaign featuring three non-conference tournaments before opening Atlantic 10 play.

Under the direction of head coach Steve Opperman, who enters his 29th season as the winningest coach in program history, the Dukes will begin the 2026 campaign at the Youngstown State Invitational for the second consecutive season. Duquesne opens play on Friday, Aug. 28, against Canisius at 11:00 a.m. before taking on host Youngstown State at 7:00 p.m. The Dukes conclude the tournament on Saturday, Aug. 29, with a noon matchup against Mercyhurst.

Duquesne returns to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse to open the month of September as it co-hosts the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic with Robert Morris from Sept. 4-5. The Dukes begin tournament play against Eastern Michigan on Friday, Sept. 4, at 11:00 a.m. before facing Elon later that evening at 6:00 p.m. Duquesne wraps up the weekend on Saturday, Sept. 5, with a 3:00 p.m. match against Robert Morris.

The Dukes continue their non-conference schedule with a trip to Charleston, S.C., for the College of Charleston Classic on Sept. 11-12. Duquesne opens the tournament on Friday against Northern Kentucky before facing host College of Charleston later that evening. The Dukes conclude the event on Saturday morning with a 10:00 a.m. matchup against Notre Dame.

Duquesne closes out its non-conference schedule by co-hosting the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational from Sept. 18-19. The Dukes welcome the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on Friday evening before hosting Siena on Saturday afternoon at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

RELATED: Duquesne 2026 Schedule

The Atlantic 10 will once again utilize a scheduling format in which teams play the same opponent on consecutive days during a single weekend, eliminating traditional home-and-home series. The lone exception is Dayton, as the Dukes will travel to Dayton, Ohio, on Oct. 6 before hosting the Flyers on Oct. 27.

Conference play begins at home as Duquesne hosts Fordham on Sept. 25-26 before embarking on a three-match road stretch. The Dukes open October at Saint Louis on Oct. 2-3 before traveling to Dayton for a midweek contest on Oct. 6.

Duquesne returns to Pittsburgh to host Loyola Chicago on Oct. 9-10 before traveling to Rhode Island on Oct. 16-17. The Dukes then return home for a three-match homestand, welcoming VCU (Oct. 23-24) before hosting Dayton (Oct. 27) for the program's annual Pink Out Match. The Dukes continue conference play with a trip to Davidson (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) before returning to UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse to celebrate Senior Day against George Washington (Nov. 6-7). Duquesne closes the regular season on the road at George Mason in Fairfax, Va., on Nov. 13-14.

The top six teams in the Atlantic 10 standings at the conclusion of the regular season will advance to the 2026 Atlantic 10 Championship, scheduled for Nov. 20-22 at Gentile Arena in Chicago, Ill., on the campus of Loyola Chicago.

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