Youngstown, Ohio – The Duquesne volleyball team wrapped up competition at the YSU Invitational on Saturday afternoon, earning a 3-0 sweep over Mercyhurst inside the Beeghly Center. With the victory, the Dukes improved to 3-0 on the season for the second consecutive year.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
In the opening set, the Lakers jumped out to an early 7-3 lead before Duquesne responded with an 11-7 run to even the score at 14-all. Senior
Chloe Wilmot and freshman
Londyn Stone paced the Dukes with two kills apiece, while Wilmot also added a service ace. Later in the set, Duquesne used a 10-3 surge to build a 24-18 advantage. Stone once again led the way with three kills, while classmate
Simone Searles added two kills and freshman
Maddie Bush recorded a pair of blocks. After Mercyhurst rattled off three consecutive points, a Laker miscue sealed a 25-21 victory for the Dukes in the opening set.
KEEPING THE BROOMS BUSY
The second set featured 12 ties and seven lead changes before the Dukes pulled away late to secure a 25-20 victory and take a 2-0 advantage in the match. Stone and junior
Emersen Schrom paced a 6-3 run to close out the frame, giving Duquesne control heading into the final set. The Dukes hit .306 in the stanza, totaling 15 kills. Duquesne carried its momentum into the third set, hitting .333 while recording four service aces and holding Mercyhurst to a negative hitting percentage en route to a 25-11 victory. Schrom led the charge with four kills and a pair of aces, while Wilmot dished out seven assists to help the Dukes complete the sweep.
ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
A pair of Dukes earned spots on the YSU Invitational All-Tournament Team, with
Chloe Wilmot earning MVP honors and
Londyn Stone also receiving all-tournament recognition. Wilmot enjoyed a dominant weekend at the setter position, dishing out 111 assists while averaging 11.10 assists per set. She also totaled 13 digs, nine kills and six blocks across the three matches. The senior opened the weekend with 35 assists and seven digs before surpassing the 3,000-assist milestone in Duquesne's victory over Youngstown State, finishing with 46 helpers. She closed out the tournament with 30 assists against Mercyhurst. Stone turned in an impressive collegiate debut weekend, totaling 35 kills, 22 digs and four aces. She opened her career with six kills before exploding for 17 kills and eight digs against the Penguins. The Georgia native capped the weekend with 12 kills and nine digs against Mercyhurst while hitting .360.
INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Joining Stone in double figures was classmate
Simone Searles, who finished with 10 kills and nine digs while hitting .350.
Emersen Schrom added eight kills, five digs and two aces, while
Maddie Bush paced the Dukes with five total blocks. Senior
Delaney McIntosh anchored the defensive effort, collecting 15 digs and an ace.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns home for the first time in the 2026 season when it hosts the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic on Friday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept. 5 inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes open the tournament against Eastern Michigan at 11:00 a.m. on Friday before battling Elon at 6:00 p.m. Duquesne will wrap up the weekend against local rival Robert Morris on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
