Charleston, S.C. – Head coach
Steve Opperman reached another career milestone Saturday morning as the Duquesne volleyball team battled past Notre Dame, 3-2, on the final day of the Steve Baumrind Invitational. The victory pushed the Dukes to 7-2 (.778) on the season and gave Opperman his 400th win on the Bluff.
BATTLE TESTED
In the decisive set, the Dukes jumped out to an early 4-1 advantage behind kills from three different players and an ace from junior
Emersen Schrom. The two squads traded the next six points before Schrom added a kill and an ace to push the Duquesne lead to 11-7. Following a Notre Dame kill, the Dukes capitalized on a Fighting Irish miscue before sophomore
Alexa Flowers added a service ace to give Duquesne a 13-8 advantage. Notre Dame responded with a 6-1 run to even the score at 14-14, but Schrom delivered when it mattered most, closing out the five-set thriller with back-to-back kills.
NECK-AND-NECK
Notre Dame took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 26-24 victory in the third set, but the Dukes battled back to force a decisive fifth stanza. The Fighting Irish jumped out to a 12-9 advantage in the fourth before Duquesne answered with a 6-2 run to take a 15-14 lead. A block from freshman
Maddie Bush and senior
Chloe Wilmot sparked the rally, followed by a kill from freshman
Simone Searles. After Notre Dame answered with a pair of points, Schrom and freshman
Londyn Stone delivered back-to-back kills before Schrom added a service ace and Bush and Searles teamed up for a block to cap the run. Later in the set, Searles and Stone continued to come through offensively with successful swings, while another Schrom ace helped the Dukes take a 23-21 advantage. Notre Dame battled back to even the score at 24-24, but Duquesne responded with a kill from Schrom and a service ace from Searles to secure the 26-24 victory and force a fifth set. The Dukes hit .281 in the stanza, recording 13 kills, six service aces and two blocks.
400 WINS. ONE PROGRAM
Head coach
Steve Opperman, now in his 36th season overall and 29th campaign on the Bluff, became just one of 21 active Division I head coaches with 400 or more victories at their current program. He is also one of just 16 active Division I coaches to record 500 or more career victories while collecting at least 400 wins at their current institution. Last season, Opperman became one of 28 active Division I head coaches to eclipse 500 career victories, while becoming just the second coach in the Atlantic 10 to reach the milestone. His 519 career victories currently rank 24th nationally. During his tenure on the Bluff, Opperman has guided the Dukes to double-digit victories in all but two seasons, including 15 campaigns with at least 15 wins. The Ohio native has led Duquesne to 12 Atlantic 10 Tournament appearances while coaching the program's first two AVCA All-Americans. He has also produced 19 All-Atlantic 10 First and Second Team selections, 27 A-10 All-Rookie Team honorees and two A-10 Rookies of the Year.
QUOTABLE
"I thought we did a great job of battling back today after a tough Friday," Opperman explained. "Our team did a good job of staying focused and aggressive. A really nice win over a Power 4 program. For me, winning 400 matches at Duquesne is pretty crazy. It is a testament to all the players and coaches that put in the effort and hard work to create something special."
DYNAMIC DUO
A pair of Dukes paced the offensive charge Saturday morning, led by
Emersen Schrom and
Simone Searles. Schrom recorded her fourth kills-digs double-double of the season, finishing with 23 kills and 16 digs. The junior fell just shy of matching her career high with six service aces, while adding two blocks and hitting .298 for the match. Schrom was particularly dominant in the third set, recording seven kills on a .333 hitting percentage before adding six kills apiece in the second and fifth sets. Searles matched her season high with 17 kills while adding six digs and three blocks in the victory. The freshman has now recorded double-digit kills in six matches this season and paced the Dukes offensively in the fourth set, tallying six kills while hitting just under .300. Combined, Schrom and Searles accounted for 40 of Duquesne's 57 kills while adding 22 digs and five blocks to help propel the Dukes to the five-set victory.
INSIDE THE STAT SHEET
Londyn Stone added 12 digs and seven kills, recording her third match with double-digit digs this season, while senior
Jordan Robertson contributed four kills and four blocks.
Maddie Bush controlled the net alongside Robertson, leading the Dukes with five blocks. Senior setter
Chloe Wilmot orchestrated the offense with 48 assists and three blocks, while senior Delany McIntosh anchored the back row with 11 digs and three service aces.
UP NEXT
Duquesne returns home when it hosts the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational on Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19. The Dukes will welcome UMES on Friday at 6:00 p.m. before battling Siena at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
