Pittsburgh, Pa. – Behind a trio of double-doubles, the Dukes captured a 3-1 victory over the Rams in Atlantic 10 play Saturday afternoon inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. With the win, the Duquesne volleyball team extended its winning streak to five matches while improving to 11-2 (.846) overall and 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2021.
PUNCH FOR PUNCH
Despite dropping the third set, 26-24, Duquesne responded with a strong fourth-set effort to close out the match. Trailing 15-14, the Rams rattled off four consecutive points to extend their advantage to 19-14 and force a Duquesne timeout. The Dukes answered out of the break, finding their rhythm with six straight points to take a 20-19 lead. Freshman
Simone Searles sparked the run with a pair of kills, while she and classmate
Maddie Bush teamed up for a rejection. Fordham responded with three consecutive points to regain a 22-20 advantage, but Duquesne once again answered, scoring four straight to move ahead, 24-22. Searles accounted for two points during the stretch, while freshman
Londyn Stone added another kill. The Rams battled back to knot the score at 24-24, but senior
Jordan Robertson found the floor with a kill before a Fordham attacking error sealed the match for the Dukes, 26-24.
POINT OF EMPHASIS
A burst midway through the opening stanza propelled Duquesne to an early 1-0 lead in the match. With the set knotted at 10-10, the Dukes used an 8-2 run to create separation, with junior
Emersen Schrom pacing the attack with a pair of kills while Searles also found the floor successfully. Bush added a block and a half during the spurt before Fordham halted the run with a kill. The Dukes responded by rattling off five consecutive points to take a 23-13 advantage. Stone sparked the run with a kill, followed by a Fordham miscue, a service ace from senior
Delaney McIntosh and a successful swing from classmate
Jordan Robertson. McIntosh added another ace before senior
Chloe Wilmot closed out the frame with a point, giving Duquesne a 25-16 victory in the opening set.
SWINGING INTO RHYTHM
The Dukes carried their momentum into the second stanza, hitting .385 with 14 kills, four blocks and three aces en route to a 25-15 victory. Tied at 3-3, Duquesne erupted for a 12-3 run to take a 15-6 advantage into the media timeout. Schrom and Searles each recorded a pair of kills during the stretch, while Wilmot, Schrom and McIntosh each contributed a service ace. The Dukes also made their presence felt at the net, with Robertson collecting a block and Stone and Searles each adding a half block. Fordham trimmed the deficit to 19-11 later in the set, but Duquesne answered by scoring six of the final 10 points to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Schrom registered three kills during the closing stretch, while Searles and Stone each added a kill as the Dukes secured a 2-0 lead in the match.
QUOTABLE
"We are excited that we opened conference play 2-0," head coach
Steve Opperman said. "It was a complete team effort in both matches. This group is doing some nice things and we look forward to building on this weekend."
BY THE NUMBERS
Three Dukes turned in double-double performances, as
Simone Searles,
Emersen Schrom and
Chloe Wilmot each made an impact in the victory. Searles continued her strong play with her fourth double-double of the season and second in as many matches, posting a season-high 20 kills and 11 digs while hitting an impressive .400 for the match. She also added three blocks, including six block assists. Schrom registered her fifth double-double of the season, tallying 19 kills and 11 digs to go along with three aces and two assists. Wilmot rounded out the trio with her first assist-dig double-double of the season, recording 43 assists and 10 digs while adding one and half blocks, two kills and an ace.
Londyn Stone paced the Dukes with 14 digs while contributing five kills, while
Delaney McIntosh finished with 13 digs and six assists. At the net,
Maddie Bush led the way with a season-high four blocks, including six block assists and one solo rejection.
Jordan Robertson added four kills and two blocks
UP NEXT
Duquesne opens the month of October with three consecutive road matches, beginning with a trip to Saint Louis for a pair of contests on Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3.
