Duquesne volleyball off to best start since ‘08Depth

A group of Duquesne volleyball players celebrating on the sidelines during a match, with one player holding a volleyball and others raising their hands in excitement. — [Liz Mantush | Staff Writer] Sophomore standout Emersen Schrom gears up for a serve with her teammates’ support.

Noah Fries | staff writer

The Duquesne volleyball team continued its early season dominance with two more wins in the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic on Friday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse and another one at the UPMC Events Center at Robert Morris University on Saturday. The three wins pushed the Dukes’ record to 6-0, matching the program’s best start to a season since 2008.

For the second tournament in a row, sophomore outside hitter Emerson Schrom was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Schrom dominated the weekend, totaling 57 kills, 32 digs and seven blocks throughout the three matches.

Senior middle blocker Ariel Helm was also a force for the Dukes, garnering All-Tournament honors. But the biggest accolade of the weekend was not earned by a player, as head coach Steve Opperman achieved his 500th career victory in the team’s win on Saturday.

Opperman’s team has a great blend of seasoned seniors and impressionable freshmen, making the five seniors imperative to the team’s success. Opperman puts his trust in his seniors, knowing that they can work together and help build a team mindset.

Two Duquesne volleyball players jumping to block a ball at the net during a match, with teammates and spectators in the background. — [Liz Mantush | Staff Writer] Freshman Karli Jordan (left) and Tori Newton extend for a block against Fairleigh Dickinson.

“They all bring something different,” Opperman said. “The nice thing is that one evens each other out. Carsyn [Henschen’s]a little high strung and Ariel can be that big emotion when she puts a ball away or blocks a ball and Hanna is kind of the calm one of all of them. All of them want to win, and you can tell. Every day in practice they are getting after it, and they are getting everyone else to work just as hard.”

Duquesne dropped the first set to Loyola Maryland 27-25, but stormed back to win the next three sets (25-22, 25-16, 25-17). Schrom led the Dukes with 14 kills, with the next three Dukes adding 13 kills cumulatively. Chloe Wilmot had four aces in the match to go along with her 48 assists.

In the nightcap, Duquesne played tougher and scrappier volleyball than Fairleigh Dickinson throughout the entire first set. Blocks and block touches were paramount throughout the set, which led to big runs and a massive 25-16 set win. Helm and Jordan had two and three kills, respectively, while Wilmot added nine assists.

“To be able to dominate so early in my career means a lot,” Jordan said. “I know that coach Opperman and Alyson [Londot] and Hunter [Rock] are putting a lot of faith into me and into the other girls, so to be able to perform for them and do what I need to do means a lot.”

Cheering Duquesne volleyball players celebrating a match victory, with one player raising her arms in excitement. — [Liz Mantush | Staff Writer] Mirabella Iriarte (left) and Kaylie Baumgart celebrate a play at the Chick-Fil-A Robinson Classic.

The second set was back-and-forth, with FDU playing cleaner volleyball. The Dukes, however, were relentless – with junior middle blocker Jordan Robertson being a force from the service line and Henschen being the difference maker from an attacking standpoint. A 5-0 run from Robertson sealed the set for the Dukes, 25-19.

The Knights would not go down without a fight, however. They started the set with 5-0 a run that led to their largest lead of the match. With both teams battling throughout the set, it was FDU that kept taking advantage of a seemingly more timid Dukes squad, resulting in a 25-22 set win for FDU to push the match to a fourth set.

The fourth set was dominated by the Dukes – specifically by middle blockers Helm and Robertson, the latter of which had an 11-0 service run to put the Dukes firmly ahead 16-5, a lead which led to a dominating final score of 25-13 and another match win for Duquesne, pushing their record to 5-0 heading into Saturday’s match against Robert Morris.

The final match of the tournament was the closest a match has been for the Dukes thus far, with the Dukes winning the first two sets (25-22, 25-13) but then dropping the next two (25-23, 25-15) to RMU. The team bounced back in the fifth set however, securing a 15-10 set win and yet another match win, giving the Dukes a perfect start through six games for the first time since 2008.

“We’ve never started quite like this,” Henschen said. “It just feels like everyone is so confident in the team’s ability and our own ability to win, so that takes a massive weight off your shoulders when you’re able to go into a game, and you can rely on the other 5 people on the court to put the ball down, serve the ball, set the ball. It’s just so refreshing to be on a team where we don’t have to worry about anything.”

Noah Fries can be reached at friesn@duq.edu