The Canisius volleyball team dropped a pair of matches against Duquesne, losing 3-1 in the first match of the day before falling in five sets during the nightcap in the first day of action Friday at the Robert Morris/Duquesne Invitational in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Golden Griffins saw their record shift to 2-3 on the young campaign with the two setbacks while Duquesne improved to 4-1.
In their first match, the Griffs would prevent a sweep with a third-set victory, but the Dukes would surge late in the fourth set to win, 3-1.
During the evening match, Canisius and Duquesne would trade the first four sets, requiring a fifth set to decide a winner. During final frame, the Dukes would pull away with a 5-1 run midway through the set to win the match 3-2 and earn back-to-back victories over the Griffs.
MATCH ONE RECAP:
Tied 8-all early in the first set, the Dukes would take advantage of a 14-5 run, led by five kills from Morgan Gish, to grab a 22-13 lead. Even with two late scores from the Griffs, the Dukes would win the first set, 25-15, and claim a 1-0 lead. Duquesne would finish the first set a hitting percentage of .310 (17-4-42) compared to .172 (8-3-29) from Canisius.
Even with a late 3-0 run from the Griffs in the second set, capped by a service ace from sophomore defensive specialist Alyssa Rich, the Dukes would still win, 25-23, and take a 2-0 advantage.
With their backs against the wall entering the third set, the Blue and Gold began the frame on the right foot, opening with a quick 5-1 spurt. Duquesne would tie the match moments later and after trading points for a brief stretch, the Griffs again took flight, using a 7-2 run of their own to open up a 15-10 lead at the media timeout. Canisius would not relinquish their lead for the rest of the set, securing the 25-21 set victory and staving off a sweep.
Down by as much as seven early in the fourth set, the Griffs would stage a 5-0 rally midway through the frame that would bring them to within two, 16-14. Still, the Dukes would call a timeout and out of the stoppage, outscore the Griffs, 9-4, the remainder of the way to take the set 25-18 and win the match 3-1.
Graduate outside hitter Ella Loussia led the Griffs with 13 kills and 10 digs while junior libero Jillian Hanna added in a team-best 13 digs. Redshirt-sophomore setter Avery Dole had 35 assists to pair with 10 digs. As a team, Canisius compiled a hitting percentage of .184 (40-15-136).
Avery Hobson and Gish paced Duquesne with 22 and 20 kills, respectively, while their teammate, Chloe Wilmont, collected a career-high 55 assists and four service aces. Duquesne hit at a clip of .258 (66-24-163) in the victory.
MATCH TWO RECAP:
After falling in the first set, 25-19, the Griffs would flex their offensive prowess in the second set, using a .343 (15-3-35) hitting percentage to overpower the Dukes, 25-23, and tie the match at 1-all.
The two sides would be caught in a deadlock to open the third set. With the score tied at 22-all late in the frame, the Dukes would capitalize on a pair of kills and a Canisius serving error to take the set, 25-23.
Canisius came out of the gate on fire in the fourth set, using a 6-1 run to begin the frame and a 5-0 spurt later in the stanza to extend their lead to 15-7. From there, Duquesne would outscore Canisius by eight, 17-9, to erase its deficit and tie the match at 24-all. After exchanging scores, the Blue and Gold would take advantage of a Duquesne error and Hubert’s eighth kill of the set to win, 27-25, and force the winner-take-all fifth frame.
Trailing 8-7 at the midway point of the fifth frame, Duquesne would pull away from the Griffs, going on a 5-1 run to extend their lead to 13-8. Even with a late 4-1 charge from Canisius, it would not be enough as the Dukes held on to take the set, 15-12, and match, 3-2.
Hubert paced Canisius with a season-high 19 kills to pair with 17 digs and four total blocks while Dole collected a career-high 51 assists to compliment 17 digs. Loussia added 14 kills and 11 digs of her own. At the net, sophomore middle blocker Bella Mosquera collected six total blocks with one solo rejection. As a team, Canisius was held to a hitting percentage of .189 (57-23-180).
Camille Spencer led the way for Duquesne in the second match with 21 kills and 16 digs. Hobson added in 18 kills and 14 digs of her own. Gish totaled a match-high seven blocks with one block solo. The Dukes hit at a clip of .225 (66-24-187) in the victory.
MATCH NOTES
• Today’s back-to-back matches against the Dukes marked the first instance since March 28, 2021 when the Griffs faced Battle of the Bridge rival Niagara that Canisius played the same opponent twice in one day
• Rich made her first start of the 2023 season in the first match of the day
• Junior middle blocker Emma Mans made her 2023 season debut in the first match against Duquesne, finishing the day with three block assists
• Hanna’s 24 digs in the second match represent a career-high, dating back to her time at Marist
• Dole has recorded a double-double in every match this season. Her 51 assists today also represent the first time in a Canisius uniform dole has eclipsed 50-or-more helpers in a match
• Mosquera’s 13 kills in the second match of the day are the most she has had at the Division I level and equal her career-high which she has achieved twice, most recently against Post on Oct. 15, 2022, while at Holy Family
UP NEXT
The Blue and Gold return to the court tomorrow at 11 a.m. to face Robert Morris in their final match of the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
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