PHILADELPHIA –La Salle (7-9) fell to Duquesne (8-10) on Friday night, dropping to 2-3 in conference play. The Explorers had built up a two-set advantage, only for the visitors to climb back into the match and eventually take the decisive set. Two Explorers finished with double-doubles, senior
Kathryn Wood (52 assists, 12 digs) and junior
Samantha Graver (19 kills, 21 digs).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The game was tightly contested to begin with; neither team made a huge run until late. La Salle recorded a three-point run that Duquesne answered in kind, trimming the Explorers' lead to 14-13. The home side answered by embarking a 9-3 jaunt that opened its advantage up to nine. Duquesne would score a few points, but not enough to bridge the gap.
- Again, neither team could differentiate itself in the early going of the second frame, trading points. With the score notched at 12-12, La Salle hit for seven straight, including three kills by senior Catherine Edgington. The Dukes would tally nine of the next 14 possible points, but a kill by senior Devin Corah sealed it.
- The Explorers began looking for the key third set and jumped ahead by two on a few occasions, including up 13-11 lead after a kill by Corah. Duquesne answered back with nine unanswered points, over which La Salle used both of its timeouts but couldn't stymie the away side. La Salle would find an answer, however, and rallied to claim six of the next seven points, closing within two. The Dukes took the frame with four straight to end it.
- Still trailing 2-1, Duquesne came into the fourth on fire and opened up an 11-4 lead. The Explorers pushed back an eventually tied things up at 14-14, but the visitors refused to die. Out of a timeout, the Dukes went on an 8-1 run, jumping ahead 22-15 and eventually claiming the set.
- Into the pivotal fifth set, La Salle took a 2-0 lead before Duquesne tied things up. A Corah kill nudged the home team ahead, but a seven-point rally put the Dukes back on top. The Explorers wouldn't go quietly and tallied five of the next six points, inching within two. Despite kills by Edgington and Graver in the late going, Duquesne sealed the comeback.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- La Salle won the battle of kills (65-62) and points (80-77), and for the seventh consecutive game recorded more aces than its opponent (9-5).
- Four Explorers registers double-digit kills: Graver led the way with 19, followed by Edgington (14), Corah (13) and freshman Marisa Guisti (11).
- Another rookie who stood out was libero Rachel Hess who was tied for the game-high in digs with 25. She was one of five Explorers with double-digit digs on the night, joined by Graver (21), Wood (12), junior Allison Laucella (12) and redshirt freshman Sarah Nahas (10).
- Edgington tied a game-high with five blocks, a tally that was her second most this season.
UP NEXT
- La Salle faces a tight turnaround as it hosts Villanova on Saturday night. First serve is at 7 p.m.
