ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 Atlantic 10 Conference decision to Duquesne Friday night at Chaifetz Pavilion as the Dukes prevailed 21-25, 25-19, 25-16, 20-25, 15-13.

SLU fell to 5-11 overall and 0-3 in the A-10, while Duquesne improved to 14-5, 3-0.

Lauren Baumet tallied 15 kills for the Billikens, while Carly Schumacher recorded 14 kills and assembled a .387 attack percentage (14-2-31). Megan Gilbert had 11 kills and 21 digs.

Grace Bonoma collected a match- and season-high 29 digs, while Anna Church and Andrea Bolt turned in 14 and 10 digs, respectively. Cassie Clarke had 48 assists, Carly Marcum registered four blocks, and Church and Bolt served three aces apiece. 

After Duquesne pulled out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth set, SLU stormed back to take a 7-6 edge. The Billikens led 11-10 when Duquesne ran off three straight points to lead 13-11, but SLU rebounded to gain a 13-13 deadlock. However, the Dukes scored the final two points to take the set and the match.

The Bills trailed 6-2 in set one before scoring 18 of the next 24 points, capped off by an 8-0 run, to go on top 20-12. An 8-3 spurt allowed Duquesne to narrow the gap to 23-20, but Saint Louis held on for the victory.

A 5-0 run gave Duquesne a 6-3 lead in set two, and the Dukes managed to fight off several attempts by the Billikens to pull even. SLU cut its deficit to one point three times before Duquesne gradually pulled away.

In set three, the Dukes scored the first three points and were in command until the Bills made it 13-12. That was as close as Saint Louis would get, though, as Duquesne rattled off six consecutive points to regain control.

The Billikens again came from behind in set four, erasing a 12-7 Duquesne advantage with a 5-0 flurry. After a 6-2 run put the Dukes in front 18-14, the Bills answered with a 6-0 outburst to lead 20-18. Duquesne quickly knotted the score at 20, only to see SLU close out the frame with five straight points to force a fifth set.