Box Score NEW ORLEANS - Same arena, same thrilling result.
After pulling out a heart-pounding five-game win - by losing the first two games and then eking out the final three - a year ago in New Orleans, the Pioneers repeated the feat Saturday night with an emotional 3-2 win (15-17, 13-15, 15-8, 15-9, 15-11) in Sun Belt Conference action here at the Lakefront Arena Auxiliary Gym.
Two hours and 20 minutes after its start, the Pioneers earned their biggest victory of the season to date when junior setter Clarice Golesh (Lakewood, Colo. / Mullen HS) dumped a pass over the net to provide the match's climax in front of a jubilant Denver bench.
The Pioneers shut down the Privateers' Jessica Perdue, a unanimous preseason all-Sun Belt Conference selection, by holding her to a .078 hitting percentage. Denver dominated statistically, recording a school-record 34 block assists, including a near-school-record 15 by junior middle blocker Kristin Savage (Arvada, Colo. / Arvada West HS). That total was part of an amazing career night for Savage, who set career highs in blocks, kills (11) and digs (16) to record her first career triple-double.
Amazingly, four other Pioneers had double-doubles, including sophomore OH Julie Crockett (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Rampart HS) with career highs in blocks (13) and digs (15); Golesh, who had 49 assists and a career-high 22 digs; junior OH Kellie Savage, Kristin's twin, who smashed a match-high 24 kills and added 16 digs; and senior OH Sarah Kaye (Aurora, Colo. / Smoky Hill HS) who recorded 16 kills and 15 digs.
"I think our team showed a lot of character after what we did not do last night. They showed everyone, including the coaching staff, how much heart they have and how well they can play," said head coach Beth Kuwata. "We just made minor adjustments throughout the match. I think our blocking of Jessica Perdue was the difference in the match. Julie Crockett shut her down, and that was a huge key. What it came down to was that we passed significantly better and ran a much simpler offense."
The Pioneers return home this weekend for Sun Belt Conference matches against Louisiana Tech (Friday, Oct. 6) and New Mexico State (Sunday, Oct. 8).
Complete online match statistics were unavailable at the completion of the match.
DENVER VOLLEYBALLat New Orleans, La. (UNO Lakefront Arena Auxiliary Gym)DENVER 3, New Orleans 2 1 2 3 4 5DENVER (8-8, 2-2 Sun Belt) 15 13 15 15 15New Orleans (9-6, 3-1 Sun Belt) 17 15 8 9 11DENVER: Kills 71 (Kellie Savage 24, Sarah Kaye 16); Digs 89 (Clarice Golesh 22, Kristin Savage 16, Kellie Savage 16); Blocks 21.0 (Kristin Savage 15, Julie Crockett 13); Assists 61 (Golesh 49).NEW ORLEANS: Kills 71 (Jessica Perdue 21, Ann MacMillan 14); Digs 88 (Perdue 23, Stacie Maratea 23); Blocks 13.0 (MacMillan 5); Assists 63 (Alison Howard 53).T: 2:20. A: 210.
