Oct. 23, 2001

Box Score

Attempting to be the first team to hand Colorado State its first loss of the season, the University of Denver volleyball team played tough, but eventually fell to the eighth-ranked Rams, 3-0, Tuesday.

Denver (9-11) dropped the opening game, but managed to score 27 points on the CSU squad. Prior to Tuesday's match, the Rams had not allowed a team to score more than 24 points since San Diego State posted 27 on Sept. 27. Following a 30-25 loss in game two, the Pioneers had a great opportunity to be only the fourth team to win a single game against Colorado State. Leading nearly the entire game and playing in front of 800 loud fans at Hamilton Gymnasium, the Pioneers were unable to hold on late, yielding the match with a 30-27 loss in the final game.

"If we play like this all the time, we could dominate the Sun Belt Conference and I'm not afraid to say that," said head coach Beth Kuwata. "Except for maybe the last couple points in each game, we didn't make many errors. We were able to do some things tonight that we have not been able to do lately. We dug hard driven balls and kept them a little off balance all night."

Sophomore Olympia Hughes (Casper, Wyo.) had a tremendous outing against the Rams, notching a team-high 13 kills, while committing just one attack error. She finished the night hitting .462 to lead the Pioneers. Senior setter Clarice Golesh-Burch (Lakewood, Colo.) also had a strong match, posting 30 assists, four block assists and a team-best eight digs.

The Pioneers continue their three-match homestand Friday night with a Sun Belt Conference contest against West Division leader New Mexico State. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium.