Oct. 23, 2002

Box Score

DENVER - The University of Denver volleyball team used a season-best .352 attacking percentage and held Air Force to just 36 kills in a 3-0 (30-22, 30-24, 30-19) sweep at Hamilton Gymnasium Wednesday night, snapping a six-game losing streak. With the win, Denver improves to 3-15 overall while Air Force drops to 8-14. The sweep was Denver's first of the season.

Stellar play was handed in by the Pioneers, as sophomore Mary England (Castle Rock, Colo.) finished second on the team with 12 kills but had no attacking errors for a match and season-high .632 hitting percentage. Fellow junior Olympia Hughes (Casper, Wyo.) tallied a match-high 14 kills and just one attacking error for a .520 hitting percentage, easily her best output of the season as well. Hughes also had three of Denver's season-high eight service aces.

The match started well for Denver, as the Pioneers jumped out to a 12-6 lead and never looked back in a 30-22 win. The Pioneers recorded 13 kills to just six errors in the game, while the Falcons struggled offensively with 12 kills and nine errors for a .073 attacking percentage. The Pioneers seemed to get stronger as the game progressed, as in the second game Denver had 18 kills and just four attacking errors in the 30-24 win.

The third game was perhaps Denver's best of the season as the Pioneers attacked on a .425 hitting percentage and won 30-19, its largest margin of victory in a game this season. The Pioneer defense limited the Falcons to just nine kills in the deciding game.

"I think tonight was just a great team effort and easily our best offensive output of the year," head coach Beth Kuwata said. "We were consistent throughout the entire match and that was one of the things we really needed. The team never really felt threatened the entire match and that has been something we've struggled with. But today we battled, and I am just extremely happy."

Denver is next in action this Saturday when they return to conference play and travel to Miami to take on Florida International at 5:30 p.m.