Oct. 30, 2005

Box Score

DENTON, Tex. -- After falling in five games to Arkansas State Friday, the University of Denver volleyball team failed to bounce back Sunday at North Texas, being swept by the Mean Green 24-30, 22-30, 24-30. The Pioneers fall to 12-9 overall and 5-4 in the Sun Belt, while North Texas improves to 10-17 on the season and 4-5 in the conference.

For DU, very little from Sunday's match held the same characteristics of the Pioneer squad that dominated North Texas in a three-game sweep at home Oct. 7. Lisa Hunter (St. Louis, Mo.) lead Denver with 16 kills for a .355 hitting percentage. Defensively, Kristin Halt (St. Charles, Ill.) paced the Pioneers with 19 kills.

Disappointed in her team's effort, head coach Beth Kuwata hopes the weekend will work as a wake-up call for the Pioneers heading into their last three conference matches.

"We knew how important this match was for our position in the west division of the conference," Kuwata said. "Going 0-2 this weekend really puts a lot of pressure on us and working under pressure is something that we have struggled with this season."

From the onset, the Pioneers never found a rhythm against the Mean Green. Defensively, Denver struggled to control the outside hitting of North Texas and did not register a team block until game three. Offensively, the Pioneers were their own worst enemy, finishing with a .106 team attack percentage and committing 27 errors.

"It's always at the end of the season when you find out what kind of team you are," Kuwata said. "Right now, we have to accept the challenge that's in front of us. We know we can win matches. However, we have to figure out how to win matches under pressure and be more confident in difficult situations. The competition gets tougher at the end of the season and it's time for us to show that we can handle it."

The Pioneers return to Hamilton Gym for their last conference weekend of the season, hosting South Alabama Nov. 4 at 7 p.m., followed by Troy Nov. 6 at 1 p.m.