Oct. 7, 2005

Box Score

DENVER -- The University of Denver Volleyball team captured its sixth straight win Friday evening, sweeping the Mean Green of North Texas 30-19, 30-16, 30-27 at Hamilton Gym. The Pioneers improve to 9-5 overall and 3-0 in the conference. North Texas falls to 8-11 and 2-1 in the Sun Belt.

Head coach Beth Kuwata was pleased with the intensity display by the Pioneers and felt the win centered on Denver controlling the tempo of each game.

"In games one and two we really played well," Kuwata said. "We really had the momentum, which allowed us to play exactly the way we're most comfortable with."

The Pioneers jumped into the driver's seat early, taking games one and two with ease. Defensively, Kristin Halt (St. Charles, Ill.) shined in the first two games, racking up 14 digs. DU's offensive attack was also stellar with a hitting percentage of .588 in game two.

After the break, North Texas came out with more tenacity in game three, capturing their first lead of the night and forcing DU to fight back by as much as five points. After North Texas took their third lead of the night, Kuwata called for Denver's first timeout of the night. The Pioneers then regained their rhythm and fired off six straight points to take the match.

"We really played well throughout the entire match," Kuwata commented. "Game three was solid on our part. It was the normal play that you would expect to see in volleyball. For us to have our first timeout in game three is out of the ordinary. But overall, it was a great win for us and a great confidence builder to take into tomorrow's match."

Halt finished the night with 16 digs, while senior Amanda Millard (Southlake, Texas) contributed 10. Rookie Kerry Porter (Western Springs, Ill.) led DU with 14 kills on 18 attempts for an impressive .722 hitting percentage.

The Pioneers wrap up the weekend tomorrow against Arkansas State at 6 p.m. in Hamilton Gym.