Sept. 17, 2005

Final Stats

DENVER - After a forceful victory over Portland Friday evening, the DU volleyball team kept the energy high and went the distance, sweeping Montana 30-20, 30-27, 30-21, followed by Northern Illinois 30-28, 30-25, 30-26 to capture first place at the Denver Invitational Saturday evening. With the 3-0 weekend, the Pioneers improve to 6-5 on the season heading into Sun Belt Conference play.

This weekend's performance by the Pioneers reflected the level of play that head coach Beth Kuwata has been looking to get out of her team since the onset of the season. With conference play on the horizon, the balanced attack and relentless defense of this Pioneer volleyball team could not have come at a better time.

"This weekend was a big accomplishment for our team," Kuwata said. "We were able to put our mistakes from last weekend behind us and play up to our full potential. NIU played a really tough match, but we fought harder. I'm really excited to see that out of this squad, especially heading into the Sun Belt."

DU got things started this morning against Montana, taking the court with the same high energy that they displayed the previous evening. Led by senior Amanda Millard's (Southlake, Texas) 13 kills, the Pioneers stayed in control despite Montana's determined attack. Junior Lisa Hunter (St. Louis, Mo.) added 11 kills, while rookie Holly Benson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) posted 12 digs.

In the second match of the night, the Pioneers met a feisty Northern Illinois squad that was determined not to go 0-2 for the weekend. NIU mounted a six point lead on DU before the Pioneers answered back in thrilling fashion, rallying for game one.

The match was far from over as Northern Illinois kept game two just as close. With the Pioneers in danger of giving up a game on the weekend, rookie Kerry Porter (Western Springs, Ill.) drilled four key kills to put DU one game away from a perfect weekend.

By the third game, the Pioneers knew what to expect from the Huskies and managed their game accordingly. Hunter led DU with 16 kills, followed by sophomore Kim Muller (Ballwin, Mo.) with 15. Senior setter Ashly Ball (Chula Vista, Calif.) contributed 48 assists, while Millard added 14 digs.

For their stellar play, Hunter and Ball were named to the All-Tournament team with Hunter taking home MVP honors.

"Lisa and Ashly had a great weekend," Kuwata commented. "Ashly's positive attitude is very contagious on the floor and the team really responds to her leadership. Lisa is key component to our offense. Her ability to take out of system swings was a big factor in our success this weekend."

The Pioneers return to the floor Sunday, September 25 in Sun Belt Conference action against Louisana-Lafayette at noon in Hamilton Gymnasium.

2005 Denver Invitational All-Tournament Team
Audrey Jensen, Montana
Emily Sakis, Montana
Kate McCullagh, Northern Illinois
Nicole Thometz, Portland
Ashly Ball, Denver
Lisa Hunter, Denver