Oct. 20, 2006

Box Score

DENVER - Junior Kim Muller (Ballwin, Mo.) recorded a match-high 13 kills and senior Lisa Hunter (St. Louis, Mo.) chipped in 11 and the University of Denver defense limited South Alabama to just a .029 hitting percentage in a 3-0 sweep (30-16, 30-25, 30-22) over the Jaguars Friday night in front of 376 fans in Hamilton Gymnasium. The win, DU's third straight overall and fifth in its last eight matches, improves the Pioneers' overall record to 13-9, 6-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama falls to 5-18 overall and remains winless in the SBC at 0-11.

"Given the types of matches we've had lately it was nice to see us put together three strong games like that," DU head coach Beth Kuwata said. "It was important for our confidence and we played very well. More than anything else, I think we needed a match like this."

The Pioneers got things going right away, dominating the Jaguars in the first game 30-16 as DU recorded its best hitting game of the match, a .440 performance behind four kills from Muller. With the Pioneers holding a 12-9 advantage midway through the game, a kill by Hunter sparked an 18-7 run that turned a close game into a rout as DU's defense did its job, holding the Jaguars to match-low -.125 hitting percentage.

In the second game, DU's defense again held strong, holding South Alabama to a .108 hitting percentage. Close throughout much of the game, an attack error by Holly Benson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and a kill by USA's Jennifer Johnson gave the Jaguars a 25-23 lead. A kill by Muller and three consecutive errors by South Alabama gave DU a 27-25 edge and Benson recorded her lone service ace of the match to put the Pioneers up by three. Another error by USA and a Hunter kill ended it as DU scored the game's final seven points for a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

The third game featured more of DU's defense, as the Pioneers blocked five of USA's attacks at the net and held the Jaguar offense to just a .088 hitting percentage. Muller led the way with six of DU's 19 kills in the game as the Pioneers overcame an early 17-12 deficit by scoring seven consecutive points en route to their first sweep of a Sun Belt opponent since a sweep at Florida Atlantic on Oct. 6.

The Pioneers are next in action on Sunday, Oct. 22 when they host Senior Day and Troy at noon in Hamilton Gymnasium. DU senior Lisa Hunter will be honored along with her parents in a pre-match ceremony.