DENVER The University of Denver volleyball team (16-3, 5-1 SBC) swept Sun Belt Conference foe Florida Atlantic University (10-8, 3-3 SBC) in straight sets on the road at FAU Arena in Boca Raton, Fla. After dropping a heartbreaker against FIU the night before, the Pioneers rallied to put another victory in the win column with the 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-18) sweep.

 

“It was really good for us to come back tonight and put in a great performance after a tough loss from the night before,” said head coach Beth Kuwata. “I think we did a great job of executing our game plan tonight and I am very happy with the performance of our team. We had a few mental mistakes during the third set, but all in all I think we had a great night.”

 

Senior Jacqueline Paul (Albuquerque, N.M.) led the way for Denver with 12 kills on 23 total attacks for a .522 hitting percentage. Two other Pioneers finished the match with double-digit kills as seniors Holly Benson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Kerry Porter (Western Springs, Ill.) added 10 kills apiece for the night.

 

Setter Clare Maxwell (Jr., Western Springs, Ill.) had another impressive night as she finished with 42 assists, her ninth 40+ assist performance of the season. Defensively, Benson led the way with 14 digs while Paul and Porter each finished with three block assists each.

 

After claiming the first set 25-20, the Pioneers continued with the momentum by starting off the second set on a 3-1 run. The Owls battled right back, tying the score a 4-4 on a miscue by the Pioneers. The set continued to see-saw back and forth and with the score tied 24-24, Denver squeaked out the final two points on a miscue by the Owls and a kill by Porter.

 

In the final set of the match, the Pioneers jumped out to quick 18-9 lead forcing the Owls to take a time-out to regroup. Denver continued to lay on the pressure, despite a late set rally by the Owls, and took the final set 25-18 to seal the win.

 

The Pioneers return to action at home this coming Friday and Saturday at Hamilton Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Denver. Denver will face Western Kentucky on Oct. 17 with a 7 p.m. match and Middle Tennessee on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. Live Stats will be available for both matches.

 

- PIONEERS -