University of Denver
7-2, 0-0Sun Belt
DePaul
1-7, 0-0BIG EAST
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 3 |
| DePaul | 21 | 21 | 25 | 20 | 1 |
Denver Finishes Second at DePaul Invitational with 3-1 Win
9/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CHICAGO, Ill. The University of Denver volleyball team (6-2) defeated hosts DePaul University 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20) in the final match of the DePaul Invitational at McGrath Arena to finished as tournament runner-ups.
Senior Holly Benson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the Pioneers for the second match of the tournament with 16 kills, while freshman Jordan Raines (Coppell, Texas) finished with a career-high 14 kills and 11 digs. Senior Kerry Porter (Western Springs, Ill.) and junior Emmy Davidsmeyer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) rounded out the double-digit kills for the Pioneers as they tallied 12 and 11, respectively.
Setter Clare Maxwell (Jr., Western Springs, Ill.) finished with her second 50+ assist performance with 54, while Kacie Wikierak (So., Crystal Lake, Ill.) notched 18 digs.
“We played better than this morning,” said head coach Beth Kuwata. “It’s nice to get a win against a big east opponent. We played a lot of volleyball this weekend, with each of our games going longer than three sets. In the two previous weekends, we only played three sets each match so this weekend tested our strength. There are things that we need to improve on and we are looking forward to practice this week.”
UTSA captured the tournament crown, while the Pioneers finished as runners-up in front of Ball State and DePaul. Benson and Porter captured All-Tournament team honors, along with Alisha Green (Ball State), Sarah Cullen (DePaul) and Stephanie Robbins (UTSA). UTSA’s Kendra Rowland took tournament MVP honors for her performance during the invitational.
Earlier in the day, the Pioneers fell to UTSA 3-2 (25-21, 25-18, 22-25, 19-25, 12-15), snapping their five-match win streak.
Senior Kerry Porter (Western Springs, Ill.) finished with a personal-best 17 kills with a .387 attack percentage. Benson tallied 14 kills along with 23 digs and three blocks. Rounding out the double-figure kills were Jacqueline Paul (Sr., Albuquerque, N.M.) with 12 and Davidsmeyer with 11.
Maxwell finished with a season-high 56 assists, while Wikierak notched 27 digs and two service aces.
Denver returns home to host the University of Denver Invitational next weekend, Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 at Hamilton Gymnasium. The Pioneers will face SMU, Georgia State and UNLV.
- PIONEERS -
