University of Denver
1-0
Rhode Island
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Rhode Island | 14 | 13 | 9 | 0 |
Denver Opens 2012 with 3-0 Sweep of Rhode Island
8/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Led by a combined 19 kills from junior Colleen King (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and freshman Michele Swope (Orlando, Fla.), the University of Denver volleyball team opened the 2012 season with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-9) sweep of the Rhode Island Rams in the first match of the Rams Volleyball Rocky Mountain Invitational at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo., on Friday evening. The win marks the first under first-year head coach Jesse Mahoney.
"I'm proud of our team and the composure they showed right from the start," Mahoney said. "I thought Frances managed the game very well in her debut as a collegiate setter. We put a lot of pressure on Rhode Island with our blocking, which created a lot of transition opportunities. A great start to the season."
King finished with 10 kills, five blocks and three digs, while Swope added nine kills, three blocks and three digs.
Also contributing for the Pioneers offensively was redshirt sophomore Cassie Ronda (Chandler, Ariz.), who finished with eight kills. WAC Preseason First-Team honoree and senior Faimie Kingsley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Pioneers with nine blocks (2 bs-7 ba), while also finishing with four kills. Junior Brea Muhle (Columbus, Neb.), along with King, also provided strong blocking as the net for the Pioneers as both finished with five blocks apiece. The Pioneers finished with 14.0 total team blocks (2 bs-24 ba).
Making her collegiate debut, sophomore setter Frances Carroll (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) led the way with 32 assists, two kills, one block and three digs. Senior libero Lyndi Johnson (Flower Mound, Texas) finished with 17 digs, while sophomore Kate Acker (Waukesha, Wis.) tallied seven digs.
The Pioneers are now 6-8 in season openers and have only swept their season-opening opponent four times since joining the NCAA DI ranks in 1999. The Pioneers have only swept their season-opening tournament once in 2003, taking the Saluki Invitational title.
Catie Steffen and Britta Baarstad led the Rams with three kills each, while Steffen and Ashley Tennant both finished with five digs.
Tournament action continues tomorrow as the Pioneers take on hosts Colorado State at 1 p.m., followed by Virginia at 5 p.m.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for $6 for adults, $4 for youth. Visit http://j.mp/Qrj7KV to purchase tickets online.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Live Stats will be available for each match, while a live video broadcast will be available for the CSU matches only. Pioneer fans can listen to the match between Denver and CSU on Saturday live in the Fort Collins area on 90.5 FM (KCSU). Fans outside of the area can listen worldwide on www.KCSUFM.com. Fans can also watch the matches through CSU's All-Access subscription streaming video. The live feed will be synced to the home radio broadcast. For more information, go to www.CSURams.com/AllAccess. Live updated will be available on DU volleyball's twitter feed at @DU_Volleyball.
PIONEERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The Pioneers are on social media! Like the Pioneers on Facebook at Denver Pioneers and follow the Pioneers on Twitter at DU_Pioneers. Join the conversation on game days by using the hashtag #DUGameDay. To see all the Pioneers' social media accounts, visit http://bit.ly/nW1zg3.
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of DU's NCAA Division I sports.
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