Pioneers Sweep Jackrabbits on the Road

Box Score

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Led by a 13-kill performance from senior Colleen King (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), the University of Denver volleyball team swept (25-18, 25-23, 25-18) the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Friday evening at Frost Arena in Brookings, S.D. The win is the third in a row for the Pioneers and brings their overall record to 9-7 on the season, a perfect 3-0 in league play. The loss drops the Jackrabbits to 2-13 overall, 0-2 in league play.

“Any win on the road is a good win and I am happy with our effort tonight, especially in closing out SDSU in the third set,” said head coach Jesse Mahoney. “SDSU committed two blockers to our middles, which opens a lot of seams for our four pin hitters who all had great nights. Tomorrow will be another challenge.”

Along with her 13 kills, King also finished with 10 assists, eight digs and four blocks. Freshman Nola Basey (Lyons, Colo.) finished with nine kills and seven digs, while teammates Moni Corrujedo (El Paso, Texas) and Cassie Ronda (Chandler, Ariz.) both chipped in with seven kills.

Senior Brea Muhle (Columbus, Neb.) led the way at the net with six blocks, while defensive specialist Kate Acker (Waukesha, Wis.) tallied 15 digs. Sophomore setter Tori Moons (Visalia, Calif.) continues to split the setting duties with King, leading the way with 19 assists.

Both teams kept it tight in the first set early on, with the Pioneers holding a slim margin until solid serving from sophomore Hannah Safari (Boulder, Colo.) extended the lead to 16-12 before the Jackrabbits were forced to call a timeout. Denver held onto the advantage throughout the rest of the set, not letting SDSU to within less than three points the rest of the way.

In the second set, the Jackrabbits jumped out early to a 4-1 lead, however the Pioneers took the lead off a kill from King and three straight service aces by Acker. Both teams exchanged points throughout the rest of the set, until the Pioneers pulled away from a tie score at 22-22 to eventually win 25-23.

The Jackrabbits once again came out strong in the third set, but the Pioneers answered with a 10-2 run to take a 10-4 lead as SDSU called timeout. After along the Jackrabbits to score coming out of the break, the Pioneers strung together a 9-6 run to take a 19-11 advantage before taking a pause of their own. Despite a late push from the Jackrabbits, the Pioneers were able to extend their lead and seal the win with a 25-18 decision in the final set.

Action continues on Saturday against North Dakota State at 6 p.m. MT.

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