Denver 3-1 Incarnate Word (20-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-23)

Denver 3-2 UT-Arlington (12-25, 15-22, 25-12, 17-25, 25-23)

ARLINGTON - The Pioneers head back to Denver with a perfect 3-0 start to the season, defeating Jackson State, Incarnate Word, and Texas-Arlington in a two-day tournament. Denver currently sits atop the Summit League standings with Fort Wayne, who also began their season undefeated.

"We are excited to start the season off 3-0 and with a tournament victory," head coach Jesse Mahoney said. "We had a lot of bright spots on the weekend: we rallied from behind in both matches today, and we gutted out a tough five-set win in a pressure-filled environment against UTA. This weekend also highlighted some aspects of our game that we need to improve on and now we will get back in the practice gym, get back to work and prepare for next weekend at home."

The Pioneer offense was spread out well against Incarnate Word, with seven different players recording kills. Sophomore Moni Corrujedo (El Paso, Texas) continued her solid play, with 18 kills on 44 attempts, followed by Nola Basey (Lyons, Colo.) who notched ten kills on 42 attempts. Kate Acker (Waukesha, Wis.) finished the four-set game with 19 digs and five assists. Freshman Cassie Baird (Indianapolis, Ind.) made her mark on the scoresheet as well, registering 11 kills on 26 attempts. Senior Bailey Karst (Aurora, Colo.) once again led the team in assists with 41, adding on two kills, 12 digs and one service ace.

Much like the teams' last outing which also saw five sets, Denver and UT-Arlington played a close game. Recovering after a 25-12 first set, the Pioneers would go on to win three of the next four. Acker fronted the team with a total 31 digs, while Karst tacked on another 46 assists as well as 12 digs of her own. Senior transfer Erica Denney (Aurora, Colo.) played in all five sets and contributed 10 kills on 23 attempts and junior Sarah Schmid (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) notched 12 kills on 24 attempts for a .458 percentage.

The Pioneers look to continue their luck at home, when they play host to Sam Houston State, Bradley and Kansas in the annual Pioneer Classic starting Friday, September 5.