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Box Score 2 Aug. 30, 2015 Final Stats
San Diego State Statistics | San Francisco Statistics | Season Stats
SAN FRANCISCO - The University of Denver volleyball team went 1-1 in the second day of the San Francisco Invitational, defeating San Diego State in the first match of the day 3-1 before falling to host San Francisco 1-3.
The Pioneers were led by All-Tournament selection Moni Corrujedo (El Paso, Texas) in the second day of action. Corrujedo recorded 23 kills in the matches; she led the team with 11 against San Diego State and was one of two players to earn 12 kills against San Francisco. Kayla Principato (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The day began with a challenge from the Aztecs.
For the second match in a row, the Pioneers needed more than 25 points to win the first set. Denver defended a five-point run by the Aztecs to hold onto their chance to win. Nola Basey (Lyons, Colo.) kicked off the set with three kills on her first three attempts. Corrujedo contributed in the first set with five kills down the stretch. A solo block by Basey was the 30th and set-winning point for the Pioneers.
Denver dominated the second set, leading the Aztecs from start to finish. The Pioneers posted their largest lead of the match at 24-12 and completed the victory three points later, 25-14. DU recorded a .346 hitting percentage with 12 kills, while San Diego State hit -.031 in the second set with only eight kills.
The Pioneers dropped their first set of 2015 in the third to the Aztecs, falling 25-22. San Diego State had their best offensive showing in the third set. Denver trailed early in the set before tying the score at 10 and five more times. Ultimately, the Aztecs prevailed, led by Alexandra Psoma's eight third-set kills.
Denver powered back in the fourth set. After San Diego State came out to a 4-1 lead, Denver went on a seven-point run behind the serve of Basey. And the Pioneers did not surrender the lead. Despite its poorest hitting percentage of the match, DU's Sarah Schmid (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) recorded four blocks, while Becca Latham (Austin, Texas) and Principato earned two each to help Denver win the set 26-24 and to win the first match of the day 3-1.
In the Pioneers' final match of the San Francisco Invitational, Denver battled the unbeaten Dons.
The first set was close as a kill by Corrujedo tied the score at 19. The Dons pulled out the 25-22 win, marking the second time that the Pioneers have fallen by that score. This marked the first deficit that DU had faced in 2015.
Denver came out tough in the second set, building a 3-0 lead, but did not make the set easy. The Pioneers and Dons battles through 14 ties before San Francisco claimed a two-point lead and the second set 26-24.
In the third set, Denver earned a 17-15 lead in the third after trailing for most of the set. The Pioneers did not surrender the lead as they powered back to a 25-22 win. A block by Ruth Okoye (Aurora, Colo.) and Latham earned the final point of the set and forced a fourth set in the match.
The Pioneers struggled in the fourth set of the match. San Francisco built a 9-3 lead to begin the set and led Denver the entire time. DU hit -.030, its worst performance in the tournament. Despite four kills by Cassie Baird (Indianapolis, Ind.), the Pioneers could not overcome the Dons.
Cassidy Rooke (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)led the Pioneers in both day-two matches in digs, tallying 23 against San Diego State and 15 against San Francisco. Monique Domme (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Piyusha Boteju (Euless, Texas) combined for a successful setting performance for the Pioneers. Domme made 27 digs against the Aztecs and 18 against the Dons, while Boteju recorded 15 versus San Diego State and 21 against San Francisco.
Denver opens at home Friday at 7 p.m. MT in the Pioneer Classic. The Pioneers will host UT Arlington, Villanova and Air Force in Hamilton Gymnasium.
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