Box Score | Season Stats

DENVER - Denver volleyball defeated Western Michigan 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-23) Sunday in its fourth home match of the weekend. The Pioneers are undefeated in Hamilton Gymnasium and are 6-1 on the season.

Kayla Principato (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) led the Pioneers with 15 kills, tying her career high for kills in a match. Principato also earned four blocks in the match. Ruth Okoye (Aurora, Colo.) led DU with five blocks, four of which came in the first set. Monique Domme (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the Denver setters with 23 in the match.

Denver began the match on the right foot, with Western Michigan calling a timeout after the Pioneers came out to a 5-1 start. The Broncos powered back to earn the lead 19-18 and forced extra points as a service ace by Western Michigan tied the match at 24. Nola Basey (Lyons, Colo.) came into the match late to serve a critical point, regaining the Denver lead 26-25 with a service ace. The Pioneers were led by Principato and Cassie Baird (Indianapolis, Ind.), who each tallied four kills and at least a .500 hitting percentage in the first set.

The Pioneers battled through four ties to begin the match before taking a 14-13 lead and never surrendering it. Denver struggled to find its rhythm offensively, hitting.167 in the match. Five Pioneers earned three or more kills in the second set, but each also had at least one error in the set as well.

Denver hit .350 in the third set, led by Principato who recorded seven kills without an error. The Pioneers began the set with an early run for a four-point lead, but the Broncos did not make the set easy. Western Michigan held a 22-20 lead late in the match, but kills from Principato, Moni Corrujedo (El Paso, Texas), Becca Latham (Austin, Texas) and Okoye powered the Pioneers back to a 25-23 win the third set.

Denver will return to action Thursday, September 10 at 6 p.m. MT at UTEP (2-3), before participating in the NMSU-UTEP Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers will take on Oklahoma (2-4), New Mexico State (5-2) and Brown( 2-1) in Las Cruces, N.M.

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