University of Denver
4-2
Utah State
2-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 18 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Denver | 25 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 1 |
Pioneers Fall to Utah State in Four Sets
9/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
VOLL v Utah State (3 SEP 16) - Highlights
VOLL v Utah State (3 SEP 16) - Post Game
VOLL v Utah State (3 SEP 16) - Full Game
DENVER - Keeping its momentum from the match earlier in the day, the University of Denver volleyball team started strong in the opening set against Utah State, but couldn't hold on to finish out the Pioneer Classic, falling to Utah State 18-25, 27-25, 25-22, 25-22.
Nola Basey, the lone Pioneer on the All-Tournament team, led the offense for Denver (4-2), recording 12 kills with nine digs, matched by Cassie Baird with 12 kills and five digs, while Ruth Okoye kept up with nine kills and five block assists in the match.
Emma Willis led the presence on the net with eight block assists, a career high, to go with seven kills in the nightcap. Kayla Principato maintained her pace with eight kills and four block assists.
Cassidy Rooke anchored the back line once again, with 18 digs on the evening, while Monique Domme and Piyusha Boteju split setter duties with 24 and 23 assists, respectively. Both setters also recorded a double-double on the evening with 10 digs.
Rachel Gale led all attackers in the match with 17 kills, nearly matched by her Utah State (2-4) teammate Lauren Anderson with 16 kills and 15 digs. Kassidy Johnson drove the Aggies' offense with 43 assists and recorded a double-double as well with 11 digs.
Set One:
The Pioneers came out firing in the first set, successfully hitting on .364 of their attacks while holding the Aggies to a .097 mark from the court. Both teams were evenly matched on the net with three team blocks while Utah State held an advantage in service aces at two to one.
Basey led the way with five kills and no errors for a .625 hitting percentage, followed by Baird with four kills and a .429 mark and Okoye with three kills and a .400 mark.
DU took the early lead at 5-2 but Utah State stayed closed behind to force the tie at 9-9. The Pioneers opened up a four-point lead at 16-12 but the Aggies were right on their heels to stay within one at 19-18.
That was the last point Denver surrendered, closing out the first set on a 6-0 run for a 25-18 final.
Set Two:
Denver maintained a steady pace on offense with a .262 hitting percentage, but the Aggies responded in kind with a .324 mark.
Baird kept up the offense with four kills, followed by three each from Principato and Becca Latham, and two apiece from Okoye and Basey.
Utah State held the early lead at 6-2 before DU could force a tie at 11-11. The Aggies held onto the lead at 17-14 but the Pioneers forced the tie at 18-18 and took the lead at 20-19.
The match turned into a back-and-forth affair with neither side holding more than a one-point lead and Utah State held the first set point at 24-23 before Denver held the next at 25-24. The Aggies eventually clinched the set on three straight points to close out the set at 27-25.
Set Three:
DU's offense took a dip, hitting .170 as a team, while Utah State kept their pace at .318.
Principato and Baird each tallied three kills in the set, while Basey added two to round out the trio.
The Pioneers opened up a 7-4 lead early on, but the Aggies chipped away through the set, eventually taking the lead at 15-13. DU retook the lead at 20-18 but a 5-0 Utah State run gave the Aggies a 23-20 lead and held on to clinch the set at 25-22
Set Four:
The offensive drought continued for Denver, hitting only .079, but kept Utah State to an equal hitting percentage at .075 with DU posting eight blocks as a team.
Okoye and Basey tallied three kills apiece, while Willis added two to go with five block assists.
The Pioneers found themselves down early at 4-1 but kept within two points of the lead at 8-6. Utah State fired off a 5-1 run, extending their lead to 13-7, and kept a five-point cushion at 17-12, prompting the timeout from Denver.
DU fought tooth and nail to get within one point with Utah State clinging to a 17-16 lead, and eventually forced the tie at 20-20.
A four-point Aggie run proved to be the deciding factor, giving Utah State a 24-20 lead, while late heroics giving Denver two points weren't enough to turn the tide, finalizing the score at 25-22.
Up Next:
The Pioneers will pay a visit to Greeley, Colo., next Wednesday, Sept. 7, to take on Northern Colorado starting at 7 p.m. MT. Denver will visit Brooklyn, N.Y., later in the week to compete in the LIU-Brooklyn Tournament starting at 9 a.m. MT on Saturday, Sept. 10.
Tickets are on sale for Denver's home matches and can be found here.
Fans interested in making a donation to the volleyball program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.
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