Box Score Sept. 29, 2017 BOX SCORE
Pioneer Movement| Denver Ticket Office
DENVER- After winning the first set in come from behind fashion, the University of Denver women's volleyball team fell to the North Dakota State Bison 3-1 (28-26, 15-25, 23-25, 23-25) on Friday evening in Fargo, N.D.
The loss drops DU to 10-4 on the season and 1-1 in league play. NDSU improved to 12-3 overall and 3-0 in the league with the victory.
Becca Latham led the way for the Pioneers with 13 kills in the match, including the 500th kill of her career which came in the fourth set. Teal Schnurr also had double-digit kills with 11. Piyusha Boteju led in the assist category with 23, and Cassidy Rooke paced the team with 20 digs. Rooke now has 1502 digs in her career, which moves her into fourth all-time in DU history. Emma Willis had a solo block in the match, but Tina Boe had three assisted blocks to lead the team with three total blocks. Five DU players recorded service aces, with Cassie Baird having a team-high three.
As a team, Denver hit .127 with 52 kills, 69 digs, 49 assists, seven service aces and four total blocks.
Set One: Once again, Denver showed its toughness, rallying in the opening set to take the 1-0 match advantage. Down 24-20, DU fought off four set points and used a 5-0 run to take a 25-24 lead. After ties at 25 and 26, a Schnurr kill and Anderson service ace completed the comeback to take the set, 28-26. Latham had seven kills in the first set, Kayla Principato had five kills, and Schnurr had three. DU hit .196 with 17 kills and had two service aces from Baird and Ellie Anderson. Rooke had eight digs and Boteju had eight assists in the set to lead the team in those categories. Boe combined with Baird and Schnurr for the two Pioneer blocks in the set. There were a total of eight ties and three lead changes in the opening frame.
Set Two: Although DU jumped out to an early lead, the Bison took the set 25-15. DU only had eight kills in the set, hitting .067 (8-6-30). Baird had back-to-back service aces, as well as two kills, both team-highs in the set. Schnurr also had two kills in the set. Boteju once again led the team in assists with four, while Anderson assisted on three points. Boteju also led in digs in the set with two of the five digs.
Set Three: Set three followed a similar pattern to set one, but with NDSU being the team to storm back to win the set. DU had an early 4-0 run to go ahead 7-4, and would later have its greatest lead of the match at 16-10. North Dakota State called a timeout, but DU was able to maintain the lead and be the first team to 20 at 20-16. The Bison then used a 4-0 run to tie the set at 20, and from there, there would be ties at 21, 22, and 23 before NDSU closed the set with the last two points to take the set 25-23. After the NDSU timeout at 16-10, the Bison went on a 15-7 run to close the set, including a 3-0 run and a 4-0 run to stop Denver's momentum and take the 2-1 match advantage. Denver hit .070 (15-12-43) in the set, with Baird registering four and Willis and Latham having three each. Boteju had seven of the team's 14 assists in the frame, as well as the team's lone service ace, and Rooke added five digs. Willis had a solo block, the only block of any kind recorded in the set for the Crimson and Gold.
Set Four: Like set three, set four was extremely close towards the end of set, with NDSU once again getting the edge 25-23. There were four ties in the first 10 points of the set, but a 3-0 run by DU put them in front 9-7. Denver would again pull ahead at 14-10, but the Bison fought back to pull within one point at 14-13. The Pioneers then used a 3-0 run to go up 17-13, but North Dakota State went on a 6-0 run of their own to pull in front 19-17. There were ties at 19 and 20, but NDSU took a 23-20 lead off of a 3-0 run. DU would cut the lead to 23-22 off of two Bison attack errors, and then one at 24-23 after a Baird kill, but the Bison would get the final point to take the set and the match. Schnurr had four kills in the final set to lead the Pioneers, and Andrea Eddy and Olivia Novotny added service aces. Rooke and Baird each had seven digs to lead the team, and Boteju closed the match with four more assists. Latham and Boe recorded the only block of the set, teaming up for the assisted block. The Pioneers had 12 kills and hit .149 in the set.
UP NEXT: Denver plays South Dakota State on Sunday, with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. MT. The Jackrabbits lost to Oral Roberts on Friday night in straight sets, and are now 2-14, 0-3 in the Summit League.
SEASON TICKETS:Tickets for the 2017 Denver volleyball season are on sale now and can be PURCHASED HERE.
PIONEER MOVEMENT: 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.
- JOIN THE DENVER PIONEER NATION -
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of Denver's NCAA Division I sports.
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Volleyball on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Volleyball on Twitter
