VERMILLION, S.D. – The University of Denver women's volleyball team handed South Dakota its first Summit league loss with a 3-0 victory on Friday. The Pioneers overtook the Coyotes by scores of 25-23, 25-19, and 25-23.

The win was DU's 13th straight, and improved its overall record to 15-1 (4-0 Summit League) on the year.

"It's great to get a win in three against a very good South Dakota team on the road," said head coach Tom Hogan. "They challenged us with their defense, but our offense responded and executed with range. Our defense was anchored by Macy Carrabine with 26 digs, and our entire team battled through the long rallies. We now turn all of our attention and focus to Sunday's match where we will face a very good North Dakota team."

Career Night for Emma Willis:
Senior middle blocker Emma Willis tallied her 500th career kill in the contest. Willis totaled three kills on the evening, bringing her season total to 90. The athletic middle blocker tallied 34 kills as a freshman (2015), 189 as a sophomore (2016) and 187 as a junior (2017).

Pioneers Dominate in Set Two:
DU took an early three-point lead right out of the gate in the second set, and never looked back en route to going up two games to none against USD. Leading the entire set, the Pioneers had 35 total attack attempts with only one attack error. As a team they tallied 16 kills for a .429 hitting percentage.

Pioneer Performers:
Becca Latham and Lydia Bartalo led the team with 12 kills each. Other category leaders were Ellie Anderson in assists (22), Macy Carrabine in digs (26) and Tina Boe in blocks (three).

Let's Talk Numbers:
Denver totaled 49 kills, five aces, 63 digs, 47 assists, 4.5 blocks and a .292 hitting percentage in the win. The Crimson and Gold limited South Dakota to 43 kills, two aces, 60 digs, and a .260 hitting percentage.

What's Next for DU:
The Pioneers remain on the road for their next match, heading north to Grand Forks, N.D for a meeting North Dakota on Sunday. Start time is set for 1 p.m. MT.

TICKETS: 
Single-game tickets for the 2018 Denver volleyball season are also on sale, and can be purchased here.
 
PIONEER MOVEMENT: 
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