DENVER – The University of Denver women's volleyball team fell in five sets to South Dakota in the Summit League Tournament Final on Sunday afternoon inside Hamilton Gymnasium. Denver, the No. 1 seed, fell to the No. 2 seed by scores of 27-25, 24-26, 19-25, 25-21 and 15-6.

The Pioneers slipped to 27-2 on the year, and now sit at 4-2 overall in Summit League Championship matches. The Pioneers entered the weekend No. 43 in the NCAA RPI, and will await the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Championship Selection Show that is set for Sunday, Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. MT on ESPNU. 

Senior Becca Latham earned a career-high 22 kills to lead the Denver offense. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter joined the 1,000 kills club on Sunday, now sitting at No. 7 all-time with 1,018 career kills in her time at Denver.

"We are obviously disappointed with the loss today, but we congratulate South Dakota for the great game they played," said head coach Tom Hogan. "It was a well fought match between two tenacious teams and a strong showing of the talent in our conference. But we know that our season is more than any one game, and we believe our 27-2 record and our multiple national statistical standings speak volumes. We belong in the NCAA tournament. The ball is in the committee's hands, and we hope they respect and acknowledge the mid-majors as much as they do the other conferences."

Pioneer Performers:
Following Latham's lead, two other Pioneers posted double-digit kills against South Dakota. Senior Emma Willis tallied 16 and Tina Boe came up with 14. Latham, Willis and Boe accounted for 52 of Denver's 73 total kills.

Boe was a key contributor in all categories, totaling one assist, one ace, six digs, six blocks and 18 total points in addition to her 14 kills.

Sophomores Ellie Anderson and Macy Carrabine proved themselves to be reliable as always. Anderson totaled 34 assists and Carrabine tallied 25 digs.

Freshman Graceyn Tippens continued to step up for the Pioneers, totaling six kills, one ace and seven digs.

Set Three Success:
The Crimson and Gold rallied back from an 8-1 deficit at the start of the third set, totaling 17 kills and a .302 hitting percentage. Once the Pioneers took the lead at 12-11, they didn't give it up again. Denver wrapped up with a four-point scoring run to clinch the 25-19 victory.

Let's Talk Numbers:
Denver totaled 71 kills in 206 total attempts, .214 hitting percentage, 61 assists, three aces, 85 digs, and a season-high 14.5 blocks. Despite South Dakota only earning 68 kills in 191 attempts, it still wasn't enough for Denver to bring home their fifth-consecutive tournament championship.

TOGETHER 4 COLORADO TOY DRIVE:
The Pioneers have partnered with CBS4 for the Together 4 Colorado Toy Drive to support the Denver community during the holiday season. Beginning Nov. 17, there will be toy drops at every Denver Athletics and Newman Center event thru Dec. 19. Additionally, there will be a Community Shop 'n Drop on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., hosted by the Denver Cheerleading squad at the circle drive on the north side of the Ritchie Center.
 
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.