SALT LAKE CITY— The University of Denver women's volleyball team wrapped up the opening weekend with a loss against No. 19 Utah on Saturday night. The Pioneers went five sets against the Utes, scored 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25 and 16-14.
Denver is 2-1 after the opening weekend at the Utah Volleyball Classic, defeating
Saint Mary's 3-1 on Friday, Aug. 24 and
UC Irvine 3-2 earlier on Saturday.
"I'm really proud of our team.", said head coach
Tom Hogan. "We battled in a tough competitive match and grew from it. Utah is a tough team to play, especially at home, and I'm happy with the way our team continued to evolve as the match went on. It's only the first weekend, and this match is going to fuel this team. We can't wait to get back home, get some rest, and prepare for our first home match on Friday night."
Pioneer Performers:
Sophomore
Tina Boe was a consistent competitor for Denver in the final match of the tournament, tallying 10 kills, five blocks and a .421 hitting percentage. Over the course of the weekend, Boe posted a total of 25 kills and 13 blocks in 14 sets.
Junior
Katarina Marinkovic earned a career high with 18 kills and 12 digs, her second double-double of the day. She also tallied three blocks and 19.5 points. New to the squad, Marinkovic opened her first weekend as a Pioneer with 42 kills and 12 blocks in 14 sets.
Other significant players included sophomore
Ellie Anderson, (32 assists – career high), senior
Emma Willis (four blocks) and senior
Becca Latham (15 kills and .394 hitting %).
Let's Talk Numbers:
The Pioneers tallied 64 kills, 67 digs, and 10.5 blocks against the Utes. Denver also out-blocked Utah in three of the five sets, led by sophomore
Tina Boe who was the match blocking leader (5).
Four Pioneers posted kills in the double digits against the Utes - Marinkovic (18), Latham (15),
Lydia Bartalo (12) and Boe (10).
Over the course of the opening weekend, Denver earned a total of 168 kills (12 kills per set), 184 digs, and 32.5 blocks.
What's Next for the Crimson and Gold:
Next weekend (Aug. 31-Sep. 1) the Pioneers will host the Denver Classic in Hamilton Gymnasium, the first of three home-tournaments before conference play begins. The Crimson and Gold will open the tournament on Friday, Aug. 31 against UC Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. MT.
Become a Season Ticket Holder:
Season tickets for the 2018 Denver volleyball season are on sale now and can be found by clicking
HERE. Tickets for Denver's 17 home matches can be purchased for only $48.
