DENVER - The University of Denver volleyball team is set to appear in its seventh-straight conference tournament. The Pios enter the Summit League Tournament presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare as the No.2 seed, locking in a first-round bye after ending their regular-season Summit League run with a 21-7 overall record and a 13-3 standing in conference play. 

The Pioneers will face No.5 seed Purdue Fort Wayne in the semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium. 

DENVER IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

• This will be Denver's seventh-consecutive appearance in the championship tournament 
• During their last appearance in 2018, the No. 1 seed Pioneers fell to the No. 2 seed South Dakota Coyotes in the championship 3-2
• The last time Denver was ranked as the No. 2 seed was back in 2013
• The Pioneers have gone 5-1 in tournament play under head coach Tom Hogan
• Overall the Pioneers are 10-2 in the Summit League tournament, securing four championships along the way (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)

DOMINANT AT HOME

• The Pioneers are dominant at home sitting at 12-1 on the season in Hamilton Gymnasium, dropping just one game at home to South Dakota earlier this season
• The Pioneers are 57-4 at home with head coach Hogan at the helm

PIOS IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE

• Junior outside hitter Lydia Bartalo leads the Summit League in aces per set
• Junior middle blocker Tina Boe ranks second in the Summit League in attack percentage at .362
• Freshman middle blocker Brianna Green ranks third in the Summit League in blocks per set averaging 1.22
• Denver ranks first in two categories as a team, leading the Summit League in blocks per set (2.28) and aces per set (2.10)

DENVER LEADERS

• Bartalo leads the Denver offense with 323 kills through 28 matches to go along with a team-best 3.20 kills per set
• B. Green leads the Pioneers in blocks with 111. The freshman averages a team-high, 1.23 blocks per set
• Junior libero Macy Carrabine leads the DU defense with 374 digs, averaging 3.82 per set
• Junior setter Ellie Anderson enters the tournament with a team-high 521 assists, setting up an average of 5.26 per set. Anderson also has a team-best ten double-doubles on the year

HOT HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND

• The Pios enter the tournament with a 21-7 overall record and a 13-3 standing in Summit League action.
• Denver has won 12-straight sets with four-consecutive sweeps against North Dakota, North Dakota State, Omaha and Western Illinois

DENVER AND PURDUE FORT WAYNE

• The Pios are 1-1 against the Mastadons this season
• PFW handed DU their first Summit League loss, dropping the Pios 3-1 in Purdue (25-18, 25-20, 15-25, 25-19)
• Denver bounced back in the second meeting, taking down the Mastadons 3-1 in Denver (25-9, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23)
• The Pioneers are 1-0 against the 'Dons in tournament play, facing them for the first time in the 2018 semifinals. The Pios took down PFW 3-0

SCOUTING NO. 5 SEED PURDUE FORT WAYNE

• This will the Mastadons fourth-straight championship appearance
• They enter the weekend sitting at 17-13 overall and 11-5 in conference play
• As a team, they average 12.8 kills per set and 15.8 digs per set, while holding their opponents to a .199 attack percentage
• Offensively they are led by Katie Crowe who has totaled a team-high kills on the season (385) and Madison Gates who leads the way in assists, averaging 5.70 per set
• Defensively, Sydney Boerst has a team-high 111 blocks through 30 matches while Rachael Crucis has a team-best 4.47 digs per set