PALO ALTO – The University of Denver volleyball team fell to No. 3 Stanford 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-15) in the opening round of the NCAA tournament in Maples Pavilion on Friday.

"I was proud of the way we came together and we got better every day of the season. It showed here towards the end of the year when we were playing our best volleyball," said head coach Tom Hogan.

Denver ends its 2019 campaign with a 23-9 mark while Stanford improves to 25-4.

Stanford took charge in the opening set, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead. A kill from Amanda Green brought the Pios within three of the Cardinal at 8-5 but a pair of 3-0 runs by Stanford kept them on top at 17-12. Denver used a 4-1 run midway through to chip away at the lead pulling themselves within one at 19-18 but it was Stanford who held on late, locking in four of the final five points to clinch the first set at 25-20.

The Cardinal offense continued to roll in set two as they used a 5-0 run to jump ahead 9-2 to open the frame. A kill from Lydia Bartalo gave the Pios some life, sparking a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to nine at 19-10 but it wasn't enough to silence Stanford as they ran away with the second set, 25-11.

With their backs against the wall, the Pios came out firing in set three. With the help of a pair of service aces from Lorrin Poulter, the Denver offense locked in a 6-0 run to force a Stanford timeout, leading 9-5. The Cardinal was able to answer quickly scoring five unanswered to pull themselves within one. Powering ahead in the home stretch, the Cardinal took the final five points of the frame to clinch the third set 25-15 and the sweep.

Kalea Fobert and A. Green each chipped in a team high six kills while A. Green also led the defensive efforts adding a team-best four blocks. Ellie Anderson added a team high 16 assists while Macy Carrabine led the Pioneers with 14 digs.

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