FORT WAYNE, IND. - Kicking off Summit League play following twelve non-conference matchups, the University of Denver volleyball team fell to Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1 on Friday.

The loss drops the Pioneers to 8-5 on the season and 0-1 in conference play while Purdue Fort Wayne moves to .500 on the year at 8-8 overall and a perfect 2-0 in conference action.

The Pios and 'Dons exchanged the opening few points of the match seeing things tied at six early on. PFW pulled away with the help of a 5-0 run to take a 12-9 lead. Stretching their lead to as much as eight down the stretch was too much for the Pioneer offense to overcome as the 'Dons took the first set 25-19.
 
The second set consisted of four ties early on before either team was able to reach the ten-point mark. The Mastadons went on a 3-0 run to pull away at 11-7, forcing a Denver timeout. The Pios then used a 3-0 run of their own to cut the lead to 12-10. Purdue Fort Wayne grabbed three-straight points late to extend their lead to 20-17. A trio of kills by Brianna Green, Lydia Bartalo and Ari Winters weren't enough to catch PFW as DU fell in set two, 25-20.

The Denver offense showed some strength in set three, going on a pair of 3-0 runs to give themselves a 9-3 advantage early on.  The 'Dons chipped away at the lead but kills from Green and Bartalo clinched a 14-9 advantage midway through. Continuing to build their lead throughout, the Crimson and Gold sailed to a 25-15 set three victory.

Purdue Fort Wayne jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set. The 'Dons were able to double their lead at 14-7 but Denver fought back with a 3-0 run forcing a PFW timeout holding a 14-10 advantage. The Pioneers showed some light later on, scoring four consecutive points, but it was the 'Dons who were able to come up big in the end, taking the fourth set 25-19 and the match 3-1.

Denver offensive leaders through four sets were Lydia Bartalo with a team-high 11 kills while Ellie Anderson added a team-high 16 assists in the match. Defensively, the Pioneers totaled 20 block assists, with Tina Boe and Ari Winters adding five each. Junior libero Macy Carrabine had a team-high 14 digs on the evening.
 
The Pioneers look to redeem themselves in their second Summit League matchup as they travel to Tulsa, Okla. to take on Oral Roberts on Sunday (1:00 PM MT).

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