DENVER – The Denver Pioneers volleyball team earned its third straight sweep with a 3-0 victory against the Western Illinois Leathernecks on Sunday in Hamilton Gymnasium. The win marked head coach Tom Hogan's 100^th career victory.
 
Turning Point
Katarina Marinkovic capped her long road to recovery with a kill on the second play of the second set. Marinkovic's kill marked her first point in her first game since the 2018 season when she was named All-Summit League. The kill resulted in raucous cheers from the Pioneer bench.
 
1st Set
Denver won the first point of the set and never looked back, building a five-point lead by 8-3 and a 10-point lead by 19-9. Western Illinois faced set point four times before ultimately falling, 25-18.
 
2nd Set
Leading 5-4 early in the second set, the Pioneers continued to win nine of the next 10 points before the Leathernecks called a timeout. Denver committed 10 errors after the stoppage compared to only two before the break. The mistakes merely delayed the Pioneers' progression toward a 25-19 win.  
 
3rd Set
The Leathernecks had a 6-4 lead when Denver called a timeout. The Pioneers turned their deficit into their advantage at 9-8 and pushed that lead to four points before Western Illinois called a timeout of its own. The Leathernecks drew to within two points of Denver at 16-14, but the Pioneers' four-point run after that point helped put the match out of reach. The Crimson & Gold ultimately won 25-18.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Marinkovic recorded three kills and two service aces in her return to the court
-Michelle Feliciano saw action in her first match of the season
-Denver improved to 15-0 all-time against Western Illinois, having dropped only two total sets to the Leathernecks. The Pioneers are 8-0 on their home court vs. Western Illinois and have never dropped a set in the Mile High City
 
Significant Stats
-Hogan recorded his 100^th win as head coach. His all-time record stands at 100-28
-Denver recorded its third sweep of the season. All wins have been sweeps
-The Pioneers had a .365 attack percentage, its second-highest mark for a game this season
-Lydia Bartalo recorded a season-high 11 kills
 
Up Next
The Pioneers will wrap up their series vs. Western Illinois on Monday, Feb. 22. First serve is set for 4 p.m. MT.
 
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