SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  – The Denver Pioneers volleyball team continued its dominant play, picking up its fifth straight victory on Friday, sweeping No. 4 seed Omaha 3-0 in the semifinal of the Summit League Championship presented by US Air Force Special Warfare.
 
Turning Point
DU using a late run in the second set to take the set 25-20 and pick up a 2-0 lead on the Mavericks.  
 
1st Set
Denver got the start it was looking for, racing out to a 12-8 start after a kill from Lydia Bartalo forced Omaha to take a timeout to regroup. The Mavericks ripped off a quick 4-0 run to tie things at 12-12 before a kill from Bartalo snapped the run. Both teams traded runs before things ended tied 25-25. Denver dialed up the pressure, scoring two straight to jump and take the first set, 27-25.
 
2nd Set
The Pioneers opened strong again, taking an 8-5 advantage. Denver pushed it to a 22-17 advantage late after cooling down late on the attack. The Crimson and Gold pushed away though late, taking set two on a kill from Katarina Marinkovic, her seventh of the contest.
 
3rd Set
It was all Denver in the third, giving Omaha no opportunities with stout defense to take a 25-20 set win, securing the victory. The Pioneers limited the Mavericks to just a .093 hitting percentage while racking up 14 kills on a .209 hitting percentage of their own. DU continued its stellar service play, a trend all season, in the set, picking up two service aces.

Inside the Box Score
- Bartalo led the way for Denver with a match-high 10 kills and 12 digs, her third double-double this season.
- Lorrin Poulter continued her strong play, finishing with nine kills and 15 assists.
- Marinkovic added eight kills to go along with teammate Tina Boe.

Significant Stats
- The Pioneers have now won 15 straight sets against the opposition.
- DU's 58 digs tied for the second most this year.  
- Denver has now advanced to the Summit League Championship in every year since it joined the league back in 2013.
 
Up Next
The Pioneers will play the winner of the South Dakota/Kansas City contest in the championship tomorrow at 1 PM MT.

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