DENVER - The University of Denver volleyball team defeated the Omaha Mavericks (25-14, 20-25, 26-24, 25-18) on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton Gymnasium. 

LEADERS:
Ava Reynolds paced the Pioneers' offense with 16 kills and a .462 hitting percentage, alongside nine digs and four blocks.
Jamia Johnson added 12 kills and Genevieve Lewis pitched in another nine.
Emma Mirabelli recorded a career-high four aces and Izzy Rawlings added a pair. 
Rawlings led the Pioneers with 24 assists alongside Ilayda Eren's 22 helpers. 
Defensively, Maddie Winkler made 19 digs and Kate Perryman added 7 blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE
Denver and Omaha traded blows to start the set before the Pioneers found their stride and took the lead for good at 8-7. Mirabelli led DU from the service line during a 6-0 run to extend the lead to 19-11. Reynolds was a perfect 6-for-6 on the attack to give Denver a 25-14 set one victory. 

SET TWO
DU took a 3-1 lead to start the stanza before Omaha made a run of their own to take a 6-7 lead. The Pioneers and the Mavericks traded runs throughout the set with nine tied scores and six lead changes. Omaha tied the game at 18 and ultimately pulled away to win the set 25-20.

SET THREE
The Pioneers battled through set three, taking a 4-0 run to start with Molina at the service line. DU led by as many as three throughout the set but was unable to extend the lead further. The Pioneers and the Mavericks tied the match at 18 and found ways to keep the set alive into extras. Molina was the difference maker in the third set, once again on the service line and earned her fourth career ace to secure the 26-24 fourth stanza victory.

SET FOUR
Denver continued its offensive momentum into the fourth set, once again starting with a 3-1 lead. Omaha tied it up and the two battled back and forth before the Pioneers took the lead for good at 8-7. Rawlings was dominant from the service line with a pair of aces on seven-consecutive serves to help DU extend the lead to 14-8. The Mavericks took a run of their on, cutting the lead to two at 19-17. Mirabelli once again found herself at the service line and was able to lead the offense to a 25-18 victory.

UP NEXT:
The Pioneers return to Hamilton Gymnasium on Tuesday at 6 p.m. MT to take on St. Thomas

Tickets:
Tickets are on sale now for the 2025 Denver volleyball season. Purchase tickets for the rest of the 2025 campaign here.
 
Summit League Network:
Catch the remainder of Denver's 2025 season on the Summit League Network. Subscribe to the league streaming service today.
 
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