VERMILLION, S.D. -- The University of Denver volleyball team fell to South Dakota (25-17, 15-25, 23-25, 13-25) on Thursday night at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
LEADERS:
Ava Reynolds let the Pioneers with 9 kills and a .304 hitting percentage alongside 10 digs
Genevieve Lewis and
Jamia Johnson each added 8 kills.
Maddie Winkler led the defensive effort with 14 digs and
Kate Perryman had three blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1
After a back and forth start, Denver built a narrow lead. Johnson scored back-to-back cross-court kills to extend the Pioneers' lead to 10-6. The Pioneers continued their offensive momentum to extend the lead to 16-10, led by the offensive effort of Johnson and Molina having a perfect three kills on three attempts. Ilayda Eren recorded three straight service aces to earn the 25-17 victory.
SET 2
South Dakota earned a three-point lead throughout the first half of the set. The Yotes capitalized on Denver's mistakes to extend the lead to 15-10. The Pioneers struggled to find offensive momentum and dropped the set, 25-15.
SET 3
The Pioneers and the Yotes battled back and forth to start the third set. DU took a 6-5 lead off of a block by Reynolds and Elise Hart, but South Dakota tied it back up to then take a 7-6 lead. Denver took a 4-0 run off three straight points by Lewis and an ace by Mirabelli to take a 15-12 lead. USD responded with a run of their own to tie it 17-17. In a set with 18 ties and 8 lead changes, Denver dropped the set, 25-23.
SET 4
South Dakota took an early lead in the fourth set and the Pioneers struggled to find their stride and dropped the set, 25-13.
UP NEXT:
The Pioneers travel to Brookings, South Dakota to take on South Dakota State on Saturday at 12 p.m. MT.
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:
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