University of Denver
1-0,0-0
Central Arkansas
0-1,0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Ark. | 24 | 17 | 25 | 11 | 1 |
| Denver | 26 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 3 |
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Denver Opens Season With Four-Set Win Over Central Arkansas
8/28/2026 6:16:00 PM | Volleyball
BOULDER, Colo. – The University of Denver volleyball program defeated the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears in four sets (26-24, 25-17, 18-25, 25-11) in both teams' season opener on Friday evening inside the CU Events Center to begin the Buffs Classic Tournament.
"I was proud of our resilience," said Head Coach Megan Pendergast. "We came back a couple different times and responded really well. I think we're maturing. With no seniors out there, to see that level of maturity with not a lot of experience was really cool to see. It was a good start and something to build off of.
LEADERS
Kayla Patel paced the Pioneers' offense with 16 kills and a .414 hitting percentage, while Alicia Thibodeau added 12 kills and Hailey Goebel recorded 10 kills on a .471 hitting percentage. Jamia Johnson contributed eight kills and Izabela Molina added six. Lily Van Hal led Denver with 28 assists, while Ilayda Eren added 19. Madison Winkler posted a team-high 11 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE
The Sugar Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead to open the match before Denver responded with three straight points, including a kill from Johnson to cut the deficit to 4-3. Central Arkansas answered with an 8-0 run, capitalizing on multiple Pioneer attack errors to take an 11-3 advantage. Denver began to settle in, with Thibodeau recording a kill assisted by Ilayda Eren to make it 14-6. The Pioneers continued to battle, eventually cutting the deficit to five at 20-15. A kill from Goebel kept Denver within striking distance at 21-16, while consecutive kills from Patel and another Pioneer attack brought Denver within two at 22-20. The Pioneers continued their late-set push, eventually tying the set at 24-24 before taking set point. Denver completed the comeback, taking the opening set, 26-24, following a Central Arkansas attack error.
SET TWO
The Pioneers carried their momentum into the second set, opening with a 3-1 advantage behind two Central Arkansas attack errors and a service ace. The Sugar Bears responded to tie the set at 5-5, but Denver quickly regained the lead behind consecutive kills from Patel and Thibodeau to make it 7-5. Central Arkansas answered with three straight kills and a service ace to take a 9-7 lead before a kill from Goebel and a Pioneer service ace evened the score at 9-9. The teams continued to trade the lead throughout the middle of the set before Denver used a 3-0 run to pull ahead 13-10. The Pioneers continued to build their advantage late, using another 3-0 run to extend the lead to 22-16. Denver closed out the set with one final 3-0 run, highlighted by kills from Elise Hart and Johnson to reach set point at 24-17 before securing the 25-17 victory.
SET THREE
After a strong opening two sets, the Pioneers came out firing in the third, with Hart recording the opening kill off an assist from Van Hal. Kills from Thibodeau and Molina kept Denver within striking distance at 4-3 before the Sugar Bears responded with a 5-0 run to take an 8-4 lead and force a Denver timeout. Kayla Patel answered with a kill to bring the Pioneers within three, but Central Arkansas responded with another 3-0 run to extend its lead to 11-5. Hailey Goebel added a kill to cut the deficit to 11-6, followed by three more Denver kills, but the Sugar Bears continued to control the set. Central Arkansas held a 19-9 advantage late in the stanza before closing out the set, 25-18.
SET FOUR
The Pioneers responded strongly in the fourth set, opening with two kills and a Central Arkansas attack error to take a 3-1 lead. Denver continued to build momentum, using five more kills to extend its advantage to 11-5 and force a Sugar Bears timeout. Central Arkansas answered with back-to-back kills, but the Pioneers responded with a 7-0 run, highlighted by two kills from Goebel, to push the lead to 18-7. The Sugar Bears managed a pair of kills to cut the deficit to 21-11, but Denver closed the set with four straight points, including kills from Thibodeau and Hart to secure the 25-11 victory and win the match in four sets.
NOTES
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Friday marked the season opener for both Denver and Central Arkansas.
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The Pioneers overcame an 11-3 deficit in the opening set to win 26-24.
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Denver hit .313 as a team, compared to .091 for Central Arkansas.
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The Pioneers recorded 58 kills, 53 assists and 39 digs.
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Denver recorded four service aces and five team blocks.
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Friday marked Head Coach Megan Pendergast's first season-opening victory at Denver.
UP NEXT
Denver will take on Cal State Northridge on Saturday at 3 p.m. MT inside the CU Events Center in the second match of a three-match weekend in Boulder. The Pioneers will open their home slate on September 3 against SIUE at 6 p.m. MT.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the 2026 volleyball season are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
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