DU Volleyball Opens Pioneer Classic with 3-1 Win Over Georgia Tech
Pioneers comeback from a set down to defeat the Yellow Jackets and open the Pioneer Classic with a win
DENVER – The University of Denver volleyball team (4-7) defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-3) 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-13) in its first match of the Pioneer Classic on Friday evening in Hamilton Gymnasium.
After dropping the first set, the Pioneers captured the next three sets to seal their fourth win of the season and hand the Yellow Jackets their third loss of the season.
“I am so proud of the way our girls battled tonight,” said head coach Beth Kuwata. “We had two girls out sick this week and the way they performed tonight, even though they weren’t feeling 100 percent was just incredible. It was a great team effort and a great win for our program.”
Seniors Emmy Davidsmeyer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Alexis Ninos (Cypress, Texas) led the Pioneers with 15 kills apiece, while sophomore Jordan Raines(Coppell, Texas) and freshman Faimie Kingsley(Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 14 and 10 kills, respectively.
Setter Kresson Vreeman (Raymond, Minn.) led the way with 49 helpers and 13 digs, while libero Kacie Wikierak(Crystal Lake, Ill.) added 13 digs. Continuing to impress at the net, Kingsley led the way with seven blocks, while Davidsmeyer chipped in five.
As a team, the Pioneers out-hit the Yellow Jackets 139 to 131 and posted 12.5 blocks to Georgia Tech’s nine.
After dropping the first set 25-21, the Pioneers battle with the Yellow Jackets in set two, squeaking out a 25-23 win that was sealed with a kill from Raines. Using the momentum, Denver continued to hold strong against Georgia Tech in set three and with the score tied 15-15, the Pioneers strung together a 10-3 run to close out the set and take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Denver’s most dominant performance came in the fourth and final set of the night as the Pioneers downed the Yellow Jackets 25-13. Jumping out to a 9-4 lead and forcing the Yellow Jackets to use their first timeout of the set, the Pioneers went on an 8-3 run that forced Georgia Tech to call another quick timeout to regroup. Coming out of the break, Denver closed out the set on an 8-6 run, sealing the win on a kill from Ninos.
Georgia Tech’s Brittany Roderick led the way with 14 kills and five blocks, while Bailey Hunter added 13 kills and three digs.
In the first match of the day, No. 12 Oregon defeated No. 9 Minnesota in five sets to improve to 9-0 on the season.
Action continues tomorrow as the Pioneers open the day with an 11 a.m. match against No. 12 Oregon in Hamilton Gymnasium. Visit www.DenverPioneers.com for more information regarding the Pioneer Classic.
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