DENVER, Colo. - Continuing its stay on the road, Western Illinois volleyball (0-8, 0-7) visited Denver (4-1, 4-1) on Sunday night for week four of Summit League play. The series opener went to the home squad in three sets (18-25, 19-25, 18-25).
"Right now, we're still working to increase our effectiveness on offense," explained WIU head coach Ben Staupe. "We've had our good moments, but becoming consistent is a priority."
A few Denver errors helped WIU rack up points early in set one. Peyton Bowman and Emma Norris also contributed to the scoring. However, the Pioneers pieced a 9-5 lead before scoring the next five of six opportunities. Both teams traded points for a stretch before Western settled into a comfortable groove. Aubrey Putman helped start a 5-1 run for the Leathernecks - trimming Denver's lead. Nevertheless, resting at set point for a couple of possessions, the Pioneers ultimately ended the first frame off a left-side kill, 25-18.
Putman struck first for WIU in the second set, and Kennedy Davis threw down a kill to have her Leathernecks trailing 5-4. Denver got hot on the scoring end, however, and pushed a 9-1 run. Kills by Norris, including an Erika Moore service ace, got Western back on track, down 17-9. Denver found itself struggling with several service errors as WIU crawled its way back in it. Trailing by four, Ashley Poland put up Western's second ace of the evening, but two final Denver kills closed out the second, 25-19.
The Purple and Gold came out firing in the third period - producing five consecutive points to go up 7-5. Denver firstly responded by scoring four straight and then three more. Bowman, Kalynn Davis, and Mariah Mitchell all provided a spark, with Western down 16-14. Another 4-0 run by Denver led to a timeout. Right out of the break, the Pioneers suffered their eleventh service error. Abby Knoop and Mitchell picked up two more kills for Western before Denver finished out the night, 25-18.
Bowman and Norris paced Western's attacking game with seven kills apiece. Cassie Hunt had 14 assists and seven digs. Gabby DePersio led the defense with 13 digs, while Putman added five kills and four digs.
Western gets a second opportunity at the Pioneers tomorrow (Feb. 22). Match play begins at 5 p.m. CT.
