The 10th-ranked Polar Bears of Ohio Northern University pulled into Granville with a perfect record in 2010, and that is the way they left following their 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-22) victory over the Denison University volleyball team on Tuesday night inside Livingston Gymnasium.

The two squads traded off the opening 12 points of the first set.  However, the Polar Bears built up a 19-9 advantage as they cruised to an opening-game win.  In the second set, it was Ohio Northern that jumped out to the early lead.  Down a point, the Big Red rallied to gain a 4-2 edge early in the game.  With the match tied a 4-4, ONU went on a 10-3 run to expand their lead to 14-7 before claiming a nine-point victory in the second set.

The third game resembled the first as the two teams traded off the first 10 tallies.  However, unlike the first set it was DU that gained a two point edge (7-5).  Their lead eventually ballooned to 14-9 on a thunderous kill by junior Lauren Strowder (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights).  Trailing by five, the Polar Bears rattled off seven-consecutive points to recapture a two-point advantage (16-14).  With the match tied at 17-17, ONU scored four of the next five tallies to take a 21-18 edge.  Denison was able to trimmed the deficit to 23-22, however back-to-back Ohio Northern points locked up the win.

Strowder finished the night with a team-high eight kills, and Claire Koneval (Solon, Ohio/Solon) had 24 assists.  Defensively, senior Lauren Weidner (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and junior Brooke Beavers (Sylvania, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) each recorded seven digs, while junior Megan Early (Findlay, Ohio/Van Buren) and first-years Lauren Gustafson (Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades Charter) and Madison Owen (Novi, Mich./Northville) notched two blocks apiece.

Denison falls to 1-5 on the year, while the Polar Bears improve to 5-0.  The Big Red returns to action this weekend when they compete at the Kenyon Invitational in Gambier, Ohio.  DU opens the Kenyon Invite on Friday at 4 p.m. when they take on Bluffton University.