Denison split a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon in Granville.  DU dropped a North Coast Athletic Conference decision to DePauw 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21), but rebounded with a five-set (25-22, 23-25, 16-25, 25-16, 15-5) win over Manchester.

In the nightcap against the Spartans, the Big Red found itself in a two matches to one hole.  The home team responded with a dominating nine-point win in the fourth set to force a fifth-and-final game.  Denison jumped out to an early lead in the fifth set.  Leading 8-3 at the change, DU rattled off seven of the next nine points to secure the victory.

Leading the offensive charge were first-years Kenzie Kuhn and Elena Lein, the reigning NCAC Player of the Week, with 13 kills apiece.  Brittany Perry also added 12 kills, while Annemarie Fischer notched 11 finishers.  Sophomores Jessica Borsani and Emily Marguerite each served up two aces, while Borsani also handed out 50 assists.  On defense, Marguerite posted 19 digs, while Kuhn and Elsa Manning logged four and three blocks, respectively.

Against the Tigers, Lein paced the DU attack with six kills, while Fischer and Kuhn each posted five finishers.  Manning logged two aces and seven digs, while Borsani dished out 22 assists.  Defensively, Marguerite recorded a team-best 15 digs, while Sarah Blum and Perry added 12 and 11, respectively.

The Big Red moves to 16-8 overall and 3-3 in the NCAC.  Denison plays its final home match on Wednesday against rival Ohio Wesleyan University.  Game time is slated for 7 p.m.