It took five sets, but the Denison volleyball team extended its winning streak to five against following a 3-2 (25-11, 29-27, 25-27, 16-25, 15-10) victory over Capital on Wednesday night in Granville.

Things looked good for the Big Red after a dominating 25-11 victory in the opening set.  However, the Crusaders kicked it into another gear, jumping out to an early lead in the second set.  DU continued to battle in the second set, tying the match at 25-all.  After a back-and-forth battle, Denison eventually came out on top with a 29-27 victory.

With wins in the third and fourth sets, the Crusaders pushed the match to a fifth and decisive set.  The two squads battled through the first 15 points as Denison held an 8-7 edge at the changeover.  The switch sparked the Big Red as they rattled off seven of the next 10 points to secure their fifth victory of 2012.

Leading the offensive charge was first-year Brittany Perry.  Perry posted a .465 hitting percentage with a career-best 25 kills.  Rookies Elena Lein and Kenzie Kuhn each chipped in 14 kills, while Annemarie Fischer had 10 finishers and three aces.  Sophomore Elsa Manning posted a match-high four service aces, while Jessica Borsani dished out 66 assists.

Defensively, sophomore libero Emily Marguerite posted 25 digs, while Allie Becker and Sarah Blum had 13 and 12, respectively.  In addition to their 14 kills, Kuhn and Lein also logged six and five solo blocks each.

Sanaya El-Naggar led the Capital offense with 11 kills, while Katie Weilbacher and Angie Fisher handed out 17 and 16 assists.  On defense, Shannon Quinn logged 18 digs, while El-Nagger recorded 13 digs.

The Big Red moves to 5-0, while Capital falls to 0-5.  Denison returns to the court on Saturday at the Washington & Jefferson Tournament.  DU will take on Muskingum and the host Presidents at 3 and 5 p.m., respectively.