Less than 48 hours removed from a thrilling five-set match with sixth-ranked Wittenberg, the Denison volleyball traveled to Meadville, Pa. in search of their first North Coast Athletic Conference win. The Big Red gained their first conference victory following a 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-15, 25-22) decision over the Gators on Saturday.

After trailing early, DU built an 8-4 lead thanks to a 7-2 run that forced Allegheny call its first timeout of the opening set. Freshman Leah Reinfranck highlighted the Denson run with three kills. The home team would battle back after the timeout, eventually tying the set at 15-15. The Big Red came out of their first stoppage with consecutive kills by Elsa Manning, Elena Lein and Brittany Perry to regain a three-point lead. That string of finishers sparked a 7-1 run that gave DU its largest lead of the set at 22-16. Allegheny shrunk the deficit to 24-19, but an attack down the left side by Rachele Lock gave Denison the first set.

The Gators squared the match at 1-1 after winning a tightly-contested second set. Denison recorded nine of the first 13 points in the third set before the home team burned their first timeout. Allegheny was able to get within five on a couple of occasions, but solid play at the net helped the Big Red cruise to a 25-15 win. In that dominate third set, DU posted 16 kills in 36 attempts with only three errors for a .361 attacking percentage. Denison also had two service aces, and Lein registered four blocks (1 solo, 3 assists). On the flipside, Allegheny logged just eight kills and made six miscues in 33 attempts (.061).

After falling into an 8-5 hole in the fourth, the Big Red rattled off four-straight points to regain a 9-8 lead. The run featured two kills by Lein and two Gators attacking errors. Now tied 9-9, Denison strung together another run of points to go up by five. That run helped the visiting team build a 19-12 advantage. The Big Red's 10 points during that run featured two kills each by Annemarie Fischer and Lock, an ace by Kaileigh Poe and three miscues by Allegheny.

The Gators clawed back into the match, eventually cutting the margin to 21-20. Another attacking error by the home squad and a Perry kill put extended the DU lead to 23-20. After Allegheny's Julia Weeks and Perry traded off kills, Denison found itself one point away from its first conference victory. Alyssa Lebowitz got the Gators within two points, but an ensuing attacking error by Lebowitz propelled the Big Red to the win.

Reinfranck, Lein and Lock all finished with a match-high 13 kills. Perry added 11 kills, while Fischer and Manning had eight and six, respectively. Lein also finished with six blocks (5 assists), while Fischer had three block assists. Senior Jessica Borsani dished out 30 assists, while Poe handed out 25 helpers. Both setters also registered 10 digs each. Senior libero Emily Marguerite led DU with 33 digs, while fellow defensive specialist Kristin Thewes collected 10 digs.

Bailey Gawley led the Gators with nine kills, while Taylor Samuel and Leah Franzluebbers each had seven.  Justine Kelly logged 34 assists, while Catherine Kasianowicz recorded 26 digs.

With the win, DU improves to 8-10, while the loss drops Allegheny to 14-7. Both teams are now 1-2 in NCAC play. The Big Red continues its three-game road trip on Wednesday when they travel to Oberlin for a 7 p.m. match.