The Big Red volleyball team went 1-1 on the opening day of the Manchester University Invitational. Denison rebounded from a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-23) setback to Ohio Wesleyan with a 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 28-26, 25-21) victory over the host Spartans on Friday in Manchester, Ind. 

Against the host Spartans, Denison took a 1-0 advantage despite trailing 8-7 early in the first set.  Down by a point, the Big Red went on a 15-4 run, that included a string of eight-straight points, to take a 22-12 lead. During that run, four different athletes recorded a kill for DU, led by sophomore Rachele Lock's three. The Big Red was also the recipient of five miscues by Manchester. Denison maintained its advantage en route to posting a 25-15 decision.

After suffering a 25-23 setback in the second set, DU was involved in a slugfest in the third set of the match. Trailing by as many as five, the Spartans rallied to tie the match at 21-21 behind a 6-1 run. The two teams exchanged points which led to a 26-26 tie. The Big Red gained a 2-1 match advantage thanks to back-to-back attacking errors by Manchester.

In the fourth set, the host team took a 12-8 lead thanks to a kill by Courtney Chowning. Denison quickly answered with an 8-2 run that put the Big Red in front 16-14. The offensive burst featured three kills by freshman Leah Reinfranck, a service ace by sophomore Carly Newell. Lock capped off the run with a finish of a set by Newell. Manchester quickly regained the lead behind three-straight points which eventually led to a 21-20 advantage.  Junior Brittany Perry tied that match at 21-21, while a kill by junior Elena Lein gave the Big Red the lead once again. Senior setter Jessica Borsani served out the remainder of the match thanks to a trio of miscues by the Spartans.

Perry led the offense with 12 kills to go along with seven digs, while Lock and Lein finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Lein also had one solo block and three block assists. Reinfranck also played a key role at the net with eight kills and two block assists. Newell finished with a team-best 19 assists, while senior Allie Becker served up three of the team's nine aces. Reinfranck and Newell logged two aces each, while senior Emily Marguerite and freshman Kristin Thewes had the other two. Marguerite paced the defense with 22 digs, while Borsani posted 14.

In a nonconference match with the Battling Bishops, Reinfranck posted a .429 attacking percentage with seven kills and just one error in 14 attempts. Reinfranck also had one ace and two block assists. Lock led the offense with nine kills, while Annemarie Fischer and Lein each logged four finishers. Lein also paced DU at the net defensively with two solo blocks and three block assists. Borsani handed out 19 assists, while freshman Kaileigh Poe had eight helpers. Defensively, Marguerite logged 15 digs to go along with two service aces. Fischer and senior Elsa Manning also had two block assists.

Denison (3-5) closes out play at the Manchester Invitational on Saturday with matches against Wilmington (11 a.m.) and Albion (1 p.m.).