The Denison volleyball team opened its 2014 home schedule with a 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 18-25, 25-17) victory over Capital University on Wednesday night at Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, Ohio. With the win, the Big Red secured its third-consecutive win over the Crusaders.

Denison trailed by as many as five points (7-2) early in the opening set. Following a timeout, DU rallied to score six-straight points to take its first lead of the night at 8-7.  A kill by Rachele Lock returned service to the Big Red, while freshman Kristen Brennan held serve on five more points which included an ace that put Denison ahead. The two squads continued to battle until a 4-1 Capital gave the visiting team a 20-17 lead. That mini spurt forced Big Red head coach Lynsey Whisner to call her final timeout.  The stoppage proved to be critical as Denison scored six-consecutive times out of the break to grab a 23-20 edge. That run was fueled by two Brittany Perry kills, three Capital miscues and a block by Perry and Elena Lein. The Crusaders cut the deficit to 24-22, but another finish from Perry secured the first-set win.

Despite surrendering the first set in the second set, the Big Red rattled off six of the next seven points to take a four-point advantage. Capital rebounded with a 9-3 run that was assisted by five Denison errors. The Crusaders led by as many as three points on seven different occasions, including holding a 23-20 lead late in the match.  DU shrunk the deficit to one behind a Leah Reinfranck finish and an attacking error by Capital. With the score at 24-22, the Crusaders served a ball into the net that made it a one-point set.  Perry tied the match with a thunderous kill, while Reinfranck followed with the go-ahead point.  Now ahead by a point, Perry finished off the match with a fall-away left-handed attack that found the floor.

Capital avoided the clean sweep with a 25-18 victory in the third set. In the fourth, Denison quickly erased a two-point deficit with eight of the next nine points to build an 8-3 advantage.  That run featured a pair of finishes from Lock, kills by Lein and Elsa Manning and an ace by freshman setter Kaileigh Poe. The Crusaders closed the game to two, but a methodical attack by the Denison offense eventually resulted in a 25-17 victory.

Lock, Reinfranck and Perry all had double-digit kills for the Big Red. In her first appearance of the season, Lock finished with a game-high 13 kills, while Reinfranck and Perry had 12 and 10, respectively. Lein also posted eight kills to go along with three solo blocks and one block assist. Reinfranck also had a good day at the net with two solo blocks and one block assist.

Senior Jessica Borsani dished out a game-high 25 assists, while Poe had 15 helpers in her collegiate debut. Senior Emily Marguerite and Brennan combined for nine of the squads 11 aces with five and four, respectively. Poe and senior Allie Becker had the other two service aces. Defensively, Marguerite logged 28 digs to pace Denison.

With the win, Denison improves to 2-3, while the loss drops the Crusaders to 1-4.  The Big Red returns to action next Wednesday (Sept. 10) when they travel to University Heights, Ohio to take on the John Carroll Blue Streaks.  Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m.