The Big Red volleyball team capped off a perfect 3-0 week with a pair of victories on Saturday at Livingston Gymnasium. Denison opened the day with a 3-2 (28-30, 25-15, 27-25, 19-25, 15-13) win over North Coast Athletic Conference foe Hiram before defeating Rose-Hulman in straight-sets (25-19, 25-10, 25-17).

Against the Terriers, three of the five sets were decided by just two points, including the fifth-and-final set. Hiram won the back-and-forth opening set via 30-28 score. The Big Red rebounded with back-to-back wins to take a 2-1 match lead. The Terriers forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-19 victory in the fourth. In the final set, DU lead 8-2 at the change, but a five-point rally shrunk the lead to 8-7. The two squads battled to a 13-13 tie, but two-straight points propelled Denison to the 15-13 win.

Junior Rachele Lock paced the offense with 14 kills, while senior Kenzie Kuhn and freshman Olivia Buroker added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Kuhn also finished with seven block assists, while classmate Elena Lein totaled 10 blocks, including four solo rejections, to go along with nine finishers. Sophomore setter Kaileigh Poe had a season-high tying 48 assists, while Leah Reinfranck and Buroker each served up two aces. Buroker also paced the defense with 18 digs, while libero Kristin Thewes logged 17.

Katie Barton finished with a match-high 19 kills to lead the Terriers, while Lindsay Brewer added 17 kills and five blocks. Megan Schaefer dished out 43 assists, while Laura Kelly logged 17 digs. Ashton Webb and Logan Brewer combined for seven of the team's eight aces.

In the nightcap against Rose-Hulman, Lein led all hitters with 13 kills and a .632 attacking percentage, while Buroker and Reinfranck each logged nine kills. Buroker also recorded three aces and 12 digs in three sets. Poe finished with 38 assists and an ace, while Thewes led the defense with 18 digs.

Julia Hammond was the Engineers' top offense producer with 10 kills, while Sarah Jansen had nine kills, 11 assists and 12 digs. Marissa Gollnick led RHIT with 15 assists, while Gabi Razma registered 19 digs.

With the sweep, Denison moves to 10-8 on the year and 2-1 in the NCAC. The Big Red returns to action on Wednesday (Oct. 14) when they travel to Delaware, Ohio to take on rival Ohio Wesleyan. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m.