The fifth-seeded Denison volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-11) setback to fourth-seeded Hiram in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament held at Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield, Ohio.

The Big Red rebounded from a tough opening set with a back-and-forth battle in the second. The two teams were even through the first 24 points before a 6-1 run gave the Terriers their largest lead of the set at 18-13. DU shrunk the margin to two at 20-18, but a 5-2 burst to close out the set resulted in a 2-0 match lead for the Terriers.

Denison kept the third set close early, trailing by just three at 9-6. However, Hiram opened a 17-11 lead before ending the match with eight-consecutive points.

Junior Rachele Lock led the Big Red offense with six kills, while sophomore Leah Reinfranck and senior Brittany Perry each had five finishers.  Sophomore setter Kaileigh Poe dished out 21 assists to go along with three kills and six digs. Sophomore Kristin Thewes collected 12 digs to pace the defense, while Kristen Brennan had six digs and two aces. Reinfranck finished with two solo blocks, while seniors Elena Lein and Kenzie Kuhn teamed up for a rejection.

Marissa Jay finished the match with 10 kills for Hiram, while Lindsay Brewer and Katie Barton each posted seven. Claire Maier handed out 24 assists, while Megan Schaefer served up two aces. Defensively, Laura Kelly posted 12 digs, while Ashton Webb finished with nine. Logan Brewer led the Terriers with two solo blocks and five block assists, while Jay finished with four block assists.

The loss drops Denison to 13-13, while Hiram improves to 21-10. The Big Red returns to action on Saturday when they take on the loser of the Allegheny-Wittenberg match in the consolation semifinals at 10 a.m.