The Denison volleyball team opened the 2015 campaign with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-22) victory over Ohio Northern on Wednesday at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Denison University.

The Polar Bears jumped out to an early lead in the first set, eventually holding on for a 25-22 victory. The Big Red squared the match with a 25-19 win in the second set. DU fell behind in the third set, but battled back for a 25-22 victory that gave the home team a 2-1 lead in the match.

Like the third, Denison fell behind in the fourth set. Trailing 12-6, the Big Red rattled off eight-consecutive points to take a 14-12 advantage. ONU would regain a two-point lead at 19-17, but another DU rally would tie the match at 20-20. After trading points, Denison strung together consecutive points which eventually resulted in a fourth-set victory and a 3-1 win.

In her first-collegiate match, freshman Olivia Buroker posted a .350 attacking percentage after logging a match-high 17 kills in 40 attempts with just three errors. Seniors Kenzie Kuhn, Annemarie Fischer and Brittany Perry combined for 28 of the team's 59 kills. Fischer also finished with four block assists, while fellow senior Elena Lein recorded seven block assists and eight kills. Sophomore setter Kaileigh Poe dished out 48 assists and had four block assists, while sophomore libero Kristin Thewes led the squad with 28 digs. Buroker added 15 digs, while Fischer and Kristen Brennan each logged 14 digs.

Kristin Sessler and Ellie Gillespie paced the Polar Bear attack with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, while Haley Potters chipped in nine. Setter Ashley Borchers dished out 32 assists to go along with 20 digs. Sessler led the team with 24 digs, while Gillespie and Megan Nieszala also posted 20 digs. At the net, Gillespie and Potters recorded six blocks apiece, while Claire Heitkamp finished with five rejections.

Denison improves to 1-0 on the year, while Ohio Northern falls to 0-1. Tonight's victory also marked the first win in the all-time series for the Big Red. DU will return to action this weekend at the Mount Union Tournament in Alliance, Ohio. Denison opens play on Friday (Sept. 4) when they take on Bethany at 4 p.m.