GRANVILLE -- DePauw University rallied from an early deficit to secure a 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-17) North Coast Athletic Conference win over Denison on Saturday afternoon at Livingston Gymnasium.

Riding high off the energy from the pregame senior day festivities, the Big Red came out aggressive as they built an early 5-1 lead in the opening set. The Tigers were able to battle back numerous times, erasing multiple deficits before tying the match at 15-15. Elisabeth Wilson gave the Tigers their first lead of the set at 16-15 which forced Denison to call a timeout.

Despite trailing for the first time, the home team strayed right with DePauw as they tied the score at 19-19. The Big Red were able to regain a small edge before a pair of Sarah Kelly finishers tied the score at 22-22. A couple attacking miscues by the Tigers put the Big Red as set point, but a serving error made the score 24-23. Sophomore Isabella Pivec capped off the win with a kill.

The two squads were in a close battle in the second set. The 11th tie of the set came with the score all square at 14-14. Keegan Kollias broke the tie with a kill, while a Kollias and Wilson double block added to the Tiger lead. Gabi Allread followed with a finisher of her own before back-to-back Suzanne Peters aces pushed the DePauw lead to five. The Big Red were able to shrink the margin to three at 20-17, but a 5-2 run to close out the set tied the match at 1-1.

The Tigers took a commanding 9-1 lead in the third set. The visitors from Greencastle used that early surge to secure a 25-16 set victory. The Big Red grabbed the early lead in the fourth set before DePauw rallied to tie the score at 7-7. The Tigers used a 14-6 burst to break the tie and build an eight-point lead. DePauw was able to turn that advantage into a 25-17 win.

Junior Leah Reinfranck paced Denison with 13 kills and a .355 attacking percentage, while senior Rachele Lock and Pivec added eight and seven finishers, respectively. Sophomore Julia Miller handed out 17 assists, while Kaileigh Poe dished out 15 helpers and served up a team-high three aces. Defensively, junior libero Kristin Thewes finished with 28 digs, while Lock chipped in 13. Pivec had three block assists, while Reinfranck and Alex Tubbs added two blocks each.

Peters finished with 12 kills to lead the Tigers, while Kelly and Wilson had 10 apiece. Kollias handed out 44 of the team's 50 assists, while three different players recorded three aces. Libero Rachael Lenderman had 27 digs, while Wilson finished with seven total blocks.

Denison falls to 10-14 overall and 3-4 in the NCAC, while DePauw improves to 19-4 and 7-1 in league play. The Big Red returns to action on Wednesday when they travel to Oberlin for their final NCAC match of the season. Match time is slated for 7 p.m.