SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- For the first time since 2013, the Denison volleyball team earned a spot in the semifinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament following a 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-19) victory over third-seeded Kenyon on Friday afternoon at Pam Evans Smith Arena on the campus of Wittenberg University.

In addition to marking the Big Red's first quarterfinal win since 2013, DU's victory on Friday was also the first time that a No. 6 seed defeated a No. 3 seed since the NCAC resumed an eight-team tournament in 2012.

In a back-and-forth opening set, Kenyon went on a 12-4 run to build a 21-14 lead. Denison rallied to shrink the deficit to 22-19 before the Ladies rattled off back-to-back points to reach set point. Freshman Alex Tubbs registered consecutive kills to pull DU within four, but a Delaney Swanson finisher brought the first set to an end.

Denison engineered an impressive 11-4 surge to open the second. Sophomore Isabella Pivec had three finishers during the run. Kenyon rallied all the way back to take a 15-14 lead. The Big Red answered with kills by freshman Katie Aucamp and junior Leah Reinfranck, while Pivec had a kill and a solo block. The Ladies slowly chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the match at 23-23. Now deadlocked at 24-24, Tubbs came up with back-to-back kills to even that match at one set apiece.

The third set was another tightly contested battle that was tied after the first 12 points. DU broke the tie with a 6-1 run that was highlighted by two kills from Aucamp and finishes by seniors Rachele Lock and Sarah Bradley. Kenyon pulled to within one at 18-17, forcing Denison to call a timeout. After the stoppage, DU was able to create some separation eventually reaching set point following a Reinfranck kill that gave the Big Red a 24-21 lead. Back-to-back points got the Ladies to within one, but another kill by Pivec put Denison one win away from a semifinal berth.

Each team orchestrated significant runs in the fourth set. In front 12-11, the Big Red went on a 9-2 run that resulted in a 21-12 advantage. Fighting to stay alive, Kenyon battled back with six consecutive points to close the gap to three. However, a 4-1 burst down the stretch sealed the four-set victory for DU. Pivec had two kills during the run, while Lock closed out the match with a finisher.

Pivec led the Big Red offense with 16 kills, while also posting a .300 attacking percentage. Reinfranck had 15 finishers and a .324 hitting percentage, while Lock ended the match with 12 kills. Junior setter Kaileigh Poe dished out 30 assists, while sophomore Julia Miller handed out 20 helpers. Aucamp served up four of the team's six aces, while Miller and Lock had the other two. Defensively, junior libero Kristin Thewes had 30 digs, while Lock finished with 16. Reinfranck had a match-high six blocks, while Tubbs and Pivec each had four rejections. As a team, the Big Red totaled 13 blocks (6 solo and 14 block assists).

With the win, Denison improves to 12-15 on the year, while the Ladies fall to 16-12. The Big Red returns to action on Saturday when they take on second-seeded DePauw, who defeated seventh-seeded Wooster 3-0, at Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield, Ohio. Match time is scheduled for 12 p.m.