PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Denison volleyball dropped a pair of matches on Friday evening to open the Carnegie Mellon Invitational in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Big Red fell to Cabrini University, 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-19) and No. 6 Carnegie Mellon University, 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 25-20).

Against Cabrini, sophomore Alex Tubbs led the match with a .538 hitting percentage and tied Isabella Pivec for a team-best with seven kills.

DU's senior Leah Reinfranck and freshman Emma Woerner contributed four kills each, while Julia Miller paced the Big Red with 15 assists.

Against Carnegie Mellon, the Big Red fell in the first two sets but stormed back in the third set 25-20 thanks to multiple kills from Pivec and freshman Kaila Kasper. The Tartans then took an early 7-0 lead in the fourth set as Maia So-Holloway and Sarah Jurgens helped Carnegie Mellon win the set and take the match, 3-1.

Pivec led Denison with 12 kills, while Kasper finished second on the team with 10. Miller added 26 assists and senior Kristin Thewes contributed 29 digs for DU, both were match-highs. The Tartans received a combined 25 kills from Heather Holton and Eliza Donohue, while So-Holloway totaled 21 assists.

The Big Red will return to action this Saturday, Oct. 21 for the final day of the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. Denison will take on Haverford College at 11 a.m. and DeSales University at 1 p.m.