BEXLEY, Ohio (Sept. 18) – The Denison University Big Red volleyball team dropped a road decision in four sets to host Capital University in non-conference action Wednesday evening at the Capital Center Performance Arena. 
 
Capital never trailed in the opening set after grabbing the first six points. Both teams struggled offensively in the first set, as neither squad reached double figures in kills. Denison cut the deficit to as few as three points, at 10-7, but that is as close as they would get during the set. After back-to-back points cut it to 22-17, the Comets tallied the final three points to take the opening set. 
 
Denison evened the match with a narrow win in the second set. Back-to-back kills by Ayla Dunbar pushed the Big Red in front at 6-4 early. A little later in the set, a 9-2 run for the Big Red, with consecutive kills by Claire Hamilton and Reagan Sass making it 17-11. Capital started to string together some momentum and eventually trimmed the deficit to 19-18, which forced Denison to take a timeout. The Big Red was able to withstand the pressure before eventually claiming the set by a 25-23 score. Hamilton closed the set with a kill. 
 
A slow start in the third set was ultimately too much to overcome for the Big Red. Capital picked up five of the first six points in the third, which forced Denison to play catch up all set. The Big Red put together a run to close the gap to 21-19 following back-to-back blocks by Cailey Johns. Capital was able to withstand the run and hold off the Big Red in a 25-22 victory to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. 
 
Capital dominated the fourth set to finish off the victory. The Comets ripped off eight-straight points to open the set. Fueled by three kills by Reagan Sass, Denison was able to trim the deficit to five points (11-6). Capital countered with seven-straight points to extend the lead into double digits. The Comets remained in control to close things out. 
 
Hamilton and Sass finished with nine kills apiece to lead Denison. Alice Kempf tallied 19 assists and 12 digs. Defensively, the Big Red were led by Sadie Habeeb, who recorded a match-best 31 digs. Johns finished with a team-best four total blocks. 
 
Up Next: Denison will host a tri-match at Livingston Gymnasium on Saturday, Sept. 21. The Big Red welcome John Carroll (12 p.m.) and Rose-Hulman (4 p.m.) for non-conference action. The two visiting teams will face off at 2 p.m. in the middle match of the day.