Granville, Ohio- After posting a 4-3 NCAC record, the Denison Big Red volleyball team earned the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament and hosted No. 5 DePauw for the NCAC quarterfinals. The Tigers presented with a 12-14 overall record against Denison's 13-15 overall record. In their last matchup, Denison toppled the Tigers in a 3-1 decision. The Big Red finished the season sweep with a 3-2 decision to move to the NCAC semifinals.
Up Next: The Big Red advance to the NCAC semifinal round as they travel to Wittenberg University on Friday, November 14. Denison will take on the Wittenberg Tigers at 7 p.m.
NCAC Quarterfinal (Denison 3, DePauw 2) (20-25, 25-16, 23-25,25-22, 15-13)
In front of a packed Livingston crowd, the Big Red took the court against the visiting Tigers from DePauw University. In the opening set, both teams battled back and forth to kick off the opening set. DePauw began to gain momentum and ultimately came out on top 25-20. However, a late ace from
Kate Sicklick and a trio of kills from
Maeve Perry gave the Big Red momentum heading into the second set.
To open up the second set, the Big Red jumped to an early 7-2 lead, fueling the student section with energy. Denison continued to pour it on, as big kills from Perry,
Claire Hamilton, and
Kate Sicklick electrified the gymnasium. Up by nine, Perry recorded a huge block to push the Denison lead to double-digits. The Big Red took the set 25-16 to even the match at 1-1.
In the third set, both teams traded leads before settling at 11 all. DePauw was able to take a lead, only to be met by a remarkable volley ending in a thunderous kill from Hamilton. Sicklick served a pair of back-to-back aces before the Tigers went on a three-point swing. The conference foes would continue to trade the lead up to the final point. The Tigers came out on top, taking a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set was nothing short of dramatic. The Tigers found themselves in the driver's seat early, but the Big Red did not succumb to the pressure. A four-point run courtesy of kills from Hamilton and Emily Monachino gave Denison an 18-16 lead. The Big Red would hold on to knot the match at 2-2 and send the semifinal into a tiebreaking fifth set.
As the crowd finished the wave, both teams took the court ready to end the opposition's season. DePauw was able to grab an early 6-3 lead and ultimately was able to go into the break leading by two points. The high-flying duo of Monachino and Hamilton recorded back-to-back kills and forced an error to tie the match at nine all. To seal the victory,
Maeve Perry recorded three kills to secure the win and send Denison into the NCAC semifinal match.
In the five-set battle, the Big Red posted a handful of remarkable performances. Perry, Hamilton, Monachino, and Dunbar all eclipsed double-digit kills with 17, 15, 15, and 10, respectively. Sicklick hit an astonishing .571 and recorded four aces. The dynamic duo of Alice Kempf and Amelia Kurtz led the assist column with 27 and 26. Senior Sadie Habeeb notched 23 digs in the win.
