Women's Volleyball | 9/20/2025 7:14:00 PM

Granville, Ohio: The Big Red volleyball team returned home to Livingston Gymnasium for a thrilling Saturday doubleheader. Following an 3-0 loss against Otterbein Friday night, the Big Red were able to rattle off back-to-back wins, downing Capital in straight sets and Bluffton in a 3-1 decision to move to 8-6 on the season.

Up Next: Denison will travel to Muskingum University on Wednesday for a midweek out-of-conference matchup before kicking off NCAC play next Saturday against the Tigers of Wittenberg University.

Match 1 (Denison 3, Capital 0) (25-15, 25-17, 25-19)

Entering with a multiple-game losing streak, the Big Red caught fire early, dominating the opposition from the start. Despite an early trade of points, Denison did not trail once in the first set. Up by three, the Big Red rattled off 10 of the last 13 points to seal a convincing 25-15 first set win.

The Comets were not ready to bow out. Denison jumped to an early 5-1 lead but Capital battled back to keep it at 9-6 in favor of Denison. Capital would go on to string seven straight points together to take a 13-9 lead. The Big Red snagged a few back before catching fire in Livingston. Out of the final 17 points scored, Denison was responsible for 14, silencing the Comet's momentum and taking a 2-0 lead in their first match of the day.

The third and final set of the match was much of the same story. An early trading of leads turned into a dominant Denison performance. Tied at 3-3, a trio of kills from Maeve Perry and a single kill from Devon Moore punctuated a six-point run for the Big Red. Capital would go on to make a run of their own but it wasn't enough to overtake the Big Red lead. Carolina Parkhurst capped off the first match with a pair of kills to take a 25-19 victory, sealing the 3-0 match win.

After surpassing 2,000 career assists earlier this week, senior Alice Kempf continued to dominate the assist column with a match-high 29 assists. Claire Hamilton led the game with eight kills, but Maeve Perry, Carolina Parkhurst, and Devon Moore each tagged on seven. Ryan Kotalik and Lauren Brown each picked up three service aces in the win.

Match 2 (Denison 3, Bluffton 1) (14-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-14)

Following a dominant performance in their first match of the day, Denison got off to a slow start, getting handed a 14-25 loss by the Beavers of Bluffton.

In the second set, the Bluffton team continued to lay it on thick, taking a 17-15 lead. While the scoreboard didn't show it, all momentum was in favor of the visitors. However, a timeout gave the Big Red a chance to regroup. The Beavers committed repeated errors while Devon Moore and Lauren Brown picked up huge kills. 

The set win turned tides in Livingston, with Denison taking the lead from the first point and not giving it up for the rest of the night. Maeve Perry and Lauren Brown inched the Big Red closer to victory, but it was Devon Moore who slammed the set point home to take a commanding 2-1 lead.

In the final set of the day, the Big Red broke loose, dominating the Beavers from the first point. Denison fed into the electric crowd and led by as much as 12 points. Emma Hampton sealed the deal to finalize the undefeated Saturday for the Big Red.

Alice Kempf collected an astonishing 45 assists in the second match. Maeve Perry and Devon Moore continued to dominate the kill column, picking up 12 apiece while Lauren Brown and Emma Hampton broke away with 10 and eight respectively. The duo of Sadie Habeeb and Ryan Kotalik led the dig column, grabbing 18 and 16.