By Laura Carr
Editor-in-Chief
The volleyball team won two matches and dropped one in part of their seven game road trip, with only a week remaining before their first home match on the newly renovated floor of Livingston Gymnasium.
The team started the week of road games by defeating neighboring Capital University in straight sets (25-15, 25-13, 25-21) on Sept. 9.
Kenzie Kuhn ‘16 and Elena Lein ‘16 were a force to be reckoned with; Kuhn recorded 10 kills in 21 tries, and Lein finished with a .875 hitting percentage.
“This season I am playing right side for the first time in my life,” Kuhn said. “It has been so much fun to try a new position and see the game from a completely different perspective.”
Other notable performances came from Rachele Lock ‘17, who added eight kills and three aces, Kaleigh Poe ‘18 (30 assists) and Kristin Thewes ‘18 (14 digs). Olivia Buroker ‘19, the team’s outside hitter, had six kills.
“For being a freshman, Olivia’s been such a force to be reckoned with,” Leah Reinfranck ‘18 said. “Her consistency and energy on the court have helped our team so far this year.”
The women traveled to Hanover, Ind. on Sept. 12 for a tri-match against host Hanover College and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
The Big Red began the day with a 3-0 win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (30-28, 25-16, 25-12). Lein and Buroker had nine kills apiece against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, and Reinfranck and Lock contributed eight each. Poe, DU’s setter, had 38 assists. Defensively, libero Thewes led the team with 13 digs, and Buroker had 12.
“The first game was a little rough against Saint Mary’s, but the next two sets were consistent in that our team was working together as one unit and our hitters were connecting with our setters,” Reinfranck said. “Saint Mary’s wasn’t a particularly good team, but we didn’t play down to their level.”
However, the Big Red were unable to carry the momentum from their first match into their duel against Hanover. The ladies fell in straight sets (25-14, 26-24, 26-24), although they put up a fight in the final two sets. Lock paced the team offensively, with 12 digs and eight kills, while Lein had the most blocks on defense, with six.
“The first game, we lost by a significant amount. We played scared, Hanover had control over the entire first game, and we just let them have it,” Reinfranck said. “The second two games were a lot more competitive, and they were a lot more fun to play, even though we didn’t end up winning the match. It was really good competition for us to have before going into conference.”
The team has played one home game this season in the Recreation Gym due to renovations in Livingston Gymnasium. “We can’t wait for our first game in there,” Kuhn said. “I think the excitement from being back and support from our fans will make it a really fun game.”
The Big Red will break in their new court when they host Marietta at 7 p.m. tomorrow evening.
Photo Courtesy of Nelson Dow