VERMILLION, S.D. – No. 3 seed Denver swept No. 6 seed South Dakota State in the opening quarterfinal of th 2023 #SummitVB Championship at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center Sunday. Cassie Davis led all players with 13 kills and three aces as the Pioneers advanced to play No. 2 seed Omaha Monday at 4 p.m. CT.
The Pioneers took the opening set 25-20 behind six kills from Ava Reynods as DU hit .395 while holding the Jackrabbits to a .212 clip.
In the second set, SDSU jumped out a 6-2 advantage before the Pioneers responded with a 5-0 run to take their first lead on a kill from MacKenzie Fidelak. From there, the teams would go back-and-forth until DU used a 7-2 spurt to break a 9-9 tally and take control of a set the Pioneers would eventually win 25-21.
The third set belonged to the Pioneers, who started with a 5-1 stretch and would lead by as many as 12 at 18-6. Davis would cap the sweep for the Pioneers with her team-leading 13th kill as they finished things out with a 25-15 victory.
Sylvie Zgonc, who was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year, led the Jackrabbits will 11 kills but DU limited SDSU to a .144 hitting percentage throughout the three sets.
Who Stood Out
Davis had six of her match-high 13 kills in the opening set and added a match-high three aces as the Pioneers won a quarterfinal match over SDSU for the second consecutive season. Ava Reynolds added nine kills while Briley Decker helped set up those swings with 28 assists. Decker and Cadi Boyer each added five block assists in the victory.
Turning Point
After Elyse Winter gave SDSU its first lead of the opening set at 16-15 after a solo block, the Pioneers scored six straight points to cease momentum and win the opening set 25-20. DU overcame a shaky start to the second set, using a 5-0 run to erase a 6-2 deficit and never relinquish control as they swept the Jackrabbits for the second time this season.
Notable
- This is the third consecutive tournament that Denver and South Dakota State met in the quarterfinals. The sixth-seeded Jackrabbits defeated the third-seeded Pioneers in five sets in 2021, while fourth-seeded DU beat fifth-seeded SDSU last season in five sets.
- DU has advanced to the semifinals in 10 of 11 Summit League Tournament appearances and have made the championship match in eight of those.
- Denver won all three meetings with the Jackrabbits, including taking both of the regular season matches - winning 3-1 in Brookings and sweep SDSU at home.
Up Next
The Pioneers will meet second-seeded Omaha at 4 p.m. CT Monday in the Monday's first semifinal.
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