In their first two home games since Sept. 22, the Pioneers topped Texas State 3-1 on Thursday and the University of Texas-San Antonio 3-1 on Saturday, snapping a four-game losing streak on the road.
They continue their 4-0 win streak at home and are now 10-9 overall and 4-5 in the Western Athletic Conference.
“This was definitely a good win; we needed that,” said head coach Jesse Mahoney on Thursday. “It’s hard to believe we’ve had so few home games this season, but we have shown that we play better here.”
Senior Faimie Kingsley led the team with 18 kills, and junior Colleen King was not far behind with 15.
Freshman Michelle Swope, who was able to return this week after missing the last three matches due to a head injury, added 13 kills and led the team in digs with 18.
“It was hard coming out with a concussion and missing volleyball for those two weeks,” said Swope. “I needed it in my life again, and coming back has helped me connect better with my teammates on and off the court.”
Sophomore Kate Acker had 10 digs and fellow sophomore Frances Carroll added nine. Setter Bailey Karst tallied 28 assists, while Carroll added 20.
The first set started off close, but the Pioneers made a run and took the set 25-20. In the second set, the teams went back and forth, but once again DU made a substantial run and won by eight. Texas State took the third set, forcing a fourth. The fourth set was hard fought, but the Pioneers pulled out the win with a score of 25-21.
On Saturday, the Crimson and Gold earned another four-set victory.
“We had two pretty evenly matched teams today,” said Mahoney. “It’s great for the kids to realize how good we can be and the high level of play we can reach.”
The first two sets were 25-22 and 22-25, the first in the Pioneers’ favor before dropping the second. They followed up the first two by putting away the third and fourth sets, both with scores of 25-19.
For the second consecutive match, Kingsley led the team in kills with 14, while King and junior Alex Turgeon contributed 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Kingsley also tallied eight blocks.
“It was so exciting to beat UTSA, because we knew they would be a good team,” said Kingsley. “We matched them point for point and showed that we can compete with teams like that.”
Acker had 10 digs for the second game in a row. Classmates Carroll and Karst added nine and seven, respectively. The two setters also tallied 22 and 26 assists.
The Pioneers will come off these two wins and return to the road Thursday and Saturday as they face Louisiana Tech and Texas Arlington.
“We know we are able to do the things it takes to win,” said Mahoney. “The road presents a separate challenge in itself, so we’re going to have to find a way to continue to play at this level.”
