With nine season games complete, the DU women’s volleyball team is well into their 2014 season.

The first game and win for the Pioneers took place on Aug. 29 against Jackson State. The following morning, DU defeated the University of Incarnate Word 3-1.

In a nail-biting game on Aug. 30, Denver was able to pull out an exciting win in the fifth set over Texas Arlington, allowing the Pioneers to finish with a 3-0 record in the College Park Maverick Classic.

The Pioneers faced the no. 24 University of Kansas Jayhawks in the Pioneer Classic on Sept. 6, falling to the Jayhawks 1-3.

“[Kansas is] the type of team that we need to play in order to measure ourselves against the best teams in the country,” said Denver Head Coach, Jesse Mahoney.

DU faced Colorado State University-Fort Collins, a huge in-state rival, on Sept. 9. CSU, which is currently ranked no. 14 in the country, gave Denver a tough game and 0-3 loss.

Taking the CSU loss as a learning experience, Mahoney remains optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“We’ll be better prepared for it because the next time a team puts that much pressure on us, we’ll know how to react,” Mahoney said.

In both of these games, the Pioneers were outmatched, yet the Pioneers still remain hard at work and are focused on moving forward.

Looking back at the 2013 season, DU led the Summit League in the offensive category and the team appears to be in the running to do that again this year.

A new year also means new talent. Denver added eight new players to its roster this year, including senior and Colorado native, Erica Denney, a transfer student from Penn State University.

Denver faced the University of Nebraska last Friday, Sept. 12, falling 3-0. The Pioneers also went up against Colgate Univerity and Akron University, winning both games 3-0.

Next weekend, the Pioneers will host the Denver Invitational at DU’s Hamilton Gymnasium.