DU’s volleyball team hosted three visiting schools for the Denver International Tournament on Sept. 19 and 20. The visiting teams included University of Texas El Paso, University of Nevada and the University of San Francisco. Over the span of two days, the Lady Pios defeated each of these other schools en route to a Denver International title.

On Sept. 19, DU volleyball downed San Francisco 3-2 in the Hamilton Gymnasium. Nine total sets were played in a long and well-deserved victory for the Pioneers.

Sophomore Ruth Okoye led the team with an astounding 27 kills.

Denver then faced the University of Nevada on Sept. 20. This match only took four sets, as Denver won the third and fourth sets to break the tie.

Bailey Karst, a senior from Aurora led the team with 38 assists and 3 aces.

The final game pitted the Pioneers against the University of Texas El Paso.Despite falling 17 to 23 in the first set, DU was able to bounce back and win the set 25 to 23. The thrilling comeback set an early tone for the match, which only needed four sets to determine a winner.

Freshman Cassie Baird from Indianapolis led the way with 15 kills. Building on her earlier performance, Karst totaled an even more impressive 59-assist game.

Okoye took home the tournament’s MVP award. Her 53 kills over three games led all participating players. She will look to carry the momentum of her performances into league play, which began Sept. 19 at Western Illinois University.

The team as a whole played extremely well over the weekend, showing guts and determination throughout the entire tournament. The Pioneer’s fast start and 11-3 record shows promise for the remainder of the 2014 season.