The DU Women’s Volleyball team extended their win streak to 11 matches after sweeping South Dakota State at Hamilton Gymnasium. The Sunday afternoon game was the Summit League home opener for the Pioneers, who were named as the pre-season favorites to repeat as both the Summit League Regular Season Champions and Summit League Tournament Champions. This marks Denver’s fifth straight year on top of the pre-season poll.

Denver took a commanding lead from the beginning of the match, winning the first set 25-22. Despite several times in the first game where San Diego inched closer to Denver, the Pioneers continued to play excellent defense, totaling 17 kills.

In the second match, sophomore Lydia Bartalo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) lead the team on a six-point run, earning one service ace. This match was notable for the DU sophomore as she notched her second double-double of the weekend after totaling 10 kills and 10 digs in the match. The Pioneers would go on to win the second set 25-18, making 20 kills in the set.

Sophomore Tina Boe (Plymouth, Minn.) lead the team on a five-point scoring run in the third set, helping Denver finish the third set with a commanding score of 25-15. With the sweep of South Dakota State, Denver stays perfect in Summit League play (2-0) and improved to a 13-1 record for the season.

Senior Becca Latham (Austin, Texas) had 13 kills against South Dakota, bringing her career totals to 833 kills in 376 sets. Junior Katarina Marinkovic (Beglrade, Serbia) and redshirt junior Taylor Joachim (Baroda, Mich.) totalled nine kills each, while sophomore setter Ellie Anderson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) recorded 14 assists, freshman setter Michelle Feliciano (Laguna Niguel, Calif) recorded 13 assists and senior Emma WIllis (La Jolla, Calif.) totaled five blocks.

Denver plays next at North Dakota State on Sept. 30, returning to Hamilton Gymnasium on Oct. 12 to play Fort Wayne.